o Irish Roman Catholics, to the Publicans, to the
Morisonians, and to a tribe of gypsies camped outside the city. They
were all annoying, but there were two which cut the Bailie to the quick.
One was written from the security of Glasgow, in which the writer
promised, on receipt of the reward, to send a full account of the
conspiracy, and, having got the money, replied briefly that he left the
matter to the Bailie's own conscience; and the second, which asked for
no reward except the writer's sense of having done his duty, and which
hinted that if the Bailie put the question straight to his senior
assistant, he might find he had been nourishing a viper in his bosom,
and that a young man with such a smug appearance could be little else
than a rascal. This letter, which was written in a schoolboy hand, and
had five words misspelt, was signed, "An Elder of the Free Kirk." None
of the letters seemed to help the matter forward, and life at the
Bailie's residence was very troubled during those weeks.

When news of the Bailie's vindictive spirit spread through the Seminary,
the boys were much pained, for it was sad to see an old man forgetting
himself and harbouring a spirit of revenge. It seemed, indeed, as if all
they had done for the Bailie was simply love's labour lost, and that
they must begin again to bring him to a proper state of mind. The
Seminary loved peace and hated war, being a body of quiet,
well-behaved, hard-working lads. Still, if war was forced upon them, and
detectives set upon their track, it was a duty to themselves and their
families to meet the situation bravely. Nothing could have been more
successful than the last campaign; and, although Speug had never
boasted, and none dared say that he had anything to do with it, there
was a feeling in the Seminary that the conduct of the next campaign was
safe in his hands. As it turned out, it was certainly safe, and one
ought not to detract from genius, but there can be no doubt that Fortune
played into the hands of Speug.

Much may be allowed to a broad sense of humour, and the walk of the
Bailie was marvellous to behold; but it was rather poor business for
Speug to walk half the length of the Terrace a yard behind the Bailie in
an exact imitation of the magistrate's manner, although the school was
hugely delighted. If the Bailie had taken no notice, the score had been
on his side; but when he turned round and gave Speug a sound box on the
side of the head, he l