Dinmont at length got up, and, having shaken his huge dreadnought great-coat, as a Newfoundland dog does his shaggy hide, when he comes out of the water, ejaculated, "Weel, deil hae me then, if ye hae ony fash wi' her, Mr. Protocol, if she likes to gang hame wi' me, that is. Ye see, Ailie and me we're weel to pass, and we would like the lassies to hae a wee bit mair lair than oursells, and to be neighbour-like-that wad we. -And ye see Jenny canna miss but to ken manners, and the like o' reading books, and sewing seamshaving lived sae lang wi' a grand lady like Lady Singleside; or if she disna ken onything about it, I'm jealous that our bairns will like her a' the better. And I'll take care o' the bits o' claes, and what spending siller she maun hae, so the hundred pound may rin on in your hands, Mr. Protocol, and I'll be adding something till't till she'll maybe get a Liddesdale joe that wants something to help to buy the hirsell.*—What d'ye say to that, hinny? I'll take out a ticket for ye in the fly to Jethart.—Odd, but ye maun take a powny after that o'er the Limestane-rig-deil a wheeled carriage ever gaed into Liddesdale :†—And I'll be very glad if Mrs. * The stock of sheep. †The roads of Liddesdale, in Dandie Dinmont's days, could not be said to exist, and the district was only accessible through a succession of tremendous morasses. About thirty years ago, the author himself was the first person who ever drove a little open carriage into these wilds; the excellent roads by which they are now traversed being then in some progress. The people stared with no small wonder at a sight which many of them had never witnessed in their lives before. Rebecca comes wi' you, hinny, and stays a month or twa while ye're stranger like." While Mrs. Rebecca was courtseying, and endeavouring to make the poor orphan girl courtsey instead of crying, and while Dandie, in his rough way, was encouraging them both, old Pleydell had recourse to his snuffbox. "It's meat and drink to me, now, Colonel," he said as he recovered himself, "to see a clown like this -I must gratify him in his own way,—must assist him to ruin himself;-there's no help for it. Here, you Liddesdale-Dandie-Charlies-hope-what do they call you?" The farmer turned, infinitely gratified even by this sort of notice; for in his heart, next to his own landlord, he honoured a lawyer in high practice. "So you will not be advised against trying that question about your marches!" "No-no, sir-naebody likes to lose their right, and to be laughed at down the haill water. But since your honour's no agreeable, and is may be a friend to the other side like, we maun try some other advocate." "There I told you so, Colonel Mannering!-Well, sir, if you must needs be a fool, the business is to give you the luxury of a lawsuit at the least possible expense, and to bring you off conqueror if possible. Let Mr. Protocol send me your papers, and I will advise him how to conduct your cause. I don't see, after all, why you should not have your lawsuits too, and your feuds in the Court of Session, as well as your forefathers had their manslaughters and fire-raisings." And Besides, "Very natural, to be sure, sir. We wad just take the auld gate as readily, if it werena for the law. as the law binds us, the law should loose us. a man's aye the better thought o' in our country for having been afore the feifteen." "Excellently argued, my friend! and send your papers to me.-Come, no more to do here." 66 Away with you, Colonel, we have God, we'll ding Jock o' Dawston Cleugh now after a'!" said Dinmont, slapping his thigh in great exultation. CHAPTER THE THIRTY-NINTH. -I am going to the parliament; You understand this bag. If you have any business And pay your fees. LITTLE FRENCH LAWYER. "SHALL you be able to carry this honest fellow's cause for him?" said Mannering. 66 'Why, I don't know; the battle is not to the strong, but he shall come off triumphant over Jock of Dawston if we can make it out. I owe him something. It is the pest of our profession, that we seldom see the best side of human nature. People come to us with every selfish feeling newly pointed and grinded; they turn down the very caulkers of their animosities and prejudices, as smiths do with horses' shoes in a white frost. Many a man has come to my garret yonder, that I have at first longed to pitch out at the window, and yet, at length, have discovered that he was only doing as I might have done in his case, being very angry, and, of course, very unreasonable. I have now satisfied myself, that if our profession sees more of human folly and human roguery than others, it is because we witness them acting in that channel in which they can most freely vent themselves. In civilized society, law is the chimney through which all that smoke discharges itself that used to circulate through the whole house, and put every one's eyes outno wonder, therefore, that the vent itself should sometimes get a little sooty. But we will take care our Liddesdale-man's cause is well conducted and well argued, so all unnecessary expense will be saved-he shall have his pine-apple at wholesale price." "Will you do me the pleasure," said Mannering, as they parted, "to dine with me at my lodgings? my landlord says he has a bit of red-deer venison, and some excellent wine." "Venison-eh?" answered the counsellor alertly, but presently added-" But no! it's impossible-—and I can't ask you home neither. Monday's a sacred day— so's Tuesday and Wednesday, we are to be heard in the great teind case in presence-but stay-it's frosty weather, and if you don't leave town, and that venison would keep till Thursday " "You will dine with me that day?" "Under certification." "Well, then, I will indulge a thought I had of spending a week here; and if the venison will not keep, why we will see what else our landlord can do for us." "O, the venison will keep," said Pleydell; "and now good bye;-look at these two or three notes, and deliver them if you like the addresses. I wrote them for you this morning. Farewell, my clerk has been waiting this hour to begin a d-d information.”—And |