inside and
then at the top of the former, when he lifted his hat with a smile of
respectful recognition.

'Are all well at the castle, Robert?' inquired the young gentleman in
the surtout.

'All well, my lord,' replied the footman.

At the sound of that monosyllable the faces of the exquisites became
visibly elongated; but without taking the smallest notice of them or
their confusion, the nobleman politely wished me good morning, and,
descending from the coach, caused the footman to place his cloak and
despised portmanteau in the carriage. He then stepped into it himself,
and the footman getting up behind, the coachman touched the leaders very
slightly with his whip, and the equipage and its noble owner were soon
out of sight.

'Pray, what nobleman is that?' said one of the dandies to the landlord,
as we entered the inn.

'The Earl of Hyndford, sir,' replied the landlord; 'one of the best men,
as well as one of the richest, in Scotland.'

'The Earl of Hyndford!' repeated the dandy, turning to his companion.
'What asses we have been! There's an end to all chance of being allowed
to shoot on _his_ estate.'

'Oh, yes, we may burn our letters of introduction when we please!'
rejoined his companion; and, silent and crestfallen, both walked
upstairs to their apartments.

'The Earl of Hyndford!' repeated I, with somewhat less painful
feelings. 'Does he often travel unattended?'

'Very often, sir,' replied the landlord, 'especially when he has any
public or charitable object in view; he thinks he gets at the truth more
easily as a private gentleman than as a wealthy nobleman.'

'I have no doubt of it,' said I; and having given orders for dinner, I
sat down to muse on the occurrences of the day.

This, however, was not the last time that I was destined to hear of that
amiable young nobleman, too early lost to his country and mankind. I had
scarcely returned home from my tour in the Highlands, when I was waited
upon by a friend, a teacher of languages in Edinburgh, who told me that
he had been appointed Rector of the Academy at Bothwell.

'Indeed!' said I; 'how have you been so fortunate?'

'I cannot tell,' replied he, 'unless it be connected with the
circumstance which I am going to relate.'

He then stated that, about a month before, he was teaching his classes
as usual, when a young gentleman, dressed in a surtout that was not over
new, came into his school, and politely asked leave to see his method of
ins