The Heart of Mid-Lothian Volume 1 Chapter 5

In which Mr. Saddletree and his wife engage in a lively discussion concerning the trials of their trade, interspersed with a curious examination of legal and grammatical learning, whilst concern is shown for Effie Deans, a modest young woman imprisoned under grave suspicion. The domestic scene thus mingles the humours of the saddler’s shop with the sober reflections on justice and misfortune, casting a gentle light on the intersection of law and humanity in Edinburgh’s thoroughfares.