XXV--THE SUBSCRIPTION

The calamity of the storm opened and disposed the hearts of the whole
town to charity; and it was a pleasure to behold the manner in which the
tide of sympathy flowed towards the sufferers. Nobody went to the church
in the forenoon; but when I had returned home from the shore, several of
the council met at my house to confer anent the desolation, and it was
concerted among us, at my suggestion, that there should be a meeting of
the inhabitants called by the magistrates, for the next day, in order to
take the public compassion with the tear in the eye--which was
accordingly done by Mr Pittle himself from the pulpit, with a few
judicious words on the heavy dispensation. And the number of folk that
came forward to subscribe was just wonderful. We got well on to a
hundred pounds in the first two hours, besides many a bundle of old
clothes. But one of the most remarkable things in the business was done
by Mr Macandoe. He was, in his original, a lad of the place, who had
gone into Glasgow, where he was in a topping line; and happening to be on
a visit to his friends at the time, he came to the meeting and put down
his name for twenty guineas, which he gave me in bank-notes--a sum of
such liberality as had never been given to the town from one individual
man, since the mortification of fifty pounds that we got by the will of
Major Bravery that died in Cheltenham, in England, after making his
fortune in India. The sum total of the subscription, when we got my
lord's five-and-twenty guineas, was better than two hundred pounds
sterling--for even several of the country gentlemen were very generous
contributors, and it is well known that they are not inordinately
charitable, especially to town folks--but the distribution of it was no
easy task, for it required a discrimination of character as well as of
necessities. It was at first proposed to give it over to the session. I
knew, however, that, in their hands, it would do no good; for Mr Pittle,
the minister, was a vain sort of a body, and easy to be fleeched, and the
bold and the bardy with him would be sure to come in for a better share
than the meek and the modest, who might be in greater want. So I set
myself to consider what was the best way of proceeding; and truly upon
reflection, there are few events in my history that I look back upon with
more satisfaction than the part I performed in this matter; for, before
going into any division of th