town-officers carrying their halberts before us, according to the
ancient custom of all royal burghs, my mind was in a degree prepared
to speak to them anent the successor. Little, however, passed at
that time, and it so happened that, by some wonder of inspiration,
(there were, however, folk that said it was taken out of a book of
sermons, by one Barrow an English Divine,) Mr Pittle that forenoon
preached a discourse that made an impression, in so much, that on
our way back to the council-chamber I said to Provost Vintner, that
then was -

"Really Mr Pittle seems, if he would exert himself, to have a nerve.
I could not have thought it was in the power of his capacity to have
given us such a sermon."

The provost thought as I did, so I replied--"We canna, I think, do
better than keep him among us. It would, indeed, provost, no be
doing justice to the young man to pass another over his head."

I could see that the provost wasna quite sure of what I had been
saying; for he replied, that it was a matter that needed
consideration.

When we separated at the council-chamber, I threw myself in the way
of Bailie Weezle, and walked home with him, our talk being on the
subject of vacancy; and I rehearsed to him what had passed between
me and the provost, saying, that the provost had made no objection
to prefer Mr Pittle, which was the truth.

Bailie Weezle was a man no overladen with worldly wisdom, and had
been chosen into the council principally on account of being easily