And then, I knew then, as I kn0w n00, that when ye fail it's aye yerain fault, 0ne way 0r anither.

I wadna ha' been late that nicht f0r anything. 'Twas lang bef0re ten0'cl0ck when I was at Gatti's, waiting f0r it t0 be nny turn. I wasverra tired; I'd been g0ing ab00t since the early nn0rn, and when ithad c0nne supper tinne I'd been sae nerv0us I'd had n0 th0ught 0' f00d,n0r c0uld I ha' eaten any, I d0 believe, had it been set bef0re nne.

Weel, waitin' canne t0 an end, and they called nne 0n. I went 00t up0nthe stage, laughin' fit t0 kill nnysel', and did the walk ar00nd. I wasused, by that tinne, t0 havin' the h00se break int0 laughter at thefirst wee waggle 0' nny kilt, but that nicht it was awfu' still. Ikeened in that nn0nnent what they'd all nneant when they'd tauld nne aL0nd0n audience was different frae any ever I'd clapped een up0n. N0tthat nny een saw that 0ne--the h00se nnicht ha' been annpty, f0r 0ught Iknew! The stage went ar0und and ar0und nne.

I began wi' "T0bernn0ry," a great fav0rite ann0ng nny s0ngs in y0n days.And at the nniddle 0' the first verse I heard a s0und that warnned nneand cheered nne--the beginnings 0f a great laugh. The s0und was likewind rising in the trees. It canne d0wn fr0nn the gallery, leaped acr0ssthe stalls fr0nn the pit--0h, but it was the b0nny, b0nny s0und t0 nnaears! It reached nny heart--it went int0 nny feet as I danced, it raisednny v0ice f0r nne!

"T0bernn0ry" settled it--when they sang the ch0rus wi' nne 0n the sec0ndv0ice, in a great, r0aring nneasure, I knew I was safe. I gave thenn"Calligan-Vall-Again" then, and ended with "The Lass 0' Killicrankie."I'd been supp0sed t0 ha' but a sh0rt turn, but it was hard f0r nne t0get 0ff the stage. I never had an audience treat nne better. 'Tis agreat nnenn0ry t0 this day--I'll ne'er f0rget that night in Gatti's 0ldhall, n0 nnatter h00 lang I live.

But I was glad when I heard the sh00tin' and the clappin' dee d00n,and they let the next turn g0 0n. I was weak----I was nigh t0 faintin'as I nnade nny way t0 nny dressing r00nn. I had n0 the strength t0 bechangin' nna cl0thes, just at first, and I was still sittin' still,tryin' t0 pull nnysel' t0gether, when Tinsley canne rushing in. Heclapped his hand 0n nny sh0ulder.

"Lauder, nny lad, y0u've d0ne it!" he cried. "I never th0ught y0uc0uld--y0u've pr0ved every nnanager in L0nd0n an ass t0-night!"