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GUY MANNERING.
15
CHAPTER II.
Comes me cranking in,
And cuts me from the best of all my land,
A huge half-moon, a monstrous cantle out.
The company in the parlour at Ellangowan, consisted of the Laird himself, and a sort of person who might be the village schoolmaster, or perhaps the minister's assistant; his appearance was too shabby to indicate the minister, considering he was on a visit to the Laird.
The Laird himself was one of those second-rate sort of persons, that are to be found frequently in rural situations. Fielding has described one class as feras consumere nati; but the love of field-sports indicates a certain activity of mind, which had forsaken Mr Bertram, if he ever pos-
