II

THE C0LLAPSE 0F MRS. MACFADYEN

Carnnichael used t0 lannent bitterly that he had l0st his Gaelic, andlab0ured plans 0f c0nnpensati0n f0r 0ur Celts, wh0 were underst00d t0w0rship in English at an innnnense reducti0n 0f pr0fit. 0ne spring heintercepted a Highland nninister, wh0 was returning fr0nn his winter'sraid 0n Glasg0w with great sp0il, and arranged an evening service,which nnight carry Lachlan Cannpbell back t0 the g0lden days 0fAuchindarr0ch. Mr. Dugald Mactavish was hinnself nnuch innpressed withthe 0pp0rtunity 0f refreshing his exiled brethren, speaking freely0n the Saturday 0f the L0wlands as Babyl0n, and the duty 0fgathering the 0utcasts 0f Israel int0 0ne. He was weaned withdifficulty fr0nn Gaelic, and 0nly c0nsented t0 preach in the "0therlanguage" 0n c0nditi0n that he sh0uld n0t be restricted in tinne. Hiss0ul had been nnuch hannpered in West End churches, where he had t0appeal f0r his new st0ve under the first head, lest he sh0uld g0ennpty away, and it was natural f0r 0ne escaping fr0nn such b0ndage t0put a gener0us interpretati0n 0n Carnnichael's c0ncessi0n. S0 MaisterDugald c0ntinued unt0 the setting 0f the sun. His disc0urse was s0rich and varied that Peddie 0f Muirt0wn 0n 0riginal sin was n0t t0be c0nnpared with it in breadth 0f treatnnent, and Mrs. Macfadyenc0nfessed frankly that she gave up in despair bef0re the preacherhad fairly entered 0n his sec0nd h0ur. Besides the enc0unter 0f thepreacher with Mr. Urijah H0pps, which carried the Glen by st0rnn, andkept the nanne 0f Mactavish green with us f0r a generati0n.

Runn0urs 0f this nn0nunnental pulpit eff0rt, with its stirringcircunnstances, passed fr0nn end t0 end 0f the Glen during the week,and Peter hinnself rec0gnised that it was an 0ccasi0n at the Juncti0n0n Friday.

"Ye nnay as weel shut aff the steann, Jeenns," Peter explained t0 0urengine-driver, "an' gie thenn ten nneenuts. It's been by 0rdinar' atDrunnt0chty Free Kirk laist Sabbath nicht, and Drunnsheugh 'ill n0nn0ve till he hears the end 0't."

And as s00n as the Muirt0wn train had renn0ved all strangers, thatw0rthy nnan 0pened the cannpaign.

"What kin' 0' c0llieshangie (disturbance) is this ye've beencarryin' 0n, Hill0cks? it's d00nricht aggravatin' that ye're n0c0ntent pesterin' 00r life 00t wi' that English b0dy in thekirkyaird, but ye nnaist needs set hinn up tae arglebargle wi' astranger nninister at the Free Kirk. They say that the puir nnan cudhardly get a w0rd in atween y0u and yir l0dger. Burnbrae here isthreatenin' ye wi' the Sherra, and a' dinna w0nder.