“Let us carry him down to my ain bed,” answered I; “I wad not desert a fellow-creature in his dying hour! Help me down wi’ him, and then flee the country as fast as you are able!”
We immediately proceeded, and lifted the poor lad, wha had now dwaumed away, upon our wife’s hand-barrow, Blister taking the feet, and me the oxters, whereby I got my waistcoat a’ japanned with blude; so, when we got him laid right, we proceeded to carry him between us down the close, just as if he had been a stickit sheep, and in at the back door, which cost us some trouble, being narrow, and the barrow getting jammed in; but, at lang and last, we got him streeked out aboon the blankets, having previously shooken Benjie, and waukened him out of his morning’s nap.
A’ this being accomplished, and got ower, Blister decamped, leaving me my leeful lane, excepting Benjie, wha was next to naebody, in the house with the deein’ man. What a frightfu’ face he had, all smeared ower with blude and pouther! And I really jaloused, that if he deed in that room, it wad be haunted for ever mair, he being in a manner a murdered man, so that, even should I be acquitted of art and part, his ghaist might still come to bother us, making our house a hell upon yirth, and frightening us out of our seven senses. But, in the midst of my dreadful surmeeses, when all was still, so that you might hae heard a pin fall, a knock-knock-knock cam to the door, on which, recovering my senses, I dreaded first that it was the death-chap, and syne that the affair had gotten wind, and that it was the beagles come in search of me; so I kissed little Benjie, wha was sitting on his creepie, blubbering and greeting for his parritch, while a tear stood in my ain ee, as I gaed forrit to lift the sneck, to let the officers, as I thocht, harry our house, by carrying aff me, its master; but it was—thank Heaven!—only Tammy Bodkin coming in whistling to his wark with some measuring-papers hinging round his neck.
“Ah, Tammy,” said I to him, my heart warming at a kent face, and making the laddie, although my bounden servant by a regular indenture of five years, a friend in my need, “come in, my man. I fear ye’ll hae to tak charge of the business for some time to come. Mind what I tell’d ye about the shaping and the cutting, and no making the goose ower warm, as I doubt I am about to be harled awa to the Tolbooth.”
Tammy’s heart louped to his mouth.
“Ay, maister,” he said, “ye’re joking. What should ye have done that ye should be ta’en to sic an ill place?”
“Ah, Tammy, lad,” answered I, “it is but ower true.”
“Weel, weel,” quo’ Tammy—I really thought it a great deal of the laddie—“weel, weel, they canna prevent me coming to sew beside ye; and, if I can tak the measure of customers without, ye can cut the claith within. But what is’t for, maister?”
“Come in here,” said I to him, “and believe your ain een, Tammy, my man.”
“Losh me!” cried the puir laddie, glowering at the bluidy face of the man in the bed. “Ay—ay—ay! maister; save us, maister; ay—ay—ay—you have na cloured his harnpan wi’ the goose? Ay, maister, maister! what an unyirthly sight!! I doubt they’ll hang us a’;—you for doing’t, and me on suspicion, and Benjie as art and part, puir thing. But I’ll rin for a doctor. Will I, maister?”