After
about a minute's conversation, the Prince bestowed on Nigel the
embarrassing notice of another fixed look, touched his hat slightly to
Sir Mungo, and walked on.
"It is even as I suspected, my lord," said Sir Mungo, with an air
which he designed to be melancholy and sympathetic, but which, in
fact, resembled the grin of an ape when he has mouthed a scalding
chestnut--"Ye have back-friends, my lord, that is, unfriends--or, to
be plain, enemies--about the person of the Prince."
"I am sorry to hear it," said Nigel; "but I would I knew what they
accuse me of."
"Ye shall hear, my lord," said Sir Mungo, "the Prince's vera words--
'Sir Mungo,' said he, 'I rejoice to see you, and am glad your
rheumatic troubles permit you to come hither for exercise.'--I bowed,
as in duty bound--ye might remark, my lord, that I did so, whilk
formed the first branch of our conversation.--His Highness then
demanded of me, 'if he with whom I stood, was the young Lord
Glenvarloch.' I answered, 'that you were such, for his Highness's
service;' whilk was the second branch.--Thirdly, his Highness,
resuming the argument, said, that 'truly he had been told so,'
(meaning that he had been told you were that personage,) 'but that he
could not believe, that the heir of that noble and decayed house could
be leading an idle, scandalous, and precarious life, in the eating-
houses and taverns of London, while the king's drums were beating, and
colours flying in Germany in the cause of the Palatine, his son-in-
law.
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