e ladies will excuse the tarpaulin phrase) by three Algerine galleys.
"Gude guide us, Mr. Balderstone!" said Mrs. Girder. "Wha wad hae thought
it of an auld and kenn'd friend!" said the mother.

"And no sae muckle as stay to receive our thanks," said the cooper
himself, "and frae the like o' me that seldom offers them! I am sure I
hope there's nae ill seed sawn between us, Mr. Balderstone. Ony man that
has said to ye I am no gratefu' for the situation of Queen's cooper, let
me hae a whample at him wi' mine eatche, that's a'."

"My good friends--my dear friends," said Caleb, still doubting how the
certainty of the matter might stand, "what needs a' this ceremony? Ane
tries to serve their friends, and sometimes they may happen to prosper,
and sometimes to misgie. Naething I care to be fashed wi' less than
thanks; I never could bide them."

"Faith, Mr. Balderstone, ye suld hae been fashed wi' few o' mine," said
the downright man of staves and hoops, "if I had only your gude-will to
thank ye for: I suld e'en hae set the guse, and the wild deukes, adn the
runlet of sack to balance that account. Gude-will, man, is a geizen'd
tub, that hauds in nae liquor; but gude deed's like the cask, tight,
round, and sound, that will haud liquor for the king."

"Have ye no heard of our letter," said the mother-in-law, "making our
John [Gibbie] the Queen's cooper for certain? and scarce a chield that
had ever hammered gird upon tub but was applying for it?"

"Have I heard!!!" said Caleb, who now found how the wind set, with an
accent of exceeding contempt, at the doubt expressed--"have I heard,
quo'she!!!" and as he spoke he changed his shambling, skulking, dodging
pace into a manly and authoritative step, readjusted his cocked hat,
and suffered his brow to emerge from under it in all the pride of
aristocracy, like the sun from behind a cloud.

"To be sure, he canna but hae heard," said the good woman.

"Ay, to be sure it's impossible but I should," said Caleb; "and sae I'll
be the first to kiss ye, joe, and wish you, cooper, much joy of your
preferment, naething doubting but ye ken wha are your friends, and HAVE
helped ye, and CAN help ye. I thought it right to look a wee strange
upon it at first," added Caleb, "just to see if ye were made of the
right mettle; but ye ring true, lad--ye ring true!"

So saying, with a most lordly air he kissed the women, and abandoned
his hand, with an air of serene patronage, to the hearty shake of