ding voice,
which increased his fear, "or do ye repent o't?"

"I repent o't," replied Andrew, with dry lips, and a gurgling of the
throat, as if he had been on the eve of choking.

"Then, I fancy," continued Mrs Jean Todd, "ye would like yer name back
again?"

"Ou ay--surely," replied Andrew.

"Well, then," said she, as she with the greatest coolness took up her
scissors that hung by her side, and with affected precision cut away
his name; "there it is"--handing it to him. And turning to the
deacon--"The rest is yours, sir--I hae nae richt to meddle wi' your
name--there's yer paper"--returning to him the mutilated bill.

At this operation the deacon stared with a stupified look of wonder
and contempt. He had never before seen so cool an example of female
rule and marital weakness; and his pride, his selfishness, and his
spite were all roused and interested by the extraordinary sight. He
was too much affected for indulging in a vulgar expression of feelings
which could not adequately be expressed by mere language. Taking up
his hat, and casting upon the boxmaster a look of sovereign contempt,
and upon Mrs Jean Todd one of anger, he bowed as low as a deacon ought
to do, and left the room. The circumstance produced no very unpleasant
consequences to either the boxmaster or his wife. She, no doubt,
reproved him for his stupidity; but the point of her wrath was turned
away by the repentance and soft words of her husband, who promised
never to do the like again. He had, besides, some defence, arising out
of her dubious conduct, which, though quite easily understood, he
could not well comprehend. The naivete of his statement, that "she
shouldna hae left him unprotected," was quite enough to have mollified
a much sterner woman than Mrs Jean Todd, and during that same night
they were a far happier couple than Deacon Waldie and his fair spouse.

When the deacon went home, and reported the extraordinary proceeding
to his obedient wife, the grief it occasioned was in some degree
overcome, on the part of the husband, by the favourable contrast it
enabled him to form between the boxmaster and his wife, and him and
his obedient spouse. Mrs Waldie did all in her power to aid the
operation; but she did not forget the bill, which her father was
pressing hard to procure.

"Surely every man's no under the rule o' his wife," said she, with the
view to leading to another cautioner.

"No, God be thanked!" said the deacon, "there are