"I felt kind o' shamed then at my hurry, and I said, 'Doctor, you'll hae
heard tell o' the calamity that has come to our house?' And he answered,
'I hae heard; but we willna call it a calamity, David, seeing that it was
o' His ordering.'"

"'It was very suddent, sir,' I said, and he lookit at me, and said, 'His
messengers fly very swiftly. Your father was ready, and I do not think He
calls the young men, unless He wants them. It was not of the dead you came
to talk with me?' I said, 'No, sir, I came to ask you aboot Maggie and
mysel'.'"

"Then I told him hoo I longed to be a minister, and hoo fayther and the
rest had planned to send me to Aberdeen this vera year, and hoo there was
still L50 which you wanted me to take, and he never said a word, but just
let me go blethering and blundering through the story, till I felt like I
was the maist selfish and foolish o' mortals. When I couldna find anither
word, he spake up kind o' stern like--"

"What did he say? You be to tell me that noo."

"He said, 'David Promoter, you'll no dare to touch the L50 this year. Go
back to the boats, and serve the Lord upon the sea for a twelve months. Go
back to the boats and learn how to face hunger, and cold, and weariness,
with patience; learn to look upon death, and not to fear him. Forbye you
cannot leave your sister her lane. Lassies marry young among your folk,
and she'll need some plenishing. You would not surely send her from you
with empty hands. You cannot right your own like with wranging hers, not
even by a bawbee.'"