kit up ae their letters and authorities, and could
throw nae light on't either ae way or another."

"It can't be true! it shall not be true!" said the Antiquary, "And I
won't believe it if it were!--Taffril's an excellent sea man, and Lovel
(my poor Lovel!) has all the qualities of a safe and pleasant companion
by land or by sea--one, Edie, whom, from the ingenuousness of his
disposition, I would choose, did I ever go a sea-voyage (which I never
do, unless across the ferry), fragilem mecum solvere phaselum, to be the
companion of my risk, as one against whom the elements could nourish no
vengeance. No, Edie, it is not, and cannot be true--it is a fiction of
the idle jade Rumour, whom I wish hanged with her trumpet about her
neck, that serves only with its screech-owl tones to fright honest folks
out of their senses.--Let me know how you got into this scrape of your
own."

"Are ye axing me as a magistrate, Monkbarns, or is it just for your ain
satisfaction!"

"For my own satisfaction solely," replied the Antiquary.

"Put up your pocket-book and your keelyvine pen then, for I downa
speak out an ye hae writing materials in your hands--they're a scaur
to unlearned folk like me--Od, ane o' the clerks in the neist room will
clink down, in black and white, as muckle as wad hang a man, before ane
kens what he's saying."

Monkbarns complied with the old man's humour, and put up his
memorandum-book.

Edie then went with great frankness through the part of the story
already known to the reader, informing the Antiquary of the scene which
he had witnessed between Dousterswivel and his patron in the ruins
of St. Ruth, and frankly confessing that he could not resist the
opportunity of decoying the adept once more to visit the tomb of
Misticot, with the purpose of taking a comic revenge upon him for his
quackery. He had easily persuaded Steenie, who was a bold thoughtless
young fellow, to engage in the frolic along with him, and the jest
had been inadvertently carried a great deal farther than was designed.
Concerning the pocket-book, he explained that he had expressed his
surprise and sorrow as soon as he found it had been inadvertently
brought off: and that publicly, before all the inmates of the cottage,
Steenie had undertaken to return it the next day, and had only been
prevented by his untimely fate.

The Antiquary pondered a moment, and then said, "Your account seems very
probable, Edie, and I believe it from what I know