waiting porters, and giving them, as it were, the chance of honouring a
live Bailie going forth upon his journey, he did not seem to wish for
any public reception, or, indeed, for any spectators, and in fact had
every sign of a man who desired to be _incognito_.

"No, no, I've no luggage to-day," the Bailie hastily explained to an
obliging porter, and he stood between the man and the cab so as to block
all vision. "Just running down to Dundee on business and ... seeing a
friend off."

As the embarrassed magistrate endeavoured to disperse the porters, the
driver, leaning over the roof of the cab, winked with much unction to
Peter, and indicated to that ingenuous youth that it would be worth
while for him to wait and see the mysterious friend. Speug, in fact,
understood from all this telegraphic communication that there were going
to be circumstances of a quite remarkable character, and in which
he--Peter McGuffie--was expected to be personally interested. He dragged
Jock Howieson, who was spending the hour with him, behind a pile of
luggage, and from their hiding-place they saw, to their utter amazement,
a second Bailie come slowly and gingerly, but yet withal triumphantly,
out of the cab. The same height as the great man himself, and built
after the same pattern; a perfect reproduction also in dress, except
that the trousers were baggier, and the coat shabbier, and the collar
frayed at the edges, and the hat had the appearance of having been used
either as a seat or as a pillow, or perhaps for both purposes, at
different times; and the air of this second, but by no means ghostly,
Bailie was like that of the first, as confident, as mighty, as knowing,
with the addition of a certain joviality of expression and benignant
humanity, and a certain indifference to all the trials and difficulties
of life which is characteristic of a man who has been "tasting," not
wisely, but too well.

"Lean on me, James," said the Bailie, nervously, as the figure came with
a heavy lurch on the pavement. "The faintness may pass off. Take care
of your feet," and the Bailie shouldered his double to the ticket-office
and propped it against the wall while he went to take the tickets.

It might have been ill, and the remarkable walk might have been due to
weakness of the heart, for you never can tell, and one ought to be
charitable; but there was no sign of an invalid about this new Bailie,
nor was he at all too exhausted for genial conversati