Sandy had upon that subject.  The smell of the joint roasting had become very offensive through the house.  The lady called out to Sandy to have the doors closed, and added, “That must be some horrid Scotch mutton you have got.”  To Sandy’s delight, this was a leg of English mutton his mistress had expressly chosen; and, as she significantly told me, “Sandy never let that down upon me.”  On Deeside there existed, in my recollection, besides the Saunders Paul I have alluded to, a number of extraordinary acute and humorous Scottish characters amongst the lower classes.  The native gentry enjoyed their humour, and hence arose a familiarity of intercourse which called forth many amusing scenes and quaint rejoinders.  A celebrated character of this description bore the soubriquet of “Boaty,” of whom I have already spoken.  He had acted as Charon of the Dee at Banchory, and passed the boat over the river before there was a bridge.  Boaty had many curious sayings recorded of him.  When speaking of the gentry around, he characterised them according to their occupations and activity of habits—­thus:—­“As to Mr. Russell of Blackha’, he just works himsell like a paid labourer; Mr. Duncan’s a’ the day fish, fish; but Sir Robert’s a perfect gentleman—­he does naething, naething.”  Boaty was a first-rate salmon-fisher himself, and was much sought after by amateurs who came to Banchory for the sake of the sport afforded by the beautiful Dee.  He was, perhaps, a little spoiled, and presumed upon the indulgence and familiarity shown to him in the way of his craft—­as, for example, he was in attendance with his boat on a sportsman who was both skilful and successful, for he caught salmon after salmon.  Between each fish catching he solaced himself with a good pull from a flask, which he returned to his pocket, however, without offering to let Boaty have any participation in the refreshment.  Boaty, partly a little professionally jealous, perhaps, at the success, and partly indignant at receiving less than his usual attention on such occasions, and seeing no prospect of amendment, deliberately pulled the boat to shore, shouldered the oars, rods, landing-nets, and all the fishing apparatus which he had provided, and set off homewards.  His companion, far from considering his day’s work to be over, and keen for more sport, was amazed, and peremptorily ordered him to come back.  But all the answer made by the offended Boaty was, “Na na; them ’at drink by themsells may just fish by themsells.”

The charge these old domestics used to take of the interests of the family, and the cool way in which they took upon them to protect those interests, sometimes led to very provoking, and sometimes to very ludicrous, exhibitions of importance.  A friend told me of a dinner scene illustrative of this sort of interference which had happened at Airth in the last generation.  Mrs. Murray, of Abercairney, had been amongst the guests, and at dinner one of the family noticed that