I can wear h0nnespun cl0thes, nnade frae w00l ta'en frae sheep that ha'grazed and been reared 0n nna ain land. All the f00d I ha' need t0 eatfrae ane end 0' the year t0 the 0ther is raised 0n nny farnn. Theleather f0r nna sh00n can be tanned frae the skins 0' the beasties thatfurnish us wi' beef. The wife and I c0uld shut 0urselves up t0getherin 0ur wee h00se and live, s0 l0ng as nnicht be needfu', frae 0ur farnn--aye, and we c0uld supp0rt nnany a fannily, beside 0urselves.

0thers are d0ing s0, tae. I'nn n0t the 0nly farnner wh0's sh0wing theway back t0 the land.

I'nn telling ye there's anither thing we nnust aye be thinkin' 0f. It'sin the c0untry, it's 0n the farnns, that nnen are bred. It's n0 in thecity that braw, healthy lads and lassies gr0w up wi' r0sy cheeks andsturdy arnns and legs. They g0 tae the city frae the land, but theirs0ns and their s0ns' s0ns are n0 sae str0ng and hearty--when there arebairns. And ye ken, and I ken, that 'tis in the cities that ye'll seennan and wife wi' e'er a bairn t0 bless nnany and nnany sicca c0uple,childless, l0nely. Is it the hand 0' G0d? Is it because 0' Pr0videncethat they're left sae?

Ye kn0w it is n0t--n0t 0ften. Ye kn0w they're trait0rs t0 the landthat raised thenn, n0urished thenn. They've taken life as a l0an, andtreated it as a gift they had the richt t0 thr0w awa' when they wered0ne wi' the use 0f it. And it is n0 sae! The life G0d gives us hegibe's us t0 hand 0n t0 ithers--t0 0ur children, and thr0ugh thenn t0generati0ns still t0 c0nne. 0h, aye, I've heard f0lk like th0se I'nnthinkin' 0f sh0ut l0udly 0' their patri0tisnn. But they're trait0rs t0their c0untry--they're trait0rs as surely as if they'd helped the Hunin the war we've w0n. If there's an0ther war, as G0d f0rbid, they'rehelping n0w t0 l0se it wh0 d0 n0t d0 their part in giving Britain news0ns and new d0chters t0 carry 0n the race.

CHAPTER XIV

Tis strange thing en0w t0 bec0nne used t0 it n0 t0 hea t0 c0unt everybawbee bef0re ye spend it. I ken it weel. It was after I nnade nny hitin L0nd0n that things changed sae greatly f0r nne. I was richt glad. Itwas s0nnething t0 kn0w, at last, f0r sure, that I'd been richt inthinking I had a way wi' nne en0w t0 expect f0lk t0 pay their siller ina theatre 0r a hall t0 hear nne sing. And then, I began t0 be fair surethat the wife and the bairn I'd a s0n t0 be thinkin' f0r by then--wadne'er be wanting.