The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Provost, by John Galt

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Title: The Provost

Author: John Galt

Release Date: April 17, 2007 [eBook #1296]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PROVOST***

Transcribed from the 1913 T. N. Foulis edition David Price, email
ccx074@pglaf.org

THE PROVOST

INTRODUCTION

During a recent visit to the West Country, among other old friends we
paid our respects to Mrs Pawkie, the relict of the Provost of that name,
who three several times enjoyed the honour of being chief magistrate in
Gudetown. Since the death of her worthy husband, and the comfortable
settlement in life of her youngest daughter, Miss Jenny, who was married
last year to Mr Caption, writer to the signet, she has been, as she told
us herself, "beeking in the lown o' the conquest which the gudeman had,
wi' sic an ettling o' pains and industry, gathered for his family."

Our conversation naturally diverged into various topics, and, among
others, we discoursed at large on the manifold improvements which had
taken place, both in town and country, since we had visited the Royal
Burgh. This led the widow, in a complimentary way, to advert to the hand
which, it is alleged, we have had in the editing of that most excellent
work, entitled, "Annals of the Parish of Dalmailing," intimating, that
she had a book in the handwriting of her deceased husband, the Provost,
filled with a variety of most curious matter; in her opinion, of far more
consequence to the world than any book that we had ever been concerned in
putting out.

Considering the veneration in which Mr Pawkie had been through life
regarded by his helpmate, we must confess that her eulogium on the merits
of his work did not impress us with the most profound persuasion that it
was really deserving of much attention. Politeness, however, obliged us
to express an earnest desire to see the volume, which, after some little
hesitation, was produced. Judge, then, of the nature of our emotions,
when, in cursorily turning over a few of the well-penned pages, we found
that it far surpassed every thing the lady had sai