Languages & literature > Aurus clavus, or, The adventures of a gold trinket, supposed to have been written by itself

148
Voluminous bundle of drunken repetitions, he
looked my master straight in the face for the first
time, and now recognising Kenneth, saluted him.
“ Kenneth Macalpin, my auld freen ! Its nae
possible! Is that yer ain sel—man, speak.” My
master replied in the affirmitive. “ Bless me,
you look a wee thing pitten out like—what in a’
the earth maks ye sae douce. My stars, yer
very chafts are fawin in. Come awa wi me,
man, an the lassie will mak ready a beef steak
for ye, and that’ll may be fill them out some,
thp’ ye should keep it there, and no let it down
into your stomach at all. Bless me, but ye are
a sad sight, yer looking as if ye was just new
deen commissioning your ain coffin; ye surely
hae been buried some time, an risen again. My
certy but ye are a ghost—od its well that I
didna look tae you sooner, or I would a taen
heels an ran” My master, after so many re¬
peated requests, complied, and they jogged
on, Kenneth not knowing how to reply, in order
to keep up humour, at same time feeling him¬
self a little uneasy in his company. The beef¬
steak was prepared, and Mr. Chafts’ loquacity
was for the first time silenced, making his
grinding engines do their duty to such perfec-