e of news I have, gentlemen," went on my Lord--(for I
think he thought he appeared to be speaking too much at me)--"is that
owing to my Lord Shaftesbury's illness we must relinquish all thoughts
of any demonstration in London. That, Mr. Mallock, was what we had hoped
to be able to do in a week or two from now. Well; that is impossible.
For the rest, Mr. Ferguson had better tell us."

This gentleman I took to be somewhat of an ass by his appearance and
manner; but I am not sure he was not the cleverest liar of them all. He
spoke with a strong Scotch accent, and an appearance of shy sheepiness,
and therefore with an air too of extraordinary truth. He spoke, too, at
great length, as if he were in his pulpit; and my Lord Essex yawned
behind his hand once or twice.

Briefly put--Mr. Ferguson's report was as follows:

The discontent in the West was rising to a climax; and if a much longer
delay were made, real danger might follow. It was sadly disconcerting,
therefore, to him to hear that there was any hitch in the London
designs: for the promise that he had given to some of the leaders in the
West (whose names, he said, with an appearance of a stupid boorish kind
of cunning, "had best not be said even here") was that a demonstration
should be made simultaneously both here, in the West, and in Scot--

Here he interrupted himself sharply; and I saw that he had made a
blunder. But he covered it so admirably, that if I had not previously
known that discontent was seething among the Covenanters, I am sure I
should have suspected nothing.

"In Scotland," said he, "we must look for nothing. They are forever
promising and not performing--though I say it of my own countrymen. Any
demonstration there would surely be a failure."

It was admirably done; and it was then that I perceived what an actor
the man was.

Well; when he had done, we talked over it a while. I professed myself
very well satisfied with what I had heard; and I put forward an opinion
that it would be far better to delay no longer in the West. A
demonstration there might lead to alarm here; troops might be withdrawn
here, and relieve the pressure, and thus make possible a further
demonstration in London. I spoke, I think, with some eloquence,
remembering however that they all looked on me with the same confidence
that I had in them--and no more: that is, that they believed me a liar.
My observations were received with applause, very well delivered.

It was gro