Tales and Novels, vol 1 | Page 4

the good in his power to those who were in distress;
but he did not imagine that he could reform every abuse in society, or
that he could instantly new-model the universe. Forester became, in a
few days, fond of conversing, or rather of holding long arguments, with
Henry; but his dislike to the young laird, Archibald Mackenzie, hourly
increased. Archibald and his mother, Lady Catherine Mackenzie, were
relations to Mrs. Campbell, and they were now upon a visit at her
house. Lady Catherine, a shrewd woman, fond of precedence, and fully
sensible of the importance that wealth can bestow, had sedulously
inculcated into the mind of her son all the maxims of worldly wisdom
which she had collected in her intercourse with society; she had
inspired him with family pride, but at the same time had taught him to
pay obsequious court to his superiors in rank or fortune: the art of
rising in the world, she knew, did not entirely depend upon virtue or
ability; she was consequently more solicitous about her son's manners
than his morals, and was more anxious that he should form high
connexions, than that he should apply to the severe studies of a
profession. Archibald was nearly what might be expected from his
education, alternately supple to his superiors, and insolent to his
inferiors: to insinuate himself into the favour of young men of rank and
fortune, he affected to admire extravagance; but his secret maxims of
parsimony operated even in the midst of dissipation. Meanness and
pride usually go together. It is not to be supposed that young Forester
had such quick penetration, that he could discover the whole of the
artful Archibald's character in the course of a few days' acquaintance;
but he disliked him for good reasons, because he was a laird, because
he had laughed at his first entrée, and because he was learning to dance.

THE SKELETON.
About a week after our hero's arrival at Dr. Campbell's, the doctor was
exhibiting some chemical experiments, with which Henry hoped that
his young friend would be entertained; but Forester had scarcely been
five minutes in the laboratory, before Mackenzie, who was lounging

about the room, sneeringly took notice of a large hole in his shoe. "It is
easily mended," said the independent youth; and he immediately left
the laboratory, and went to a cobbler's, who lived in a narrow lane, at
the back of Dr. Campbell's house. Forester had, from his bed-chamber
window, seen this cobbler at work early every morning; he admired his
industry, and longed to be acquainted with him. The good-humoured
familiarity of Forester's manner pleased the cobbler, who was likewise
diverted by the eagerness of the young gentleman to mend his own shoe.
After spending some hours at the cobbler's stall, the shoe was actually
mended, and Forester thought that his morning's work was worthy of
admiration. In a court (or, as such places are called in Edinburgh, a
close) near the cobbler's, he saw some boys playing at ball: he joined
them; and, whilst they were playing, a dancing-master with his hair
powdered, and who seemed afraid of spattering his clean stockings,
passed through the court, and interrupted the ball players for a few
seconds. The boys, as soon as the man was out of hearing, declared that
he passed through their court regularly twice a day, and that he always
kicked their marbles out of the ring. Without staying to weigh this
evidence scrupulously, Forester received it with avidity, and believed
all that had been asserted was true, because the accused was a
dancing-master; from his education he had conceived an antipathy to
dancing-masters, especially to such as wore silk stockings, and had
their heads well powdered. Easily fired at the idea of any injustice, and
eager to redress the grievances of _the poor,_ Forester immediately
concerted with these boys a scheme to deliver them from what he
called the insolence of the dancing-master, and promised that he would
compel him to go round by another street.
In his zeal for the liberty of his new companions, our hero did not
consider that he was infringing upon the liberties of a man who had
never done him any injury, and over whom he had no right to exercise
any control.
Upon his return to Dr. Campbell's, Forester heard the sound of a violin;
and he found that his enemy, M. Pasgrave, the dancing-master, was
attending Archibald Mackenzie: he learnt, that he was engaged to give
another lesson the next evening; and the plans of the confederates in the
ball-alley were arranged accordingly. In Dr. Campbell's room Forester
remembered to have seen a skeleton in a glass case; he seized upon it,

carried it down to his companions, and placed it in a niche in the