Page:History of John Cheap the chapman (5).pdf/15

 the laughter I ſtapt the blankets in my mouth; ſhe went to bed and waken'd the other two, ſaying, O dole! what I tell you? yon chapman body has ſeen a' our arſes the night; ſhame fa' him, ſaid they, for we had nae mind he was there: I wat well ſays one of them, I'ſe no riſe he be awa', but ſaid the old woman, gin he has ſeen mine I cannot help it, it's juſt like other fouks, an' fien't  hair I care. On the morning the old matron got up, and ordered up the houſe, then told me to riſe now, chapmen and every body was up; then ſhe aſked me  I had any uſe of laughing in my ſleep? Yes, ſaid I, when I ſee any daft like thing, I can look and laugh at it, as well ſleeping as waking: A good preſerve us, ſaid ſhe, ye're an unco body but ye need nae wait on our porrage I'ſe gie you cheeſe and bread in your pouch, which  willingly accepted, and away I came.

Then I kept my courſe weſt by the foot of Pentland, where I got plenty of hair, good and cheap, beſides great quantity of old braſs, which was an excellent article to make my little pack ſeem big and weighty. Then I came into a little country village, and going in the ſide of a houſe, there was a great big cat ſitting in  weaver's window, beiking herſelf in the ſun, and waſhing her face with her feet: I takes her a civil knap on  noſe, which makes her turn back in through the window, and the weaver having a plate full of hot pottage in the innerſide to cool, poor badrons ran thro' the middle  them, burnt her feet, and threw them all to the ground,  thro' the houſe, crying fire and murder, in her own language, which cauſed the weary wicked webſter to come running to the door, where he attacked me in a furious rage and I to avoid the first ſhock, fled to the top of the midden, where endeavouring to give me a kick, I catched  by the foot, and tumbled him back over into the dirty