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"
The
pricker
has
come
,
"
she
announced
in
a
solemn
voice
.
"
He
arrived
yestreen
and
is
bidin
’
wi
’
Chasehope
.
Yon
was
him
in
the
kirk
the
day
,
yon
body
wi
’
the
fernietickles
[
freckles
]
and
the
bleary
een
.
They
ca
’
him
Kincaid
-
-
John
Kincaid
,
and
he
’
s
frae
Newbottle
way
-
-
anither
than
a
guid
ane
,
if
a
’
tales
be
true
.
Eh
,
sir
,
this
is
a
shamefu
’
business
,
routin
’
out
puir
auld
bodies
and
garrin
’
them
gie
daft
answers
,
and
syne
delatin
’
them
on
what
they
ca
’
their
confessions
.
There
’
s
naebody
safe
that
hasna
a
power
o
’
keepin
’
a
calm
sough
and
giein
’
back
word
for
word
.
I
wadna
be
feared
mysel
’
o
’
ony
Kincaid
,
but
if
you
was
to
cross
-
speir
me
,
Mr
.
David
,
wi
’
your
searchin
’
een
,
I
daresay
ye
could
get
me
to
own
up
to
ony
daftness
ye
liked
to
pit
to
me
.
I
dinna
aud
wi
’
this
prickin
’
o
’
witches
,
and
I
can
find
nae
warrant
for
it
in
the
Word
.
Belike
it
’
s
some
device
that
thae
weary
Embro
lawyers
hae
howkit
out
o
’
their
rotten
herts
.
"
As
he
rode
to
Kirk
Aller
next
day
David
reflected
much
on
Isobel
’
s
tale
.
Who
could
have
brought
a
pricker
to
Woodilee
-
-
and
lodged
him
with
Chasehope
?
Was
it
the
work
of
the
Presbytery
?
Was
it
a
plan
to
cover
up
the
major
sin
by
hunting
out
minor
sinners
?
He
knew
of
the
pricker
class
as
of
the
worst
repute
,
knaves
and
quacks
who
stirred
up
popular
superstition
and
were
responsible
often
for
hideous
brutalities
.
Even
the
Law
looked
askance
at
them
.
He
did
not
like
to
be
absent
from
his
parish
when
such
a
creature
was
let
loose
in
it
.
The
examination
of
the
Presbytery
lasted
for
two
days
.
He
had
gone
lightly
to
face
it
,
but
he
found
it
a
formidable
affair
.
Business
began
with
long
prayers
and
prelections
delivered
to
his
address
.
The
Moderator
constituted
the
court
with
the
formality
of
a
Lord
of
Session
and
the
solemnity
of
a
minister
fencing
the
tables
at
the
Communion
season
.
He
announced
that
the
matter
for
examination
would
be
limited
to
the
charge
of
assisting
the
Kirk
’
s
enemies
.
The
prior
charge
of
witchcraft
preferred
by
the
minister
of
Woodilee
against
certain
parishioners
would
be
relegated
to
a
later
day
,
since
the
Privy
Council
on
his
motion
had
issued
a
commission
to
inquire
into
the
machinations
of
the
Devil
in
that
parish
,
naming
as
its
members
himself
,
the
minister
of
Bold
,
and
the
Laird
of
Killiequhair
.
This
,
thought
David
,
explains
the
pricker
.
Mr
.
Muirhead
added
that
he
had
moved
in
the
matter
at
the
request
of
a
godly
elder
,
known
to
all
of
them
,
Ephraim
Caird
in
Chasehope
.
The
court
was
composed
of
the
two
score
of
ministers
in
the
Presbytery
,
and
only
Mr
.
Fordyce
was
lacking
,
for
he
was
once
more
stretched
upon
a
bed
of
sickness
.
As
it
was
only
a
preliminary
examination
there
were
no
witnesses
,
since
the
object
was
to
give
the
accused
a
chance
of
stating
his
case
and
so
narrow
the
issue
to
be
ultimately
tried
.
The
Moderator
read
aloud
sworn
statements
,
to
which
no
names
were
appended
,
the
names
,
as
he
explained
,
being
reserved
for
the
time
when
the
complainants
should
appear
in
person
.
To
David
it
was
obvious
that
,
though
one
of
the
statements
was
by
a
soldier
of
Leslie
’
s
,
the
others
must
come
from
members
of
his
own
flock
.
There
was
nothing
new
in
the
details
-
-
the
finding
of
the
cavalier
’
s
clothes
in
the
manse
outhouse
,
the
interference
with
the
troopers
at
the
Greenshiel
,
and
certain
words
spoken
on
that
occasion
;
but
what
surprised
him
was
the
fact
that
the
avowal
which
he
had
made
to
Mr
.
Muirhead
was
not
set
down
.
It
was
clear
from
the
Moderator
’
s
manner
that
he
proposed
to
forget
that
episode
,
and
was
willing
that
David
should
deny
any
and
every
charge
in
the
libel
.
Indeed
he
seemed
to
encourage
such
a
course
.
"
The
Court
will
be
glad
,
"
he
said
,
"
if
our
young
brother
can
blow
away
these
most
momentous
charges
.
Everybody
kens
that
among
wars
and
rumours
of
war
daft
tales
spring
up
,
and
that
things
are
done
in
the
confusion
without
ill
intent
,
whilk
are
not
defensible
.
It
is
the
desire
of
all
his
brethren
that
Mr
.
Sempill
shall
go
forth
assoilzied
of
these
charges
,
which
are
maybe
to
be
explained
by
the
carelessness
of
a
domestic
and
the
thoughtless
words
of
a
young
man
carried
for
a
moment
out
of
himself
,
and
no
doubt
incorrectly
reported
.
"
But
David
did
not
take
the
hint
.
He
avowed
frankly
that
he
had
entertained
a
fugitive
of
Montrose
at
the
manse
,
and
had
assisted
him
to
escape
.
Asked
for
the
name
,
he
refused
to
give
it
.
He
also
confessed
that
he
had
endeavoured
too
late
to
protect
an
Irishwoman
at
the
Greenshiel
,
and
had
spoken
with
candour
his
opinion
of
her
persecutors
.
"
It
is
alleged
,
"
said
a
heavy
man
,
the
minister
of
Westerton
,
"
that
you
promised
these
poor
soldiers
eternal
torments
,
and
them
but
doing
their
Christian
duty
,
and
that
you
mocked
at
them
as
inferior
in
valour
to
the
reprobate
Montrose
.
"
