“You’ll go back to your old place, and to your old business.”

“But I heard that Deacon Strang had bought the looms and the lease.”

“He bought them for me, for us, I mean.  I will tell you how that came about.  One day when I was cross, and sair put out wi’ your affairs, Davie, Dr. Morrison came into my office.  I’m feared I wasna glad to see him; and though I was ceevil enough, the wise man read me like a book.  ‘John,’ says he, ’I am not come to ask you for siller to-day, nor am I come to reprove you for staying awa from the service o’ God twice lately.  I am come to tell you that you will hae the grandest opportunity to-day, to be, not only a man, but a Christ-man.  If you let the opportunity slip by you, I shall feel sairly troubled about it.’

“Then he was gone before I could say, ‘What is it?’ and I wondered and wondered all day what he could hae meant.  But just before I was ready to say, ‘Mr. MacFarlane, lock the safe,’ in walks Deacon Strang.  He looked vera downcast and shamefaced, and says he, ’Callendar, you can tak your revenge on me to-morrow, for a’ I hae said and done against you for thirty years.  You hold twa notes o’ mine, and I canna meet them.  You’ll hae to protest and post them to-morrow, and that will ruin me and break my heart.’

“David, I had to walk to the window and hide my face till I could master mysel’, I was that astonished.  Then I called out, ’Mr. MacFarlane, you hae two notes o’ Deacon Strang’s, bring them to me.’  When he did sae, I said, ‘Well, deacon, we a’ o’ us hae our ain fashes.  How long time do you want, and we’ll renew these bits o’ paper?’

“And the thing was done, Davie, and done that pleasantly that it made me feel twenty years younger.  We shook hands when we parted, and as we did sae, the deacon said, ’Is there aught I can do to pleasure you or David?’ and a’ at once it struck me about the sales o’ the looms and lease.  Sae I said, ’Yes, deacon, there is something you can do, and I’ll be vera much obligated to you for the same.  Davie is sae tied down wi’ Robert’s illness, will you go to the sale o’ Callendar & Leslie’s looms and lease, and buy them for me?  You’ll get them on better terms than I will.’  And he did get them on excellent terms, Davie; sae your mill is just as you left it—­for Bailie Nicol, wha took it at the accountant’s valuation, never opened it at all.  And you hae twenty months’ rent paid in advance, and you hae something in the bank I expect.”

“I have L3,600, uncle.”

“Now, I’ll be your partner this time.  I’ll put in the business L4,000, but I’ll hae it run on a solid foundation, however small that foundation may be.  I’ll hae no risks taken that are dishonest risks; I’ll hae a broad mark made between enterprise and speculation; and above a’, I’ll hae the right to examine the books, and see how things are going on, whenever I wish to do sae.  We will start no more looms than our capital will work, and we’ll ask credit from no one.”