The monastery; The abbot.

18 WAVERLEY NOVELS.
I plainly perceived this last compliment was made for my hearing, by
way both of indicating and of recommending the course of conduct which
Mrs. Grimslees desired I should pursue. But I had not been knocked
about the world for thirty years and odd, and lived a bluff bachelor all the
while, to come home and be put under petticoat government by my landlady. Accordingly I opened my chamber-door, and desired my old friend
David to walk up stairs.
"Captain," said he, as he entered, " I am as glad to find you up as if I
had hooked a twenty pound saumon. There's a gentleman up yonder that
will not sleep sound in his bed this blessed night unless he has the pleasure
to drink a glass of wine with you."
"You know, David," I replied, with becoming dignity, " that I cannot
with propriety go out to visit strangers at this time of night, or accept of
invitations from people of whom I know nothing."
David swore a round oath, and added, " Was ever the like heard of? He
has ordered a fowl and egg sauce, a pancake and minced collops and a
bottle of sherry-D'ye think I wad come and ask you to go to keep company with ony bit English rider that sups on toasted cheese, and a cheerer
of rum-toddy? This is a gentleman every inch of him, and a virtuoso, a
clean virtuoso-a sad-coloured stand of claithes, and a wig like the curled
back of a mug-ewe. The very first question he speered was about the auld
drawbrig that has been at the bottom of the water these twal score yearsI have seen the fundations when we were sticking saumon -And how the
deevil suld he ken ony thing about the old drawbrig, unless he were a virtuoso?"'
David being a virtuoso in his own way, and moreover a landholder and
heritor, was a qualified judge of all who frequented his house, and therefore I could not avoid again tying the strings of my knees.
"'That's right, Captain," vociferated David; "you twa will be as thick
as three in a bed an ance ye forgather. I haena seen the like o' him my
very sell since I saw the great Doctor Samuel Johnson on his tower through
Scotland, whilk tower is lying in my back parlour for the amusement of
my guests, wi' the twa boards torn aff."
" Then the gentleman-is a scholar, David?"
"I'se uphaud him a scholar," answered David: "he has a black coat on,
or a brown ane, at ony rate."
"Is he a clergyman?"
" I am thinking no, for he looked after his horse's supper before he spoke
o' his ain," replied mine host.
" Has he a servant?" demanded I.
"Nae servant," answered David; "but a grand face o' his ain, that wad
gar ony body be willing to serve him that looks upon him."
" And what makes him think of disturbing me? Ah, David, this has
been some of your chattering; you are perpetually bringing your guests
on my shoulders, as if it were my business to entertain every man who
comes to the George."
"What-the deil wad ye hae me do, Captain?" answered mine host; " a
gentleman lights down, and asks me in a most earnest manner, what man
of sense and learning there is about our town, that can tell him about the
antiquities of the place, and specially about the auld Abbey-ye wadna
hae me tell the gentleman a lee? and ye ken weel eneugh there is naebody
in the town can say a reasonable word about it, be it no yoursell, except
the bedral, and he is as fou as a piper by this time. So, says I, there's
Captain Clutterbuck, that's a very civil gentleman, and has little to do forby
telling a' the auld cracks about the Abbey, and dwells just hard by. Then
says the gentleman to me,'Sir,' says he, very civilly,'have the goodness to'There is more to be said about this old bridge hereafter. See Note, p. 57.