"Pretend you have eggs in your hand," he whispered to Grizel, and then, in a loud voice, he said: "Think shame of yoursel', lassie, for harrying birds' nests.

It's a good thing I saw you, and brought you here to force you to put them back.

Is that you, Elspeth?
I catched this limmer wi' eggs in her hands (and the poor birds sic bonny singers, too!), and so I was forcing her to--" But it would not do.

Grizel was ablaze with indignation.

"You are a horrid story-teller," she said, "and if I had known you were ashamed of being seen with me, I should never have spoken to you.