"This'll never, never do for us, David." And without another word, he began to crawl away through the fields; and a little after, being well out of eye-shot, got to his feet again, and struck along a road that led to the eastward.

I could not conceive what he was doing; and indeed I was so sharply cut by the disappointment, that I was little likely to be pleased with anything.

A moment back and I had seen myself knocking at Mr.Rankeillor's door to claim my inheritance, like a hero in a ballad; and here was I back again, a wandering, hunted blackguard, on the wrong side of Forth.
"Well ?" said I.
"Well," said Alan, "what would ye have?
They're none such fools as I took them for.

We have still the Forth to pass, Davie--weary fall the rains that fed and the hillsides that guided it!" "And why go east ?" said I.
"Ou, just upon the chance!" said he.

"If we cannae pass the river, we'll have to see what we can do for the firth." "There are fords upon the river, and none upon the firth," said I.
"To be sure there are fords, and a bridge forbye," quoth Alan; "and of what service, when they are watched ?" "Well," said I, "but a river can be swum." "By them that have the skill of it," returned he; "but I have yet to hear that either you or me is much of a hand at that exercise; and for my own part, I swim like a stone." "I'm not up to you in talking back, Alan," I said; "but I can see we're making bad worse.