midnight
was strongly contrasted with the passive and half-stupified look and manner of her husband 's mother , a woman advanced to the last stage of human life , who was seated in her wonted chair close by the fire , the warmth of which she coveted , yet hardly seemed to be sensible of -- now muttering to herself , now smiling vacantly to the children as they pulled the strings of her toy or close cap , or twitched her blue checked apron . With her distaff in her bosom , and her spindle in her hand , she plied lazily and mechanically the old-fashioned Scottish thrift , according to the old-fashioned Scottish manner . The younger children , crawling among the feet of the elder , watched the progress of grannies spindle as it twisted , and now and then ventured to interrupt its progress as it danced upon the floor in those vagaries which the more regulated spinning-wheel has now so universally superseded , that even the fated Princess in the fairy tale might roam through all Scotland without the risk of piercing her hand with a spindle , and dying of the wound . Late as the hour was -LRB- and it was long past midnight -RRB- , the whole family were still on foot , and far from proposing to go to bed ; the dame was still busy broiling car-cakes on the girdle , and the elder girl , the half-naked mermaid elsewhere commemorated , was preparing a pile of Findhorn haddocks -LRB- that is , haddocks smoked with green wood -RRB- , to be eaten along with these relishing provisions . While they were thus employed , a slight tap at the door , accompanied with the question , `` Are ye up yet , sirs ? '' announced a visitor . The answer , `` Ay , ay , -- come your ways ben , hinny , '' occasioned the lifting of the latch , and Jenny Rintherout , the female domestic of our Antiquary , made her appearance .