Mrs Rickerton, that,
before going to bed, she felt herself obliged to send for her daughter,
to the end that she might be delivered and eased of what she had heard.
In this way Mr Fegs got a foretaste of what had been concerted for his
advantage; and Mr Peevie, in the mean time, through his helpmate, had, in
like manner, not been idle; the effect of all which was, that next day,
every where in the town, people spoke of Mr Hodden and Mr Fegs as being
ordained to be the new councillors, in the stead of the two who had, as
it was said, resigned in so unaccountable a manner, so that no candidates
offered, and the election was concluded in the most candid and agreeable
spirit possible; after which I had neither trouble nor adversary, but
went on, in my own prudent way, with the works in hand--the completion of
the new bridge, the reparation of the tolbooth steeple, and the bigging
of the new schools on the piece of ground adjoining to my own at the
Westergate; and in the doing of the latter job I had an opportunity of
manifesting my public spirit; for when the scheme, as I have related, was
some years before given up, on account of Mr Plan's castles in the air
for educating tawny children from the East and West Indies, I inclosed my
own ground, and built the house thereon now occupied by Collector
Gather's widow, and the town, per consequence, was not called on for one
penny of the cost, but saved so much of a wall as the length of mine
extended--a part not less than a full third part of the whole. No doubt,
all these great and useful public works were not done without money; but
the town was then in great credit, and many persons were willing and
ready to lend; for every thing was in a prosperous order, and we had a
prospect of a vast increase of income, not only from the toll on the new
bridge, but likewise from three very excellent shops which we repaired on
the ground floor of the tolbooth. We had likewise feued out to advantage
a considerable portion of the town moor; so that had things gone on in
the way they were in my time, there can be no doubt that the burgh would
have been in very flourishing circumstances, and instead of being
drowned, as it now is, in debt, it might have been in the most topping
way; and if the project that I had formed for bringing in a supply of
water by pipes, had been carried into effect, it would have been a most
advantageous undertaking for the community at large.

But my task is now dra