The Ayrshire Legatees

The fourth guest was a stock-broker, a shrewd compound, with all charity

be it spoken, of knavery and humour. He is by profession an epicure, but

I suspect his accomplishments in that capacity are not very well founded;

I would almost say, judging by the evident traces of craft and

dissimulation in his physiognomy, that they have been assumed as part of

the means of getting into good company, to drive the more earnest trade

of money-making. Argent evidently understood his true character, though

he treated him with jocular familiarity. I thought it a fine example of

the intellectual tact and superiority of T---, that he seemed to view him

with dislike and contempt. But I must not give you my reasons for so

thinking, as you set no value on my own particular philosophy; besides,

my paper tells me, that I have only room left to say, that it would be

difficult in Edinburgh to bring such a party together; and yet they

affect there to have a metropolitan character. In saying this, I mean

only with reference to manners; the methods of behaviour in each of the

company were precisely similar--there was no eccentricity, but only that

distinct and decided individuality which nature gives, and which no

acquired habits can change. Each, however, was the representative of a

class; and Edinburgh has no classes exactly of the same kind as those to

which they belonged.--Yours truly, ANDREW PRINGLE.

Just as Mr. Snodgrass concluded the last sentence, one of the Clyde

skippers, who had fallen asleep, gave such an extravagant snore, followed

by a groan, that it set the whole company a-laughing, and interrupted the

critical strictures which would otherwise have been made on Mr. Andrew

Pringle's epistle. "Damn it," said he, "I thought myself in a fog, and

could not tell whether the land ahead was Plada or the Lady Isle." Some

of the company thought the observation not inapplicable to what they had

been hearing.

Miss Isabella Tod then begged that Miss Mally, their hostess, would

favour the company with Mrs. Pringle's communication. To this request

that considerate maiden ornament of the Kirkgate deemed it necessary, by

way of preface to the letter, to say, "Ye a' ken that Mrs. Pringle's a

managing woman, and ye maunna expect any metaphysical philosophy from

her." In the meantime, having taken the letter from her pocket, and

placed her spectacles on that functionary of the face which was destined

to wear spectacles, she began as follows:-LETTER XI

Mrs. Pringle to Miss Mally Glencairn MY DEAR MISS MALLY--We have been at the counting-house, and gotten a sort

of a satisfaction; what the upshot may be, I canna take it upon myself to

prognosticate; but when the waur comes to the worst, I think that baith

Rachel and Andrew will have a nest egg, and the Doctor and me may sleep

sound on their account, if the nation doesna break, as the argle-barglers

in the House of Parliament have been threatening: for all the cornal's

fortune is sunk at present in the pesents. Howsomever, it's our notion,

when the legacies are paid off, to lift the money out of the funds, and

place it at good interest on hairetable securitie. But ye will hear

aften from us, before things come to that, for the delays, and the

goings, and the comings in this town of London are past all expreshon.