I drew it out: a
more dangerous or insidious-looking weapon could not be
conceived. The weaver and his wife were both frightened, the
latter in particular; and she being my friend, and I dependent on
their hospitality for that night, I said: "I declare I knew not that I
carried this small rapier, which has been in my coat by chance,
and not by any design of mine. But, lest you should think that I
meditate any mischief to any under this roof I give it into your
hands, requesting of you to lock it by till tomorrow, or when I
shall next want it."
The woman seemed rather glad to get hold of it; and taking it
from me, she went into a kind of pantry out of my sight, and
locked the weapon up; and then the discourse went on.
"There cannot be such a thing in reality," said I, "as the story you
were mentioning just now, of a man whose name resembles
mine."
"It's likely that you ken a wee better about the story than I do,
maister," said he, "suppose you do leave the L out of your name.
An' yet I think sic a waratch, an' a murderer, wad hae taen a name
wi' some gritter difference in the sound. But the story is just that
true that there were twa o' the Queen's officers here nae mair than
an hour ago, in pursuit o' the vagabond, for they gat some
intelligence that he had fled this gate; yet they said he had been
last seen wi' black claes on, an' they supposed he was clad in
black.
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