CHAP. v. BISCUIT MAKING. 43 



best wishes. She hopes you will soon get married. You 

 are losing time completely. If you wait much longer I 

 will be speaking to you about my daughter. We are 

 beating up. We have two married already. Come, 

 come, look sharp!" But the fly, however skilfully 

 thrown, could not draw the fish from his depths. 



We have been informed that Eobert once made a 

 proposal of marriage to a young lady, but that she refused 

 him. Some overtures of reconciliation were afterwards 

 made. But he had been refused once; he would 

 not be refused again. The disappointment only threw 

 him back upon himself. He became more recluse, soli- 

 tary, and companionless, than before. He was satisfied 

 to remain unmarried, with Annie Mackay as his servant 

 and housekeeper. 



Among the things which occupied Dick's attention, 

 was a mechanical method which he proposed for work- 

 ing up his biscuit, instead of using the baker's rail. For 

 it must be known that he was the best biscuit-maker in 

 Thurso. He had brought this art from Tullibody. Be- 

 sides, his master sent him the proper receipts for the 

 different kinds of biscuit and " parlyment." In making 

 biscuit, the practice is to work the dough in the trough ; 

 the baker sitting on a rail, bumping the stuff up and 

 down in a radiating manner. Dick thought this might 

 as well be done by machinery. He got a mechanic to 

 help him to perfect the machine ; but though it was 

 completed, it was not used. His trade was not great ; 

 and he found that his own hands were amply sufficient 

 for the purpose of making his daily bread. 



