One saying of the professor, however, _out_ of the pulpit, is too good to be omitted, and may be recorded without violation of propriety.

He happened to meet at the house of a lawyer, whom he considered rather a man of _sharp_ practice, and for whom he had no great favour, two of his own parishioners.

The lawyer jocularly and ungraciously put the question; "Doctor, these are members of your flock; may I ask, do you look upon them as white sheep or as black sheep ?" "I don't know," answered the professor drily, "whether they are black or white sheep, but I know that if they are long here they are pretty sure to be fleeced." It was a pungent answer given by a Free Kirk member who had deserted his colours and returned to the old faith.

A short time after the Disruption, the Free Church minister chanced to meet him who had then left him and returned to the Established Church.

The minister bluntly accosted him--"Ay, man, John, an' ye've left us; what micht be your reason for that?
Did ye think it wasna a guid road we was gaun ?" "Ou, I daursay it was a guid eneuch road and a braw road; but, O minister, the tolls were unco high." The following story I received from a member of the Penicuik family:--Dr.Ritchie, who died minister of St.Andrews, Edinburgh, was, when a young man, tutor to Sir G.Clerk and his brothers.