seemingly pulling at opposite ends of the rope. There was nothing
that he proposed in the council but what I set myself against with
such bir and vigour, that sometimes he could scarcely keep his
temper, even while he was laughing in his sleeve to see how the
other members of the corporation were beglammered. At length
Michaelmas drew near, when I, to show, as it were, that no ill blood
had been bred on my part, notwithstanding our bickerings, proposed
in the council that Mr M'Lucre should be the new bailie; and he on
his part, to manifest, in return, that there was as little heart-
burning on his, said "he would have no objections; but then he
insisted that I should consent to be dean of guild in his stead."

"It's true," said he in the council on that occasion, "that Mr
Pawkie is as yet but a greenhorn in the concerns of the burgh:
however, he'll never learn younger, and if he'll agree to this, I'll
gie him all the help and insight that my experience enables me to
afford."

At the first, I pretended that really, as was the truth, I had no
knowledge of what were the duties of dean of guild; but after some
fleeching from the other councillors, I consented to have the
office, as it were, forced upon me; so I was made dean of guild, and
Mr M'Lucre the new bailie.

By and by, when the harvest in England was over, the parliament was
dissolved, but no candidate started on my lord's interest, as was
expected by Mr M'Lucre, and he began to fret and be dissatisfied
that he had ever consented to allow himself to be hoodwinked out of
the guildry. However, just three days before the election, and at
the dead hour of the night, the sound of chariot wheels and of