A. Surgeon, &c. &c. Some of
the idle young fellows, who had been a minute or
two before loitering at the other end of the street
before the door of the alehouse, (for the pretended
inn deserved no better name,) now accompanied
the old dames with shouts of laughter, excited by
their unwonted agility; and with bets on the winner,
as loudly expressed as if they had been laid
at the starting-post of Middlemas races. ``Half-a-mutchkin
on Luckie Simson!''---``Auld Peg
Tamson against the field!''---``Mair speed, Alison
Jaup, ye'll take the wind out of them yet!''---
``Canny against the hill, lasses, or we may have a
brusten auld carline amang ye!'' These, and a
thousand such gibes, rent the air, without being
noticed, or even heard, by the anxious racers,
---whose object of contention seemed to be, which
should first reach the Doctor's door.
``Guide us, Doctor, what can be the matter
now?'' said Mrs Gray, whose character was that
of a good-natured simpleton; ``Here's Peg Tamson,
Jean Simson, and Alison Jaup, running a race
on the hie street of the burgh!''
The Doctor, who had but the moment before
hung his wet great-coat before the fire, (for he was
just dismounted from a long journey,) hastened
down stairs, auguring some new occasion for his
services, and happy, that, from the character of the
messengers, it was likely to be within burgh, and
not landward.
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