"And yet, sir," he added, after a pause, "I was thinking that Touchwood is not a Scottish name, at least that I ken of." "Scottish name ?--no," replied the traveller; "but a man may have been in these parts before, without being a native--or, being a native, he may have had some reason to change his name--there are many reasons why men change their names." "Certainly, and some of them very good ones," said the lawyer; "as in the common case of an heir of entail, where deed of provision and tailzie is maist ordinarily implemented by taking up name and arms." "Ay, or in the case of a man having made the country too hot for him under his own proper appellative," said Mr.Touchwood.
"That is a supposition, sir," replied the lawyer, "which it would ill become me to put .-- But at any rate, if you knew this country formerly, ye cannot but be marvellously pleased with the change we have been making since the American war--hill-sides bearing clover instead of heather--rents doubled, trebled, quadrupled--the auld reekie dungeons pulled down, and gentlemen living in as good houses as you will see any where in England." "Much good may it do them, for a pack of fools!" replied Mr.Touchwood, hastily.
"You do not seem much delighted with our improvements, sir ?" said the banker, astonished to hear a dissentient voice where he conceived all men were unanimous.
"Pleased!" answered the stranger--"Yes, as much pleased as I am with the devil, who I believe set many of them agoing.

Ye have got an idea that every thing must be changed--Unstable as water, ye shall not excel--I tell ye, there have been more changes in this poor nook of yours within the last forty years, than in the great empires of the East for the space of four thousand, for what I know." "And why not," replied Bindloose, "if they be changes for the better ?" "But they are _not_ for the better," replied Mr.Touchwood, eagerly.

"I left your peasantry as poor as rats indeed, but honest and industrious, enduring their lot in this world with firmness, and looking forward to the next with hope--Now they are mere eye-servants--looking at their watches, forsooth, every ten minutes, lest they should work for their master half an instant after loosing-time--And then, instead of studying the Bible on the work days, to kittle the clergymen with doubtful points of controversy on the Sabbath, they glean all their theology from Tom Paine and Voltaire." "Weel I wot the gentleman speaks truth," said Mrs.Dods.

"I fand a bundle of their bawbee blasphemies in my ain kitchen--But I trow I made a clean house of the packman loon that brought them!--No content wi' turning the tawpies' heads wi' ballants, and driving them daft wi' ribands, to cheat them out of their precious souls, and gie them the deevil's ware, that I suld say sae, in exchange for the siller that suld support their puir father that's aff wark and bedridden!" "Father! madam," said the stranger; "they think no more of their father than Regan or Goneril." "In gude troth, ye have skeel of our sect, sir," replied the dame; "they are gomerils, every one of them--I tell them sae every hour of the day, but catch them profiting by the doctrine." "And then the brutes are turned mercenary, madam," said Mr.Touchwood, "I remember when a Scottishman would have scorned to touch a shilling that he had not earned, and yet was as ready to help a stranger as an Arab of the desert.

And now, I did but drop my cane the other day as I was riding--a fellow who was working at the hedge made three steps to lift it--I thanked him, and my friend threw his hat on his head, and 'damned my thanks, if that were all'-- Saint Giles could not have excelled him." "Weel, weel," said the banker, "that may be a' as you say, sir, and nae doubt wealth makes wit waver; but the country's wealthy, that cannot be denied, and wealth, sir, ye ken"---- "I know wealth makes itself wings," answered the cynical stranger; "but I am not quite sure we have it even now.