1 66 JOHN DUNCAN, WEAVER AND BOTANIST. 



by, John's instinct on entering, when he had untied his 

 brogues, was to pocket his bonnet, to prevent possible 

 theft ; but even clever pocket-picking was not unknown in 

 Whitehouse, a thing^perhaps not very difficult to perpetrate 

 during the weaver's absorbed moments when busy with the 

 flowers. 



Many of John's transformations of the sounding 

 technicalities with which Botany abounds were simply 

 irresistible, and raised a hundred bursts of laughter, which 

 would not be suppressed. So comical were they some- 

 times in their new forms, that even the dark-browed house- 

 keeper was fain herself to smile ; yet, as Charles says, 

 " I was aften little better at them mysel'." 



John was always a strenuous, over-earnest debater, 

 especially on ecclesiastical and political subjects. In the 

 midst of his gravest arguments, when his temper was 

 beginning to wax a little warm, Charles, who was a 

 phrenologist and could " read bumps," used to rise, and 

 putting his hand behind John's ears where energy is lodged, 

 and on his occiput where self-esteem is located both of 

 which in John were high he would solemnly declare, " O 

 John, John ! ye canna help it, canna help it ! " John, who 

 had at that time had the religious horror long entertained 

 of this subject in the country, would stand up at once and 

 push his hands away, exclaiming, "Na, na na! gae 'wa 

 wi' ye, Charlie. Nane o' that noo ; I'll hae nane o't. It's 

 sinfu', man ; it's sinfu' ! " a common opinion then enter- 

 tained regarding phrenology amongst the orthodox in 

 Scotland. But, overcome by Charles's intense comicality, 

 every annoyance was quickly dispersed, and John would 

 break into laughter in spite of himself. 



