The Ayrshire Legatees

On Saturday evening, Saunders Dickie, the Irvine postman, suspecting that

this letter was from the Doctor, went with it himself, on his own feet,

to Mr. Micklewham, although the distance is more than two miles, but

Saunders, in addition to the customary twal pennies on the postage, had

a dram for his pains. The next morning being wet, Mr. Micklewham had not

an opportunity of telling any of the parishioners in the churchyard of

the Doctor's safe arrival, so that when he read out the request to return

thanks (for he was not only school-master and session-clerk, but also

precentor), there was a murmur of pleasure diffused throughout the

congregation, and the greatest curiosity was excited to know what the

dangers were, from which their worthy pastor and his whole family had so

thankfully escaped in their voyage to London; so that, when the service

was over, the elders adjourned to the session-house to hear the letter

read; and many of the heads of families, and other respectable

parishioners, were admitted to the honours of the sitting, who all

sympathised, with the greatest sincerity, in the sufferings which their

minister and his family had endured. Mr. Daff, however, was justly

chided by Mr. Craig, for rubbing his hands, and giving a sort of

sniggering laugh, at the Doctor's sitting on high with a light woman.

But even Mr. Snodgrass was seen to smile at the incident of taking the

number off the coach, the meaning of which none but himself seemed to

understand.

When the epistle had been thus duly read, Mr. Micklewham promised, for

the satisfaction of some of the congregation, that he would get two or

three copies made by the best writers in his school, to be handed about

the parish, and Mr. Icenor remarked, that truly it was a thing to be held

in remembrance, for he had not heard of greater tribulation by the waters

since the shipwreck of the Apostle Paul.