Everyone liked him fine, forbye they distrusted him, too.

But he always said he'd never had a chance.
He talked of how if one gie a dog a bad name one micht as well droon him and ha' done.

And we believed in him enow to think he micht be richt, and that if he had the chance he'd settle doon and be a gude man enow." He' ye no heard that tale before?
The man who's never had a chance! I know a thousand men like that.

And they've had chances you and I wad ha' gie'n whatever we had for and never had the manhood to tak' them! Eh, but I was sair angry, listening to her.
She told o' how she and her husband put their heads togither.

They wanted their dochter to have a chance as gude as' any girl.