in silence, and at the conclusion shook Waverley heartily by the hand, and congratulated him upon entering the service of his lawful prince. "For," continued he, "although it has been justly held in all nations a matter of scandal and dishonour to infringe the sacramentum militare, and that whether it was. taken by each soldier singly, whilk the Romans denominated per conjurationam, or by one soldier in name of the rest, yet no one ever doubted that the allegiance so sworn was discharged by the dismissio, or discharging of a soldier, whose case would be as hard as that of colliers, salters, and other slaves of the soil, were it to be accounted otherwise. This is something like the brocard expressed by the learned Sanchez, in his work De Jure-jurando, which you have questionless consulted upon this occasion. As for those who have calumniated you by leasing-making, I protest to Heaven I think they have justly incurred the penalty of the Memnonia lex, also called Lex Rhemnia, which is prelected upon by Tullius, in his oration In Verrem. I should have deemed, however, Mr. Waverley, that before destining yourself to any special service in the army of the prince, ye might have inquired what rank the Baron of Bradwardine held there, and whether he would not have been peculiarly happy to have had your services in the regiment of horse which he is now about to levy." Edward eluded this reproach by pleading the necessity of giving an immediate answer to the prince's proposal, and his uncertainty at the moment whether his friend the baron was with the army, or engaged upon service elsewhere. This punctilio being settled, Waverley made inquiry after Miss Bradwardine, and was informed she had come to Edinburgh with Flora Mac-Ivor, under guard of a party of the chieftain's men. This step was indeed necessary. Tully-Veolan having become a very unpleasant, and even dangerous place of residence for an unprotected young lady, on account of L A its vicinity to the Highlands, and also to one or two large villages, which, from aversion as much to the caterans as zeal for presbytery, had delared themselves on the side of government, and formed irregular bodies of partizans, who had frequent skirmishes with the mountaineers, and sometimes attacked the houses of the jacobite gentry. "I would propose to you," continued the baron, " to walk as far as my quarters in the Luckenbooths, and to admire in your passage the High Street, whilk is, beyond a shadow of dubitation, finer than any street, whether in London or Paris. But Rose, poor thing, is sorely discomposed with the firing of the Castle, though I have proved to her from Blondel and Coehorn, that it is impossible a bullet can reach these buildings; and, besides, I have it in charge from his royal highness to go to the camp, or leaguer of our army, to see that the men do conclamare vasa, that is, truss up their bag and baggage for to-morrow's march." "That will be easily done by most of us," said Mac-Ivor, laughing. "Craving your pardon, Colonel Mac-Ivor, not quite so speedily as you seem to opine. I grant most of you folks left the Highlands, expedited as it were, and free from the encumbrance of baggage, but it is unspeakable the quantity of useless sprechery which they have collected on their march. I saw one fellow of yours (craving your pardon once more) with a pier-glass upon his back." "Ay," said Fergus, still in good humour, " he would have told you, if you had questioned him, a ganging foot is aye getting. But come, my dear baron, you know as well as I, that a hundred Uhlans, or a single troop of Schmirschitz's Pandours, would make more havock in a country than the knight of the mirror and all the rest of our clans put together." " And that is very true likewise," said the baron; "they are, as the heathen author says, ferociores in 1 aspectu, mitiores in actu, of a horrid and grim visage, but more benign in demeanour than their physiognomy or aspect might infer.- But I stand here talking to you two youngsters, when I should be in the King's Park." "But you will dine with Waverley and me on your return? I assure you, baron, though I can live like a Highlander when needs must, I remember my Paris education, and understand perfectly faire la meilleure, chere." "And wha the deil doubts it," quoth the baron. laughing, " when you bring only the cookery, and the good town must furnish the inaterials? - Well, I have some business in the town too; but I'll join you at three, if the vivers cae tarry so long." So saying, he took leave of his friends, and went to look after the charge which had been assigned him. CHAPTER IV. A Soldier's Dinner. JAMES OF THE NEEDLE was a man of his word, when whiskey was no party to the contract; and upon this occasion Callum Beg, who still thought himself in Waverley's debt, since he had declined accepting compensation at the expense of mine host of the Candlestick's person, took this opportunity of discharging the obligation, by mounting guard over the hereditary tailor of Slioch nan Ivor; and, as he expressed himself, " targed him tightly" till the finishing of the job. To rid himself of this restraint, Shemus's needle flew through the tartan like lightning; and as the artist kept chanting some dreadful skirmish of Fin Macoul, he accomplished at least three stitches to the death of every hero. The dress was, there fore, soon ready, for the short coat fitted the wearer, and the rest of the apparel required little adjustment. When our hero fairly assumed the "garb of old Gaul," which was well calculated to give an appearance of strength to a figure, which, though tall and well-made, was rather elegant than robust, I hope my fair readers will excuse him if he looked at himself in the mirror more than once, and could not help acknowledging that the reflection seemed that of a very handsome young fellow. In fact, there was no disguising it. His light-brown hair, for he wore no periwig, notwithstanding the universal fashion of the time, became the bonnet which surmounted it. His person promised firmness and agility, to which the ample folds of the tartan added an air of dignity. His blue eyes seemed of that kind, "Which melted in love, and which kindled in war." And an air of bashfulness, which was in reality the effect of want of habitual intercourse with the world, gave interest to his features, without injuring their grace or intelligence. " He's a pratty man; a very pratty man," said Evan Dhu (now Ensign Maccombich) to Fergus's buxom landlady. "He's vera weel," said the widow Flockhart, "but no naithing so weel-far'd as your colonel, ensign." "I was na comparing them," quoth Evan, “nor was I speaking about his being weel-favoured; but only that Mr. Waverley looks clean-made and deliver, and like proper lad o' his quarters, that will not cry barley in a brulzie. And, indeed, he's gleg aneuch at the broad-sword and target. I have played wi' him mysel at Glennaquoich, and sae has Vich Ian Vohr, often of a Sunday afternoon." "Lord forgie ye, Ensign Maccombich, I'm sure the colonel wad never do the like o' that." "Hout! hout! Mrs. Flockhart, we're young blude, ye ken; and young saints auld deils." "But will ye fight wi' Sir John Cope, the morn, Ensign Maccombich?" "Troth I'se ensure him, an he'll bide us, Mrs. Flockhart." " And will ye face thae tearing chields, the dragoons, Ensign Maccombich?" "Claw for claw, as Conan said to Satan, Mrs. Flockhart, and the deil tak the shortest nails." " And will the colonel venture on the bagganets himsell?" " Ye may swear it, Mrs. Flockhart; the very first man will he be, by Saint Phedar." " Merciful goodness! and if he's killed amang the red coats!" "Troth, if it should sae befall, Mrs. Flockhart, I ken ane that will na be living to weep for him. But we maun a' live the day, and have our dinner; and there's Vich Ian Vohr has packed his dorlach, and Mr. Waverley's wearied wi' majoring yonder afore the muckle pier-glass, and that gray auld stoor carle, the Baron o' Bradwardine, that shot young Ronald of Ballankeiroch, he's coming down the close wi' that droghling coghling baillie body they ca' Macwhupple, just like the laird o' Kittlegab's French cook, wi' his turnspit doggie trindling ahint him, and I am as hungry as a gled, my bonny dow; sae bid Kate set on the broo,' and do ye put on your pinners, for ye know Vich Ian Vohr winna sit down till ye be at the head o' the table:-and dinna forget the pint bottle o' brandy, my woman." This hint produced dinner. Mrs. Flockhart, smiling in her weeds like the sun through a mist, took the head of the table, thinking within herself perhaps, that she cared not how long the rebellion lasted that brought her into company so much above her usual associates. She was supported by Waverley and the baron, with the advantage of the chieftain vis-a-vis. The men of peace and of war, that is, Baillie Macwheeble and Ensign Maccombich, after many pro |