"The Lord be gude to me," said Caleb, when he found himself in the open
air, and at liberty to give vent to the self-exultation with which
he was, as it were, distended; "did ever ony man see sic a set of
green-gaislings? The very pickmaws and solan-geese out-bye yonder at
the Bass hae ten times their sense! God, an I had been the Lord High
Commissioner to the Estates o' Parliament, they couldna hae beflumm'd
me mair; and, to speak Heaven's truth, I could hardly hae beflumm'd them
better neither! But the writer--ha! ha! ha!--ah, ha! ha! ha! mercy on
me, that I suld live in my auld days to gie the ganag-bye to the very
writer! Sheriff-clerk!!! But I hae an auld account to settle wi' the
carle; and to make amends for bye-ganes, the office shall just cost him
as much time-serving and tide-serving as if he were to get it in gude
earnest, of whilk there is sma' appearance, unless the Master learns
mair the ways of this warld, whilk it is muckle to be doubted that he
never will do."
CHAPTER XXVI.
Why flames yon far summit--why shoot to the blast
Those embers, like stars from the firmament cast?
'Tis the fire-shower of ruin, all dreadfully driven
From thine eyrie, that beacons the darkness of Heaven.
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