280 AN ANGLER'S SEASON 



when a giant died ? Micht there no' be 

 as much suffer in' in a single hoose as in 

 a mob fillin' half the streets o' London ? 

 Aye, and more ; for suffering when it got 

 ower being individual and private, became 

 no' sufferin' at a', but a kind o' rejoicin'. 

 No' seein' this, the State had lost its head. 

 A' it was daein' in the hope o' puttin 

 things richt was tendin' to swell the mobs 

 that were exultin' in their woe. Waur 

 than that : it was lowerin' the spirits even 

 o' a' the well-doin' common folk in the 

 country. Nae State could go on tellin' 

 the people that they were miserable with- 

 oot the people becomin' so. Nothing that 

 could be thought o' no' even free trade 

 in drink and intemperance a general 

 fashion would be sae bad as this. It 

 was a debauchery o' the emotions and the 

 mind. He jaloused there must noo be 

 thoosands o' men no' earnin' oriy thing 

 wha could be earnin' much if they liked. 

 But that was no' the worst o't. The 

 worst o't was that there was a cloud o' 

 thinkin' misery ower the land. The people 



