take his departure. I went with him to the door with the candle in
my hand--it was a clear frosty night, with a sharp wind; and the
moment I opened the door, the blast blew out the candle, so that I
heedlessly, with the candlestick in my hand, walked with him to the
yett without my hat, by which I took a sore cold in my head, that
brought on a dreadful toothache; insomuch, that I was obligated to
go into Irville to get the tooth drawn, and this caused my face to
swell to such a fright, that, on the Sabbath-day, I could not preach
to my people. There was, however, at that time, a young man, one Mr
Heckletext, tutor in Sir Hugh Montgomerie's family, and who had
shortly before been licensed. Finding that I would not be able to
preach myself, I sent to him, and begged he would officiate for me,
which he very pleasantly consented to do, being, like all the young
clergy, thirsting to show his light to the world. 'Twixt the fore
and afternoon's worship, he took his check of dinner at the manse,
and I could not but say that he seemed both discreet and sincere.
Judge, however, what was brewing, when the same night Mr Lorimore
came and told me, that Mr Heckletext was the suspected person anent
the fact that had been instrumental, in the hand of a chastising
Providence, to afflict me with the toothache, in order, as it
afterwards came to pass, to bring the hidden hypocrisy of the
ungodly preacher to light. It seems that the donsie lassie who was
in fault, had gone to the kirk in the afternoon, and seeing who was
in the pulpit, where she expected to see me, was seized with the
hysterics, and taken with her crying on the spot, the which being
untimely, proved the death of both mother and bairn, before the
thing was properly laid to the father's charge.

This caused a great uproar in the parish. I was sorely blamed to
let such a man as Mr Heckletext go up into my pulpit, although I was