the houses of good stone, many slated; the town-hall
not so fine, I thought, as that of Peebles, nor yet the street so noble;
but take it altogether, it put me to shame for my foul tatters.

As the morning went on, and the fires began to be kindled, and the
windows to open, and the people to appear out of the houses, my concern
and despondency grew ever the blacker. I saw now that I had no grounds
to stand upon; and no clear proof of my rights, nor so much as of my own
identity. If it was all a bubble, I was indeed sorely cheated and left
in a sore pass. Even if things were as I conceived, it would in all
likelihood take time to establish my contentions; and what time had I
to spare with less than three shillings in my pocket, and a condemned,
hunted man upon my hands to ship out of the country? Truly, if my hope
broke with me, it might come to the gallows yet for both of us. And as I
continued to walk up and down, and saw people looking askance at me upon
the street or out of windows, and nudging or speaking one to another
with smiles, I began to take a fresh apprehension: that it might be no
easy matter even to come to speech of the lawyer, far less to convince
him of my story.

For the life of me I could not muster up the courage to address any of
these reputable burghers; I thought shame even to speak with them in
such a pickle of rags and dirt; and if I had asked for the house of such
a man as Mr. Rankeillor, I suppose they would have burst out laughing in
my face. So I went up and down, and through the street, and down to
the harbour-side, like a dog that has lost its master, with a strange
gnawing in my inwards, and every now and then a movement of despair.
It grew to be high day at last, perhaps nine in the forenoon; and I was
worn with these wanderings, and chanced to have stopped in front of
a very good house on the landward side, a house with beautiful, clear
glass windows, flowering knots upon the sills, the walls new-harled* and
a chase-dog sitting yawning on the step like one that was at home. Well,
I was even envying this dumb brute, when the door fell open and
there issued forth a shrewd, ruddy, kindly, consequential man in a
well-powdered wig and spectacles. I was in such a plight that no one set
eyes on me once, but he looked at me again; and this gentleman, as it
proved, was so much struck with my poor appearance that he came straight
up to me and asked me what I did.

* Newly rough-cast.