With such like airy castle building John amused himself till he reached
Mr. Scott's where he heard that Marion still continued very ill.

"I am so glad you have brought us the jelly," said Mrs. Scott, "for her
throat is very sore, and our own minister's family are all gone to
Edinburgh. The General Assembly is coming on, and he is a member this
year." The _General Assembly_ is a meeting of clergymen, chosen from the
different districts of Scotland. They assemble at Edinburgh once a year,
to judge and determine on the church affairs, that are brought before
them, from all parts of the country.

John only waited to hear how Marion was, and then with a sorrowful heart,
prepared to depart, when he saw Mr. Scott coming towards him. Mr. Scott
had a bunch of cuttings, from the hot-house plants in his hands, and,
holding them out to John, he said, "Here, yonker; You may have these, if
you like to take the trouble of carrying them; and, if you take pains and
put them into pots, they will grow and be very pretty; but you must water
them regularly, and in cold weather keep them within doors. I dare say
Mrs. Martin will thank you for them. If you will step with me into the
tool-house, I will give you some pots; for, perhaps, there may not be any
at the Minister's house."

John very thankfully accepted this offer, and Mr. Scott putting half a
dozen within each other, contrived to stow them into the wicker basket. At
first the delight which John felt at bringing home such a treasure,
prevented him from feeling the great weight of the basket; but he had not
walked far before he was obliged to put it down and stop to rest. He took
it up again, but the further he walked the oftener was he obliged to stop;
for Mr. Scott had considered more the size of the pots that his plants
required, than the strength of the carrier. "Oh, dear!" said John, at