In the morning, while the Colonel and his most quiet and silent of all retainers, Dominie Sampson, were finishing the breakfast which Barnes had made and poured out, after the Dominie had scalded himself in the attempt, Mr. Pleydell was suddenly ushered in. Anicely dressed bob-wig, upon every hair of which a zealous and careful barber had bestowed its proper allowance of powder; a well-brushed black suit, with very clean shoes and gold buckles and stock-buckle; a manner rather reserved and formal than intrusive, but, withal, showing only the formality of manner, by no means that of awkwardness; a countenance, the expressive and somewhat comic features of which were in complete repose,--all showed a being perfectly different from the choice spirit of the evening before. Aglance of shrewd and piercing fire in his eye was the only marked expression which recalled the man of "Saturday at e'en.""I am come," said he, with a very polite address, "to use my regal authority in your behalf in spirituals as well as temporals--can Iaccompany you to the Presbyterian kirk, or Episcopal meeting-house?--Tros Tyriusve" a lawyer, you know, is of both religions, or rather I should say of both forms--or can I assist in passing the forenoon otherwise? You'll excuse my old-fashioned importunity--I was born in a time when a Scotchman was thought inhospitable if he left a guest alone a moment, except when he slept--but I trust you will tell me at once if I intrude.""Not at all, my dear sir," answered Colonel Mannering--"I am delighted to put myself under your pilotage. I should wish much to hear some of your Scottish preachers whose talents have done such honour to your country--your Blair, your Robertson, or your Henry;and I embrace--your kind offer with all my heart.--Only," drawing the lawyer a little aside, and turning his eye towards Sampson, "my worthy friend there in the reverie is a little helpless and abstracted, and my servant, Barnes, who is his pilot in ordinary, cannot well assist him here, especially as he has expressed his determination of going to some of your darker and more remote places of worship."The lawyer's eye glanced at Dominie Sampson. "A curiosity worth preserving--and I'll find you a fit custodier.--Here you, sir (to the waiter), go to Luckie Finlayson's in the Cowgate for Miles Macfin the cadie, he'll be there about this time, and tell him Iwish to speak to him."The person wanted soon arrived. "I will commit your friend to this man's charge," said Pleydell; "he'll attend him, or conduct him, wherever he chooses to go, with a happy indifference as to kirk or market, meeting or court of justice, or any other place whatever--and bring him safe home at whatever hour you appoint; so that Mr. Barnes there may be left to the freedom of his own will."This was easily arranged, and the Colonel committed the Dominie to the charge of this man while they should remain in Edinburgh.
"And now, sir, if you please, we shall go to the Greyfriars church, to hear our historian of Scotland, of the Continent, and of America."They were disappointed--he did not preach that morning.--"Never mind," said the counsellor, "I have a moment's patience, and we shall do very well."The colleague of Dr. Robertson ascended the pulpit. [*This was the celebrated Dr. Rescan, a distinguished clergyman. and a most excellent man. ] His external appearance was not prepossessing. Aremarkably fair complexion, strangely contrasted with a black wig without a grain of powder; a narrow chest and a stooping posture;hands which, placed like props on either side of the pulpit, seemed necessary rather to support the person than to assist the gesticulation of the preacher,--no gown, not even that of Geneva, a tumbled band, and a gesture which seemed scarce voluntary, were the first circumstances which struck a stranger. "The preacher seems a very ungainly person," whispered Mannering to his new friend.
"Never fear; he's the son of an excellent Scottish lawyer [*The father of Dr. Erskine was an eminent lawyer, and his Institutes of the Law of Scotland are to this day the text-hook of students of that science.]--he'll show blood, I'll warrant him."The learned counsellor predicted truly. A lecture was delivered, fraught with new, striking, and entertaining views of Scripture history--a sermon, in which the Calvinism of the Kirk of Scotland was ably supported, yet made the basis of a sound system of practical morals, which should neither shelter the sinner under the cloak of speculative faith or of peculiarity of opinion, nor leave him loose to the waves of unbelief and schism. Something there was of an antiquated turn of argument and metaphor, but it only served to give zest and peculiarity to the style of elocution. The sermon was not read--a scrap of paper containing the heads of the discourse was occasionally referred to, and the enunciation, which at first seemed imperfect and embarrassed, became, as the preacher warmed in his progress, animated and distinct, and although the discourse could not be quoted as a correct specimen of pulpit eloquence, yet Mannering had seldom heard so much learning, metaphysical acuteness, and energy of argument, brought into the service of Christianity.
