aw; on my soul, man, you use me ill. However," added
Craigengelt, pocketing the money, "if you will have me so far indebted
to you, I must be conforming."

"Well, horse and away!" said the patron, "so soon as you have got your
riding livery in trim. You may ride the black crop-ear; and, hark ye,
I'll make you a present of him to boot."

"I drink to the good luck of my mission," answered the ambassador, "in a
half-pint bumper."

"I thank ye, Craigie, and pledge you; I see nothing against it but the
father or the girl taking a tantrum, and I am told the mother can wind
them both round her little finger. Take care not to affront her with any
of your Jacobite jargon."

"Oh, ay, true--she is a Whig, and a friend of old Sall of Marlborough;
thank my stars, I can hoist any colours at a pinch! I have fought as
hard under John Churchill as ever I did under Dundee or the Duke of
Berwick."

"I verily believe you, Craigie," said the lord of the mansion; "but,
Craigie, do you, pray, step down to the cellar, and fetch us up a bottle
of the Burgundy, 1678; it is in the fourth bin from the right-hand turn.
And I say, Craigie, you may fetch up half a dozen whilst you are about
it. Egad, we'll make a night on't!"

CHAPTER XXII.

And soon they spied the merry-men green,
And eke the coach and four.

Duke upon Duke.

CRAIGENGELT set forth on his mission so soon as his equipage was
complete, prosecuted his journey with all diligence, and accomplished
his commission with all the dexterity for which bucklaw had given him
credit. As he arrived with credentials from Mr. Hayston of Bucklaw, he
was extremely welcome to both ladies; and those who are prejudiced
in favour of a new acquaintance can, for a time at least, discover
excellencies in his very faults and perfections in his deficiencies.
Although both ladies were accustomed to good society, yet, being
pre-determined to find out an agreeable and well-behaved gentleman
in Mr. Hayston's friend, they succeeded wonderfully in imposing on
themselves. It is true that Craigengelt was now handsomely dressed, and
that was a point of no small consequence. But, independent of outward
show, his blackguard impudence of address was construed into honourable
bluntness becoming his supposed military profession; his hectoring
passed for courage, and his sauciness for wit. Lest, however, any one
should think this a violation of probability, we must add, in fairness
to the two