iona, which
would be surely a more suitable occupation than to hide and run and be
followed like a hunted thief, and begin over again the dreadful miseries
of my escape with Alan.

At first I thought no shame of this capitulation; I was only amazed I
had not thought upon the thing and done it earlier; and began to inquire
into the causes of the change. These I traced to my lowness of spirits,
that back to my late recklessness, and that again to the common, old,
public, disconsidered sin of self-indulgence. Instantly the text came in
my head, "_How can Satan cast out Satan?"_ What? (I thought) I had, by
self-indulgence, and the following of pleasant paths, and the lure of a
young maid, cast myself wholly out of conceit with my own character, and
jeopardised the lives of James and Alan? And I was to seek the way out
by the same road as I had entered in? No; the hurt that had been caused
by self-indulgence must be cured by self-denial; the flesh I had
pampered must be crucified. I looked about me for that course which I
least liked to follow: this was to leave the wood without waiting to see
Alan, and go forth again alone, in the dark and in the midst of my
perplexed and dangerous fortunes.

I have been the more careful to narrate this passage of my reflections,
because I think it is of some utility, and may serve as an example to
young men. But there is reason (they say) in planting kale, and, even in
ethic and religion, room for common sense. It was already close on
Alan's hour, and the moon was down. If I left (as I could not very
decently whistle to my spies to follow me) they might miss me in the
dark and tack themselves to Alan by mistake. If I stayed, I could at the
least of it set my friend upon his guard, which might prove his mere
salvation. I had adventured other people's safety in a course of
self-indulgence; to have endangered them again, and now on a mere design
of penance, would have been scarce rational. Accordingly, I had scarce
risen from my place, ere I sat down again, but already in a different
frame of spirits, and equally marvelling at my past weakness, and
rejoicing in my present composure.

Presently after came a crackling in the thicket. Putting my mouth near
down to the ground, I whistled a note or two of Alan's air; an answer
came, in the like guarded tone, and soon we had knocked together in the
dark.

"Is this you at last, Davie?" he whispered.

"Just myself," said I.

"God, man, but I'