11
never felt the raptures that can dirl like darts through a man's soul from a woman's ee- They never tasted the honey that dwells on a woman's lip, sweeter than yellow marygolds to the bee; or fretted under the fever of bless that glows through the frame on pressing the hand of a suddenly met, and fluttering sweetheart. But tuts-tuts—hechhow! my day has long since past; and this is stuff to drop from the lips of an auld fool. Nevertheless, forgive me, friends: I cannot help all-powerful nature.
Nanse's taste being like my own, we amused one another in abusing great cities; and it is curious how soon I learned to be up to trap—I mean in an honest way; for, when she said she was wearying the very heart out of her to he home again to Lauder, which, she said, was her native and the true land of Goshen, I spoke back to her by way of answer—"Nancy my dear," says I, "believe me that the real land of Goshen is out at Dalkeith; and if ye'll take up house wi' mo, and enter into a way of doing, I daursay in a while ye'll come to think so too."
What will yon say there? Matters were by-and-by settled full tosh between us; and though the means of both parties were small, we were young, and able and willing to help one another. For two three days, I must confess, after Nanse, and me found ourselves in the comfortable situation of man and wife, I was a wee dowie and desponding, thinking we were to have a numerous small family and where work was to come from; but no sooner was my signed nailed up, with four iron handfasts by Johnny Hammer, painted in black letters, on a blue ground, with a picture of a jacket on one side and a pair of shears on the other,—and my shop door opened to the public with a wheen ready-made waistcoats, gallowses, leathercaps, and
