Beard.

CHAPTER XX

I CONTINUE TO MOVE IN GOOD SOCIETY

For about exactly two months I remained a guest in Prestongrange's
family, where I bettered my acquaintance with the Bench, the Bar, and
the flower of Edinburgh company. You are not to suppose my education was
neglected; on the contrary, I was kept extremely busy. I studied the
French, so as to be more prepared to go to Leyden; I set myself to the
fencing, and wrought hard, sometimes three hours in the day, with
notable advancement; at the suggestion of my cousin Pilrig, who was an
apt musician, I was put to a singing-class; and by the orders of my Miss
Grant, to one for the dancing, at which I must say I proved far from
ornamental. However, all were good enough to say it gave me an address a
little more genteel; and there is no question but I learned to manage my
coat-skirts and sword with more dexterity, and to stand in a room as
though the same belonged to me. My clothes themselves were all earnestly
re-ordered; and the most trifling circumstance, such as where I should
tie my hair, or the colour of my ribbon, debated among the three misses
like a thing of weight. One way with another, no doubt I was a good deal
improved to look at, and acquired a bit of a modish air that would have
surprised the good folks at Essendean.

The two younger misses were very willing to discuss a point of my
habiliment, because that was in the line of their chief thoughts. I
cannot say that they appeared any other way conscious of my presence;
and though always more than civil, with a kind of heartless cordiality,
could not hide how much I wearied them. As for the aunt, she was a
wonderful still woman; and I think she gave me much the same attention
as she gave the rest of the family, which was little enough. The eldest
daughter and the Advocate himself were thus my principal friends, and
our familiarity was much increased by a pleasure that we took in common.
Before the court met we spent a day or two at the house of Grange,
living very nobly with an open table, and here it was that we three
began to ride out together in the fields, a practice afterwards
maintained in Edinburgh, so far as the Advocate's continual affairs
permitted. When we were put in a good frame by the briskness of the
exercise, the difficulties of the way, or the accidents of bad weather,
my shyness wore entirely off; we forgot that we were strangers, and
speech not being required, it flowed the more