The Ayrshire Legatees

LETTER XIII

The Rev. Z. Pringle, D.D., to Mr. Micklewham, Schoolmaster and

Session-Clerk of Garnock

LONDON.

DEAR SIR--I have received your letter, and it is a great pleasure to me

to hear that my people were all so much concerned at our distress in the

Leith smack; but what gave me the most contentment was the repentance of

Tam Glen. I hope, poor fellow, he will prove a good husband; but I have

my doubts; for the wife has really but a small share of common sense, and

no married man can do well unless his wife will let him. I am, however,

not overly pleased with Mr. Craig on the occasion, for he should have

considered frail human nature, and accepted of poor Tam's confession of a

fault, and allowed the bairn to be baptized without any more ado. I

think honest Mr. Daff has acted like himself, and I trust and hope there

will be a great gathering at the christening, and, that my mite may not

be wanting, you will slip in a guinea note when the dish goes round, but

in such a manner, that it may not be jealoused from whose hand it comes.

Since my last letter, we have been very thrang in the way of seeing the

curiosities of London; but I must go on regular, and tell you all, which,

I think, it is my duty to do, that you may let my people know. First,

then, we have been at Windsor Castle, to see the king lying in state,

and, afterwards, his interment; and sorry am I to say, it was not a sight

that could satisfy any godly mind on such an occasion. We went in a

coach of our own, by ourselves, and found the town of Windsor like a

cried fair. We were then directed to the Castle gate, where a terrible

crowd was gathered together; and we had not been long in that crowd, till

a pocket-picker, as I thought, cutted off the tail of my coat, with my

pocket-book in my pocket, which I never missed at the time. But it seems

the coat tail was found, and a policeman got it, and held it up on the

end of his stick, and cried, whose pocket is this? showing the book that

was therein in his hand. I was confounded to see my pocket-book there,

and could scarcely believe my own eyes; but Mrs. Pringle knew it at the

first glance, and said, "It's my gudeman's"; at the which, there was a

great shout of derision among the multitude, and we would baith have then

been glad to disown the pocket-book, but it was returned to us, I may

almost say, against our will; but the scorners, when they saw our

confusion, behaved with great civility towards us, so that we got into

the Castle-yard with no other damage than the loss of the flap of my coat

tail.