ng the line of a
meditated turnpike road. It is greatly to the shame of our young lover's
apprehension that, after the tenth reiterated account of the matter, he
could not see the advantage to be obtained by the proposed road passing
over the Lang Hirst, Windy Knowe, the Goodhouse Park, Hailziecroft, and
then crossing the river at Simon's Pool, and so by the road to
Kippletringan; and the less eligible line pointed out by the English
surveyor, which would go clear through the main enclosures at Hazlewood,
and cut within a mile or nearly so of the house itself, destroying the
privacy and pleasure, as his informer contended, of the grounds. In
short, the adviser (whose actual interest was to have the bridge built as
near as possible to a farm of his own) failed in every effort to attract
young Hazlewood's attention until he mentioned by chance that the
proposed line was favoured by 'that fellow Glossin,' who pretended to
take a lead in the county. On a sudden young Hazlewood became attentive
and interested; and, having satisfied himself which was the line that
Glossin patronised, assured his friend it should not be his fault if his
father did not countenance any other instead of that. But these various
interruptions consumed the morning. Hazlewood got on horseback at least
three hours later than he intended, and, cursing fine ladies, pointers,
puppies, and turnpike acts of parliament, saw himself detained beyond the
time when he could with propriety intrude upon the family at Woodbourne.

He had passed, therefore, the turn of the road which led to that mansion,
only edified by the distant appearance of the blue smoke curling against
the pale sky of the winter evening, when he thought he beheld the Dominie
taking a footpath for the house through the woods. He called after him,
but in vain; for that honest gentleman, never the most susceptible of
extraneous impressions, had just that moment parted from Meg Merrilies,
and was too deeply wrapt up in pondering upon her vaticinations to make
any answer to Hazlewood's call. He was therefore obliged to let him
proceed without inquiry after the health of the young ladies, or any
other fishing question, to which he might by good chance have had an
answer returned wherein Miss Bertram's name might have been mentioned.
All cause for haste was now over, and, slackening the reins upon his
horse's neck, he permitted the animal to ascend at his own leisure the
steep sandy track between tw