disposed of' (all which, Davie, hath been done), 'give my boy this

letter into his hand, and start him off to the house of Shaws, not far

from Cramond. That is the place I came from,' he said, 'and it's where

it befits that my boy should return. He is a steady lad,' your father

said, 'and a canny goer; and I doubt not he will come safe, and be well

lived where he goes.'"

"The house of Shaws!" I cried. "What had my poor father to do with the

house of Shaws?"

"Nay," said Mr. Campbell, "who can tell that for a surety? But the name

of that family, Davie, boy, is the name you bear--Balfours of Shaws:

an ancient, honest, reputable house, peradventure in these latter

days decayed. Your father, too, was a man of learning as befitted his

position; no man more plausibly conducted school; nor had he the manner

or the speech of a common dominie; but (as ye will yourself remember)

I took aye a pleasure to have him to the manse to meet the gentry; and

those of my own house, Campbell of Kilrennet, Campbell of Dunswire,

Campbell of Minch, and others, all well-kenned gentlemen, had pleasure

in his society. Lastly, to put all the elements of this affair before

you, here is the testamentary letter itself, superscrived by the own

hand of our departed brother."

He gave me the letter, which was addressed in these words: "To the hands

of Ebenezer Balfour, Esquire, of Shaws, in his house of Shaws, these

will be delivered by my son, David Balfour." My heart was beating hard

at this great prospect now suddenly opening before a lad of seventeen

years of age, the son of a poor country dominie in the Forest of

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