ose with the lairds, to be sure, but he never
dropped in to the Red Lion for a crack and a dram with the town-folk; he
just glowered as if he could devour them! And who was he, I should like
to know? His grandfather had been noathing but a common carrier!

Hate was the greater on both sides because it was often impotent.
Gourlay frequently suspected offence, and seethed because he had no idea
how to meet it--except by driving slowly down the brae in his new gig
and never letting on when the Provost called to him. That was a wipe in
the eye for the Provost! The "bodies," on their part, could rarely get
near enough Gourlay to pierce his armour; he kept them off him by his
brutal dourness. For it was not only pride and arrogance, but a
consciousness also that he was no match for them at their own game, that
kept Gourlay away from their society. They were adepts at the under
stroke, and they would have given him many a dig if he had only come
amongst them. But, oh no, not he; he was the big man; he never gave a
body a chance! Or if you did venture a bit jibe when you met him, he
glowered you off the face of the earth with thae black een of his. Oh,
how they longed to get at him! It was not the least of the evils caused
by Gourlay's black pride that it perverted a dozen characters. The
"bodies" of Barbie may have been decent enough men in their own way, but
against him their malevolence was monstrous. It showed itself in an
insane desire to seize on every scrap of gossip they might twist against
him. That was why the Provost lowered municipal dignity to gossip in the
street with a discharged servant. As the baker said afterwards, it was
absurd for a man in his "poseetion." But it was done with the sole
desire of hearing something that might tell against Gourlay. Even
countesses, we are told, gossip with malicious maids about other
countesses. Spite is a great leveller.

"Shall we adjourn?" said Brodie, when they had watched Jock Gilmour out
of sight. He pointed across his shoulder to the Red Lion.

"Better noat just now," said the Provost, nodding in slow
authority--"better noat just now! I'm very anxious to see Gourlay about
yon matter we were speaking of, doan't ye understa-and? But I'm
determined not to go to his house! On the other hand, if we go into the
Red Lion the now, we may miss him on the street. We'll noat have loang
to wait, though; he'll be down the town directly, to look at the horses
he has at the gerse out