was lame, and could not move about in her dining-room without help;
so hearing from the first Mrs Balwhidder how Kate had done such an
unatonable deed to Miss Girzie Gilchrist, she sent for Kate, and,
finding her sharp and apt, she took her to live with her as a
companion. This was a vast advantage, for the lady was versed in
all manner of accomplishments, and could read and speak French with
more ease than any professor at that time in the College of Glasgow;
and she had learnt to sew flowers on satin, either in a nunnery
abroad, or in a boarding-school in England, and took pleasure in
teaching Kate all she knew, and how to behave herself like a lady.

In the summer of this year, old Mr Patrick Dilworth, that had so
long been doited with the paralytics, died, and it was a great
relief to my people, for the heritors could no longer refuse to get
a proper schoolmaster; so we took on trial Mr Lorimore, who has ever
since the year after, with so much credit to himself, and usefulness
to the parish, been schoolmaster, session clerk, and precentor--a
man of great mildness and extraordinary particularity. He was then
a very young man, and some objection was made, on account of his
youth, to his being session-clerk, especially as the smuggling
immorality still gave us much trouble in the making up of irregular
marriages; but his discretion was greater than could have been hoped
for from his years; and, after a twelvemonth's probation in the
capacity of schoolmaster, he was installed in all the offices that
had belonged to his predecessor, old Mr Patrick Dilworth that was.

But the most memorable thing that befell among my people this year,
was the burning of the lint-mill on the Lugton water, which
happened, of all the days of the year, on the very selfsame day that
Miss Girzie Gilchrist, better known as Lady Skimmilk, hired the