sir, instead of cutting it off. Mr.
Barnes will assist you, Mr. Sampson; thank you, sir; and, Mr. Barnes, a
glass of ale, if you please.'

While the old gentleman, pleased with Miss Mannering's liveliness and
attention, rattled away for her amusement and his own, the impatience of
Colonel Mannering began to exceed all bounds. He declined sitting down at
table, under pretence that he never eat supper; and traversed the parlour
in which they were with hasty and impatient steps, now throwing up the
window to gaze upon the dark lawn, now listening for the remote sound of
the carriage advancing up the avenue. At length, in a feeling of
uncontrollable impatience, he left the room, took his hat and cloak, and
pursued his walk up the avenue, as if his so doing would hasten the
approach of those whom he desired to see. 'I really wish,' said Miss
Bertram,' Colonel Mannering would not venture out after nightfall. You
must have heard, Mr. Pleydell, what a cruel fright we had.'

'O, with the smugglers?' replied the Advocate; 'they are old friends of
mine. I was the means of bringing some of them to justice a long time
since, when sheriff of this county.'

'And then the alarm we had immediately afterwards,' added Miss Bertram,
'from the vengeance of one of these wretches.'

'When young Hazlewood was hurt; I heard of that too.'

'Imagine, my dear Mr. Pleydell,' continued Lucy, 'how much Miss Mannering
and I were alarmed when a ruffian, equally dreadful for his great
strength and the sternness of his features, rushed out upon us!'

'You must know, Mr. Pleydell,' said Julia, unable to suppress her
resentment at this undesigned aspersion of her admirer, 'that young
Hazlewood is so handsome in the eyes of the young ladies of this country
that they think every person shocking who comes near him.'

'Oho!' thought Pleydell, who was by profession an observer of tones and
gestures,' there's something wrong here between my young
friends.'--'Well, Miss Mannering, I have not seen young Hazlewood since
he was a boy, so the ladies may be perfectly right; but I can assure you,
in spite of your scorn, that if you want to see handsome men you must go
to Holland; the prettiest fellow I ever saw was a Dutchman, in spite of
his being called Vanbost, or Vanbuster, or some such barbarous name. He
will not be quite so handsome now, to be sure.'

It was now Julia's turn to look a little out of countenance at the chance
hit of her learned admirer, but