went on havering and speaking nonsense all the time, Tammie's hand
shook, partly through fear, and partly through anxiety; and if he went
wrong in making a nick in the paper here and there in a wrong place, it
was no more than might have been looked for, from his fright and
inexperience.

In the twinkle of an eyelid, I saw that there was some mortal mistake in
the measurement; as, unless Cursecowl had lost beef at no allowance, I
knew, judging from the past, that it would not peep on his corpus by four
inches. The matter was, however, now past all earthly remede, and there
was nothing to be done but trusting to good fortune, and allowing the
killing-coat to take its chance in the world. How the thing happened, I
have bothered and beat my brains to no purpose to make out, and it
remains a wonderful mystery to me to this blessed day; but, by long
thought on the subject, both when awake and in my bed, and by
multifarious cross-questionings at Tammie's self concerning the paper
measurings, I am devoutly inclined to think, that he mistook the nicking
of the side-seams and the shoulder-strap for the girth of the belly-band.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE--ON CATCHING A TARTAR--CURSECOWL

From the first moment I clapped eye on the caricature thing of a coat,
that Tammie Bodkin had, in my absence, shaped out for Cursecowl the
butcher, I foresaw, in my own mind, that a catastrophe was brewing for
us; and never did soldier gird himself to fight the French, or sailor
prepare for a sea-storm, with greater alacrity, than I did to cope with
the bull-dog anger, and buffet back the uproarious vengeance of our
heathenish customer.

At first I thought of letting the thing take its natural course, and of
threaping down Cursecowl's throat that he must have been feloniously
keeping in his breath when Tammie took his measure; and, moreover, that
as it was the fashion to be straight-laced, Tammie had done his utmost
trying to make him look like his betters; till, my conscience checking me
for such a nefarious intention, I endeavoured, as became me in the
relations of man, merchant, and Christian, to solder the matter
peaceably, and show him, if there was a fault committed, that there was
no evil intention on my side of the house. To this end I dispatched the
bit servant wench, on the Friday afternoon, to deliver the coat, which
was neatly tied up in a brown paper, and directed--"Mr Cursecowl, with
care," and to buy a sheep's head; biddi