The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-05

| supplied the young man with money
 for his immediate wants and invited
 him to dinner for the next day. Also
 he had cross examined Richard Mono
 plies and found out that when Richie
 had handed the King Glenvarloch's
 petition-"slfficatio Richie called it
 he had handed along with it a
 "siffiication" of his own praying that
 His Majesty discharge slight debt due i his father the butcher at the Cow
 gate for a capon furnished to Ills
 Majesty's mother when Lord Both
 well dined with her in the privy cham
 ber." And Richie's petition had been
 uppermost and had been the one | glanced at by His Majesty.
 Nigel drove Monoplies from the room with the threat of a good beating and ! lamented his fate to be served by such I knave. "The fellow is shrewd,' said | he to Heriot. "and I have found him | faithful. believe he loves me, loo, and l he has given proofs of it. But he is so l uplifted in his own conceit, so self | willed and opinionated that he seems | to become the master and I the man" Cherish him and trust him neverthe- less replied the citizen, for believe me that affection and fidelity are now rarer qualities than when the world
 was younger. but employ him not in
 things beyond his station" Telling
 Nigel to attire himself as became
 young noble, to pay no attention to the
 proclamation and to go to court as the
 earliest opportunity, Master Heriot
 took his leave, and Gienvarloch in a
 more cheerful frame of mind, proceeded
 to lecture and forgive Richie. But
 Richie answered that If there was aught wrang he had had all the scare and all the risk, and it was only Master Georges interrogations that
 made all the stir" Upon leaving Nigel Heriot took his way to Whitehall, ana,
 being a privileged person there, soon
 had audience of the King. He had un-
 der his arm curious piece of plate
 which he wished to show His Majesty,
 and he had also about his person copy
 of NigeTs petition which he had stopped
 at a scrivener's on the way to have
 suitably engrossed.
 James, first of his name and race
 upon the British throne, was man of
 mean appearance and ungainly form,
 which the suit of green velvet, thickly
 padded and stuffed to resist dagger
 stroke and which his habitual timidity induced him to wear. made additionally
 Iudicrous. But shrewd little eyes twinkled in his head, and the jest books and books of ribaldry which lay in disorder upon the table before him were mixed with huge tonnes of pro- | found learning and manuscripts of the ological discussions. Over his green velvet hunting suit he wore a sad-col- ored nfghtgown, and the nightcap upon his head was decorated by heron's plumes. His hat lay on the floor cov- cred with dust but its crown was en- circled with a carcanet of priceless balas rubies. Everything about the
 monarch seemed to partake of the in- constituencies of his character.
 After some talk about the plate Heriot drew the conversation to the recent proc lamation. "The Scots have gone clean daft, Geordie," said the king "I cannot | keep them out of my court Ud's death,
 
 | can present a application as it should ] he done in the face of majesty. Heriot in | timated a wish to learn how such an | act should be performed, and the mon | arch, ever serious in trides and trifling | in serious matters, began to instruct him, l directing how he should do thus and so. | Master George went through the motions as the king directed, and when James | came to the words, Then glide your hand | into your pouch, bring forth your suppli- 1 cation and place 1t reverently in our open l palm" the goldsmith drew forth the peti- tion of Lord Glenvarloch and laid it in l His Majesty's hand. "Ye fause loon.' | cried James reckoning and sputtering, ''have we been teaching ye the manual that ye should present your piece at our own royal body?"
 ! But he looked at the petition, neverthe- | less, and bidding Heriot be quick lest I Baby Charles and Steenie" should inter- | rupt them-for he stood in deadly fear of 1 Prince Charles and the Duke of Buck | ingham--lstened to the story of Nigers
 misfortunes and present needs. The re-
 suit was that when Heriot left the kings
 presence he carried with him the carcanet of rubies upon which James had ordered him to raise money to the amount of "twa
 hundred pounds to fit the lad out" and also with the promise that as soon as he got a supply from parliament or could
 raise the money in any other manner he
 would redeem the lands of GlenvarIoch in satisfaction of the royal debt And bring the lad to court Geordie.'
 | It was with light heart that Nigel | sat down at the abaundant board of Mas | ter George Heriot the next day. The conl-
 pany consisted of merchants a Scottish Knight, Sir Mungo Malagrowther, old
 Ramsay and his fair daughter, Aunt | Judith, Heriot's sister and housekeeper--
 nobody that Nigel was interested in. Of ] Margaret Ramsays presence at the table | Olifaunt was scarcely aware. But if he | thought little or nothing about Margaret
 that willful and impusive young lady thought of little else but Nigel then | and thereafter. After the dinner HeriOt l asked Nigel to remain behind the other
 guests and join in family prayers. Then
 Nigel was interested. There glided into
 the apartment young woman of great beauty but of extreme paleness Her face was like marble and people called her "Heriots ghost' There was a mys- tery about her She had come over with
 the goldsmith wAen he had returned from