When his first
pause of joy and astonishment was over, his thoughts turned to the
unworthy heir-male, who, he pronounced, 'had sold his birthright, like
Esau, for a mess o' pottage.'
'But wha cookit the parritch for him?' exclaimed the Bailie; 'I wad like
to ken that--wha but your Honour's to command, Duncan Macwheeble?
His Honour, young Mr. Wauverley, put it a' into my hand frae the
beginning--frae the first calling o' the summons, as I may say. I
circumvented them--I played at bogle about the bush wi' them--I cajoled
them; and if I havena gien Inch-Grabbit and Jamie Howie a bonnie begunk,
they ken themselves. Him a writer! I didna gea slapdash to them wi' our
young bra' bridegroom, to gar them haud up the market; na, na; I scared
them wi' our wild tenantry, and the Mac-Ivors, that are but ill settled
yet, till they durstna on ony errand whatsoever gang ower the
doorstane after gloaming, for fear John Heatherblutter, or some siccan
dare-the-deil, should tak a baff at them: then, on the other hand, I
beflumm'd them wi' Colonel Talbot--wad they offer to keep up the price
again' the Duke's friend? did they na ken wha was master? had they na
seen eneugh, by the sad example of mony a puir misguided unhappy body--'
'Who went to Derby, for example, Mr.
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