ugatory
gift of life._

_You are still--as when first I saw, as when I last addressed you--in
the venerable city which I must always think of as my home. And I have
come so far; and the sights and thoughts of my youth pursue me; and I
see like a vision the youth of my father, and of his father, and the
whole stream of lives flowing down there far in the north, with the
sound of laughter and tears, to cast me out in the end, as by a sudden
freshet, on these ultimate islands. And I admire and bow my head before
the romance of destiny._

_R. L. S._

_Vailima, Upolu,_

_Samoa, 1892._

PART I

THE LORD ADVOCATE

CATRIONA

CHAPTER I

A BEGGAR ON HORSEBACK

The 25th day of August, 1751, about two in the afternoon, I, David
Balfour, came forth of the British Linen Company, a porter attending me
with a bag of money, and some of the chief of these merchants bowing me
from their doors. Two days before, and even so late as yestermorning, I
was like a beggarman by the wayside, clad in rags, brought down to my
last shillings, my companion a condemned traitor, a price set on my own
head for a crime with the news of which the country rang. To-day I was
served heir to my position in life, a landed laird, a bank-porter by me
carrying my gold, recommendations in my pocket, and (in the words of the
saying) the ball directly at my foot.

There were two circumstances that served me as ballast to so much sail.
The first was the very difficult and deadly business I had still to
handle; the second, the place that I was in. The tall, black city, and
the numbers and movement and noise of so many folk, made a new world for
me, after the moorland braes, the sea-sands, and the still country-sides
that I had frequented up to then. The throng of the citizens in
particular abashed me. Rankeillor's son was short and small in the
girth; his clothes scarce held on me; and it was plain I was ill
qualified to strut in the front of a bank-porter. It was plain, if I did
so, I should but set folk laughing, and (what was worse in my case) set
them asking questions. So that I behoved to come by some clothes of my
own, and in the meanwhile to walk by the porter's side, and put my hand
on his arm as though we were a pair of friends.

At a merchant's in the Luckenbooths I had myself fitted out: none too
fine, for I had no idea to appear like a beggar on horseback; but comely
and responsible, so that servants should respect