galaxy of beauty of which he formed a part.

The party having cleared the gate, took the road with a circular sweep
round, and a burst of merriment that sufficiently betokened the
lightness of heart and of heel of those of whom it was composed.

"Deek yon, Davy," exclaimed Howison, at this interesting moment, and
now addressing the worthy just named, who had by this time come up
alongside of him, and was also indulging himself in a bird's-eye view
of the party round the corner of the close. "Deek yon, Davy. He's aff
like a paitrik: but we'll bring him up wi' a short turn, I'm thinkin.
We'll pit a slug through his wing. Little does he ken wha's watchin
him."

"Wull we gie chase?" said the concurrent, who stood at this instant
like a dog in the slip, with his neck on the stretch, and every nerve
braced for the run.

"No, no; gie him the start a bit till he gathers confidence, and then
we'll pounce on him. Wary, Davy, wary! keep in a bit. Dinna shute oot
your head so far. If he gets a glisk o' ye, he'll tak to his trotters
in a minnit, and gie us an infernal rin for't. See what lang legs the
sinner has."

"I think I could rin him ony day," replied Howison's concurrent, "and
gie him a start o' a hunner yards to the bargain."

"I'm no sure o' that," rejoined Howison, shaking his head doubtingly;
"ye dinna ken hoo a man can rin wi' a caption at his heels. It maks
them go at a deevil o' a rate. I've seen great, fat, auld chaps, that
ye wadna hae thocht could rin a yard an't were to save their lives,
flee like the win before a 'Whereas.'"

"Noo, noo, Davy," continued Howison, and now recalling his neighbour's
attention to business, "let us be joggin. He's takin the richt road,
so we'll just pin him at our leisure."

Saying this, the pair started, and in a short time were hovering on
the skirts of the heedless party, and their heedless and unwary
leader, the devoted Jacob Merrilees.

Wholly unconscious, as the reader will readily believe, of the plot
that was thickening over his head, or, rather, at his heels, Jacob was
continuing the career of banter, and lively small talk, and smart
repartee, which distinguished his first appearance at the garden gate,
when he suddenly felt himself gently touched from behind on the left
shoulder. He turned round, but without quitting the arms of the fair
ladies who hung upon him, and looked frowningly on Howison.

"What do you mean, sir?" inquired Jacob, indignantly, and now glanc