of courtesy--commonly called Lord Ravenswood, or
Master of Ravenswood, heritable proprietor of the lands and barony of
Wolf's Crag, on othe ne part, and to John Whitefish and others, feuars
in the town of Wolf's Hope, within the barony aforesaid, on the other
part."

Caleb was conscious, from sad experience, that he would wage a very
different strife with this mercenary champion than with the individual
feuars themselves, upon whose old recollections, predilections,
and habits of thinking he might have wrought by an hundred indirect
arguments, to which their deputy-representative was totally insensible.
The issue of the debate proved the reality of his apprehensions. It was
in vain he strained his eloquence and ingenuity, and collected into one
mass all arguments arising from antique custom and hereditary respect,
from the good deeds done by the Lords of Ravenswood to the community of
Wolf's Hope in former days, and from what might be expected from them in
future. The writer stuck to the contents of his feu-charters; he could
not see it: 'twas not in the bond. And when Caleb, determined to try
what a little spirit would do, deprecated the consequences of Lord
Ravenswood's withdrawing his protection from the burgh, and even hinted
in his using active measures of resentment, the man of law sneered in
his face.

"His clients," he said, "had determined to do the best they could for
their own town, and he thought Lord Ravenswood, since he was a lord,
might have enough to do to look after his own castle. As to any threats
of stouthrief oppression, by rule of thumb, or via facti, as the law
termed it, he would have Mr. Balderstone recollect, that new times were
not as old times; that they lived on the south of the Forth, and far
from the Highlands; that his clients thought they were able to protect
themselves; but should they find themselves mistaken, they would apply
to the government for the protection of a corporal and four red-coats,
who," said Mr. Dingwall, with a grin, "would be perfectly able to secure
them against Lord Ravenswood, and all that he or his followers could do
by the strong hand."

If Caleb could have concentrated all the lightnings of aristocracy in
his eye, to have struck dead this contemner of allegiance and privilege,
he would have launched them at his head, without respect to the
consequences. As it was, he was compelled to turn his course backward
to the castle; and there he remained for full half