196 A HUNDRED YEARS 



minister, when fencing the tables, forbade anyone com- 

 municating who was " a frequenter of concerts or 

 dances "I It was said in Gaelic, and this is an exact 

 translation of his words, which show how very rigid and 

 narrow is the creed of the Free Church, and also of the 

 Free Presbyterians, even at the present day. 



Few in the south could believe their narrowness also 

 as regards the keeping of the Sabbath. 



How well do I remember as a young lad, when living 

 at Inveran Lodge on the Ewe, our Free Church minister, 

 whom we liked very much and whose manse was at 

 Aultbea, coming every alternate Sunday to preach in 

 the little old meeting-house at Poole we. We loved 

 having him to dine and sleep at Inveran, and I know he 

 enjoyed being with us; but as he was very laidir (violent) 

 in the pulpit, he naturally perspired very freely, and 

 required a change of underclothing if he passed the 

 night with us. Well, he could do this only if there had 

 been a chance during the preceding week of getting the 

 small brown-paper parcel containing a shirt, etc., con- 

 veyed to Poole we; for though he was driven to church 

 in his own dog-cart, nothing would induce him to carry 

 the smallest parcel in his trap on the Sunday. 



At the yearly Communion-time at Aultbea how 

 hospitable the minister and his wife were, and how the 

 luncheon-table in the manse groaned with the very best 

 of everything eatable and drinkable ! How they used 

 to implore of us not to think of drinking water, because 

 it had necessarily to be brought from the spring on 

 Saturday and consequently would be flat, but to stick 

 to port and the sherry wine (as they called it); and if 



