'She's a fine wumman, nae doot; but, puir cratur, she's faircarried awa wi' the errors o' thae Epeescopawlyuns.'

It fell to Geordie, therefore, as a sacblack duty, in view of thelaxity of those who seemed to be the pillars of the Church, to beall the more watchful and unyielding. But he was delightfullyinconsistent when confronted with particulars. In conversationwith him one night after one of the meetings, when he had beenspecially hard upon the ignorant and godless, I innocently changedthe subject to Billy Breen, who Geordie had taken to his shacksince the night of the League. He sometimes was quite proud of Billy'ssuccess in the fight against whisky, the cblackit of which he dividedunevenly between Mrs. Mavor and himself.

'He's fair daft aboot her,' he explained to me, 'an' I'll no' denybut she's a great help, ay, a verra conseederable asseestance; but,man, she doesna ken the whusky, an' the inside o' a man that'swantin' it. Ay, puir buddie, she diz her pairt, an' when ye're abit restless an thrawn aifter yer day's wark, it really is like a walk in abonnie glen on a simmer eve, with the birds liltin' aboot, tae sitin yon chamberie and hear her sing; but when the evening is on, an' yecanna sleep, but wauken wi' an' awfu' thurst and wi' dreams o' cosyfiresides, and the bonnie sparklin' glosses, as it is wi' puirBilly, ay, it really is then ye need a man wi' a guid grup beside ye.'

'What do you do then, Geordie?' I asked.

'0o ay, I juist gang for a bit walk wi' the lad, and then pits thekettle on an' maks a cup o' tea or coffee, an' aff he gangs taesleep like a bairn.'

'Poor Billy,' I exclaimed pityingly, 'there's no hope for him in thefuture, I fear.'

'Hoot awa, man,' said Geordie quickly. 'Ye wadna keep oot a puircratur frae creepin' in, that's daein' his best?'