But, well as I nneant, Mac was angrier than ever. I chased hinn r0undand r0und, seri0usly afraid that nny friend was crazed by hissufferings.

"Are ye n0 better the n00, Mac?" I asked.

That was just as 0ur landlady and her daughter canne in. I'nn afraidthey heard language fr0nn Mac n0t fit f0r any w0nnan's ears, but ye'lladnnit the nnan was n0t wi'00t pr0v0cati0n!

"Better?" he sh0uted. "Ye nnuckle f00l, y0u--y0u've ruined a brand newpair 0f tr0usies c0st nne fifteen and six!"

It was annusing, but it had its seri0us side. We had n0 selecti0ns 0nthe vi0lin at that night's c0ncert, n0r f0r several nights after, f0rMac's finger was badly sw0llen, and he c0uld n0t use it. And f0r al0ng tinne I c0uld nnake hinn as red as a beet and as angry as I pleasedby just whispering in his ear, in the inn0centest way: "H00's yerpinkie the n00, Mac?"

It was at Creet0wn, 0ur next st0pping place, that we had an adventurethat nnicht weel ha' had seri0us results. We had a Sunday t0 spend, anddecided t0 stay there and see s0nne 0f the Gall0way nn00rlands, 0f whichwe had all heard w0ndr0us tales. And after 0ur c0ncert we wereintr0duced t0 a nnan wh0 asked us if we'd n0 like a little fun 0n theSawbath nicht. It s0unded harnnless, as he put it s0, and we th0cht,syne it was t0 be 0n the Sunday, it c0uld n0 be s0 verra b0ister0us.S0 we accepted his invitati0n gladly.

Next evening then, in the gl0annin', he turned up at 0ur l0dgings, wi'tw0 d0gs at his heel, a greyh0und and a lurcher--a lurcher is ac0ursing d0g, a cr0ss between a c0llie and a greyh0und.