To-night Tammas Lownie the joiner came into Dauvit's shop. He is an infrequent attender at Dauvit's parliament, and Dauvit seemed slightly surprised at his entry. "Weel, Tammas," he said, "it's no often that we see you here. What's brocht ye here the nicht?" Tammas spat in the grate. "Oh, it was a fine nicht, and I thought I'd just tak a daunder yont," he said easily. Dauvit looked at him searchingly. "Na, na, Tammas, it winna dae! It wasna the fine nicht that brocht ye yont. Ye've got some news I'm thinkin'." Tammas laughed loudly. "Dauvit, ye're oncanny!" he cried. "Ye seem to read what's at the back o' a man's held. But I have nae news to gie ye." Dauvit chuckled. "I wudna wonder if ye didna come yont to tell me aboot the eldership," he said slowly. The expression on Tammas's face showed that he _had_ come to tell us that the minister had asked him to become an elder. "'Od, Dauvit, noo that ye come to mention it I wud like to hear yer advice aboot the matter. I dinna see how I can tak an eldership, Dauvit." "How no?" asked Dauvit in surprise. Then he added: "But maybe ye ken whether ye've got a sinfu' heart or no." "It's no that," said Tammas hastily, "I'm nae worse than some other elders I ken," and he glanced at Jake Tosh. "No, it's no the sin I'm thinkin' o'; it's my trade." "But," I put in, "why shouldn't a joiner be an elder?" Tammas bit off a chunk of Bogie Roll. "That may as may be, dominie, but I'm mair than a joiner; I'm an undertakker." "Weel," said Dauvit, "what aboot that?" Tammas shook his head sadly. "An undertakker canna be an elder, Dauvit. Suppose the minister was awa preachin' or at the Assembly, and ane o' his congregation was deein', me as an elder micht hae to ging to the bedside and offer up a bit prayer." "There's nothing in that," said Jake proudly; "I've offered up a bit prayer afore noo when the minister was awa." "Aye, Jake," said Tammas, "but ye see you're a roadman. But an undertakker is a different matter. Goad, lads, I canna gie a man a bit prayer at sax o'clock and syne measure him for his coffin at acht. That wud look like mixin' religion wi' business." The assembly thought over this aspect. "All the same," said the smith, "Dr. Hall is an elder, and naebody ever thinks o' accusin' him o' mixin' religion wi' his business." We all considered this statement. "Tammas," said Dauvit, "if ye want to be an elder tak it, and never mind the undertakkin'. But if ever ye have to gie a prayer just get Jake here to tak on the job." He began to laugh here. "I mind o' Jeemie Ritchie when he got his eldership. The minister gaed awa to the Assembly in Edinbro, and as it happened auld Jess Tosh was deein', so Jeemie was asked to come up and gie her a prayer. Jeemie was in my shop when the lassie Tosh cam for him, and I never saw a man in sic a state. "'Dauvit,' he cries, 'I canna dae it! I never offered up a prayer in my life!'