nly awake; and there was the door locked firm and fast as
it was the evening before. I carried my own black coat to the small
window and examined it. It was my own in verity; and the sums of money
that I had concealed in case of any emergency, remained untouched. I
trembled with astonishment; and on my return from the small window went
doiting in amongst the weaver's looms, till I entangled myself, and
could not get out again without working great deray amongst the coarse
linen threads that stood in warp from one end of the apartment unto the
other. I had no knife whereby to cut the cords of this wicked man, and
therefore was obliged to call out lustily for assistance. The weaver
came half naked, unlocked the door, and, setting in his head and long
neck, accosted me thus:

"What now, Mr. Satan? What for art ye roaring that gate? Are you fawn
inna little hell, instead o' the big muckil ane? Deil be in your
reistit trams! What for have ye abscondit yoursel into ma leddy's wab
for?"

"Friend, I beg your pardon," said I. "I wanted to be at the light, and
have somehow unfortunately involved myself in the intricacies of your
web, from which I cannot get dear without doing you a great injury.
Pray do lend your experienced hand to extricate me."

"May aw the pearls o' damnation light on your silly snout, an I dinna
estricat ye weel enough! Ye ditit donnart, deil's burd that ye be! What
made ye gang howkin in there to be a poor man's ruin? Come out, ye vile
rag-of-a-muffin, or I gar ye come out wi' mair shame and disgrace, an'
fewer haill banes in your body."

My feet had slipped down through the double warpings of a web, and not
being able to reach the ground with them (there being a small pit
below) I rode upon a number of yielding threads, and, there being
nothing else that I could reach, to extricate myself was impossible. I
was utterly powerless; and, besides, the yarn and cords hurt me very
much. For all that, the destructive weaver seized a loom-spoke, and
began a-beating me most unmercifully, while, entangled as I was, I
could do nothing but shout aloud for mercy, or assistance, whichever
chanced to be within hearing. The latter at length made its appearance
in the form of the weaver's wife, in the same state of dishabille with
himself, who instantly interfered, and that most strenuously, on my
behalf. Before her arrival, however, I had made a desperate effort to
throw myself out of the entanglement I was in; for the