Guy Mannering.

94 WAVERLEY NOVELS.
and because I chose to go with my own blood and third
cousin, the Laird of Balruddery, they keepit me off the
roll of freeholders; and now there comes a new nomination of justices, and I am left out! And whereas they
pretend it was because I let Davie Mac-Guffog, the constable, draw the warrants, and manage the business his
ain gate, as if I had been a nose o' wax, it's a main untruth; for I granted but seven warrants in my life, and
the Dominie wrote every one of them-and if it had not
been that unlucky business of Sandy Mac-Gruthar's, that
the constables should have keepit twa or three days up
yonder at the auld castle, just till they could get conveniency to send him to the county jail-and that cost
me eneugh o' siller-But I ken what Sir Thomas wants
very weel-it was just sic and siclike about the seat in
the kirk o' Kilmagirdle-was I not entitled to have the
front gallery facing the minister, rather than Mac-Crosskie
of Creochstone, the son of Deacon Mac-Crosskie, the
Dumfries weaver? "
Mannering expressed his acquiescence in the justice of
these various complaints.
" And then, Mr. Mannering, there was the story about
the road, and the fauld-dike-I ken Sir Thomas was
behind there, and I said plainly to the clerk to the trustees that I saw the cloven foot, let them take that as they
like. —Would any gentleman, or set of gentlemen, go and
drive a road right through the corner of a fauld-dike, and
take away, as my agent observed to them, like twa roods
of gude moorland pasture?-And there was the story
about choosing the collector of the cess- "
" Certainly, sir, it is hard you should meet with any
neglect in a country, where, to judge from the extent of
their residence, your ancestors must have made a very
important figure."