situation more
or less inconvenient. He therefore took an opportunity of settling
privately with Mr. Mackitchinson. The young traveller remonstrated
against his liberality, and only acquiesced in deference to his years
and respectability.

The mutual satisfaction which they found in each other's society induced
Mr. Oldbuck to propose, and Lovel willingly to accept, a scheme for
travelling together to the end of their journey. Mr. Oldbuck intimated
a wish to pay two-thirds of the hire of a post-chaise, saying, that a
proportional quantity of room was necessary to his accommodation; but
this Mr. Lovel resolutely declined. Their expense then was mutual,
unless when Lovel occasionally slipt a shilling into the hand of a
growling postilion; for Oldbuck, tenacious of ancient customs, never
extended his guerdon beyond eighteen-pence a stage. In this manner they
travelled, until they arrived at Fairport* about two o'clock on the
following day.

* [The "Fairport" of this novel is supposed to refer to the town of *
Arbroath, in Forfarshire, and "Musselcrag," post, to the fishing village
of * Auchmithie, in the same county.]

Lovel probably expected that his travelling companion would have invited
him to dinner on his arrival; but his consciousness of a want of ready
preparation for unexpected guests, and perhaps some other reasons,
prevented Oldbuck from paying him that attention. He only begged to
see him as early as he could make it convenient to call in a forenoon,
recommended him to a widow who had apartments to let, and to a person
who kept a decent ordinary; cautioning both of them apart, that he only
knew Mr. Lovel as a pleasant companion in a post-chaise, and did not
mean to guarantee any bills which he might contract while residing at
Fairport. The young gentleman's figure and manners; not to mention
a well-furnished trunk, which soon arrived by sea, to his address
at Fairport, probably went as far in his favour as the limited
recommendation of his fellow-traveller.

CHAPTER THIRD.

He had a routh o' auld nick-nackets,
Rusty airn caps, and jinglin-jackets,
Would held the Loudons three in tackets,
A towmond gude;
And parritch-pats, and auld sayt-backets,
Afore the flude.
Burns.

After he had settled himself in his new apartments at Fairport,
Mr. L