"Hoot, sir! It's no mainners to lat at a wuman like that."
He turned upon her, and gave her a cut on the arm and hand, so
stinging that she cried out, and nearly fell from the cart. Out
rushed Peter and flew at the factor, who from his seat of vantage
began to ply his whip about his head. But Malcolm, who, when the
factor appeared, had moved aside to keep Kelpie out of mischief,
and saw only the second of the two assaults, came forward with a
scramble and a bound.
"Haud awa, Peter," he cried. "This belangs to me. I ga'e him back
's whup, an' sae I'm accoontable.--Mr Crathie,"--and as he spoke
he edged his mare up to the panting factor, "the man who strikes
a woman must be taught that he is a scoundrel, and that office I
take. I would do the same if you were the lord of Lossie instead
of his factor."
Mr Crathie, knowing himself now in the wrong, was a little frightened
at the set speech, and began to bluster and stammer, but the swift
descent of Malcolm's heavy riding whip on his shoulders and back
made him voluble in curses. Then began a battle that could not last
long with such odds on the side of justice. It was gazed at from
the mouth of the close by many spectators, but none dared enter
because of the capering and plunging and kicking of the horses. In
less than a minute the factor turned to flee, and spurring out of
the court, galloped up the street at full stretch.
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