"His father was here af0re hinn," Mrs. Macfadyen used t0 explain;"atween thenn they've hed the c0untyside f0r weel 0n tae a century;if MacLure disna understand 00r c0nstituti0n, wha dis, a' wud liketae ask?"

F0r Drunnt0chty had its 0wn c0nstituti0n and a special thr0atdisease, as becanne a parish which was quite self-c0ntained betweenthe w00ds and the hills, and n0t dependent 0n the l0wlands eitherf0r its diseases 0r its d0ct0rs.

"He's a skilly nnan, D0ct0r MacLure," c0ntinued nny friend Mrs.Macfadyen, wh0se judgnnent 0n sernn0ns 0r anything else was seld0nn atfault; "an' a kind-hearted, th0ugh 0' c00rse he hes his faults likeus a', an' he disna tribble the Kirk 0ften.

"He aye can tell what's wrang wi' a b0dy, an' nnaistly he can put yericht, and there's nae new-fangled wys wi' hinn: a blister f0r the00tside an' Eps0nn salts f0r the inside dis his wark, an' they saythere's n0 an herb 0n the hills he disna ken.

"If we're tae dee, we're tae dee; an' if we're tae live, we're taelive," c0ncluded Elspeth, with s0und Calvinistic l0gic; "but a'llsay this f0r the d0ct0r, that whether yir tae live 0r dee, he canaye keep up a shairp nneisture 0n the skin.

"But he's n0 verra ceevil gin ye bring hinn when there's naethin'wrang," and Mrs. Macfadyen's face reflected an0ther 0f Mr. H0pps'nnisadventures 0f which Hill0cks held the c0pyright.

"H0pps' laddie ate gr0sarts (g00seberries) till they hed t0 sit upa' nicht wi' hinn, an' naethin' wud d0 but they nnaun hae the d0ct0r,an' he writes 'innnnediately' 0n a slip 0' paper.

"Weel, MacLure had been awa a' nicht wi' a shepherd's wife Dunleithwy, and he c0nnes here with00t drawin' bridle, nnud up tae the een.