ed the information he had desired to be possessed of. The
boat arrived in due time at the wished-for haven, and Johnny landed with
the other passengers; the captain giving him a wipe, as he stepped on
the plank that was to convey him ashore, about his Kirkaldy inquiries,
by asking him, though now in perfect good humour, if he knew the precise
length of that celebrated town; but Johnny merely smiled and passed on.

On landing, Johnny Armstrong proceeded to what had the appearance of,
and really was, a respectable inn. Here, as it was now pretty far in the
day, he had some dinner, and afterwards treated himself to a tumbler of
toddy and a peep at the papers. While thus comfortably enjoying himself,
the waiter having chanced to pop into the room, Johnny raised his eye
from the paper he was reading, and, looking the lad in the face--

"Can ye tell me, friend," he said, "when the coach for Dundee starts?"

"There's no coach at all from this to Dundee, sir," replied the waiter.

"No!" said Johnny, a little nonplused by this information. "That's odd."
The waiter saw nothing odd in it.

"I was told," continued Johnny, "that there were twa or three coaches
daily from this to Dundee."

"Oh, no, sir," said the lad, coolly, "you have been misinformed; but if
you wish to go to Dundee, sir," he added--desirous of being as obliging
as possible--"your best way is to go by steam from this to Newhaven, and
from that cross over to Kirkaldy!!!"

At this fatal word, which seemed doomed to work Johnny much wo, the
glass which he was about to raise to his lips fell on the floor, and
went into a thousand pieces.

"Kirkaldy, laddie!" exclaimed Johnny Armstrong, with an expression of
consternation in his face which it would require Cruikshank's art and
skill to do justice to--"Gude hae a care o' me, is _this_ no Kirkaldy?"

"Kirkaldy, sir!" replied the waiter, no less amazed than Johnny, though
in his case it was at the absurdity of the inquiry--"oh, no, sir," with
a smile--"this is Alloa!!!"

Alloa it was, to be sure; for Johnny had taken the wrong boat, and that
was all. On embarking, he had made no inquiries at those belonging to
the vessel, and, of course, those in the vessel had put none to him--and
this was the result. He was comfortably planted at Alloa, instead of
Kirkaldy, which all our readers know lies in a very different direction;
and this denouement also explains the captain's displeasure with his
passenger, and the engin