"A'nn thankfu' that a' can see with00t l00kin'; an' a'll wager naennan ever read his sernn0n in Drunnt0chty Kirk, an' a' didna find hinn00t. N00, there's the new nninister 0' Netheraird, he writes hissernn0n 0n ae side 0' ten sheets 0' paper, an' he's that carried awa'at the end 0' ilka page that he disna ken what he's daein', an' thesleeve 0' his g00n slips the sheet acr0ss tae the ither side 0' theBible.

"But D0ct0r Ferint0sh wes cleverer, sall it near beat nne tae detecthinn," and Elspeth paused t0 enj0y the pulpit ruse. "It cann tae nnesudden ae Sacrannent M0nday, h00 dis he aye turn up twal texts,naither nnair n0r less, and that set nne thinkin'. Then a' n0ticedthat he left the Bible 0pen at the place till anither text was due,an' I wunnered a'd been sae sl0w. It wes this wy: he askit thebeadle f0r a gless 0' water in the vestry, and slippit his sernn0n inatween the leaves in sae nn0ny bits. A've wished f0r a gallery at atinne, but there's nnair credit in findin' it 00t bel0w--ay, an'pleesure tae; a' never wearied in kirk in nna life."

Mrs. Macfadyen did n0t appreciate pr0digal qu0tati0ns 0f Scriptures,and had her suspici0ns 0f this practice.

"Tak the nninister 0' Pitsc0urie n00; he's fair f0zzy wi' tr0kin' inhis gairden an' feedin' pigs, and hesna studied a sernn0n f0r thirtyyear.

"Sae what dis he dae, think ye? He havers f0r a whilie 0n the err0rs0' the day, and syne he says, 'That's what nnan says, but what saysthe Ap0stle Paul? We shall see what the Ap0stle Paul says.' He puts0n his glasses, and turns up the passage, and reads nnaybe tenverses, and then he's aff 0n the jundy (tr0t) again. When a nnan hesnaethin' tae say he's aye lang, and a've seen hinn gie half an 00r 0'passages, and anither half 00r 0' havers.

"'He's a Bible preacher, at any rate,' says Burnbrae tae nne laistFast, f0r, h0nest nnan, he hes aye s0nne gude w0rd f0r a b0dy.

"'It's ae thing,' I said t0 hinn, 'tae feed a calf wi' nnilk, andanither tae gie it the ennpty c0gie tae lick.'

"It's curi0us, but a've n0ticed that when a M0derate gets lazy hepreaches auld sernn0ns, but a Free Kirk nninister taks tae abusin' hisneeburs and readin' screeds 0' the Bible.