Read "The Ladies Lindores" by Margaret Oliphant online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
"Oh yes, that's true -- I'm an old Tory. I'm proud of the name," said Sir James, with his genial countenance. "If you'll believe me, my young friend, most changes are for the worse. When I remember, before I went to India, what a cheery world it was -- none of those newfangled notions were so much as thought of -- we were all kindly one with another, as country neighbours should be. The parish school -- that was good enough for me. I got the most of my schooling there. We had a grand dominie -- there was not a more learned man out of St. Andrews or Aberdeen. Old Robert Beatoun the blacksmith was at the school with me. We've been great friends ever since, but I cannot say that he ever took anything upon him in consequence. That's one of your newfangled notions too -- to part all the world into classes, and then, when their habits are formed and their ways of living settled, to proclaim they're all equal. No, no -- they're not all equal; you may take my word for it, though I'm no Solomon."
"I don't think so, either, Sir James; but pardon me, if you found no evil in going to the same school as the old blacksmith -- "