1828.] The Elder's Journey. 167 



Scotland, with a violence that may seem strange to unreflecting minds. 

 The question was, simply, whether the memorial loaves, used at the 

 supper of the sacrament, should be presented with or without the crust. 

 Mr. Dick, with the staunch orthodoxy which distinguished him through 

 life, defended the common practice of the kirk, in slicing away the 

 uncleanness of the outer covering from the bread ; while it was more 

 than imputed that Timothy denied the utility of such a measure altogether. 

 With this solid ground of dissension, superadded to the spirit of ambi- 

 tious rivalship, the " princely fault" of Ebenezer's mind, it is no wonder 

 that he felt a longing arise to change the shadowy, and as yet imaginary, 

 warfare into a substantial conflict of soul against soul. 



Without saying a word to his friends, or taking council of man, he 

 indited an epistle to Timothy on the subject of dispute, and lovingly 

 invited him to try a spiritual fall with him on the quarrel. Timothy, in 

 reply, confiding more in his tongue than his pen, declined entering into 

 a literary contest ; but offered to meet his antagonist at the inn of Shotts, 

 which was equidistant from both towns, and being a solitary house, with 

 scarcely a cottage for a dozen miles on each side, was a scene very fit for 

 the purpose either of religious or profane duelling. In an evil hour, the 

 Elder agreed to this arrangement ; and set about preparing, for the first 

 time in his life, for what to him was really a journey the inn of Shotts 

 being not less than twenty-two miles distant. The mail coach, passing- 

 through Dodrum, on its way to Glasgow, about seven o'clock in the even- 

 ing, seemed the most suitable conveyance ; and as he should, in this man- 

 ner, reach the inn before eleven, the fatigue of the journey would be 

 removed by a comfortable night's sleep, and he would rise fresh for the 

 onslaught on the morning of the trysting-day. 



" The race is not to the swift, neither is the battle to the strong !" said 

 he, half aloud, musing on the approaching adventure. " Lo ! I will go 

 forth to meet this Goliath of the Philistines ; yea, I will go forth, like 

 unto the Israelitish boy Mr. Dick was six feet by four] neither with 

 a helmet of brass, nor yet with a coat of mail." (f Atweel, Eben," inter- 

 rupted Mrs. Dick, only intent on her preparations for his journey ; " if 

 ye dinna sit down, and take your dish o' tea, ye maun e'en gang without ; 

 for the mail will be here in a minute; and as for your coat, Jenny is just 

 airing the lining o' the shoulthers at the fire, to keep awa the rheuma- 

 teeze : an' here it comes !" " The sword of the Lord and of Gideon !" 

 cried Ebenezer, still musing, and stuffing a whole slice of toast into his 

 capacious mouth. Having finished a very substantial meal, to which he 

 had sat down " dressed like a bridegroom," as Mrs. Dick said, forgetting 

 that the colour of his apparel was solemn black ; he drew over these 

 holiday habiliments, with the assistance of his wife and Jenny, his every- 

 day suit of a more seedy complexion, and superadding an immense great 

 coat, with divers shawls and handkerchiefs for the neck, he was fully pre- 

 pared for the arrival of the coach, and awaited the sound of the trumpet 

 with anxiety. 



By this time, a report had gone abroad in the town that something out 

 of the common was stirring ; and although it was altogether impossible to 

 divine the cause or motive of the journey, it was known that the Elder 

 was actually preparing to go forth. Many of the people gathered about 

 the shop-door, and some of the family intimates made their way into the 

 back-parlour, where they were gradually followed by those who had 

 hardly the plea of acquaintanceship for the intrusion ; so that, in a little 



