← Ay, that was him they a 1 Demizle Sampson,”

said the posting.

"He's bar a dumb dig that observed the deacon; “I have heard that he never oculi preach Eve words of a sermon ending, for as lang as he has been Hoensed"

Weel, but said the precentor, waving his hani, as if eager to retrieve the command of the discourse," he waited on the young laird by night and day. Now, it chanced when the bairn was near five years auld, that the laird had a sight of his errors, and determined to put these Egyptians aff his ground; and he caused them to remove; and that Frank Kennedy, that was a rough, swearing fellow, he was sent to turn them off. And he cursed and damned at them, and they swure at him; and that Meg Merrilies, that was the maist powerfu' with the Enemy of Mankind, she as gude as said

she would have him, body and soul, before three days were ower his head. And I have it from a sure hand, and that 's ane wha saw it, and that's John Wilson, that was the laird's groom, that Meg appeared to the laird as he was riding hame. from Singleside, over Gibbie's-know, and threatened. him wi' what she wad do to his family; but whether it was Meg, or something waur in her likeness, for it seemed bigger than ony mortal creature, John could not say."

"Aweel," said the postilion, "it might be sae, I canna say against it, for I was not in the country at the time; but John Wilson was a blustering kind of chield, without the heart of a sprug."

'And what was the end of all this?" said the stranger, with some impatience.

Ou, the event and upshot of it was, sir,” said the precentor, "that while they were all looking on, beholding a king's ship chase a smuggler, this Kennedy suddenly brake away frae them without ony reason that could be descried, ropes nor tows wad not hae held him, — and made for the wood of Warroch as fast as his beast could carry him; and by the way he met the young laird and his governor, and he snatched up the bairn, and swure, if he was bewitched, the bairn should have the same luck as him; and the minister followed as fast as he could, and almaist as fast as them, for he was wonderfully swift of foot, and he saw Meg the witch, or her master in her similitude, rise suddenly out of the ground, and claught the bairn suddenly out of the gauger's arms; and then he rampauged and drew his sword, for ken a fie man and a cusser fearsna the deil."

ye

"I believe that's very true," said the postilion.

“I know *,* miei la zisa Azł now, Matam, if you will have the goodness to allow me to copy the parlour you mentioned, as you are disappointed of your guests

"Certainly, sir," said Mrs. Mac-Candish, and hastened to light the way with all the imperative bustle which an active landlady loves to display on such occasions.

"Young man," said the deacon to the servant, filling a glass, "ye'll no be the waur o' this, after your ride."

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

"And wha may your master be, friend?"

"

What, the gentleman that was here? That's the famous Colonel Mannering, sir, from the East Indies."

"What, him we read of in the newspapers?'

Ay, ay, just the same. It was he 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!"

"Oh, he likes that all the better, Mother, - you never saw a plainer creature in your life than our old colonel; and yet he has a spice of the devil in him too."

The rest of the evening's 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, 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?"

"Oh, ay, sir, there's nae doubt o' that, though there are mony idle clashes about the way and manner, for it's an auld story now, and everybody tells it, as we were doing, their ain way by the ingleside. But lost the bairn was in his fifth year, as your honour says, Colonel; and the news being rashly tell'd to the leddy, 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,