MR. TINTERN 227 



that's a gude yane ! disturbing the dead bodies o' 

 the corpses ! He shall gang afore the SherraV 



It seems my unlucky friend was doomed to a 

 continued interruption of his studies ; for no sooner 

 had the man in office departed, than some old 

 women came and stood over him for a very consider- 

 able time, and occasionally interrupted his view ; 

 one of them at length said pithily to her companions, 

 " Hech, sirs, this is idle wark ! let's awa to the 

 praaties." 



Such interruptions, though trivial in themselves, 

 are sometimes a little troublesome to a studious 

 man, and happy had it been for Mr. Tintern had he 

 met with no other ; but in a short time afterwards 

 the church-yard was full of all the idle boys in the 

 town, who fairly hooted him, and compelled him to 

 leave the place, which he did under the best pro- 

 tection I was able to afford him. He called them 

 " naughty boys," and they shouted amain, " Corpse 

 lifter ! corpse lifter ! ''' having been previously so 

 instructed, as may readily be guessed. 



This disagreeable attack annoyed Mr. Tintern so 

 seriously, that he resolved to leave Melrose the next 

 day, which I was sincerely sorry for. I could not, 

 however, change his resolution, as he seemed to 

 think that he was a marked man, and that 

 he should enjoy tranquillity no longer in that 

 country. 



I got up early the following morning to bid him 

 farewell, and just in tune to prevent his going into 

 the Glasgow coach instead of the London mail. He 

 seemed sorry to part with me ; and, as he was 



