The Waverley novels, by Sir Walter Scott, complete in 12 vol., printed from the latest English ed., embracing the author's last corrections, prefaces & notes.

TlIE ANTIQUA RY. 35
knight was a most chivalrous assertor, while the esquire impugned it, in
spite both of her beauty and misfortunes. When, unhappily, their conversation turned on yet later times, motives of discord occurred in almost every
page of history. Oldbuck was, upon principle, a staunch Presbyterian, a
ruling elder of the kirk, and a friend to revolution principles and Protestant
succession, while Sir Arthur was the very reverse of all this. They agreed,
it is true, in dutiful love and allegiance to the sovereign who now fills* the
throne; but this was their only point of union. It therefore often happened,
that bickerings hot broke out between them, in which Oldbuck was not
always able to suppress his caustic humour, while it would sometimes occur
to the Baronet that the descendant of a German printer, whose sires had
" sought the base fellowship of paltry burghers," forgot himself, and took
an unlicensed freedom of debate, considering the rank and ancient descent
of his antagonist. This, with the old feud of the coach-horses, and the
seizure of his manor-place and tower of strength by MIr. Oldbuck's father,
would at times rush upon his mind, and inflame at once his cheeks and his
arguments. And, lastly, as Mr. Oldbuck thought his worthy friend and
compeer was in some respects little better than a fool, lie was apt to come
more near communicating to him that unfavourable opinion, than the rules
of modern politeness warrant. In such cases they often parted in deep
dudgeon, and with something like a resolution to forbear each other's company in future:
But with the morn calm reflection came;
and as each was sensible that the society of the other had become, through
habit, essential to his comfort, the breach was speedily made up between
them. On such occasions, Oldbuck, considering that the Baronet's pettishness resembled that of a child, usually showed his superior sense by compassionately making the first advances to reconciliation. But it once or
twice happened that the aristocratic pride of the far-descended knight took
a flight too offensive to the feelings of the representative of the typographer.
In these cases, the breach between these two originals might have been
immortal, but for the kind exertion and interposition of the Baronet's
daughter, Miss Isabella Wardour, who, with a son, now absent upon foreign
and military service, formed his whole surviving family. She was well
aware how necessary Mr. Oldbuck was to her father's amusement and comfort, and seldom failed to interpose with effect, when the office of a mediator
between them was rendered necessary by the satirical shrewdness of the
one, or the assumed superiority of the other. Under Isabella's mild
influence, the wrongs of Queen Mary were forgotten by her father, and Mr.
Oldbuck forgave the blasphemy which reviled the memory of King William.
However, as she used in general to take her father's part playfully in these
disputes, Oldbuck was wont to call Isabella his fair enemy, though in fact
he made more account of her than any other of her sex, of whom, as we
have seen, he was no admirer.
There existed another connexion betwixt these worthies, which had alternately a repelling and attractive influence upon their intimacy. Sir Arthur
always wished to borrow; Mr. Oldbuck was not always willing to lend. Mr.
Oldbuck, per contra, always wished to be repaid with regularity; Sir Arthur
was not always, nor indeed often, prepared to gratify this reasonable desire;
and, in accomplishing an arrangement between tendencies so opposite, little
zniffs would occasionally take place. Still there was a spirit of mutual
accommodation upon the whole, and they dragged on like dogs in couples,
with some difficulty and occasional snarling, but without absolutely coming
to a stand-still or throttling each other.
Some little disagreement, such as we have mentioned, arising out of business, or politics, had divided the houses of Knockwinnock and Monkbarns,
* The reader will understand that this refers to the reign of our late gracious Sovereign, George the Tbkir.