 the man pulled off his hat to make an apology, he
recognised Lockhard, the confidential domestic of Sir William Ashton. The man
bowed, slipped a letter into his hand, and disappeared. The packet contained
four closely-written folios, from which, however, as is sometimes incident to
the compositions of great lawyers, little could be extracted excepting that the
writer felt himself in a very puzzling predicament.
    Sir William spoke at length of his high value and regard for his dear young
friend, the Master of Ravenswood, and of his very extreme high value and regard
for the Marquis of A--, his very dear old friend; - he trusted that any measures
that they might adopt, in which he was concerned, would be carried on with due
regard to the sanctity of decreets, and judgments obtained in foro contentioso;
protesting, before men and angels, that if the law of Scotland, as declared in
her supreme courts, were to undergo a reversal in the English House of Lords,
the evils which would thence arise to the public would inflict a greater wound
upon his heart, than any loss he might himself sustain by such irregular
proceedings. He flourished much on generosity and forgiveness of mutual
injuries, and hinted at the mutability of human affairs, always favourite topics
with the weaker party in politics. He pathetically lamented, and gently
censured, the haste which had been used in depriving him of his situation of
Lord Keeper, which his experience had enabled him to fill with some advantage to
the public, without so much as giving him an opportunity of explaining how far
his own views of general politics might essentially differ from those now in
power. He was convinced the Marquis of A-- had as sincere intentions towards the
public, as himself or any man; and if, upon a conference, they could have agreed
upon the measures by which it was to be pursued, his experience and his interest
should have gone to support the present administration. Upon the engagement
betwixt Ravenswood and his daughter, he spoke in a dry and confused manner. He
regretted so premature a step as the engagement of the young people should have
been taken, and conjured the Master to remember he had never given any
encouragement thereunto; and observed, that, as a transaction inter minores, and
without concurrence of his daughter's natural curators, the engagement was inept
and void in law. This precipitate measure, he added, had produced a very bad
effect upon Lady Ashton's mind, which it was impossible at present to remove.
Her son, Colonel Douglas Ashton, had embraced her prejudices in
