FAME, PAUPERISM AND WEAKNESS. 411 



something to drink. This revived him, and he talked quite 

 brightly of my visit and the gifts the story had brought, 

 thinking, as he always did, that somehow " Chairlie was at 

 the buddom o't ! " which, in a sense, he was. 



Next day, he called on Mr. Beveridge, who noted at 

 once a marked change upon the man. "Time was," he 

 says, " telling sadly upon him ; his limbs were stiff and 

 shaky, and his appetite was poor." Though he was gene- 

 rally tidy in person, his beard was fearfully overgrown, 

 and William took him to a barber, who shaved him " clean 

 and snod " in what seemed to John an incredibly short 

 space, no doubt the first time he had ever sat under 

 tonsorial fingers. On coming out, he laughingly remarked, 

 "how cleverly the chiel' had done the job !" He was greatly 

 refreshed by the operation, and still more by the steaming 

 cup of tea provided by Mrs. Beveridge on their return. He 

 then toddled home to his brother's house at Rubislaw, 

 near the city, where he spent the night. 



The last time John called on Mr. Beveridge was in the 

 following summer, two years before his death. He looked 

 greatly improved in strength and spirits, and was remark- 

 ably merry over " Good Words " and the kindly presents from 

 admirers it still brought him. He stayed the greater part 

 of the day, revelling as usual in the happy past ; and William 

 parted with his " good old friend, alas ! never more to meet 

 again in time." 



In January, 1881, I sent him a volume which gratified 

 him much " Leaders of Men : a book of Biographies 

 specially written for Youth," by " H. A. Page," our good 

 friend, Dr. Japp, who has produced many such high-toned 

 books for the young. There John's story, as given in 



