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Certainly, sir," said Mrs Mac-Candlish, and lighted the way with all the imperative bustle which an active landlady loves to display upon such occasions.

"Young man," said the Deacon to the servant, filling a glass, "ye'll no be the warse of this after your ride."

"Not a feather, sir-your very good. health."

"And wha may your master be, friend?" "What, the gentleman that was here? -that's the famous Colonel Mannering, from the East Indies."

"What, him we read of in the newspa

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It was he

Aye, aye, just the same. relieved Cuddieburn, and defended Chingalore, and defeated the great Mahratta chief, Ram Jolli Bundleman-I was with him in most of his campaigns."

"Lord safe us," said the landlady, “I

must go see what he would have for supper-that I should set him down here!" "O, he likes that all the better, mother; -you never saw a plainer creature in your life than the Colonel; and yet he has a spice of the devil in him too."

The rest of the evening conversation below stairs, tending little to edification, we shall, with the reader's leave, step up to the parlour.

CHAPTER XII.

Reputation?that's man's idol

Set up against God, the Maker of all laws,
Who hath commanded us we should not kill,
And yet we say we must, for Reputation!
What honest man can either fear his own,
Or else will hurt another's reputation,?
Fear to do base and unworthy things is valour;
If they be done to us, to suffer them

Is valour too.

BEN JONSON.

THE Colonel was walking pensively up and down the parlour, when the officious landlady re-entered to take his commands. Having given them in the manner he thought would be most acceptable "for the good of the house," he begged to detain her a moment.

"I think," he said, "madam, if I understood the good people right, Mr Bertram lost his son in his fifth year?"

the way

"O aye, sir, there's nae doubt of that, though there are mony idle clashes about and manner; for it's an auld story now, and every body tells it, as we were doing, their ain way by the ingle-side. But lost the bairn was in his fifth year, as your honour says, Colonel; and the news being rashly told to the lady, then great with child, cost her her life that samyn night-and the Laird never throve after that day, but was just careless of every thing-though, when his daughter Miss Lucy grew up, she tried to keep order within doors-but what could she do, poor thing?-so now they're out of house and hauld."

"Can you recollect, madam, about what time of the year the child was lost?" The landlady, after a pause, and some recollection, answered, "she was positive it was about this season ;" and added some local recollections that fixed the date in her memory, as occurring about the beginning of November, 17-.

The stranger took two or three turns

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round the room in silence, but signed to Mrs Mac-Candlish not to leave it.

"Did I rightly apprehend," he said, "that the estate of Ellangowan is in the market?"

"In the market ?-it will be sold the morn to the highest bidder-that's no the morn, Lord help me! which is the Sabbath, but on Monday, the first free day; and the furniture and stocking is to be roupit at the same time on the groundit's the opinion of the haill country, that the sale has been shamefully forced on at this time, when there's sae little money stirring in Scotland wi' this weary American war, that somebody may get the land a bargain-Deil be in them, that I should say sae!"-the good lady's wrath rising at the supposed injustice.

"And where will the sale take place?" "On the premises, as the advertisement says-that's at the house of Ellangowan, as I understand it."

"And who exhibits the title-deeds, rentroll, and plan?"

"A very decent man, sir; the sheriff

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