ower the
toun, an' it was bonnie to watch the lichts twinklin' an' to hear the
soonds.

Twal o'clock chappit, an' we thocht it was time we were beddit. I was
anower, an' Sandy was juist a' ready, when he cudna fa' in wi' his
nichtkep. It was in a handbag o' Sandy's, and he had left it doon in
the lobby. Sandy canna sleep without his nichtkep--no' him!

"What am I genna do?" says Sandy. He was in his lang white nichtgoon,
and he gaed to the room door an' opened it. He lookit oot, but a'thing
was as quiet's death.

"I'll rin doon for't," says he; "a'body's beddit. I'll juist rin doon,
an' I'll bring up my umberell an' my hat at the same time, for fear
they micht be liftit. You never can tell."

Awa' doou the stairs he gaed in his lang nichtgoon, for a' the earth
juist like some corp escapit frae the kirkyaird. He wasna a meenit oot
when I dreedit something wud happen, an' I juist sat up tremblin' in
the bed.

Sandy got doon to the lobby a' richt; an' a'thing was dark, an' as
still's the grave. He scrammilt aboot till he got the bag; syne he
fand for his lum hat, an' put it on his heid. He got his umberell in
his oxter, an' the bag in his hand, an' then he fand roond juist to see
if there was naething else he had forgotten. By ill-fortune he cam' on
the handle o' the denner bell, an' liftin't, it ga'e a creesh an' a
clang that knokit a' the sense oot o' Sandy's heid, and wauken'd half
the fowk i' the hoose. Sandy took till his heels up the stair; an' a
gey like picture he was, wi' his lang, white sark-tails fleein' i' the
air, a lum hat on his heid, an umberell in his oxter, the bag in ae
hand, an' the denner bell i' the ither, bangin' an' clangin' at ilky
jump. It wudda frichten'd the very deevil himsel'. The stupid auld
fule had gotten that doited that he cam' fleein' awa' wi' the bell in
his hand.

There was a cry o' fire, and a scream o' murder, an' in half a meenit
the hotel was as busy as gin it had been broad daylicht. Sandy forgot
hoo mony stairs he had to clim', and he gaed bang in on an auld sea
captain an' his wife, in the room below oors. It fair paralised baith
o' them, when they saw Sandy comin' burst in on them wi' his black
tile, his white goon, his umberell an' bag, an' the denner bell.

"P'leece, p'leece," roared the captain an' his wife--an' Sandy oot at
the door. Awa' alang a passage he gaed, fleein' like a huntit tod. I
heard him as gin he'd been doon in the very bowels o' th