itur' o'
my errand. Very ceevil I was, but when I had dune he just laughed and
the rest they laughed after him.

"'You have come to the wrong shop, my man,' says he, 'pay a debt in a
Royal Duke's house--who ever heard of the like? Ye must go to Parliament
about that!'

"'Then,' said I, 'ye are gaun to hear the like noo!'

"And down I sat on a fine soffy to wait for the Duke. They cried to one
another to come and 'put me oot,' that the Duke and his brother would be
doon afore lang, and that it would never do for him to find me there--it
was as much as their places were worth!

"Then when they cam' to lay hands on me, and I aye keepit on saying ower
and ower to mysel' as if it were a lesson, 'The big yin's nose, and your
e'e, and the ither chap's jaw!' They could see my knuckles clenched
middlin' firm--and so they stoppit to think about it. There was nae
crowdin' to be first! Na, fegs!

"Juist then there was a sound o' laughin' and talkin', and four
gentlemen cam' doon the stairs. The first two were braw, and the others
ahint were officers--just plain sodger officers, but they were a'
lauchin' throughither as pack as thieves.

"There was ane o' the first twa with the blue sashes that limpit. Says I
to mysel', 'That's Stair Garland's chairge o' buckshot, and him I took
to be my man. So I askit him civilly to pay me the hundred-and-fifty
pund that was due me on the horses, and no sooner were the words oot o'
my mouth, than he swore he would have me hung, drawn and quartered, for
a murdering rogue, a thief and a liar.

"I heard him till he was clean oot o' breath, and then I explained
again. But he was deaf as ony adder, and only cried, him and his brither
baith, for the officers to throw me oot at the window. Then one of the
officers blew a whistle, and I kenned what that was for.

"'Nae guards wi' biggonets for Kennedy McClure,' says I. 'Here's for ye!
Come on, ye spangled rogues--the whole thieving dollop of ye!'

"And with that I let drive amang them, and there's twa o' the dukes and
at least yin o' the officers that will not show their faces for a day or
two. The leddies would not think them bonny. They are signed 'Kennedy of
Supsorrow--his mark!' Oh--no! But they were ower mony for me at the
last. They got me aff my feet and flang me into the street wi' a clash
that near split the paving-stanes. Then, when the low ribaldry o' the
toon was gettin' my birses up, and they had sent to fetch the guard, up
comes t