Page:Tales of my landlord (Volume 2).djvu/198

 wad do ye little gude to burn his bonny finger ends."

"Why," said Bothwell, hesitating, "I don't know—most of my cloth would have the money, and take off the prisoner too; but I bear a conscience, and if your master will stand to your offer, and enter into bond to produce his nephew, and if all in the house will take the test-oath, I do not know but"

"O ay, ay, sir," cried Mrs Wilson, "ony test, ony oaths you please!" And then aside to her master, "Haste ye away, sir, and get the money, or they will burn the house about our lugs."

Old Milnwood cast a rueful look upon his adviser, and moved off, like a piece of Dutch clock-work, to set at liberty his imprisoned angels in this dire emergency. Meanwhile, Serjeant Bothwell began to put the test-oath with such a degree of solemn reverence as might have been expected, being just about the same which is used to this day in his majesty's custom-house.