he Provost. He was over in
Akaig's with his wife and family pending the repair of his own house,
and Askaig was off to his estate. Master Brown sat on the balusters of
the outer stair, dangling his squat legs and studying through horn specs
the talc of thig and theft which the town officer had made up a report
on. As I put my foot on the bottom step he looked up, and his welcome
was most friendly.

"Colin! Colin!" he cried, hastening down to shake me by the hand, "come
your ways in. I heard you got home yesterday, and I was sure you would
give us a call in the by-going to-day. And you're little the waur of
your jaunt-hale and hearty. We ken all about your prisoning; M'Iver
was in last night and kept the crack going till morning--a most humorous
devil."

He pinched rappee as he spoke, in rapid doses from a snuff-box, and
spread the brown powder in extravagant carelessness over his vest.
He might affect what light-heartedness he could; I saw that the past
fortnight had made a difference for the worse on him. The pouches below
the eyes had got heavier and darker, the lines had deepened on his brow,
the ruddy polish had gone off his cheek, and it was dull and spotted;
by ten o'clock at night-when he used to be very jovial over a glass--I
could tell he would be haggard and yawning. At his years men begin to
age in a few hours; a sudden wrench to the affections, or shock to
a long-disciplined order of things in their lives, will send them
staggering down off the braehead whereon they have been perched with a
good balance so long that they themselves have forgot the natural course
of human man is to be progressing somewhere.

"Ah, lad, lad! haven't we the times?" he said, as he led me within to
the parlour. "Inneraora in the stour in her reputation as well as in her
tenements. I wish the one could be amended as readily as the other; but
we mustn't be saying a word against princes, ye ken," he went on in
the discreet whisper of the conspirator. "You were up and saw him last
night, I'm hearing. To-day they tell me he's himself again, and coming
down to a session meeting at noon. I must put myself in his way to say
a friendly word or two. Ah! you're laughing at us. I understand, man,
I understand. You travellers need not practise the art of civility; but
we're too close on the castle here to be out of favour with MacCailein
Mor. Draw in your chair, and--Mary, Mary, goodwife! bring in the bottle
with you and see young Elrigmore