ye a caption-paper with a broad margin, to claw your elbow with at your
leisure, my good fellow."

"Pugh, pugh," cried Cursecowl, snapping his finger and thumb at James's
beak, "I do not value your threatening an ill halfpenny. Come away out
your ways to the crown of the causey, and I'll box any three of ye, over
the bannys, for half-a-mutchkin. But 'od-sake, Batter, my man, nobody's
speaking to you," added Cursecowl, giving a hack now and then, and a bit
spit down on the floor; "go hame, man, and get your cowl washed; I dare
say you have pushioned me, so I have no more to say to the like of you.
But now, Maister Wauch, just speaking holy and fairly, do you not think
black burning shame of yourself, for putting such an article into any
decent Christian man's hand, like mine?"

"Wait a wee--wait a wee, friend, and I'll give ye a lock salt to your
broth," answered I, in a calm and cool way; for, being a confidential
elder of Maister Wiggie's, I kept myself free from the sin of getting
into a passion, or fighting, except in self-defence, which is forbidden
neither by law nor gospel; and, stooping down, I took up the towel from
the corner, and, spreading it upon the counter, bade him look, and see if
he knew an auld acquaintance!

Cursecowl, to be such a dragoon, had some rational points in his
character; so, seeing that he lent ear to me with a smirk on his rough
red face, I went on: "Take my advice as a friend, and make the best of
your way home, killing-coat and all; for the most perfect will sometimes
fall into an innocent mistake, and, at any rate, it cannot be helped now.
But if ye show any symptom of obstrapulosity, I'll find myself under the
necessity of publishing you abroad to the world for what you are, and
show about that head in the towel for a wonder to broad Scotland, in a
manner that will make customers flee from your booth, as if it was
infected with the seven plagues of Egypt."

At sight of the goat's-head, Cursecowl clapped his hand on his thigh two
or three times, and could scarcely muster good manners enough to keep
himself from bursting out a-laughing.

"Ye seem to have found a fiddle, friend," said I; "but give me leave to
tell you, that ye'll may be find it liker a hanging-match than a musical
matter. Are you not aware that I could hand you over to the sheriff, on
two special indictments? In the first place, for an action of assault
and batterification, in cuffing me, an elder of our kirk,