Sir Per.  What spring do you mean, counsellor?

Plaus.  Why this Serjeant Eitherside,—­I have some reason to think that my lord is tied down by some means or other to bring the serjeant in, the very first vacancy, for one of these boroughs;—­now that, I believe, is the sole motive why the serjeant is so strenuous that my lord should keep the boroughs in his own power;—­fearing that you might reject him for some man of your own.

Sir Per.  Odswunds and death!  Plausible, you are clever,—­devilish clever.—­By the blood, you have hit upon the vary string that has made aw thjs discord.—­Oh!  I see it,—­I see it now.—­But hauld—­hauld—­bide a wee bit—­a wee bit, man;—­I have a thought come intill my head—­yes—­I think, Plausible, that with a little twist in our negotiation that this vary string, properly tuned, may be still made to produce the vary harmony we wish for.—­Yes, yes!  I have it:  this serjeant, I see, understands business—­and, if I am not. mistaken, knows how to take a hint.

Plaus.  O! nobody better, Sir Pertinax.

Sir Per.  Why then, Plausible, the short road is always the best with sic a man.—­You. must even come up till his mark at once, and assure him from me—­that I will secure him a seat for one of these vary boroughs.

Plaus.  O! that will do, Sir Pertinax—­that will do, I’ll answer for’t.

Sir Per.  And further—­I beg you will let him know that I think myself obliged to consider him in this affair, as acting for me as weel as for my lord,—­as a common friend till baith:—­and for the services he has already done us, make my special compliments till him—­and pray let this amicable bit of paper be my faithful advocate to convince him of what my gratitude further intends for his great [Gives him a bank-bill.] equity in adjusting this agreement betwixt my lord and me.

Plaus.  Ha, ha, ha!—­upon my word, Sir Pertinax, this is noble.—­Ay, ay! this is an eloquent bit of paper indeed.

Sir Per.  Maister Plausible, in aw human dealings the most effectual method is that of ganging at once till the vary bottom of a man’s heart:—­for if we expect that men shou’d serve us,—­we must first win their affections by serving them.—­O! here they baith come.

    Enter Lord LUMBERCOURT, and Serjeant EITHERSIDE.

Lord Lum.  My dear Sir Pertinax, what could provoke you to break off this business so abruptly? you are really wrong in the point,—­and if you will give yourself time to recollect, you will find that my having the nomination to the boroughs for my life was a preliminary article;—­I appeal to Mr. Serjeant Eitherside here, whether I did not always understand it so.

Serj.I assure you, Sir Pertinax, that in all his lordship’s conversation with me upon this business, and in his positive instructions,—­both he and I always understood the nomination to be in my lord, durante vita.