' the craft.'

To confirm him in this favourable opinion, I began to execute such
a complicated flourish as I thought must have turned Crowdero into
a pillar of stone with envy and wonder. I scaled the top of the
finger-board, to dive at once to the bottom--skipped with flying
fingers, like Timotheus, from shift to shift--struck arpeggios and
harmonic tones, but without exciting any of the astonishment which I had
expected.

Willie indeed listened to me with considerable attention; but I was no
sooner finished, than he immediately mimicked on his own instrument
the fantastic complication of tones which I had produced, and made so
whimsical a parody of my performance, that, although somewhat angry, I
could not help laughing heartily, in which I was joined by Benjie,
whose reverence for me held him under no restraint; while the poor dame,
fearful, doubtless, of my taking offence at this familiarity, seemed
divided betwixt her conjugal reverence for her Willie, and her desire to
give him a hint for his guidance.

At length the old man stopped of his own accord, and, as if he had
sufficiently rebuked me by his mimicry, he said, 'But for a' that, ye
will play very weel wi' a little practice and some gude teaching. But ye
maun learn to put the heart into it, man--to put the heart into it.'

I played an air in simpler taste, and received more decided approbation.

'That's something like it man. Od, ye are a clever birkie!'

The woman touched his coat again. 'The gentleman is a gentleman,
Willie--ye maunna speak that gate to him, hinnie.'

'The deevil I maunna!' said Willie; 'and what for maunna I?--If he was
ten gentles, he canna draw a bow like me, can he?'

'Indeed I cannot, my honest friend,' said I; 'and if you will go with me
to a house hard by, I would be glad to have a night with you.'

Here I looked round, and observed Benjie smothering a laugh, which I was
sure had mischief in it. I seized him suddenly by the ear, and made him
confess that he was laughing at the thoughts of the reception which a
fiddler was likely to get from the Quakers at Mount Sharon. I chucked
him from me, not sorry that his mirth had reminded me in time of what I
had for the moment forgotten; and invited the itinerant to go with me to
Shepherd's Bush, from which I proposed to send word to Mr. Geddes that
I should not return home that evening. But the minstrel declined this
invitation also. He was engaged for the night, he said, to a danc