as ignorant of his offences as the innocent child that perished;
and, in an unguarded hour, to pacify some of the elders, who were
just distracted about the disgrace, I consented to have him called
before the session. He obeyed the call, and in a manner that I will
never forget; for he was a sorrow of sin and audacity, and demanded
to know why, and for what reason, he was summoned. I told him the
whole affair in my calm and moderate way; but it was oil cast upon a
burning coal. He flamed up in a terrible passion; threepit at the
elders that they had no proof whatever of his having had any
trafficking in the business, which was the case; for it was only a
notion, the poor deceased lassie never having made a disclosure:
called them libellous conspirators against his character, which was
his only fortune, and concluded by threatening to punish them,
though he exempted me from the injury which their slanderous
insinuations had done to his prospects in life. We were all
terrified, and allowed him to go away without uttering a word; and
sure enough he did bring a plea in the courts of Edinburgh against
Mr Lorimore and the elders for damages, laid at a great sum.

What might have been the consequence, no one can tell; but soon
after he married Sir Hugh's house-keeper, and went with her into
Edinburgh, where he took up a school; and, before the trial came on,
that is to say, within three months of the day that I myself married
them, Mrs Heckletext was delivered of a thriving lad bairn, which
would have been a witness for the elders, had the worst come to the
worst. This was, indeed, we all thought, a joyous deliverance to
the parish, and it was a lesson to me never to allow any preacher to
mount my pulpit, unless I knew something of his moral character.

In other respects, this year passed very peaceably in the parish: