" For look ye , my boys," uttered he one evening as, they sat at supper; "while time is gathering snow fast round my temples, summer buds are only beginning to weave a chaplet round yours. In one word, lads, I am getting old and mayhap I shall be a sheer hulk before your cock-boats are ready for sailing. I have got a few shiners left, and I want to make them of service to you before I drop off the hooks . Now there is Jessy provided for. I gave her something to keep the pot a boiling , though Sam did not want it, yet as I do suspect, by the look of Jessy's waist, that there is a little cock-boat on the stocks , so it will do for a christening. Then there is Olive, poor wench , she is provided for--" [The fisher here made an affecting pause; and brushed off a hasty and involuntary tear which had started to his eyes, as quick as he possibly could, though not without having recourse to a pipe of tobacco as the most expedient way of driving away so painful retrospections. And he slowly pronounced] "and there is no doubt but the villain who provided her with the cold bed she now lies in, has met with a provision too." Another pause ensued, when his countenance assumed a brighter aspect; and he addressed Alfred with, " Well , lad, and now I must think of providing for thee and thy brother Wolf. You must have a small matter to make hay while the sun shines,--so lad, tell us what course thee would like to follow? and thee , Wolf, what wouldst like to be?"

"Rose, Rose, coal-black Rose!
"I wish I may be scotched if I don't love Rose!"
were the first words the beldam articulated after she had ceased her shout of unnatural laughter. " Oh, massa clerk! " she added, " dat be your way making lub !" and again the cabin seemed to ring with her discordant laughter.

When I was driving out the gaislings to the grass on the next morn, who was it my ill fate to meet but the blacksmith. " Ou , Mansie," said Jamie Coom, "are ye gaun to take me for your best man? I hear you are to be cried in the kirk on Sunday?"
"Me!" answered I, shaking and staring.
"Yes!" said he, "Jess the minister's maid told me last night, that you had been giving up your name at the manse . Ay , it's ower true -- for she showed me the apples ye gied her in a present. This is a bonny story, Mansie, my man, and you only at your prenticeship yet."

"Dame Glendinning," answered the Monk, somewhat abruptly, when the good woman had finished her narrative, "I pray you, do you know the miller's daughter?"
"Did I know Kate Happer?" replied the widow; " as weel as the beggar knows his dish -- a canty quean was Kate, and a special cummer of my ain may be twenty years syne . "
"She cannot be the wench I mean," said father Eustace; " she after whom I enquire is scarce fifteen, a black-eyed girl -- you may have see her at the kirk ."
" Your reverence must be in the right; she is my cummer's niece, doubtless, you are pleased to speak of: But I thank God I have always been too duteous in attention to the mass, to know whether young wenches have black eyes or green ones. "

"There are two hostelries in this Kirk-town," said Mysie, "but the worst is best for our purpose; for it stands apart from the other houses, and I ken the man weel , for he has dealt with my father for malt. "
This causa scientiae , to use a lawyer's phrase, was ill chosen for Mysie's purpose; for Sir Piercie Shafton had, by dint of his own loquacity, been talking himself all this while into a high esteem for his fellow-traveller, and, pleased with the gracious reception which she afforded to his powers of conversation, had well nigh forgotten that she was not herself one of those high-born beauties of whom he was recounting so many stories, when this unlucky speech at once placed the most disadvantageous circumstances attending her lineage under his immediate recollection.

"Make thyself easy," replied the man, "and I'se wull tell thee all about un . Thee seest as how muster Morris was coming to thee wi' some good news, but met wi' a mizvortune on the road, and is at a house hard by wi' muster Zummers , zo don't be alarmed."
In a few minutes they crossed a common, and arrived at a lonely cottage.
The man got off his horse, and opening the door, desired Clarissa to walk in.
Clarissa, although oppressed by a thousand fears, was necessitated to comply.
Having reached the interior of the cottage, she was conducted to a room.
"There," said the man, handing her a chair and assuming his own dialect , " sit down ."

"I had considered on what plan was best to pursue, and concluded the most probable means to gain admittance would be by artifice.
"When I arrived at the house, I rung the bell at the outer gate; a servant attended, who demanded my business.
"I pulled off my hat, and, scratching my head, assumed the west-country dialect : " I'se be come ," said I, " vrom Zur Tummus ; he said as how he should want me, and desired I'se would wait here vor un ."
This kind of language ," continued Bridport, "and the boorish method I practised, together with my making use of Sir Thomas's name, had the desired effect."

M'Bean then proceeded -- "Are they no the words o' a man that kent what he was sayin' ; of a man that could speak English, ay, an' write it too; but thae --they can do neither the tane nor the tither . An' then he says, just a wee bit farer down in the same manifesto; -- he's speakin' o' the time whan he came out o' exile to get back his ain -- 'My expedition was undertaken, unsupported by any foreign power. But, indeed, when I see a foreign force brought by my enemies against me, when I see Dutch, Danes, Hessians, and Swiss, the elector of Hanover's allies, being called over to protect his government against the native subjects, is it not high time for the king, my father, to accept the assistance of those who are able to support him? But will the world, or any man of sense in it, infer from thence, that he inclines to be a tributary Prince, rather than an independent Monarch? Who has the better chance to be independent of foreign powers? He, who, with the aid of his own subjects, can wrest the government out of the hands of an intruder? or he who cannot, without assistance from abroad, support his government? Let him, if he pleases, try the experiment, let him send off his foreign hirelings, and put the whole upon the issue of a battle?' There's sentiments worthy of one who ought to rule an independent, unconquered kingdom. He promises there too, freedom frae the Excise, frae the curst Excise! -- I'll just read yon that, an' nae mair the now. This is speakin' to the English, though they didna deserve muckle at his hand -- 'And as we are desirous to reign chiefly over the affections of our people, we shall be utterly averse to the suspending the Habeas Corpus act, as well as to the loading our subjects with unnecessary taxes, or raising any in a manner burthen some to them, especially to the introducing of foreign Excise; and to all such matters as may have hither to been devised and pursued, to acquire arbitrary power, at the expense of the liberty and property of the subject.' Now, Mr Martin, can you tell me, if ever ony o' the---- ye ken what I mean -- wad they ever trust native subjects did'n they aye bring owre your German robbers to support their---- an' did'n they send a' the siller out o' the land; I'm sure, I never see a gold coin in a manner to what we use to see; an' then they maun dress out their soldiers like Germans an' no a bare hough to be seen amang them, but daft-like fligmagaries , that that Duke o' their's brought owre frae Germany.

"A short dark surtout," replied Bertram.
"Belted round him, and buckled wudth a large shining buckle on his left side?" said Mala, inquiringly.
"Just so, mother," replied Fitzroy.
" Troth , aroon , and ye fell in wudth Green Shela's luck, sure enough! I wonder you're here at all. Slip away, Quale, my cock, and see if it isn't Grimes Fergus."
" Ay is it, mother," said the youth, returning in haste; " ye've the divle 's guess and your own."
"Come in, honey," said the mother, closing the door. "Now cross winds to Fergus, what's this he wants at the Bend?"
" St. Cullumb knows, mother; no good I fear," said Quale.
"St. Cullumb knows nothin at all about him, my son, so never couple their names together again while you live. Muddy be his waters , what brings him here now!"
"And pray who is Grimes Fergus?" inquired Bertram; "and why do you seem to fear him?"
"Grimes O'Fergus," replied Quale, "is a descendant of the Ferguses, the natural standard-bearers of the great O'Neals, the kings of Ulster, and he claims the right now, and bears the royal spear before this earl of Tyrone, who is the acknowledged heir to the northern crown."

"Am I to understand, sirrah, that you and your master are not implicated in any treasonable discourse with the enemy?"
"My lord," said John, "I am too humble and insignificant to mak it of ony consequence whether I am guilty or not. I would not be believed whatever I said of mysell ; but, for my master, I do vouch his innocence; -- and wi' my last breath will I denounce the charge to be false -- ay, false and unnatural. There was naething in my master's heart akin to treachery. His kindly feelings were in a manner seared, and whiles he wad try to choke the rising emotions whilk mak mankind brethren; but wha is it that will impute disloyalty to Ducholly?"
"I do," exclaimed Donatus. "I do -- and I request, my lord, that you note that I do so on behalf of their high mightenesses --"
"My lord, my lord," interrupted John, stepping a few paces forward, "if it is permitted by military law or respect to your honours -- or in this particular case where the person maist interested is not at hand to redress his ain injuries and vindicate his ain fame, I would humbly solicit permission to have five minutes' private conversation wi' that fause craven -- five minutes' allernally . I'll no occupy anither instant of his time."