'I will send you to your master, the devil, with the help of a tar-barrel and a torch!' 'I intend to delate mysell to the Presbytery,' said Steenie, 'and tell them all I have seen last night, whilk are things fitter for them to judge of than a borrel man like me.' Sir John paused, composed himsell, and desired to hear the full history; and my gudesire told it him from point to point, as I have told it you--word for word, neither more nor less.
Sir John was silent again for a long time, and at last he said, very composedly, 'Steenie, this story of yours concerns the honour of many a noble family besides mine; and if it be a leasing-making, to keep yourself out of my danger, the least you can expect is to have a redhot iron driven through your tongue, and that will be as bad as scauding your fingers wi' a redhot chanter.

But yet it may be true, Steenie; and if the money cast up I shall not know what to think of it.

But where shall we find the Cat's Cradle?
There are cats enough about the old house, but I think they kitten without the ceremony of bed or cradle.' 'We were best ask Hutcheon,' said my gudesire; 'he kens a' the odd corners about as weel as--another serving-man that is now gane, and that I wad not like to name.' Aweel, Hutcheon, when he was asked, told them, that a ruinous turret, lang disused, next to the clock-house, only accessible by a ladder, for the opening was on the outside, and far above the battlements, was called of old the Cat's Cradle.
'There will I go immediately,' said Sir John; and he took (with what purpose, Heaven kens) one of his father's pistols from the hall-table, where they had lain since the night he died, and hastened to the battlements.
It was a dangerous place to climb, for the ladder was auld and frail, and wanted ane or twa rounds.

However, up got Sir John, and entered at the turret-door, where his body stopped the only little light that was in the bit turret.

Something flees at him wi' a vengeance, maist dang him back ower--bang gaed the knight's pistol, and Hutcheon, that held the ladder, and my gudesire that stood beside him, hears a loud skelloch.