4 Saddle and Sirloin. 



that he would have infallibly risen to be a Lord of 

 Session. With commanding sense and marvellous 

 shrewdness he combined a perfect mastery of tongue- 

 fence, and he was as quick as lightning in his thrust 

 or parry. 



No one was more jealous of his own or his Society's 

 dignity, and his eye would flash and the colour would 

 mount to his cheek at a word. He delighted most in 

 marshalling statistics and annexing districts at his 

 desk, but still he was supremely happy in the show- 

 yard. Everything was done there with great dignity 

 and order, and the Scottish bench would sometimes 

 chaff their coadjutors from England overnight, and 

 tell them that Hall Maxwell never admitted a judge 

 into the show yard unless he presented himself in full 

 court-dress. On the opening morning he might be 

 found in the pay-box for a few minutes, helping to 

 gather the crowns, and exchanging a word or a nod 

 with each member as he came in ; but he soon retired, 

 and for the rest of the week the saddle was his throne. 

 He would be galloping here, there, and everywhere, 

 as field-marshal, on his bay cob, setting lords, baro- 

 nets, and lairds to work as " attending members" to 

 the different sets of judges ; and he was a plainish 

 speaker, sometimes, if things did not go just to his 

 mind. 



In short, both there and at Albyn Place, he was 

 quite the autocrat of the Society ; but, although they 

 somewhat felt the bondage, they were very proud ol 

 him, and quite content to set off the marvels he had 

 wrought for them against what many thought, and 

 some termed "dictation." If any of the members were 

 unduly captious, he caught them without more ado 

 and made directors of them, and they soon ceased 

 from troubling. This mode of bland absorption was 

 very transparent, but was never known to fail. 



Public business often took him to London, and no 

 one could take charge of a Parliamentary bill better. 



