er had
arrived: the blue eyes of Annie Anderson were fixed upon the speaker
from over the half-door of the workshop. The drip from the thatch-eaves
was dropping upon her shabby little shawl as she stood, but she was
utterly heedless of it in the absorption of hearkening to Thomas Crann,
who talked with authority, and a kind of hard eloquence of persuasion.

I ought to explain here that the _muckle kirk_ meant the parish church;
and that the religious community to which Thomas Crann belonged was one
of the first results of the propagation of English Independency in
Scotland. These Independents went commonly by the name of _Missionars_
in all that district; a name arising apparently from the fact that they
were the first in the neighbourhood to advocate the sending of
missionaries to the heathen. The epithet was, however, always used with
a considerable admixture of contempt.

"Are ye no gaein to get a minister o' yer ain, Thamas?" resumed George,
after a pause, still wishing to turn the cart-wheels of the
conversation out of the deep ruts in which the stiff-necked Thomas
seemed determined to keep them moving.

"Na; we'll bide a bit, and try the speerits. We're no like you--forced
to lat ower (swallow) ony jabble o' lukewarm water that's been stan'in'
i' the sun frae year's en' to year's en', jist because the patron
pleases to stick a pump intil 't an' ca' 't a well o' salvation. We'll
ken whaur the water comes frae. We'll taste them a', and cheese
accordin'."

"Weel, I wadna like the trouble nor yet the responsibility."

"I daursay not."

"Na. Nor yet the shame o' pretennin' to jeedge my betters," added
George, now a little nettled, as was generally the result at last of
Thomas's sarcastic tone.

"George," said Thomas solemnly, "nane but them that has the speerit can
ken the speerit."

With these words, he turned and strode slowly and gloomily out of the
shop--no doubt from dissatisfaction with the result of his attempt.

Who does not see that Thomas had a hold of something to which George
was altogether a stranger? Surely it is something more to stand with
Moses upon Mount Sinai, and see the back of God through ever so many
folds of cloudy darkness, than be sitting down to eat and drink, or
rising up to play about the golden calf, at the foot of the mountain.
And that Thomas was possessed of some divine secret, the heart of child
Annie was perfectly convinced; the tone of his utterance having a
greater share