with much unction, and
laying up a store of allusion that would last for many days.

Persons raised to the height of a daily newspaper like the minister
might be supposed independent of Posty's precis, but even Doctor
Davidson, with that day's _Caledonian_ in his hand, still availed
himself of the spoken word.

"Well, Posty, any news this morning?"

"Naethin', Doctor, worth mentionin', except the failure o' a company
Glasgie wy; it's been rotten, a' wes hearin', for a while, an' noo it's
fair stramash. They say it 'll no be lichtsome for weedows an' mony
decent fouk in Scotland."

"That's bad news, Posty. There 's too many of those swindling concerns
in the country. People ought to take care where they place their
savings, and keep to old-established institutions. We 're pretty
hard-headed up here, and I 'll wager that nobody in the Glen has lost a
penny in any of those new-fangled companies."

"The auld fouk in Drumtochty pit their siller in a pock and hode it
ablow their beds, an', ma certes, that bank didna break;" and Posty
went along the avenue, his very back suggestive of a past, cautious,
unenterprising, safe and honest.

The Doctor glanced at the envelopes and thrust the letters into his
pocket. His good nature was touched at the thought of another
financial disaster, by which many hard-working people would lose their
little savings, and all the more that he had some of his private means
invested in a Glasgow bank--one of those tried and powerful
institutions which was indifferent to every crisis in trade. Already
he anticipated an appeal, and considered what he would give, for it did
not matter whether it was a coalpit explosion in Lanarkshire or a loss
of fishing-boats in the Moray Firth, if widows needed help the Doctor's
guinea was on its way within four-and-twenty hours. Some forms of
religious philanthropy had very little hold on the Doctor's
sympathy--one of the religious prints mentioned him freely as a
Unitarian, because he had spoken unkindly of the Jewish mission--but in
the matter of widows and orphans he was a specialist.

"Widows, Posty said; poor things! and very likely bairns. Well, well,
we 'll see what can be done out of Daisy's fund."

Very unlikely people have their whims, and it was his humour to assign
one fourth of his income to his little sister, who was to have kept
house for him, and "never to leave you, Sandie," and out of this fund
the Doctor did his public charities