w aboot yer craig, as I hae dune, ye wadna forget it in a hurry, nor
the lesson it taught ye to keep yer tongue atween yer teeth."

"Well, no doubt; that certainly is rough schooling," said the young
cavalier; "but I repeat again, that thou art now in a different country,
friend; and one where thou hast nothing to fear from a reasonable use of
thy tongue."

"Aweel, it may be sae, sir," replied the imperturbable stranger; "but I
ken o' nae country whar a calm sough's no guid counsel."

"Ha! ha! ha! right, friend, right," roared mine jolly host of the
Drouthsloken, with open mouth and noisy laugh. "It is not goot to say
too moosh anywhere; no more in the Hague as any oder place. But here is
all honourable gentlemen," he added, casting a furtive glance of
good-humoured meaning at the young man who had first addressed the
Scotch visiter, "who will not make bad use of what you shall say."

"Ou, I hae nae doot o' that at a', sir," replied the latter; "but, to be
plain wi' ye, it's no my intention to say onything that onybody can mak
ony use o', either guid, bad, or indifferent." And, having said this,
the speaker showed a very palpable desire to put an end to the
conference, which he evidently began to think was studiously directed by
the other party towards an elucidation of his purposes in visiting the
Hague. In this disposition, however, he was by no means joined by the
party in whose presence he was, particularly by the young man by whom he
had been first addressed, who evinced a gratification in the peculiar
humour of the stranger, and an interest in him altogether that would not
permit of his being shaken off. So far indeed, was he from permitting
this, that he insisted on the latter's joining him in a bottle of wine,
which he instantly ordered mine jolly host of the Drouthsloken to
produce.

On the return of the latter, bearing a bottle of wine in one hand and a
screw in the other--

"Will your--your----" he said, but was here interrupted by a wink from
the person he addressed, which had the evident effect of making him
substitute a different word for that which he had intended to use, and
he added "your honour." "Will your honour not go up-stairs to your own
favourite apartment, de leetle blue parlour?"

"No, no, Mynheer Tromp," replied the young cavalier, "we'll just stay
where we are. The night is cold, and I have always thought your kitchen
the most comfortable and cheerful apartment in your house. So place