The time came when the smith looked in to say, "Should I gang yont to Aaron's and see if he'll give me the puir woman's address ?" "No, I wouldna advise that," answered Blinder, cleverly concealing his elation, "for Aaron Latta's awa' to London." "What! How can you ken ?" "I heard him go by in the night." "It's no possible!" "I kent his foot." "You're sure it was Aaron ?" Blinder did not consider the question worth answering, his sharpness at recognizing friends by their tread being proved.

Sometimes he may have carried his pretensions too far.

Many granted that he could tell when a doctor went by, when a lawyer, when a thatcher, when a herd, and this is conceivable, for all callings have their walk.

But he was regarded as uncanny when he claimed not only to know ministers in this way, but to be able to distinguish between the steps of the different denominations.
He had made no mistake about the warper, however.

Aaron was gone, and ten days elapsed before he was again seen in Thrums..