near. It arose, perhaps, from the shyness of his character in early youth, that he felt dislike at applying to a stranger even for casual information, without previously glancing at his physiognomy and appearance. While he looked about in order to select the person with whom he would most willingly hold communication, the buzz around saved him in some degree the trouble of interrogatories. The names of Lochiel, Clanronald, Glengary, and other distinguished Highland Chiefs, among whom Vich Ian Vohr was repeatedly mentioned, were as familiar in men's mouths as household words; and from the alarm generally expressed, he easily conceived that their descent into the Lowlands, at the head of their armed tribes, had either already taken place, or was instantly apprehended. Ere Waverley could ask particulars, a strong large-boned hard-featured woman, about forty, dressed as if her clothes had been flung on with a pitchfork, her cheeks flushed with a scarlet red where they were not smutted with soot and lamp-black, jostled through the crowd, and, brandishing high a child of two years old, which she danced in her arms, without regard to its screams of terror, sang forth, with all ther might, 43 "Charlie is my darling, my darling, my darling, The young Chevalier." D'ye hear what's come ower ye now, ye whingeing whig carles? D'ye hear wha's coming to cow yere cracks? "Little wot ye wha's coming, -"Little wot ye wha's coming, A' the wild Macraws are coming." The Vulcan of Cairnvreckan, who acknowledged his Venus in this exulting Bacchanal, regarded her with a grim and ire-foreboding countenance, while some of the senators of the village hastened to in terpose. "Whisht, gudewife; is this a time, or is this a day, to be singing your Tanting fule-sangs in a time when the wine of wrath is poured out without mixture in the cup of indignation, and a day when the land should give testimony against popery and prelacy, and quakerism, and independency, and supremacy, and erastianism, and antimonianism, and a' the errors of the church. "And that's a' your whiggery," re-echoed the virago; "that's a' your whiggery, and your presbytery, ye cut-lugged graning carles. What, d'ye think the lads wi' the kilts will care for yere synods and yere presbyteries, and yere buttock-mail, and yere stool o' repentance? Vengeance on the black face o't! mony an honester woman's been set upon it than streeks doon beside ony whig in the country. I my sell" Here John Mucklewrath, who dreaded her entering upon a detail of personal ex periences, interposed his matrimonial authority. "Gae hame, and be d, (that I should say sae) and put on the sowens for supper. "And you, ye doil'd dotard," replied his gentle helpmate, her wrath, which had hitherto wandered abroad over the whole assembly, being at once and violently impelled into its natural channel, "ye stand there hammering dog-heads for fules that will never snap them at a Highlandman, instead of earning bread for your family, and shoeing this winsome young gentleman's horse that's just come frae the north. Ise warrant him nane of your whingeing King George folk, but a gallant Gordon, at the least o' him.' The eyes of the assembly were now turned upon Waverley, who took the opportunity to beg the smith to shoe his guide's horse with all speed, as he wished to proceed on his journey, for he had heard enough to make him sensible that there would be danger in delaying long in this place. The smith's eyes rested on him with a look of displeasure and suspicion, not lessened by the eagerness with which his wife enforced Waverley's mandate. "D'ye hear what the weel-favoured young gentleman says, ye drunken ne'er-dogude " "And what may your name be, sir?" quoth Mucklewrath. "It is of no consequence to you, my friend, provided I pay your labour." "But it may be of consequence to the state, sir," replied an old farmer, smelling strongly of whisky and peat smoke; "and I doubt we maun delay your journey till you have seen the laird." "You certainly," said Waverley, haughtily, "will find it both difficult and dangerous to detain me, unless you can produce some proper authority." There was a pause and a whisper among the crowd-" Secretary Murray;" "Lord Lewis Gordon;" "May be the Chevalier himsel;" such were the surmises that |