were possible for Neil of Lupness, that lost one arm by his fall from the crag of Nekbreckan, to manage a plough with two handles ?”

"The harness is of raw seal-skin," said Triptolemus.

"It will save dressed leather," answered Magnus Troil.

"It is drawn by four wretched bullocks," said the agriculturist, "that are yoked breast-fashion; and two women must follow this unhappy instrument, and complete the furrow with a couple of shovels."

"Drink about, Master Yellowley," said the Udaller; " and, as you say in Scotland, ‘never fash your thumb. Our cattle are too high-spirited to let one go before the other; our men are too gentle and well nurtured to take the working-field without the women's company; our ploughs till our land—our land bears us barley; we brew our ale, eat our bread, and make strangers welcome to their share of it. Here's to you, Master Yellowley."

This was said in a tone meant to be decisive of the question; and, accordingly, Halcro whis

pered to Mordaunt, "that has settled the matter, and now we will get on with glorious John.There he sat in his suit of full-trimmed black ; two years due was the bill, as mine honest landlord afterwards told me,-and such an eye in his head !-none of your burning blighting falcon eyes, which we poets are apt to make a rout about, but a soft, full, thoughtful, yet penetrating glance-never saw the like of it in my life, unless it were Stephen Kleancogg, the fiddler, at Papastons, who"

"Nay, but John Dryden," said Mordaunt, who, for want of better amusement, had begun to take a sort of pleasure in keeping the old gentleman to his narrative, as men herd in a restive sheep, when they wish to catch him. He returned to his theme, with his usual phrase of "Ay, true-glorious John-Well, sir, he cast his eye, such as I have described it, on mine landlord, and honest Tim,' said he, 'what hast thou got here?' and all the wits, and lords, and gentlemen, that used to crowd round him, like the wenches round a pedlar at a fair, they made way for us, and up we came to the fire-side,

where he had his own established chair,-I have heard it was carried to the balcony in summer, but it was by the fire-side when I saw it, so up came Tim Thimblethwaite, through the midst of them, as bold as a lion, and I followed with a small parcel under my arm, which I had taken up partly to oblige my landlord, as the shop porter was not in the way, and partly that I might be thought to have something to do there, for you are to think there was no admittance at Will's for strangers who had no business there. -I have heard that Sir Charles Sedley said a good thing about that—————”

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Nay, but you forget glorious John," said Mordaunt.

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Ay, glorious you may well call him. They talk of their Blackmore, and Shadwell, and such like,-not fit to tie the latchets of John's shoes. Well,' he said to my landlord,' what have you got there?' and he, bowing, I warrant, lower than he would to a duke, said he had made bold to come and shew him the stuff which Lady Elizabeth had chose for her night-gown.- And which of your geese is that, Tim, who has got it

tucked under his wing? He is an Orkney goose, if it please you, Mr Dryden,' said Tim, who had wit at will, and he hath brought you a copy of verses for your honour to look at. Is he amphibious?' said glorious John, taking the paper, and methought I could rather have faced a battery of cannon than the crackle it gave as it opened, though he did not speak in a way to dash one neither;-and then he looked at the verses, and he was pleased to say, in a very encouraging way, indeed with a sort of good-humoured smile on his face, and certainly for a fat elderly gentleman, for I would not compare it to Minna's smile, or to Brenda's, he had the pleasantest smile I ever saw,- Why, Tim,' he said, 'this goose of yours will prove a swan on your hands.' With that he smiled a little, and they all laughed, and none louder than those who stood too far off to hear the jest; for every one knew when he smiled there was something worth laughing at, and so took it upon trust; and the word passed through among the young Templars, and the wits, and the smarts, and there was nothing but question on question who we were;

and one French fellow was trying to tell them it was only Monsieur Tim Thimblethwaite ; but he made such work with his Dumbletate and Timbletaite, that I thought his explanation would have lasted"

"As long as your own story," thought Mordaunt; but the narrative was at length finally cut short, by the strong and decided voice of the Udaller.

"I will hear no more on it, Mr Factor," he exclaimed.

"At least let me say something about the breed of horses," said Yellowley, in rather a crymercy tone of voice. "Your horses, my dear sir, resemble cats in size, and tigers in devilry !"

"For their size," said Magnus, "they are the easier for us to get off and on them—(as Triptolemus experienced this morning, thought Mordaunt to himself)—and, as for their devilry, let no one mount them that cannot manage them."

A twinge of self-conviction, on the part of the agriculturist, prevented him from reply. He darted a deprecatory glance at Mordaunt, as if for the purpose of imploring secrecy respect