Edinburgh, as it involved the future prospects of the defendant, and the innocence of the much injured plaintiff, whose cause the chivalric and honourable Charlie Stuart pleaded so boldly and effectually.
Mr. Melrose, the defendant, who was a promising young man, of respectable parents in Perth, and a fellow student of Charlie's, though two years his senior, was admitted to the Bar at the same time.
His father was on intimate terms with Advocate Forbes, who promised to aid young Melrose, if he proved himself worthy, in his future career at the Bar.
The young man was gifted with many brilliant qualities, and an attractive person, but, unfortunately, given to profligate habits in his private life.
Through Mr, Forbes extending to him his hospitality, as well as his patronage, he became a constant visitor, and frequently met with Catherine, whose warm and affectionate heart showed great kindness to her father's friend, until Charlie made her acquaintance, on whom she placed all her affections, and deprived the disappointed and enraged Melrose of all his fond hopes.
Catherine, never suspecting Melrose's passion towards her, only viewed aim in the light of a friend; but, on perceiving Charlie's many amiable and excellent qualities, her heart became at once an unconscious captive, and withdrew the little favour it extended towards the discarded Melrose.
Charlie, who well knew Melrose's profligate habits in private life, and seeing his pretended modesty couched with a pleasing address before the unsuspecting ladies. His own honorable and straightforward principles, propelled by an intense dislike to young men indulging in loose habits, could not suffer such deception on the part of Melrose; we may expect that any degree of harmony could not exist between the newly admitted advocates.
Melrose maintained a deadly revenge against his more favoured rival, whose unblemished character could not, however, give him an opportunity of undermining his reputation in the estimation of Catherine Forbes, until a certain event transpired, on which he thought of building a charge which would be prejudicial to Charlie. Knowing
