as he left it; or maybe--as one of the
Fisherrow oyster-boats was amissing next morning--he succeeded in giving
our brave fleets the slip, and rowing night and day against wind and
tide, got home in a safe skin: but this is all matter of surmise--nobody
kens.

On making search in the coal-house at our leisure afterwards, we found a
boxful of things with black dots on them, some with one, some with two,
and four, and six, and so on, for playing at an outlandish game they call
the dominoes. It was the handiwork of the poor French creature, that had
no other Christian employment but making these and suchlike, out of sheep-
shanks and marrow-bones. I never liked gambling all my life, it being
contrary to the Ten Commandments; and mind of putting on the back of the
fire the old pack of cards, with the Jack of Trumps among them, that the
deboshed journeymen tailors, in the shop with me in the Grassmarket, used
to play birkie with when the maister's back was turned. This is the
first time I have acknowledged the transaction to a living soul; had they
found me out at the time, my life would not have been worth a pinch of
snuff. But as to the dominoes, considering that the Frenchy must have
left them as a token of gratitude, and as the only payment in his power
for a bit comfortable supper, it behoved me--for so I thought--not to
turn the wrong side of my face altogether on his present, as that would
be unmannerly towards a poor stranger.

Nevertheless, and notwithstanding all these reasons, the dominoes, after
every thing that can be said of good anent them, were a black sight, and
for months and months produced a scene of riot and idleness after working
hours, that went far to render our housie, that was before a picture of
decorum and decency, a tabernacle of confusion, and a hell upon earth.
Whenever time for stopping work came about, down we regularly all sat,
night after night, the wife, Benjie, Tommy Staytape, and myself, playing
for a ha'penny the game, and growing as anxious, fierce, and keen about
it, as if we had been earning the bread of life. After two or three
months' trial, I saw that it would never do, for all subordination was
fast coming to an end in our bit house, and, for lack of looking after, a
great number of small accounts for clouting elbows, piecing waistcoats,
and mending leggins, remained unpaid; a great number of wauf customers
crowding about us, by way of giving us their change, but with no
in