’It’s lending to the Lord,’ said the minister’s wife sadly, as she passed the marmalade to the children. The conversation now took the form of a discussion as to which of the members might reasonably be expected to come forward at such a juncture; and as Ronald had no part or interest in this matter he made bold to turn to Mr. Weems, who sate beside him, and engage him in talk on their own account. Indeed, he had rather taken a liking for this timorous little man, and wished to know more about him and his belongings and occupations; and when Mr. Weems revealed to him the great trouble of his life—the existence of a shrill-voiced chanticleer in the backyard of the cottage adjoining his own, out somewhere in the Pollokshaws direction—Ronald was glad to come to his help at once. ’Oh, that’s all right,’ said he. ’I’ll shoot him for you.’ But this calm proposal was like to drive the poor little man daft with terror. His nervous system suffered cruelly from the skirling of the abominable fowl; but even that was to be dreaded less than a summons and a prosecution and a deadly feud with his neighbour, who was a drunken, quarrelsome, cantankerous shoemaker. ’But, God bless me,’ Ronald said, ’it’s not to be thought of that any human being should be tortured like that by a brute beast. Well, there’s another way o’ settling the hash o’ that screeching thing. You just go and buy a pea-shooter—or if one of the laddies will lend you a tin whistle, that will do; then go and buy twopence-worth of antibilious pills—indeed, I suppose any kind would serve; and then fire half a dozen over into the back-yard; my word, when the bantam gentleman has picked up these bonny looking peas, and swallowed them, he’ll no be for flapping his wings and crowing, I’m thinking; he’ll rather be for singing the tune of "Annie Laurie." But maybe you’re not a good shot with a pea-shooter? Well, I’ll come over and do it for you early some morning, when the beast’s hungry.’