"To come hame, I behoved to ken
whare hame was; now, I had clean tint the name of the wynd, and the
mair I asked, the mair the folk leugh, and the farther they sent me
wrang; sae I gave it up till God should send daylight to help me; and
as I saw mysell near a kirk at the lang run, I e'en crap in to take up
my night's quarters in the kirkyard."
"In the churchyard?" said Nigel--"But I need not ask what drove you to
such a pinch."
"It wasna sae much the want o' siller, my Lord Nigel," said Richie,
with an air of mysterious importance, "for I was no sae absolute
without means, of whilk mair anon; but I thought I wad never ware a
saxpence sterling on ane of their saucy chamberlains at a hostelry,
sae lang as I could sleep fresh and fine in a fair, dry, spring night.
Mony a time, when I hae come hame ower late, and faund the West-Port
steekit, and the waiter ill-willy, I have garr'd the sexton of Saint
Cuthbert's calf-ward serve me for my quarters. But then there are
dainty green graffs in Saint Cuthbert's kirkyard, whare ane may sleep
as if they were in a down-bed, till they hear the lavrock singing up
in the air as high as the Castle; whereas, and behold, these London
kirkyards are causeyed with through-stanes, panged hard and fast
thegither; and my cloak being something threadbare, made but a thin
mattress, so I was fain to give up my bed before every limb about me
was crippled.
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