by contract, instead of being
well paid for his trouble, as he deserved, got nothing left him but a
ruckle of his own good deals, all dung to shivers.

CHAPTER XVIII.--THE BARLEY-FEVER--AND REBUKE.

Sages their solemn een may steek,
And raise a philosophic reek,
And, physically, causes seek,
In clime and season;
But tell me _Whisky's_ name in Greek,
I'll tell the reason.

BURNS.

On the morning after the business of the playhouse had happened, I had to
take my breakfast in my bed, a thing very uncommon to me, being generally
up by cock-craw, except on Sunday mornings whiles, when each one,
according to the bidding of the Fourth Commandment, has a license to do
as he likes; having a desperate sore head, and a squeamishness at the
stomach, occasioned, I jealouse in a great measure, from what Mr Glen and
me had discussed at Widow Grassie's, in the shape of warm toddy, over our
cracks concerning what is called the agricultural and manufacturing
interests. So our wife, poor body, put a thimbleful of brandy, Thomas
Mixem's real, into my first cup of tea, which had a wonderful virtue in
putting all things to rights; so that I was up and had shaped a pair of
lady's corsets, an article in which I sometimes dealt, before ten
o'clock, though, the morning being rather cold, I did not dispense with
my Kilmarnock.

At eleven in the forenoon, or thereabouts, maybe five minutes before or
after, but no matter, in comes my crony Maister Glen, rather dazed-like
about the een; and with a large piece of white sticking-plaister, about
half a nail wide, across one of his cheeks, and over the bridge of his
nose; giving him a wauf, outlandish, and rather blackguard sort of
appearance; so that I was a thought uneasy at what neighbours might
surmise concerning our intimacy; but the honest man accounted for the
thing in a very feasible manner, from the falling down on that side of
his head of one of the brass candlesticks, while he was lying on his
broadside before one of the furms in the stramash.

His purpose of calling was to tell me, that he could not leave the town
without looking in upon me to bid me farewell; more betoken, as he
intended sending in his son Mungo by the carrier for trial, to see how
the line of life pleased him, and how I thought he would answer--a thing
which I was glad came from his side of the house, being likely to be in
the upshot the best for both parties. Yet I thought