be jist ane o' the throes o' my h'avenly birth--i' the whilk the
bairn has as mony o' the pains as the mither: that's maybe a differ
'atween the twa--the earthly an' the h'avenly!

"Sae noo I hae to begin fresh, an' lat the thing 'at's past an' gane
slip efter ither dreams. Eh, but it's a bonny dream yet! It lies
close 'ahin' me, no to be forgotten, no to be luikit at--like ane o'
thae dreams o' watter an' munelicht 'at has nae wark i' them: a body
wadna lie a' nicht an' a' day tu in a dream o' the sowl's gloamin'!
Na, Lord; mak o' me a strong man, an' syne gie me as muckle o' the
bonny as may please thee. Wha am I to lippen til, gien no to thee,
my ain father an' mither an' gran'father an' a' body in ane, for
thoo giedst me them a'!

"Noo I'm to begin again--a fresh life frae this minute! I'm to set
oot frae this verra p'int, like ane o' the youngest sons i' the
fairy tales, to seek my portion, an' see what's comin' to meet me as
I gang to meet hit. The warl' afore me's my story-buik. I canna
see ower the leaf till I come to the en' o' 't. Whan I was a bairn,
jist able, wi' sair endeevour, to win at the hert o' print, I never
wad luik on afore! The ae time I did it, I thoucht I had dune a
shamefu' thing, like luikin' in at a keyhole--as I did jist ance tu,
whan I thank God my mither gae me sic a blessed lickin' 'at I kent
it maun be something dreidfu' I had dune. Sae here's for what's
comin'! I ken whaur it maun come frae, an' I s' make it welcome.
My mither says the main mischeef i' the warl' is, 'at fowk winna
lat the Lord hae his ain w'y, an' sae he has jist to tak it, whilk
maks it a sair thing for them."

Therewith he rose to encounter that which was on its way to meet