"I hope Miss Mac-Ivor will have much reason for happiness, unconnected with Waverley-Honour."

"I hope so too; but, to be mistress of such a place, will be pretty addition to the sum total."

An addition, the want of which, I trust, will be amply upplied by some other means."

"How,' said Fergus, stopping short, and turning upon Waverley-"How am I to understand that, Mr. Waverley ?Had I the pleasure to hear you aright?"

"Perfectly right, Fergus."

"And I am to understand that you no longer desire my lliance, and my sister's hand?"

"Your sister has refused mine," said Waverley,

66 'both irectly, and by all the usual means by which ladies repress ndesired attentions."

"I have no idea," answered the Chieftain, "of a lady disissing or a gentleman withdrawing his suit, after it has been pproved of by her legal guardian, without giving him an pportunity of talking the matter over with the lady. You id not, I suppose, expect my sister to drop into your mouth ke a ripe plum, the first moment you chose to open it ?"

"As to the lady's title to dismiss her lover, Colonel," replied dward, "it is a point which you must argue with her, as I am morant of the customs of the Highlands in that particular. ut as to my title to acquiesce in a rejection from her without n appeal to your interest, I will tell you plainly, without leaning to undervalue Miss Mac-Ivor's admitted beauty and ccomplishments, that I would not take the hand of an angel, ith an empire for her dowry, if her consent were extorted by he importunity of friends and guardians, and did not flow tom her own free inclination."

"An angel, with the dowry of an empire," repeated Fergus, na tone of bitter irony, "is not very likely to be pressed upon -shire squire. But, sir," changing his tone, "if Flora Mac-Ivor have not the dowry of an empire, she is my sister; nd that is sufficient at least to secure her against being treated with any thing approaching to levity."

"She is Flora Mac-Ivor, sir," said Waverley, with firmness, "which to me, were I capable of treating any woman with evity, would be a more effectual protection."

The brow of the Chieftain was now fully clouded, but Edward felt too indignant at the unreasonable tone which he had adopted, to avert the storm by the least concession. They

both stood still while this short dialogue passed, and Fergus seemed half disposed to say something more violent, but, by a strong effort, suppressed his passion, and, turning his face forward, walked sullenly on. As they had always hithert walked together, and almost constantly side by side, Waverley pursued his course silently in the same direction, determined to let the Chief take his own time in recovering the good humour which he had so unreasonably discarded, and firm i his resolution not to bate him an inch of dignity.

After they had marched on in this sullen manner about mile, Fergus resumed the discourse in a different tone. believe I was warm, my dear Edward, but you provoke m with your want of knowledge of the world. You have take pet at some of Flora's prudery, or high-flying notions of loyalty and now, like a child, you quarrel with the plaything you have been crying for, and beat me, your faithful keeper, because my arm cannot reach to Edinburgh to hand it to you. I am sure if I was passionate, the mortification of losing the alliance such a friend, after your arrangement had been the talk both Highlands and Lowlands, and that without so much a knowing why or wherefore, might well provoke calmer bloo than mine. I shall write to Edinburgh, and put all to rights that is, if you desire I should do so; as indeed I canno suppose that your good opinion of Flora, it being such as you have often expressed to me, can be at once laid aside.”

"Colonel Mac-Ivor," said Edward, who had no mind to be hurried farther or faster than he chose, in a matter which he had already considered as broken off, "I am fully sensible the value of your good offices; and certainly, by your zeal on my behalf in such an affair, you do me no small honour. Bu as Miss Mac-Ivor has made her election freely and voluntarily and as all my attentions in Edinburgh were received with more than coldness, I cannot, in justice either to her or myself, com sent that she should again be harassed upon this topic. would have mentioned this to you some time since, but you saw the footing upon which we stood together, and must have understood it. Had I thought otherwise, I would have earlie spoken; but I had a natural reluctance to enter upon a subjec so painful to us both.”

'O, very well, Mr. Waverley," said Fergus, haughtily, "the thing is at an end. I have no occasion to press my sister upor any man."

"Nor have I any occasion to court repeated rejection

om the same young lady," answered Edward, in the same

one.

"I shall make due inquiry, however," said the Chieftain, ithout noticing the interruption, "and learn what my sister inks of all this: we will then see whether it is to end here." "Respecting such inquiries, you will of course be guided your own judgment," said Waverley. "It is, I am aware, possible Miss Mac-Ivor can change her mind; and were ch an unsupposable case to happen, it is certain I will not ange mine. I only mention this to prevent any possibility future misconstruction."

Gladly at this moment would Mac-Ivor have put their quarrel a personal arbitrement; his eye flashed fire, and he measured Iward as if to choose where he might best plant a mortal und. But although we do not now quarrel according to the odes and figures of Caranza or Vincent Saviola, no one ew better than Fergus that there must be some decent etext for a mortal duel. For instance, you may challenge a an for treading on your corn in a crowd, or for pushing you to the wall, or for taking your seat in the theatre; but the odern code of honour will not permit you to found a quarrel on your right of compelling a man to continue addresses to female relative, which the fair lady has already refused. So at Fergus was compelled to stomach this supposed affront, til the whirligig of time, whose motion he promised himself would watch most sedulously, should bring about an oppornity of revenge.

Waverley's servant always led a saddle-horse for him in the ar of the battalion to which he was attached, though his aster seldom rode. But now, incensed at the domineering d unreasonable conduct of his late friend, he fell behind e column, and mounted his horse, resolving to seek the aron of Bradwardine, and request permission to volunteer in is troop, instead of the Mac-Ivor regiment.

A happy time of it I should have had, thought he, after e was mounted, to have been so closely allied to this superb pecimen of pride and self-opinion and passion. A colonel! hy, he should have been a generalissimo. A petty chief of aree or four hundred men! his pride might suffice for the ham of Tartary-the Grand Seignior-the Great Mogul! I m well free of him. Were Flora an angel, she would bring vith her a second Lucifer of ambition and wrath for a brothern-law.

The Baron, whose learning (like Sancho's jests while in th Sierra Morena) seemed to grow mouldy for want of exercise joyfully embraced the opportunity of Waverley's offering hi service in his regiment, to bring it into some exertion. The good-natured old gentleman, however, laboured to effect reconciliation between the two quondam friends. Ferg turned a cold ear to his remonstrances, though he gave the a respectful hearing; and as for Waverley, he saw no reas why he should be the first in courting a renewal of the intimacy which the Chieftain had so unreasonably disturbe The Baron then mentioned the matter to the Prince, wh anxious to prevent quarrels in his little army, declared, would himself remonstrate with Colonel Mac-Ivor on the unreasonableness of his conduct. But, in the hurry of the march, it was a day or two before he had an opportunit to exert his influence in the manner proposed.

In the meanwhile, Waverley turned the instructions he ha received while in Gardiner's dragoons to some account, an assisted the Baron in his command as a sort of adjutant. "Parm les aveugles un borgne est roi," says the French proverb; an the cavalry, which consisted chiefly of Lowland gentleme their tenants and servants, formed a high opinion of Waverley skill, and a great attachment to his person. This was indee partly owing to the satisfaction which they felt at the di tinguished English volunteer's leaving the Highlanders rank among them; for there was a latent grudge between th horse and foot, not only owing to the difference of the service but because most of the gentlemen, living near the Highland had at one time or other had quarrels with the tribes their vicinity, and all of them looked with a jealous eye the Highlanders' avowed pretensions to superior valour, an utility in the Prince's service.

CHAPTER LVIII

THE CONFUSION OF KING AGRAMANT'S CAMP It was Waverley's custom sometimes to ride a little apar from the main body, to look at any object of curiosity which occurred on the march. They were now in Lancashire, when attracted by a castellated old hall, he left the squadron fo half an hour, to take a survey and slight sketch of it. As h returned down the avenue, he was met by Ensign Maccom

bich. This man had contracted a sort of regard for Edward since the day of his first seeing him at Tully-Veolan, and introducing him to the Highlands. He seemed to loiter, as if on purpose to meet our hero. Yet, as he passed him, he only approached his stirrup, and pronounced the single word, "Beware!" and then walked swiftly on, shunning all further communication.

Edward, somewhat surprised at this hint, followed with his eyes the course of Evan, who speedily disappeared among the trees. His servant, Alick Polwarth, who was in attendance, also looked after the Highlander, and then riding up close to his master, said,

"The ne'er be in me, sir, if I think you're safe amang thae Highland rinthereouts."

"What do you mean, Alick?" said Waverley.

"The Mac-Ivors, sir, hae gotten it into their heads, that ye hae affronted their young leddy, Miss Flora; and I hae heard mae than ane say, they wadna tak muckle to mak a black-cock o' ye; and ye ken weel eneugh there's mony o' them wadna mind a bawbee the weising a ball through the Prince himsell, an the Chief gae them the wink-or whether he did or no, if they thought it a thing that would please him when it was dune."

Waverley, though confident that Fergus Mac-Ivor was incapable of such treachery, was by no means equally sure of the forbearance of his followers. He knew, that where the honour of the Chief or his family was supposed to be touched, the happiest man would be he that could first avenge the stigma; and he had often heard them quote a proverb, "That the best revenge was the most speedy and most safe." Coupling this with the hint of Evan, he judged it most prudent to set spurs to his horse, and ride briskly back to the squadron. Ere he reached the end of the long avenue, however, a ball whistled past him, and the report of a pistol was heard.

"It was that deevil's buckie, Callum Beg," said Alick. “I saw him whisk away amang through the reises."

Edward, justly incensed at this act of treachery, galloped out of the avenue, and observed the battalion of Mac-Ivor at some distance moving along the common, in which it terminated. He also saw an individual running very fast to join the party; this he concluded was the intended assassin, who, by leaping an enclosure, might easily make a much shorter path to the main body than he could find on horseback.

Un