'Betty pays for her ain shune, I reckon.'

'Weel, I wad haud you in shune, and yer bairns, and yer bairns'
bairns,' cried the soutar, with enthusiasm.

'Hoot, toot, man! Lang or that ye'll be fiddlin' i' the new
Jeroozlem.'

'Eh, man!' said Alexander, looking up--he had just cracked the
roset-ends off his hands, for he had the upper leather of a boot in
the grasp of the clams, and his right hand hung arrested on its
blind way to the awl--'duv ye think there'll be fiddles there? I
thocht they war a' hairps, a thing 'at I never saw, but it canna be
up till a fiddle.'

'I dinna ken,' answered Robert; 'but ye suld mak a pint o' seein'
for yersel'.'

'Gin I thoucht there wad be fiddles there, faith I wad hae a try.
It wadna be muckle o' a Jeroozlem to me wantin' my fiddle. But gin
there be fiddles, I daursay they'll be gran' anes. I daursay they
wad gi' me a new ane--I mean ane as auld as Noah's 'at he played i'
the ark whan the de'il cam' in by to hearken. I wad fain hae a try.
Ye ken a' aboot it wi' that grannie o' yours: hoo's a body to
begin?'

'By giein' up the drink, man.'

'Ay--ay--ay--I reckon ye're richt. Weel, I'll think aboot it whan
ance I'm throu wi' this job. That'll be neist ook, or thereabouts,