LETTER XIII
The Rev. Z. Pringle, D.D., to Mr. Micklewham, Schoolmaster and
Session-Clerk of Garnock
LONDON.
DEAR SIR--I have received your letter, and it is a great pleasure to me
to hear that my people were all so much concerned at our distress in the
Leith smack; but what gave me the most contentment was the repentance of
Tam Glen. I hope, poor fellow, he will prove a good husband; but I have
my doubts; for the wife has really but a small share of common sense, and
no married man can do well unless his wife will let him. I am, however,
not overly pleased with Mr. Craig on the occasion, for he should have
considered frail human nature, and accepted of poor Tam's confession of a
fault, and allowed the bairn to be baptized without any more ado. I
think honest Mr. Daff has acted like himself, and I trust and hope there
will be a great gathering at the christening, and, that my mite may not
be wanting, you will slip in a guinea note when the dish goes round, but
in such a manner, that it may not be jealoused from whose hand it comes.
Since my last letter, we have been very thrang in the way of seeing the
curiosities of London; but I must go on regular, and tell you all, which,
I think, it is my duty to do, that you may let my people know. First,
then, we have been at Windsor Castle, to see the king lying in state,
and, afterwards, his interment; and sorry am I to say, it was not a sight
that could satisfy any godly mind on such an occasion. We went in a
coach of our own, by ourselves, and found the town of Windsor like a
cried fair. We were then directed to the Castle gate, where a terrible
crowd was gathered together; and we had not been long in that crowd, till
a pocket-picker, as I thought, cutted off the tail of my coat, with my
pocket-book in my pocket, which I never missed at the time. But it seems
the coat tail was found, and a policeman got it, and held it up on the
end of his stick, and cried, whose pocket is this? showing the book that
was therein in his hand. I was confounded to see my pocket-book there,
and could scarcely believe my own eyes; but Mrs. Pringle knew it at the
first glance, and said, "It's my gudeman's"; at the which, there was a
great shout of derision among the multitude, and we would baith have then
been glad to disown the pocket-book, but it was returned to us, I may
almost say, against our will; but the scorners, when they saw our
confusion, behaved with great civility towards us, so that we got into
the Castle-yard with no other damage than the loss of the flap of my coat
tail.