Catherine's abhorrence of young men possessing the slightest looseness in their habits. One day while holding a confidential conversation with her, they happened to refer to Charlie Stuart, when she, as usual, extolled his unblemished character, and held him forth as a pattern for all young men, both in morality and personal attraction.
This panegyric exasperated the jealous Melrose, who answered her with a malicious smile, which meant that she was ignorant of the young man's private habits, and did she but know as much as he did, she would change her opinion; for instance, he told her that not later than the day before he saw Charlie holding a long conversation with a Highland girl, of very questionable character, in the street. This information at first startled her; but, concluding that Melrose might be mistaken in the character of the girl, she told Charlie, on their meeting, of Melrose's insinuations. Charlie, although long anticipating some antagonism from Melrose, was not ready for such a malicious and unfounded charge; however, on bringing to mind the person with whom he was conversing in the street, a new light flashed through his mind. He therefore told Catherine that the young girl with whom he was conversing was not a doubtful character, but a much-injured creature, whose misfortunes Catherine and the public at large would be soon made acquainted with, although he would refrain from mentioning any more at present concerning her.
The cause of Melrose's unjustifiable remarks can be gathered from the following:—
It transpired about this time that some profligate students, headed by Melrose, had taken a small house in one of the bye-lanes, and placed a sign over the door with the words "Mangling done here"; here the customers, who were mostly servants, were subjected to many insults.
One of these, a girl named Jane Sutherland, being acquainted with Charlie's family, and hearing that Charlie had been admitted to the Bar, called upon him and made him acquainted with the whole of the circumstances of the case, upon which Charlie, accompanied by the girl, called upon Melrose at his chambers, when she instantly recognised him as the man who had insulted
