The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

A Strange Revenue. 655
" And so hae you an' Bettie Ritchie," came a voice from
the far corner of the smithy.
Peter blushed, and said no more during the conclave.
" It'll break the laird's heart," the beadle paused to say,
with a huge spoonful of snuff en route, " he was so much
bound up in the lassie."
At this stage the group was joined by Robbie Mac-
taggart, the miller.
" I'm tauld that Maister Dauvit's takin' it on sairer than
anybody," said Robbie, " he's gaun on jist like a man
dementit, tearin' his hair and sic like."
" Wha's telt ye that ?''
" My dochter Kirsty. if }'e want tae ken. She's engaged
tae John the futman, an' had a richt tae ca' at the Castle,
which is mair.than ony o' ye have," was the reply made by
this consequential individual.
The discussion was here interrupted in an unusual
manner, no less a personage than the minister making his
appearance in the doorway of the smithy. An apparition
could not have caused more consternation. Rev. Angus
Cameron was a man of devout aspect, against whom
nothing could be stated or insinuated, even by the gossip-
ing shoemaker, except that he was suspected of having a
slight leaning towards a dram of good whisky. The fact
that Mr Cameron was a bit eccentric in his behaviour
occasionally, more than probably gave rise to the above
suspicion. At anyrate whisky could not be alleged as the
cause of the rev. gentleman's descent upon the smithy this
morning ; a place into which he had never set foot during
his twenty-five years ministry. Miss Flora's death had
moved him deeply. His recent sermon on scandalmongcring
was, moreover, supposed to have been directed at the smithy
meetings.
" Let us pray," he said, removing his hat, and holding it,
as his custom was (outside the pulpit), before his eyes, in a
manner which precluded him seeing what transpired in
front of him.