temper, even while he was laughing in his sleeve to see how the

other members of the corporation were beglammered. At length
Michaelmas drew near, when I, to show, as it were, that no ill blood

had been bred on my part, notwithstanding our bickerings, proposed
in the council that Mr M'Lucre should be the new bailie; and he on

his part, to manifest, in return, that there was as little heart-
burning on his, said "he would have no objections; but then he

insisted that I should consent to be dean of guild in his stead."
"It's true," said he in the council on that occasion, "that Mr

Pawkie is as yet but a greenhorn in the concerns of the burgh:
however, he'll never learn younger, and if he'll agree to this, I'll

gie him all the help and insight that my experience enables me to
afford."

At the first, I pretended that really, as was the truth, I had no
knowledge of what were the duties of dean of guild; but after some

fleeching from the other councillors, I consented to have the
office, as it were, forced upon me; so I was made dean of guild, and

Mr M'Lucre the new bailie.
By and by, when the harvest in England was over, the parliament was

dissolved, but no candidate started on my lord's interest, as was
expected by Mr M'Lucre, and he began to fret and be dissatisfied

that he had ever consented to allow himself to be hoodwinked out of
the guildry. However, just three days before the election, and at

the dead hour of the night, the sound of chariot wheels and of
horsemen was heard in our streets; and this was Mr Galore, the great

Indian nabob, that had bought the Beerland estates, and built the
grand place that is called Lucknoo House, coming from London, with

the influence of the crown on his side, to oppose the old member.
He drove straight to Provost Picklan's house, having, as we

afterwards found out, been in a secret correspondence with him
through the medium of Mrs Picklan, who was conjunct in the business

with Miss Nelly, the nabob's maiden sister. Mr M'Lucre was not a
little confounded at this, for he had imagined that I was the agent

on behalf of my lord, who was of the government side, so he wist not
what to do, in the morning when he came to me, till I said to him

briskly -
"Ye ken, bailie, that ye're trysted to me, and it's our duty to

support the nabob, who is both able and willing, as I have good
reason to think, to requite our services in a very grateful manner."

This was a cordial to his spirit, and, without more ado, we both of
us set to work to get the bailie made the delegate. In this I had

nothing in view but the good of my country by pleasuring, as it was
my duty, his majesty's government, for I was satisfied with my

situation as dean of guild. But the handling required no small
slight of skill.

The first thing was, to persuade those that were on the side of the
old member to elect Mr M'Lucre for delegate, he being, as we had

concerted, openly declared for that interest, and the benefit to be
gotten thereby having, by use and wont, been at an established and

regular rate. The next thing was to get some of those that were
with me on my lord's side, kept out of the way on the day of

choosing the delegate; for we were the strongest, and could easily
have returned the provost, but I had no clear notion how it would

advantage me to make the provost delegate, as was proposed. I
therefore, on the morning of the business, invited three of the

council to take their breakfast with me, for the ostensible purpose
of going in a body to the council chamber to choose the provost

delegate; but when we were at breakfast, John Snakers, my lad in the
shop, by my suggestion, warily got a bale of broad cloth so tumbled,

as it were by accident, at the door, that it could not be opened;
for it bent the key in such a manner in the lock, and crooket the

sneck, that without a smith there was no egress, and sorrow a smith
was to be had. All were out and around the tolbooth waiting for the

upshot of the choosing the delegate. Those that saw me in the mean
time, would have thought I had gone demented. I ramped and I

stamped; I banned and I bellowed like desperation. My companions,
no a bit better, flew fluttering to the windows, like wild birds to

the wires of their cage. However, to make a long tale short, Bailie
M'Lucre was, by means of this device, chosen delegate, seemingly

against my side. But oh! he was a slee tod, for no sooner was he so
chosen, than he began to act for his own behoof; and that very

afternoon, while both parties were holding their public dinner he
sent round the bell to tell that the potato crop on his back rig was

to be sold by way of public roup the same day. There wasna one in
the town that had reached the years of discretion, but kent what na

sort of potatoes he was going to sell; and I was so disturbed by
this open corruption, that I went to him, and expressed my great

surprise. Hot words ensued between us; and I told him very plainly
that I would have nothing further to say to him or his political

profligacy. However, his potatoes were sold, and brought upwards of
three guineas the peck, the nabob being the purchaser, who, to show

his contentment with the bargain, made Mrs M'Lucre, and the bailie's
three daughters, presents of new gowns and princods, that were not

stuffed with wool.
In the end, as a natural consequence, Bailie M'Lucre, as delegate,

voted for the Nabob, and the old member was thereby thrown out. But
although the government candidate in this manner won the day, yet I

was so displeased by the jookerie of the bailie, and the selfish
manner by which he had himself reaped all the advantage of the

election in the sale of his potatoes, that we had no correspondence
on public affairs till long after; so that he never had the face to

ask me to give up the guildry, till I resigned it of my own accord
after the renewal of the tacks to which I have alluded, by the which

renewals, a great increase was effected in the income of the town.
CHAPTER VI--THE FAILURE OF BAILIE M'LUCRE

Bailie M'Lucre, as I have already intimated, was naturally a greedy
body, and not being content with the profits of his potatoe rig,

soon after the election he set up as an o'er-sea merchant, buying
beef and corn by agency in Ireland, and having the same sent to the

Glasgow market. For some time, this traffic yielded him a
surprising advantage; but the summer does not endure the whole year

round, nor was his prosperity ordained to be of a continuance. One
mishap befell him after another; cargoes of his corn heated in the

vessels, because he would not sell at a losing price, and so
entirely perished; and merchants broke, that were in his debt large

sums for his beef and provisions. In short, in the course of the
third year from the time of the election, he was rookit of every

plack he had in the world, and was obligated to take the benefit of
the divor's bill, soon after which he went suddenly away from the

town, on the pretence of going into Edinburgh, on some business of
legality with his wife's brother, with whom he had entered into a

plea concerning the moiety of a steading at the town-head. But he
did not stop on any such concern there; on the contrary, he was off,

and up to London in a trader from Leith, to try if he could get a
post in the government by the aid of the nabob, our member; who, by

all accounts, was hand and glove with the king's ministers. The
upshot of this journey to London was very comical; and when the

bailie afterwards came back, and him and me were again on terms of
visitation, many a jocose night we spent over the story of the same;

for the bailie was a kittle hand at a bowl of toddy; and his
adventure was so droll, especially in the way he was wont to

rehearse the particulars, that it cannot fail to be an edification
to posterity, to read and hear how it happened, and all about it. I

may therefore take leave to digress into the circumstantials, by way
of lightening for a time the seriousness of the sober and important

matter, whereof it is my intent that this book shall be a register
and record to future times.

CHAPTER VII--THE BRIBE
Mr M'Lucre, going to London, as I have intimated in the foregoing

chapter, remained there, absent from us altogether about the space