and brought the Bible to her father. Then she and Jock sat with
folded hands while he read a long chapter about the "begats."
Jock thought there seemed to be a very large family of them. This
was followed by a prayer as long as the chapter. The prayer was
so long that True Tammas went sound asleep on the hearth and had
a dream that must have been about the rabbit, for his ears
twitched and he made little whiny noises and jerked his legs. It
was so long that the kettle boiled clear away and made such
alarming, crackling sounds that Jean couldn't help peeking
through her fingers just once, because it was their only kettle,
and if it should go and burst itself during family prayers,
whatever should they do! The moment the Shepherd said "Amen,"
Jean sprang so quickly to lift it from the fire that she stumbled
over Tam and woke him up and almost burned her fingers besides.
The kettle wasn't really spoiled, and while the water was heating
in it for the dishes, Jean took up the little yellow book and
said to Jock,

"Come here now, laddie, and see if you can say your catechism. Do
you ken what is the chief end of man?"

"Dod, and I do," answered Jock. "You let me spier the questions."

"No," answered Jean firmly. "I'll spier them first myself."

"You're thinking I can't answer," said Jock. "I'll fool you."

He stood up as straight as a whole row of soldiers and fired off
the answer all in one breath.