112 The Little Minister

“ Mr. Dishart was preaching at the whole clan-
jamfray o’ you,” said Elspeth.

“ Maybe he was,” said her husband, leering ;
“but you needna cast it at us, for, my certie,
if the men got it frae him in the forenoon, the
women got it in the afternoon.”

“ He redd them up most michty,” said the
post. ‘“ Thae was his very words or something
like them. ‘ Adam,’ says he, ‘ was an erring man,
but aside Eve he was respectable.’””’

“ Ay, but it wasna a’ women he meant,” Els-
peth explained, “for when he said that, he pointed
his finger direct at T’nowhead’s lassie, and I hope
it'll do her good.”

“ But I wonder,” I said, “that Mr. Dishart
chose such a subject to-day. J thought he would
be on the riot at both services.”

“You'll wonder mair,” said Elspeth, ‘“‘ when
you hear what happened afore he began the after-
noon sermon. But I canna get in a word wi’
that man o’ mine.”

“Weve been speaking about it,” said Birse,
“ever since we left the kirk door. Tod, we’ve
been sawing it like seed a’ alang the glen.”

“And we meant to tell you about it at once,”
said Waster Lunny ; “but there’s aye so muckle
to say about a minister. Dagont, to hae ane
keeps a body out o’ languor. Ay, but this
breaks the drum. Dominie, either Mr. Dishart
wasna weel, or he was in the devil’s grip.”

This startled me, for the farmer was looking
serious.

“‘ Fe was weel eneuch,” said Birse, “for a heap

o’ fowk speired at Jean if he had ta’en his por-