ed such an uproar. And Jock, who had been partly recovered
from his terror by Nelly's presence, and partly by her assurance that
she would become his wife rather than see him carried away by his
spiritual foe, began to give them a most sublime account of the ghost.

"I canna tell ye hoo it cam in," said he, "for it was i' the middle o'
the floor afore I was waukin. But when I first opened my een, there it
stood wi' three or four windin-sheets about it, and its head rowed up
in a white clout, and its face and its hands a hantle whiter than
either the windin-sheet or the clout--only I thought I saw some earth
stickin on that side o' its nose that was farrest frae the licht. But
what was a thousand times waur than a' that, it had a cannel in its
hand that micht weel hae terrified a hale army o' sodgers; and I aye
think yet, it had been the deevil himsel, and nae ghaist, for the
cannel had just a wee _peek_ o' white low i' the middle, and a' round
the edges it burned as blue as a blawort, and bizzed and spitted, and
threw out sparks like blue starns. And after it had telled me what
I've telled you, it gae the cannel a wave round its head, and then the
hale hoose, wa's, roof, and riggin, gaed a' in a blue low; and I saw
the ghaist flee up through the couple bauks as clear as ever I saw the
owsen afore me when the sun was shinin! But I could stand nae mair,
for I steekit my een, and I'm sure I lay dead for near an hour. But
when I cam to life again, the hale house was filled wi' a smell o'
brimstane that would putten down a' the bees'-skeps i' the yard; and
my richt hand was burning just as if ye had dippit it in a tar-kettle,
and then set a lunt till't; but it was ten times waur than tar, for it
had the smell o' brimstane, and it would scarcely gang out. The pain
garred me roar as I never roared in a' my life afore; and I'm sure
I'll never forget the relief I felt when Nelly cam to see what had
happened."

As an evidence of the truth of this account, Jock showed them his
hand, upon which a portion of the skin was really burned as black as a
cinder. The goodman and the goodwife, both of whom were now present,
stood astonished at this circumstance; but Nelly, who had evinced a
considerable degree of composure in this trying scene, now appeared
less dismayed.

"Hoot, man!" said she, addressing Jock, "dinna gang out o' your wits
though ye've gotten a fear; mony a ane has seen a ghaist, and lived to
see their bairns' bairns af