rning, and he remained
fast locked from the sheriff, or too inquisitive
callers, in his house, until the disposition of his
creditors became known,--dependent upon their confidence
in his good intentions, or their sympathy with his
unexpected misfortunes.

[8] An anecdote quite parallel to this is to be found in the
now late lamented Dean Ramsay's "Reminiscences." He
relates, as a specimen of the cool Scottish
matter-of-fact view of things, the following
communication of a correspondent:--

"The back windows of the house where he was brought up
looked upon the Greyfriars' Church that was burned down.
On the Sunday morning in which that event took place, as
they were all preparing to go to church, the flames
began to burst forth; the young people screamed from the
back part of the house, 'A fire! a fire!' and all was in
a state of confusion and alarm. The housemaid was not at
home, it being her turn for the Sunday 'out.' Kitty, the
cook, was taking her place, and performing her duties.
The old woman was always very particular on the subject
of her responsibility on such occasions, and came
panting and hobbling upstairs from the lower regions,
and exclaimed, 'Oh what is't, what is't?' 'O, Kitty,
look here, the Greyfriars' Church is on fire!' 'Is that
a', Miss? What a fright ye geed me! I thought ye said
the parlor fire was out.'"

[9] It was, I believe, the oldest Episcopal Church in
Massachusetts, with the exception of King's Chapel, in
Boston, a small wooden structure, which stood upon the
place where the stone edifice of that name is now
situated.

CHAPTER VI.

An aged friend, years ago deceased, who had seen much of the world, once
observed to me, that he had never seen a more "scrupulous people," to use
his expression, than our Presbyterian congregation. The clergy of the
town were always distinguished, at a period when to be a clergyman was to
be much more an object of reverence than in these latter days, and when a
boy in the street would scarcely venture to pass one, on the opposite
sidewalk, without pulling off his cap. But they set their people an
excellent example, though they did not always escape the censure of the
over "scrupulous." For instance, Mr. Murray, the accomplished scholar and