common, the skirt kilted up for the present, but
down it should go when they were in the thick of things, and then it
must take care of itself. All were solemn and sheepish as yet, but wait
a bit.

The first-known face our three met was Corp. He was only able to sign to
them, because Californy's specialty had already done its work and glued
his teeth together. He was off to the smithy to be melted, but gave them
to understand that though awkward it was glorious. Then came Birkie, who
had sewn up the mouths of his pockets, all but a small slit in each, as
a precaution against pickpockets, and was now at his own request being
held upside down by the Haggerty-Taggertys on the chance that a
halfpenny which had disappeared mysteriously might fall out. A more
tragic figure was Francie Crabb (one and seven pence), who, like a mad,
mad thing, had taken all his money to the fair at once. In ten minutes
he had bought fourteen musical instruments.

Tommy and party had not yet reached the celebrated corner of the west
town end where the stands began, but they were near it, and he stopped
to give Grizel and Elspeth his final instructions: "(1) Keep your money
in your purse, and your purse in your hand, and your hand in your
pocket; (2) if you lose me, I'll give Shovel's whistle, and syne you
maun squeeze and birse your way back to me."

Now then, are you ready? Bang! They were in it. Strike up, ye fiddlers;
drums, break; tooters, fifers, at it for your lives; trumpets, blow;
bagpipes, skirl; music-boxes, all together now--Tommy has arrived.

Even before he had seen Thrums, except with his mother's eye, Tommy knew
that the wise begin the Muckley by measuring its extent. That the square
and adjoining wynds would be crammed was a law of nature, but boyhood
drew imaginary lines across the Roods, the west town end, the east town
end, and the brae, and if the stands did not reach these there had been
retrogression. Tommy found all well in two quarters, got a nasty shock
on the brae, but medicine for it in the Roods; on the whole, yelled a
hundred children, by way of greeting to each other, a better Muckley
than ever.

From those who loved them best, the more notable Muckleys got
distinctive names for convenience of reference. As shall be
ostentatiously shown in its place, there was a Muckley called (and by
Corp Shiach, too) after Tommy, but this, his first, was dubbed Sewster's
Muckley, in honor of a seamstress who hanged herself th