g o't."

"You--you--you--," said the Antiquary, stammering between confusion and
anger, "you strolling old vagabond, what the devil do you know about
it?"

"Ou, I ken this about it, Monkbarns--and what profit have I for telling
ye a lie?--l just ken this about it, that about twenty years syne, I,
and a wheen hallenshakers like mysell, and the mason-lads that built the
lang dike that gaes down the loaning, and twa or three herds maybe,
just set to wark, and built this bit thing here that ye ca'
the--the--Praetorian, and a' just for a bield at auld Aiken Drum's bridal,
and a bit blithe gae-down wi' had in't, some sair rainy weather. Mair by
token, Monkbarns, if ye howk up the bourock, as ye seem to have began,
yell find, if ye hae not fund it already, a stane that ane o' the
mason-callants cut a ladle on to have a bourd at the bridegroom, and he
put four letters on't, that's A. D. L. L.--Aiken Drum's Lang Ladle--for
Aiken was ane o' the kale-suppers o' Fife."

"This," thought Lovel to himself, "is a famous counterpart to the
story of Keip on this syde." He then ventured to steal a glance at our
Antiquary, but quickly withdrew it in sheer compassion. For, gentle
reader, if thou hast ever beheld the visage of a damsel of sixteen,
whose romance of true love has been blown up by an untimely discovery,
or of a child of ten years, whose castle of cards has been blown down by
a malicious companion, I can safely aver to you, that Jonathan Oldbuck
of Monkbarns looked neither more wise nor less disconcerted.

"There is some mistake about this," he said, abruptly turning away from
the mendicant.

"Deil a bit on my side o' the wa'," answered the sturdy beggar; "I never
deal in mistakes, they aye bring mischances.--Now, Monkbarns, that young
gentleman, that's wi' your honour, thinks little of a carle like me; and
yet, I'll wager I'll tell him whar he was yestreen at the gloamin, only
he maybe wadna like to hae't spoken o' in company."

Lovel's soul rushed to his cheeks, with the vivid blush of
two-and-twenty.

"Never mind the old rogue," said Mr. Oldbuck; "don't suppose I think
the worse of you for your profession; they are only prejudiced fools and
coxcombs that do so. You remember what old Tully says in his oration,
pro Archia poeta, concerning one of your confraternity--quis nostrum
tam anino agresti ac duro fuit--ut--ut--I forget the Latin--the meaning is,
which of us was so rude and barbarous as to remain unmoved at the d