James looked it over with a keen and practised eye.

Suddenly his attitude and expression changed; he read over and over one piece of paper, and every time he read it he looked at it more critically and with a greater satisfaction.
"Andrew Starkie," he said, "where did you buy this ?" "Weel, James, I bought it o' Laidlaw--Aleck Laidlaw.

Ye wadna think a big tailoring place like that could hae the wind in their faces; but folks maun hae their bad weather days, ye ken; but it blew me gude, so I'll ne'er complain.

Ye see it is for L89, due in twenty days now, and I only gied L79 for it--a good name too, nane better." "David Cameron! But what would he be owing Laidlaw L89 for clothes for ?" "Tut, tut! The claithes were for his nephew.

There was some trouble anent the bill, but the old man gied a note for the amount at last, at three months.