"That's how I did," said the proud McLauchlan, who is now leader of a party in the church, and a figure in Edinburgh during the month of May. "I see," interposed Mr. Gloag, "that McLauchlan speaks of there being a mask of people in the church. Mask is a fine Scotch word." "Admirable," assented Mr. Dishart. "I thought of mask," whimpered Tommy, "but that would mean the kirk was crammed, and I just meant it to be middling full." "Flow would have done," suggested Mr. Lorrimer. "Flow's but a handful," said Tommy. "Curran, then, you jackanapes!" "Curran's no enough." Mr. Lorrimer flung up his hands in despair. "I wanted something between curran and mask," said Tommy, dogged, yet almost at the crying. Mr. Ogilvy, who had been hiding his admiration with difficulty, spread a net for him. "You said you wanted a word that meant middling full. Well, why did you not say middling full--or fell mask?" "Yes, why not?" demanded the ministers, unconsciously caught in the net. "I wanted one word," replied Tommy, unconsciously avoiding it. "You jewel!" muttered Mr. Ogilvy under his breath, but Mr. Cathro would have banged the boy's head had not the ministers interfered. "It is so easy, too, to find the right word," said Mr. Gloag. "It's no; it's as difficult as to hit a squirrel," cried Tommy, and again Mr. Ogilvy nodded approval. But the ministers were only pained. "The lad is merely a numskull," said Mr. Dishart, kindly. "And no teacher could have turned him into anything else," said Mr. Duthie. "And so, Cathro, you need not feel sore over your defeat," added Mr. Gloag; but nevertheless Cathro took Tommy by the neck and ran him out of the parish school of Thrums. When he returned to the others he found the ministers congratulating McLauchlan, whose nose was in the air, and complimenting Mr. Ogilvy, who listened to their formal phrases solemnly and accepted their hand-shakes with a dry chuckle. "Ay, grin away, sir," the mortified dominie of Thrums said to him sourly, "the joke is on your side." "You are right, sir," replied Mr. Ogilvy, mysteriously, "the joke is on my side, and the best of it is that not one of you knows what the joke is!" And then an odd thing happened. As they were preparing to leave the school, the door opened a little and there appeared in the aperture the face of Tommy, tear-stained but excited. "I ken the word now," he cried, "it came to me a' at once; it is hantle!" The door closed with a victorious bang, just in time to prevent Cathro-- "Oh, the sumph!" exclaimed Mr. Lauchlan McLauchlan, "as if it mattered what the word is now!" And said Mr. Dishart, "Cathro, you had better tell Aaron Latta that the sooner he sends this nincompoop to the herding the better."