It's no great singin'
'at _ye_ guide."
Before the conversation had reached this point another listener had
arrived: the blue eyes of Annie Anderson were fixed upon the speaker
from over the half-door of the workshop. The drip from the thatch-eaves
was dropping upon her shabby little shawl as she stood, but she was
utterly heedless of it in the absorption of hearkening to Thomas Crann,
who talked with authority, and a kind of hard eloquence of persuasion.
I ought to explain here that the _muckle kirk_ meant the parish church;
and that the religious community to which Thomas Crann belonged was one
of the first results of the propagation of English Independency in
Scotland. These Independents went commonly by the name of _Missionars_
in all that district; a name arising apparently from the fact that they
were the first in the neighbourhood to advocate the sending of
missionaries to the heathen. The epithet was, however, always used with
a considerable admixture of contempt.
"Are ye no gaein to get a minister o' yer ain, Thamas?" resumed George,
after a pause, still wishing to turn the cart-wheels of the
conversation out of the deep ruts in which the stiff-necked Thomas
seemed determined to keep them moving.
Pages:
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218