But to our tale.—­Ae market night
     Tam had got planted unco right
     Fast by an ingle bleezing finely
     Wi reaming swats that drank divinely;
     And at his elbow Souter Johnny,
     His ancient, trusty, drouthy crony;
     Tam lo’ed him like a very brither—­
     They had been fou for weeks thegither!—­Burns.

I cannot but feel much apprehension in approaching a subject so nearly allied to the actual inner character of a man.  “A man is known by the company he keeps.”  I cannot admonish the blind that they should see.  I cannot suggest to Tam O’Shanter that he should not associate with Cobbler Johnny.  Why, he loves him like a very brother!  Indeed, as the last sublime token of friendship, have they not been drunk for weeks together?  Besides, are they not such worthless wights that they will do less harm in associating with each other than in enlarging their power of evil by operating on new material?  If you are Tam O’Shanter, I cannot very well advise you to seek out some worthy young man for an associate and attaint his character and his reputation by clinging to him.  Now the only thing I can consistently do is to hope you are a young man

FAR REMOVED FROM TAM O’SHANTER IN HABITS

and selfishness.  I can hope that you are a young man who, in going on a fishing excursion with some reputable person of your age, will not cast a cloud on the mind of that person’s employer, and cause him to fear that his clerk is falling instead of rising in self-esteem.  Let my hope be taken as an enduring fact.  Now I feel I am on safe ground.  You are building a structure.  On your west party-wall your neighbor is also erecting one.  He is building it so that it will fall down—­that is plain.  When it falls it will involve you in its ruins because the middle wall supports both edifices.  What do you do?  You go to the authorities, and they make him take down his house brick by brick.  In this way the law surrounds you with its beneficent protection, and you need not suffer from the faults of others.  But alas!

[Illustration:  “Adieu, valor! rust, rapier! be still, drum:  For your manager is in love; yea, he loveth.”]

MORALLY,

when you put up a party-wall you must abide by the conclusion.  If your companion reflect credit on you, then you are doubly strong, but if he pull you down, then there is no relief and little sympathy.  Let us suppose that, in an absolutely evil hour, you have learned to play billiards.  A brother-clerk says:  “Let us play a string at dinner-time!” Across your mind flits the bright green table, the beautiful ivory balls, the wonderful angle which you discovered the last time you played, and, compared with the dull routine of the store, you momentarily feel that

A GAME OF BILLIARDS