Bidding my uncle sit where he was, I went to open it, and found on the doorstep a half-grown boy in sea-clothes.  He had no sooner seen me than he began to dance some steps of the sea-hornpipe (which I had never before heard of far less seen), snapping his fingers in the air and footing it right cleverly.  For all that, he was blue with the cold; and there was something in his face, a look between tears and laughter, that was highly pathetic and consisted ill with this gaiety of manner.

“What cheer, mate?” says he, with a cracked voice.

I asked him soberly to name his pleasure.

“O, pleasure!” says he; and then began to sing: 

     “For it’s my delight, of a shiny night,
     In the season of the year.”

“Well,” said I, “if you have no business at all, I will even be so unmannerly as to shut you out.”

“Stay, brother!” he cried.  “Have you no fun about you? or do you want to get me thrashed?  I’ve brought a letter from old Heasyoasy to Mr. Belflower.”  He showed me a letter as he spoke.  “And I say, mate,” he added, “I’m mortal hungry.”

“Well,” said I, “come into the house, and you shall have a bite if I go empty for it.”

With that I brought him in and set him down to my own place, where he fell-to greedily on the remains of breakfast, winking to me between whiles, and making many faces, which I think the poor soul considered manly.  Meanwhile, my uncle had read the letter and sat thinking; then, suddenly, he got to his feet with a great air of liveliness, and pulled me apart into the farthest corner of the room.

“Read that,” said he, and put the letter in my hand.

Here it is, lying before me as I write: 

“The Hawes Inn, at the Queen’s Ferry.

“Sir,—­I lie here with my hawser up and down, and send my cabin-boy to informe.  If you have any further commands for over-seas, to-day will be the last occasion, as the wind will serve us well out of the firth.  I will not seek to deny that I have had crosses with your doer,* Mr. Rankeillor; of which, if not speedily redd up, you may looke to see some losses follow.  I have drawn a bill upon you, as per margin, and am, sir,
     your most obedt., humble servant, “Elias Hoseason."* Agent.

“You see, Davie,” resumed my uncle, as soon as he saw that I had done, “I have a venture with this man Hoseason, the captain of a trading brig, the Covenant, of Dysart.  Now, if you and me was to walk over with yon lad, I could see the captain at the Hawes, or maybe on board the Covenant if there was papers to be signed; and so far from a loss of time, we can jog on to the lawyer, Mr. Rankeillor’s.  After a’ that’s come and gone, ye would be swier* to believe me upon my naked word; but ye’ll believe Rankeillor.  He’s factor to half the gentry in these parts; an auld man, forby:  highly respeckit, and he kenned your father.”

     * Unwilling.