The fourth guest was a stock-broker, a shrewd compound, with all charity
be it spoken, of knavery and humour. He is by profession an epicure, but
I suspect his accomplishments in that capacity are not very well founded;
I would almost say, judging by the evident traces of craft and
dissimulation in his physiognomy, that they have been assumed as part of
the means of getting into good company, to drive the more earnest trade
of money-making. Argent evidently understood his true character, though
he treated him with jocular familiarity. I thought it a fine example of
the intellectual tact and superiority of T---, that he seemed to view him
with dislike and contempt. But I must not give you my reasons for so
thinking, as you set no value on my own particular philosophy; besides,
my paper tells me, that I have only room left to say, that it would be
difficult in Edinburgh to bring such a party together; and yet they
affect there to have a metropolitan character. In saying this, I mean
only with reference to manners; the methods of behaviour in each of the
company were precisely similar--there was no eccentricity, but only that
distinct and decided individuality which nature gives, and which no
acquired habits can change. Each, however, was the representative of a
class; and Edinburgh has no classes exactly of the same kind as those to
which they belonged.--Yours truly, ANDREW PRINGLE.
Just as Mr. Snodgrass concluded the last sentence, one of the Clyde
skippers, who had fallen asleep, gave such an extravagant snore, followed
by a groan, that it set the whole company a-laughing, and interrupted the
critical strictures which would otherwise have been made on Mr. Andrew
Pringle's epistle. "Damn it," said he, "I thought myself in a fog, and
could not tell whether the land ahead was Plada or the Lady Isle." Some
of the company thought the observation not inapplicable to what they had
been hearing.
Miss Isabella Tod then begged that Miss Mally, their hostess, would
favour the company with Mrs. Pringle's communication. To this request
that considerate maiden ornament of the Kirkgate deemed it necessary, by
way of preface to the letter, to say, "Ye a' ken that Mrs. Pringle's a
managing woman, and ye maunna expect any metaphysical philosophy from
her." In the meantime, having taken the letter from her pocket, and
placed her spectacles on that functionary of the face which was destined
to wear spectacles, she began as follows:-LETTER XI
Mrs. Pringle to Miss Mally Glencairn MY DEAR MISS MALLY--We have been at the counting-house, and gotten a sort
of a satisfaction; what the upshot may be, I canna take it upon myself to
prognosticate; but when the waur comes to the worst, I think that baith
Rachel and Andrew will have a nest egg, and the Doctor and me may sleep
sound on their account, if the nation doesna break, as the argle-barglers
in the House of Parliament have been threatening: for all the cornal's
fortune is sunk at present in the pesents. Howsomever, it's our notion,
when the legacies are paid off, to lift the money out of the funds, and
place it at good interest on hairetable securitie. But ye will hear
aften from us, before things come to that, for the delays, and the
goings, and the comings in this town of London are past all expreshon.