'I think it will be all right now,' said my host; 'but come, we must look after my poor friend outside--I fear he is badly burned. Poor fellow, he was lying in bed stupefied with the smoke. I suppose he must have fallen asleep reading, and the candle must have set fire somehow to the bed-clothes or curtain.' He had scarcely finished speaking when he swayed suddenly, and before I could reach out an arm, had fallen to the ground in a dead faint. I lifted him up and carried him downstairs at once, and found that he was rather severely burnt about the hands. After I had restored him to consciousness as best I could and dressed his hurts, I proceeded, at my friend's earnest entreaty, to look after the protégé, who was still lying prostrate on the garret landing; absolutely unconscious and hopelessly intoxicated. He was badly burnt on one arm, and scorched down one side of his body. Appearances seemed to show that he must have thrown off the counterpane and blankets on to the floor, that there they must have become ignited either from his fallen pipe or candle, and eventually have set fire to one side of the bed. The doctor had to be sent for, and for a week the protégé was kept in bed; when he did come down again he was as contrite as possible, and I carefully avoided all mention of the disaster, for I had a dim feeling of guilt in the matter, suspecting that he went down the valley that evening to the alehouse in consequence of his excitement at his triumph over myself. Now that he was about again, and my friend too was quite restored, I determined to depart, and the next morning went down early to the Frolic to enjoy a last bathe. I was sitting on a shelf of rock above a deep pool, drying myself slowly after my swim, when I heard sounds below me. Looking out from my shelter, I saw Blythe, who appeared to be about to follow my example. His procedure, however, was curious; for first he cast his cap upon the waters, then carefully deposited what looked to me like a Bible on his coat on the bank, and, finally, having looked about him stealthily, took off his shoes and proceeded to ford the burn. 'He's off,' I thought to myself, then cried to him, 'Holloa! what's up?' He stood stock-still in mid-stream like one petrified, then, perceiving me, waded slowly to shore. 'Noo, don't ye blab tae Mistor Rutherford,' he said, as he came close up underneath where I was standing. 'I's awa aff. I cannot stay, but I doot the little man will be sair troubled aboot it, sae let him think on as that I'm drooned, wi' the Bible there tae show I's a convarted character, for he's been one tae many for Blythe, an' I wud'na like him tae grieve ower my disappointing him. I cam' for a bit fun, but it's turning tae seriousness noo, an' I can't bide any mair, that's a sartinty.' I don't know whether I acted wrongly or not, but I fell in with his view of the situation, and when I had finished my dressing he had already stolen out of sight.