RFORD, CONTINUED

Five minutes had elapsed after the town clock struck two, before
Alan Fairford, who had made a small detour to put his letter into the
post-house, reached the mansion of Mr. Provost Crosbie, and was at once
greeted by the voice of that civic dignitary, and the rural dignitary
his visitor, as by the voices of men impatient for their dinner.

'Come away, Mr. Fairford--the Edinburgh time is later than ours,' said
the provost.

And, 'Come away, young gentleman,' said the laird; 'I remember your
father weel at the Cross thirty years ago--I reckon you are as late in
Edinburgh as at London, four o'clock hours--eh?'

'Not quite so degenerate,' replied Fairford; 'but certainly many
Edinburgh people are so ill-advised as to postpone their dinner
till three, that they may have full time to answer their London
correspondents.'

'London correspondents!' said Mr. Maxwell; 'and pray what the devil have
the people of Auld Reekie to do with London correspondents?' [Not much
in those days, for within my recollection the London post; was brought
north in a small mail-cart; and men are yet as live who recollect when
it came down with only one single letter for Edinburgh, addressed to the
manager of the British Linen Company.]

'The tradesmen must have their goods,' said Fairford.

'Can they not buy our own Scottish manufactures, and pick their
customers pockets in a more patriotic manner?'

'Then the ladies must have fashions,' said Fairford.

'Can they not busk the plaid over their heads, as their mothers did? A
tartan screen, and once a year a new cockernony from Paris, should
serve a countess. But ye have not many of them left, I think--Mareschal,
Airley, Winton, Vemyss, Balmerino, all passed and gone--aye, aye, the
countesses and ladies of quality will scarce take up too much of your
ball-room floor with their quality hoops nowadays.'

'There is no want of crowding, however, sir,' said Fairford; 'they begin
to talk of a new Assembly room.'

'A new Assembly room!' said the old Jacobite laird--'Umph--I mind
quartering three hundred men in the old Assembly room [I remember
hearing this identical answer given by an old Highland gentleman of the
Forty-Five, when he heard of the opening of the New Assembly Rooms in
George Street.]--But come, come--I'll ask no more questions--the answers
all smell of new lords new lands, and do but spoil my appetite, which
were a pity, since here comes Mrs. Crosbie to say our mu