till remained stationary. « Any thing more, iend?»

Only, sir, about the succession of this leddy dead, auld Miss Margaret Bertram o' Single

ye, what about her?» said the counsellor, r surprised.

Du, we have nae connexion at a' wi' the Ber-they were grand folk by the like o' usean Liltup, that was auld Singleside's houseer, and the mother of these twa young lathat are gane the last o' them's dead at a age, I trow-Jean Liltup came out o1Liddle r, and she was as near our connexion as nd cousin to my mother's half-sister-She up wi' Singleside, nae doubt, when she was ousekeeper, and it was a sair vex and grief to kith and kin. But he acknowledged a mar, and satisfied the kirk-and now I wad frae you if we hae not some claim by law?» Not the shadow."

Aweel, we're nae puirer-but she may hae ght on us if she was minded to make a tes

ent.-Weel, sir, I've said my say-I'se e'en

い

you good night, and--putting his hand is pocket.»

No, no, my friend; I never take fees on Saay nights, or without a memorial-away L you, Dandie.» And Dandie made his revee, and departed accordingly.

being t

But spreads its cold unmeaning gloom around.

«YOUR majesty," said Mannering, laughing, « has solemnized your abdication by an act of mercy and charity - That fellow will scarce think of going to law.»

« O, you are quite wrong-The only difference is, I have lost my client and my fee. He'll never rest till he finds somebody to encourage him to commit the folly he has predetermined-No! no! I have only shewn you another weakness of my character-I always speak truth of a Saturday night.

<< And sometimes through the week I should think," said Mannering, continuing the same

tone.

К

Why, yes! as far as my vocation will permit.

the par

mitted

, as Hamlet says, indifferent honest, when clients and their solicitors do not make me medium of conveying their double-distilled to the bench. But oportet vivere ! it is a sad g.-And now to our business. I am glad my friend MacMorlan has sent you to me; he is ctive, honest, and intelligent man, long she-substitute of the county of under me, still holds the office. He knows I have a refor that unfortunate family of Ellangowan, for poor Lucy. I have not seen her since. was twelve years old, and she was then a et pretty girl under the management of a y silly father. But my interest in her is of an y date. I was called upon, Mr Mannering, ng then sheriff of that county, to investigate particulars of a murder which had been comted near Ellangowan the day before this poor d was born; and which, by a strange combion which I was unhappily not able to trace, ›lved the death or abstraction of her only ther, a boy of about five years old. No, Colo

I shall never forget the misery of the house Ellangowan that morning! - the father halfracted the mother dead in premature tra-the helpless infant, with scarce any one to nd it, coming wawling and crying into this erable world at such a moment of unutterable ery. We lawyers are not of iron, sir, or of s, any more than you soldiers are of steel. are conversant with the crimes and dis

T

tresses of civil society, as you are with those that occur in a state of war, and to do our duty in either case a little apathy is perhaps necessary-But the devil take a soldier whose heart can be as hard as his sword, and his dam take the lawyer who bronzes his bosom instead of his forehead! -But come, I am losing my Saturday at e'en-will you have the kindness to trust me with these papers which relate to Miss Bertram's business? --and stay-to-morrow you'll take a bachelor's dinner with an old lawyer,-I insist upon it, at three precisely and come half an hour sooner. -The old lady is to be buried on Monday; it is the orphan's cause, and we'll borrow an hour from the Sunday to talk over this businessalthough I fear nothing can be done if she has altered her settlement-unless perhaps it occurs within the sixty days, and then if Miss Bertram can shew that she possesses the character of heir-at-law, why

«But, hark! my lieges are impatient of their interregnum-I do not invite you to rejoin us, Colonel, it would be a trespass on your complaisance, unless you had begun the day with us, and gradually glided on from wisdom to mirth, and from mirth to-to-to-extravagance.-Good nightHarry, go home with Mr Mannering to his lodging -Colonel, I expect you at a little past two to

morrow.»——

ed u

and whe

The Colonel returned home, equally surprised at the childish frolics in which he found his learned counsellor engaged, at the candour and

ind sense which he had in a moment summonup to meet the exigencies of his profession, at the tone of feeling which he displayed en he spoke of the friendless orphan. In the morning, while the Colonel and his st quiet and silent of all retainers, Dominie mpson, were finishing the breakfast which nes had made and poured out, after the Donie had scalded himself in the attempt, Pleydell was suddenly ushered in. A nicelyessed bob-wig, upon every hair of which a lous and careful barber had bestowed its proallowance of powder; a well-brushed black t, with very clean shoes and gold buckles and ck buckle; a manner rather reserved and forthan intrusive, but with all that, shewing y the formality of manner, by no means that wkwardness; a countenance, the expressive somewhat comic features of which were in plete repose,—all shewed a being perfectly erent from the choice spirit of the evening ore. A glance of shrewd and piercing fire in eye was the only marked expression which alled the man of « Saturday at e'en.»

I am come," said he with a very polite adss, « to use my regal authority in your behalf pirituals as well as temporals — can I accomy you to the presbyterian kirk, or episcopal eting-house?-- Tros Tyriusve, a lawyer, you w, is of both religions, or rather I should say both forms—or can I assist in passing the enoon otherwise? You'll excuse my old