
his fellow-traveller.
 

                                 Chapter Third

 He had a routh o' auld nick-nackets,
 Rusty airn caps, and jinglin-jackets,
 Would held the Loudons three in tackets,
 A towmond gude;
 And parritch-pats, and auld saut-backets.
 Afore the flude.
                                                                          Burns.
 
After he had settled himself in his new apartments at Fairport, Mr. Lovel
bethought him of paying the requested visit to his fellow-traveller. He did not
make it earlier, because, with all the old gentleman's good-humour and
information, there had sometimes glanced forth in his language and manner
towards him an air of superiority, which his companion considered as being fully
beyond what the difference of age warranted. He therefore waited the arrival of
his baggage from Edinburgh, that he might arrange his dress according to the
fashion of the day, and make his exterior corresponding to the rank in society
which he supposed or felt himself entitled to hold.
    It was the fifth day after his arrival, that, having made the necessary
inquiries concerning the road, he went forth to pay his respects at Monkbarns. A
footpath leading over a heathy hill, and through two or three meadows, conducted
him to this mansion, which stood on the opposite side of the hill aforesaid, and
commanded a fine prospect of the bay and shipping. Secluded from the town by the
rising ground, which also screened it from the north-west wind, the house had a
solitary and sheltered appearance. The exterior had little to recommend it. It
was an irregular old-fashioned building, some part of which had belonged to a
grange, or solitary farm-house, inhabited by the bailiff, or steward, of the
monastery, when the place was in possession of the monks. It was here that the
community stored up the grain, which they received as ground-rent from their
vassals; for, with the prudence belonging to their order, all their conventional
revenues were made payable in kind, and hence, as the present proprietor loved
to tell, came the name of Monkbarns. To the remains of the bailiff's house, the
succeeding lay inhabitants had made various additions in proportion to the
accommodation required by their families; and, as this was done with an equal
contempt of convenience within and architectural regularity without, the whole
bore the appearance of a hamlet which had suddenly stood still when in the act
of leading down one of Amphion's, or Orpheus's, country dances. It was
surrounded by tall clipped hedges of yew and holly, some of which still
exhibited the skill of the
