of the character of Falconer which has chiefly attracted me to the
office of his biographer. There may have been in it the exercise of
some patronage; probably it was not pure from the pride of
beneficence; but at least it was a loving patronage and a vigorous
beneficence; and, under the reaction of these, the good which in
Robert's nature was as yet only in a state of solution, began to
crystallize into character.

But the effect of the new relation was far more remarkable on
Shargar. As incapable of self-defence as ever, he was yet in a
moment roused to fury by any attack upon the person or the dignity
of Robert: so that, indeed, it became a new and favourite mode of
teasing Shargar to heap abuse, real or pretended, upon his friend.
>From the day when Robert thus espoused his part, Shargar was
Robert's dog. That very evening, when she went to take a parting
peep at the external before locking the door for the night, Betty
found him sitting upon the door-step, only, however, to send him
off, as she described it, 'wi' a flech1 in 's lug (a flea in his
ear).' For the character of the mother was always associated with
the boy, and avenged upon him. I must, however, allow that those
delicate, dirty fingers of his could not with safety be warranted
from occasional picking and stealing.

At this period of my story, Robert himself was rather a
grotesque-looking animal, very tall and lanky, with especially long
arms, which excess of length they retained after he was full-grown.
In this respect Shargar and he were alike; but the long legs of
Shargar were unmatched in Robert, for at this time his body was
peculiarly long. He had large black eyes, deep sunk even then, and
a Roman nose, the size of which in a boy of his years looked