mentioned his name."

"If I did, it was merely casually, by way of illustration. I was saying
how frequently cunning people were mistaken in their calculations, and I
adduced the case of old Fraser, of Lovat, as one in point; I brought
forward his name, because I was well acquainted with his history, from
having compiled and inserted it in a wonderful work, which I edited some
months ago, entitled 'Newgate Lives and Trials,' but without the
slightest idea that it was the name of him who was sitting with us; he,
however, thought that I was aware of his name. Belle! Belle! for a long
time I doubted in the truth of Scripture, owing to certain conceited
discourses which I had heard from certain conceited individuals, but now
I begin to believe firmly; what wonderful texts there are in Scripture,
Belle! 'The wicked trembleth where--where . . .'"

"'They were afraid where no fear was; thou hast put them to confusion,
because God hath despised them,'" said Belle; "I have frequently read it
before the clergyman in the great house of Long Melford. But if you did
not know the man's name, why let him go away supposing that you did?"

"Oh, if he was fool enough to make such a mistake, I was not going to
undeceive him--no, no! Let the enemies of old England make the most of
all their blunders and mistakes, they will have no help from me; but
enough of the fellow, Belle, let us now have tea, and after that . . ."

"No Armenian," said Belle; "but I want to ask a question: pray are all
people of that man's name either rogues or fools?"

"It is impossible for me to say, Belle, this person being the only one of
the name I have ever personally known. I suppose there are good and bad,
clever and foolish, amongst them, as amongst all large bodies of people;
however, after the tribe had been governed for upwards of thirty years by
such a person as old Fraser, it were no wonder if the greater part had
become either rogues or fools: he was a ruthless tyrant, Belle, over his
own people, and by his cruelty and rapaciousness must either have stunned
them into an apathy approaching to idiocy, or made them artful knaves in
their own defence. The qualities of parents are generally transmitted to
their descendants--the progeny of trained pointers are almost sure to
point, even without being taught: if, therefore, all Frasers are either
rogues or fools, as this person seems to insinuate, it is little to be
wondered at, their parents or gran