chief people of the town and neighbourhood; others he
had before encountered in New York: with this consequence, that he went
much abroad, and I am sorry to say was altogether too convivial in his
habits. I was often in bed, but never asleep, when he returned; and
there was scarce a night when he did not betray the influence of liquor.
By day he would still lay upon me endless tasks, which he showed
considerable ingenuity to fish up and renew, in the manner of Penelope's
web. I never refused, as I say, for I was hired to do his bidding; but I
took no pains to keep my penetration under a bushel, and would sometimes
smile in his face.

"I think I must be the devil and you Michael Scott," I said to him one
day. "I have bridged Tweed and split the Eildons; and now you set me to
the rope of sand."

He looked at me with shining eyes, and looked away again, his jaw
chewing, but without words.

"Well, well, my lord," said I, "your will is my pleasure. I will do this
thing for the fourth time; but I would beg of you to invent another task
against to-morrow, for by my troth, I am weary of this one."

"You do not know what you are saying," returned my lord, putting on his
hat and turning his back to me. "It is a strange thing you should take a
pleasure to annoy me. A friend--but that is a different affair. It is a
strange thing. I am a man that has had ill-fortune all my life through.
I am still surrounded by contrivances. I am always treading in plots,"
he burst out. "The whole world is banded against me."

"I would not talk wicked nonsense if I were you," said I; "but I will
tell you what I _would_ do--I would put my head in cold water, for you
had more last night than you could carry."

"Do ye think that?" said he, with a manner of interest highly awakened.
"Would that be good for me? It's a thing I never tried."

"I mind the days when you had no call to try, and I wish, my lord, that
they were back again," said I. "But the plain truth is, if you continue
to exceed, you will do yourself a mischief."

"I don't appear to carry drink the way I used to," said my lord. "I get
overtaken, Mackellar. But I will be more upon my guard."

"That is what I would ask of you," I replied. "You are to bear in mind
that you are Mr. Alexander's father: give the bairn a chance to carry
his name with some responsibility."

"Ay, ay," said he. "Ye're a very sensible man, Mackellar, and have been
long in my employ. But I think, if you have