himself in parley with Fairford, who had already
successively addressed him by the names of Herries and Redgauntlet;
neither of which, any more than the acquaintance of the young lawyer,
he seemed at the moment willing to acknowledge, though an air of haughty
indifference, which he assumed, could not conceal his vexation and
embarrassment.

'If we must needs be acquainted, sir,' he said at last--'for which I
am unable to see any necessity, especially as I am now particularly
disposed to be private--I must entreat you will tell me at once what you
have to say, and permit me to attend to matters of more importance.'

'My introduction,' said Fairford, 'is contained in this
letter.--(Delivering that of Maxwell.)--I am convinced that, under
whatever name it may be your pleasure for the present to be known, it is
into your hands, and yours only, that it should be delivered.'

Redgauntlet turned the letter in his hand--then read the contents then
again looked upon the letter, and sternly observed, 'The seal of the
letter has been broken. Was this the case, sir, when it was delivered
into your hand?'

Fairford despised a falsehood as much as any man,--unless, perhaps, as
Tom Turnpenny might have said, 'in the way of business.' He answered
readily and firmly, 'The seal was whole when the letter was delivered to
me by Mr. Maxwell of Summertrees.'

'And did you dare, sir, to break the seal of a letter addressed to me?'
said Redgauntlet, not sorry, perhaps, to pick a quarrel upon a point
foreign to the tenor of the epistle.

'I have never broken the seal of any letter committed to my charge,'
said Alan; 'not from fear of those to whom such letter might be
addressed, but from respect to myself.'

'That is well worded,' said Redgauntlet; 'and yet, young Mr. Counsellor,
I doubt whether your delicacy prevented your reading my letter, or
listening to the contents as read by some other person after it was
opened.'

'I certainly did hear the contents read over,' said Fairford; 'and they
were such as to surprise me a good deal.'

'Now that,' said Redgauntlet, 'I hold to be pretty much the same, IN
FORO CONSCIENTIAE, as if you had broken the seal yourself. I shall hold
myself excused from entering upon further discourse with a messenger
so faithless; and you may thank yourself if your journey has been
fruitless.'

'Stay, sir,' said Fairford; 'and know that I became acquainted with the
contents of the paper without my consent--