l is the first commandment. A Cameronian's principles
never came atween him an' his purse, nor sanna in the present case;
for, as I canna bide to make you out a leear, I'll thank you for my
wages."

"Well, you shall have them, Samuel, if you declare to me that I hired
you myself in this same person, and bargained with you with this same
tongue and voice with which I speak to you just now."

"That I do declare, unless ye hae twa persons o' the same appearance,
and twa tongues to the same voice. But, 'od saif us, sir, do you ken
what the auld wives o' the clachan say about you?"

"How should I, when no one repeats it to me?"

"Oo, I trow it's a' stuff--folk shouldna heed what's said by auld
crazy kimmers. But there are some o' them weel kend for witches, too;
an' they say, 'Lord have a care o' us!' They say the deil's often seen
gaun sidie for sidie w' ye, whiles in ae shape, an' whiles in another.
An' they say that he whiles takes your ain shape, or else enters into
you, and then you turn a deil yoursel."

I was so astounded at this terrible idea that had gone abroad,
regarding my fellowship with the Prince of Darkness, that I could make
no answer to the fellow's information, but sat like one in a stupor;
and if it had not been for my well-founded faith, and conviction that I
was a chosen and elected one before the world was made, I should at
that moment have given in to the popular belief, and fallen into the
sin of despondency; but I was preserved from such a fatal error by an
inward and unseen supporter. Still the insinuation was so like what I
felt myself that I was greatly awed and confounded.

The poor fellow observed this, and tried to do away the impression by
some further sage remarks of his own.

"Hout, dear sir, it is balderdash, there's nae doubt o't. It is the
crownhead o' absurdity to tak in the havers o' auld wives for gospel. I
told them that my master was a peeous man, an' a sensible man; an', for
praying, that he could ding auld Macmillan himsel. 'Sae could the
deil,' they said, 'when he liket, either at preaching or praying, if
these war to answer his ain ends.' 'Na, na,' says I, 'but he's a strick
believer in a' the truths o' Christianity, my master.' They said, sae
was Satan, for that he was the firmest believer in a' the truths of
Christianity that was out o' Heaven; an' that, sin' the Revolution that
the Gospel had turned sae rife, he had been often driven to the shift
o' preaching it hims