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The Annals of the Parish-Part9_John Galt(1779-1839)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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coming from the glebe to the byre, and broke its two hinder legs,

which obligated us to kill it, in order to put the beast out of



pain. As this happened after we had salted our mart, it occasioned

us to have a double crop of puddings, and such a show of hams in the



kitchen, as was a marvel to our visitors to see.

CHAPTER XIII YEAR 1772



On New-Year's night, this year, a thing happened, which, in its own

nature, was a trifle; but it turned out as a mustard-seed that grows



into a great tree. One of the elders, who has long been dead and

gone, came to the manse about a fact that was found out in the



clachan, and after we had discoursed on it some time, he rose to

take his departure. I went with him to the door with the candle in



my hand--it was a clear frosty night, with a sharp wind; and the

moment I opened the door, the blast blew out the candle, so that I



heedlessly, with the candlestick in my hand, walked with him to the

yett without my hat, by which I took a sore cold in my head, that



brought on a dreadful toothache; insomuch, that I was obligated to

go into Irville to get the tooth drawn, and this caused my face to



swell to such a fright, that, on the Sabbath-day, I could not preach

to my people. There was, however, at that time, a young man, one Mr



Heckletext, tutor in Sir Hugh Montgomerie's family, and who had

shortly before been licensed. Finding that I would not be able to



preach myself, I sent to him, and begged he would officiate for me,

which he very pleasantly consented to do, being, like all the young



clergy, thirsting to show his light to the world. 'Twixt the fore

and afternoon's worship, he took his check of dinner at the manse,



and I could not but say that he seemed both discreet and sincere.

Judge, however, what was brewing, when the same night Mr Lorimore



came and told me, that Mr Heckletext was the suspected person anent

the fact that had been instrumental, in the hand of a chastising



Providence, to afflict me with the toothache, in order, as it

afterwards came to pass, to bring the hiddenhypocrisy of the



ungodly preacher to light. It seems that the donsie lassie who was

in fault, had gone to the kirk in the afternoon, and seeing who was



in the pulpit, where she expected to see me, was seized with the

hysterics, and taken with her crying on the spot, the which being



untimely, proved the death of both mother and bairn, before the

thing was properly laid to the father's charge.



This caused a great uproar in the parish. I was sorely blamed to

let such a man as Mr Heckletext go up into my pulpit, although I was



as ignorant of his offences as the innocent child that perished;

and, in an unguarded hour, to pacify some of the elders, who were



just distracted about the disgrace, I consented to have him called

before the session. He obeyed the call, and in a manner that I will



never forget; for he was a sorrow of sin and audacity, and demanded

to know why, and for what reason, he was summoned. I told him the



whole affair in my calm and moderate way; but it was oil cast upon a

burning coal. He flamed up in a terrible passion; threepit at the



elders that they had no proof whatever of his having had any

trafficking in the business, which was the case; for it was only a



notion, the poor deceased lassie never having made a disclosure:

called them libellous conspirators against his character, which was



his only fortune, and concluded by threatening to punish them,

though he exempted me from the injury which their slanderous



insinuations had done to his prospects in life. We were all

terrified, and allowed him to go away without uttering a word; and



sure enough he did bring a plea in the courts of Edinburgh against

Mr Lorimore and the elders for damages, laid at a great sum.



What might have been the consequence, no one can tell; but soon

after he married Sir Hugh's house-keeper, and went with her into



Edinburgh, where he took up a school; and, before the trial came on,

that is to say, within three months of the day that I myself married



them, Mrs Heckletext was delivered of a thriving lad bairn, which

would have been a witness for the elders, had the worst come to the



worst. This was, indeed, we all thought, a joyousdeliverance to

the parish, and it was a lesson to me never to allow any preacher to



mount my pulpit, unless I knew something of his moral character.

In other respects, this year passed very peaceably in the parish:



there was a visible increase of worldly circumstances, and the

hedges which had been planted along the toll-road, began to put



forth their branches, and to give new notions of orderlyness and

beauty to the farmers. Mrs Malcolm heard from time to time from her



son Charles, on board the man-of-war the Avenger, where he was

midshipman; and he had found a friend in the captain, that was just






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