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Jean looked at her sister; and Mrs MacClarty, ashamed of their disobedience, but still willing to palliate the faults which her own indulgence had created, said, “that indeed they never liked to leave her, poor things! they were so bashful; but that in time they would do weel enough."
"They will never do well, if they disobey their
mother," said Mr Stewart: "you ought to teach your children to obey you, Mrs MacClarty, for their sakes as well as for your own. Take my word for it, that if you don't, they, as well as you, will suffer from the consequences. But come, boys, we shall go to the field ourselves, and see how the farmer's work goes on."
Mrs MacClarty, glad of this proposal, went to the
door to point the way. Having received her direc- tions, Mr Stewart, pointing to the pool at the thres- hold, asked her how she could bear to have such dir- ty doors? "Why does not your husband fetch a stone from the quarry?" said he. “People who are far from stones and from gravel may have some excuse; but you have the materials within your reach, and by half a day's labour could have your door made clean and comfortable. How then can you have gone on so long with it in this condition?"
"Indeed, I kenna, sir," said Mrs MacClarty; "the
gudeman just canna be fash'd."
"And cannot you be fash'd to go to the end of the
house to throw out your dirty water? don't you see how small a drain would from that carry it down the river, instead of remaining here to stagnate, and to suffocate you with intolerable stench?“
"O, we're just used to it," said Mrs MacClarty,
“and we never mind it. We cou'dna be fash'd to gang sae far wi' a' the slaistery."
"But what," returned Mr Stewart, 'will Mrs
Mason think of all this dirt? She has been used to see things in a very different sort of order, and if you
