Any moderately intelligent person can remark on the huddled-up ends and hasty marriages in many of Shakspeare's comedies; Moliere has been charged with the same offence; and, if blame there be, Scott is almost always to blame.

Thackeray is little better.

There must be some reason that explains why men of genius go wrong where every newspaper critic, every milliner's girl acquainted with circulating libraries, can detect the offence.
In the closing remarks of "Old Mortality" Scott expresses himself humorously on this matter of the denouement.

His schoolmaster author takes his proofsheets to Miss Martha Buskbody, who was the literary set in Gandercleugh, having read through the whole stock of three circulating libraries.

Miss Buskbody criticises the Dominic as Lady Louisa Stuart habitually criticised Sir Walter.