--he
would take four horses--he must--he would be on the north side,
to-day--and all the expense of his journey, besides damages, direct and
consequential, arising from delay, should be accumulated on the devoted
head of Mrs. Macleuchar.

There, was something so comic in his pettish resentment, that the
younger traveller, who was in no such pressing hurry to depart, could
not help being amused with it, especially as it was obvious, that
every now and then the old gentleman, though very angry, could not help
laughing at his own vehemence. But when Mrs. Macleuchar began also to
join in the laughter, he quickly put a stop to her ill-timed merriment.

"Woman," said he, "is that advertisement thine?" showing a bit of
crumpled printed paper: "Does it not set forth, that, God willing, as
you hypocritically express it, the Hawes Fly, or Queensferry Diligence,
would set forth to-day at twelve o'clock; and is it not, thou falsest of
creatures, now a quarter past twelve, and no such fly or diligence to
be seen?--Dost thou know the consequence of seducing the lieges by
false reports?--dost thou know it might be brought under the statute of
leasing-making? Answer--and for once in thy long, useless, and evil
life, let it be in the words of truth and sincerity,--hast thou such
a coach?--is it in rerum natura?--or is this base annunciation a mere
swindle on the incautious to beguile them of their time, their patience,
and three shillings of sterling money of this realm?--Hast thou, I say,
such a coach? ay or no?"

"O dear, yes, sir; the neighbours ken the diligence weel, green picked
oat wi' red--three yellow wheels and a black ane."

"Woman, thy special description will not serve--it may be only a lie with
a circumstance."

"O, man, man!" said the overwhelmed Mrs. Macleuchar, totally exhausted
at having been so long the butt of his rhetoric, "take back your three
shillings, and make me quit o' ye."

"Not so fast, not so fast, woman--Will three shillings transport me to
Queensferry, agreeably to thy treacherous program?--or will it requite
the damage I may sustain by leaving my business undone, or repay the
expenses which I must disburse if I am obliged to tarry a day at the
South Ferry for lack of tide?--Will it hire, I say, a pinnace, for which
alone the regular price is five shillings?"

Here his argument was cut short by a lumbering noise, which proved to
be the advance of the expected vehicle, pressing forward with all the