He was more
afraid of losing the story than of hearing the worst tale that
could be told even about the room he slept in last night, and must
go back to sleep in again to-night.
Grannie was mollified, and went on.
"As I was sayin', he micht weel be ill at ease, the auld captain,
gien ae half was true 'at was said o' 'im; but I 'maist think yer
father coontit it priven 'at he had led a deevilich life amo' the
pirates. Only, gien he did, whaur was the wauges o' his ineequity?
Nae doobt he got the wauges 'at the apostle speyks o', whilk is, as
ye well ken, deith--'the wauges o' sin is deith.' But, maistly,
sic-like sinners get first wauges o' anither speckle frae the
maister o' them. For troth! he has no need to be near in's dealin's
wi' them, seein' there's nae buyin' nor sellin' whaur he is, an' a'
the gowd he has doon yon'er i' the booels o' the yird, wad jist lie
there duin' naething, gien he sent na 't up abune, whaur maist
pairt it works his wull. Na, he seldom scrimps 't to them 'at
follows his biddin'. But i' this case, whaur, I say, was the
wauges? Natheless, he aye carriet himsel' like ane 'at cud lay doon
the law o' this warl', an cleemt no sma' consideration; yet was
there never sign or mark o' the proper fundation for sic assumption
o' the richt to respec'.
"It turnt oot, or cam to be said,'at the Englishman 'at fowk
believed to hae killt him, was far-awa' sib to the faimily, an' the
twa had come thegither afore, somewhaur i' foreign pairts.
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