tour, and the softer and more
intense lustre of the eye. I have seen your Scottish maidens, laird, and
admired them in my time."

"Feth, sir, I maun say your taste wad hae been very questionable if ye
hadna," interposed the laird. "When and whar saw ye them, if ye please,
sir? What pairt o' Scotland was ye in?" he added.

The question appeared to place Jones in a difficulty for a moment; but
he at length answered--

"Why, laird, I have been in many parts of Scotland in my day. I was with
the king at Scone."

"Was that at the time o' his coronation?" inquired the laird.

"It was," said Jones.

"And it wad be there, like, and aboot the quarter o' Perth, that ye saw
our bonny Scotch lasses, I warrant," said the laird, laughingly. "Ay, if
a' tales be true, the king admired them when he saw them, as muckle as
ye could do, sir," continued the laird.

"Why, they do report something of that kind," replied Jones, with some
confusion of manner, and slightly colouring as he spoke--indications of
a feeling, whatever it was, which seemed highly edifying to his
companions, who marked it with repeated bursts of laughter; "they do
report something of the kind," said Jones; "but we mustn't credit all we
hear, laird."

"The tae half's aboot the usual thing I believe," replied the latter;
"and, if we tak that in the present case--that is, regarding the king's
gallantries----"

"Ay, ay, go on, laird, go on--that's it--give us all you know about the
king's gallantries in Scotland," shouted, almost simultaneously, the
other members of the party. "Go on, go on, like a good fellow."

"Nay, nay, now," exclaimed Jones, earnestly, but good-humouredly, "as
one of the king's confidential servants, I must protest, laird, against
your divulging anything of that kind in my presence."

"Never mind the protest--never mind the protest, laird. Go on, and we'll
stand between you and the consequences," again shouted several members
of the party. "What know ye about the king's gallantries at Scone?"

"Ou, it was nae great things after a', to mak a wark aboot; but, ye see,
there war a wheen unco godly ministers there at the time, an' they made
an awfu ado aboot it. The hale affair was just this. The king happenin
to go into the room that he usually occupied in the Palace o' Scone ae
mornin earlier than ordinar, wha does he fin sortin't oot but a bit
bonny lassie o' a chaumermaid. Aweel, whan she saw the king enter, wham
she hadna expeckit for a