Mr. Smellie very properly put in the saving clause, "But no waur--no waur, Miss Porteous." He also oiled his argument by presenting his customer with a new pair of gloves out of a parcel just received from Edinburgh, as evidence of his admiration for her high character. The lady smiled and left the shop, and said she would communicate the substance of their conversation to her brother. "Kindly, kindly, as becomes your warm heart," said Mr. Smellie, expressing the hope at the same time that the gloves would fit her fingers as well as he wished his arguments would fit the mind of Mr. Porteous. Another diplomatic stroke of Mr. Smellie in his extremity was to obtain the aid of his easy brother-elder, Mr. Menzies, to adjust matters with the Sergeant, so as to enable Mr. Porteous, with some show of consistency, to back out of the ecclesiastical mess in which the Session had become involved: for "consistency" was a great idol in the Porteous Pantheon. "I hae been thinking, my good freen’," said Smellie to Menzies, as both were seated beside the twinkling gem of a fire in the sanctum over the draper’s shop, "that possibly--possibly--we micht men’ matters atween the Session and Sergeant Mercer. He is verra ill, an’ the thocht is neither pleasant nor satisfactory to us that he should dee--a providential event which _micht_ happen--an’ wi’ this scandal ower his head. I am willin’, for ane, to do whatever is reasonable in the case, and I’m sure sae are ye; for ye ken, Mr. Menzies, there’s nae man perfec’--nane! The fac’ is, I’m no’ perfec’ mysel’!" confessed Mr. Smellie, with a look intended to express a humility of which he was profoundly unconscious. Mr. Menzies, though not at all prepared for this sudden outburst of charity, welcomed it very sincerely. "I’m glad," said he, "to hear a man o’ your influence in the Session say sae." Menzies had himself personally experienced to a large degree the _dour_ influence of the draper over him; and though his better nature had often wished to rebel against it, yet the logical meshes of his more astute and strong-willed brother had hitherto entangled him. But now, with the liberty of speech granted in so genial a manner by Smellie, Mr. Menzies said, "I wull admit that Mr. Mercer was, until this unfortunate business happened, a maist respectable man--I mean he was apparently, and I wad fain houp sincerely--a quiet neebour, and a douce elder. I never had cause to doot him till the day ye telt me in confidence that he had been ance a poacher. But we mauna be ower hard, Mr. Smellie, on the sins o’ youth, or even o’ riper years. Ye mind the paraphrase-- "’For while the lamp holds on to burn, The greatest sinner may return’. I wad do onything that was consistent to get him oot o’ this job wi’ the minister an’ the Session. But hoo can it be managed, Mr. Smellie?" "I think," said Smellie, meditatively, "that if we could only get the minister pleased, things wad richt themsel’s."