had already taken arms in great numbers. The men who had been educated as Jacobites, so far as they had any opinions at all, and who knew their landlord, Sir Everard, had always been supposed to hold such tenets, easily fell into the snare. That Waverley was at a distance in the Highlands, was received as a sufficient excuse for transmitting his letter through the medium of the pedlar: and the sight of his wellknown seal seemed to authenticate the negotiations in his name, where writing might have been dangerous. The cabal, however, began to take air, from the prémature mutinous language of those concerned. Wily Will justified his appellative: for after suspicion arose, he was seen no more. When the Gazette appeared, in which Waverley was superseded, great part of his troop broke out into actual mutiny, but were surrounded and disarmed by the rest of the regiment. In consequence of the sentence of a court-martial, Houghton and Tims were condemned to be shot, but afterwards permitted to cast lots for life. Houghton the survivor, showed much penitence, being convinced from the rebukes and explanations of Colonel G-, that he had really engaged in a very heinous crime. It is remarkable, that as soon as the poor fellow was satisfied of this, he became also convinced that the instigator had acted without authority from Edward, saying "if it was dishonourable, and against Old England, the squire could know naught about it; he never did, or thought to do, any thing dishonourable, no more didn't Sir Everard, nor none of them afore him, and in that belief he would live and die that Ruffen had done it all of his own head."

The strength of conviction with which he expressed himself upon this subject, as well as his assurances that the letters intended for Waverley had been delivered to Ruthven, made that revolution in Colonel G. 's opinion which he expressed to Talbot.

The reader had long since understood that Donald

Bean Lean played the part of tempter on this occa sion. His motives were shortly these: Of an active and intriguing spirit, he had been long employed as a subaltern agent and spy, by those in the confidence of the chevalier, to an extent beyond what was suspected, even by Fergus Mac-Ivor, whom, though obliged to him for protection, he regarded with fear and dislike. To success in this political department, he naturally looked for raising himself, by some bold stroke, above his present hazardous and precarious trade of rapine. He was particularly employed in learning the strength of the regiments in Scotland, the character of the officers, &c. and had long had his eye upon Waverley's troop, as open to temptation. Donald even believed that Waverley himself was at bottom in the Stuart interest, which seemed confirmed by his long visit to the jacobite Baron of Bradwardine. When, therefore, he came to his cave with one of Glennaquoich's attendants, the robber who could never appreciate his real motive, which was mere curiosity, was so sanguine as to hope that his own talents were to be employed in some intrigue of consequence, under the auspices of this wealthy young Englishman. Nor was he undeceived by Waverley's neglecting all hints and openings afforded for explanation. His conduct passed for prudent reserve, and somewhat piqued Donald Bean, who, supposing him. self left out of the secret where confidence promised to be advantageous, determined to have his share in the drama, whether a regular part was assigned him or not. For this purpose, during Waverley's sleep, he possessed himself of his seal, as a token to be used to any of the troopers whom he might discover to be possessed of the captain's confidence. His first Journey to -, the town where the regiment was quartered, undeceived him in his original supposition, but opened to him a new field of action. He knew there would be no service so well rewarded by the friends of the chevalier, as seducing a part of the

regular army to his standard. For this purpose he opened the machinations with which the reader is already acquainted, and which form a clew to all the intricacies and obscurities of the narrative previous to Waverley's leaving Glennaquoich.

By Colonel Talbot's advice, Waverley declined retaining in his service the lad whose evidence had thrown additional light on these intrigues. He represented to him it would be doing the man an injury to engage him in a desperate undertaking, and that, whatever should happen, his evidence would go some length, at least, in explaining the circumstances under which Waverley himself had embarked in it. Waverley, therefore, wrote a short state of what had happened to his uncle and his father, cautioning them, however, in the present circumstances, not to attempt to answer his letter. Talbot then gave the man a letter to the commander of one of the English vessels of war, cruising in the Frith, requesting him to put the bearer ashore at Berwick, with a pass to proceed to -shire. The man was then furnished with money to make an expeditious journey, and directed to get on board the ship by means of bribing a fishing boat, which, as they afterwards learned, he easily effected.

Tired of the attendance of Callum Beg, who, he thought had some disposition to act as a spy on his motions, Waverley hired as a servant, a simple Edinburgh swain, who had mounted the white cockade in a fit of spleen and jealousy, because Jenny Jop had danced a whole night with Corporal Bullock of the Fusileers.

9*

CHAPTER XIV.

Intrigues of Society and Love.

COLONEL TALBOT became more kindly in his demeanour towards Waverley, after the confidence he had reposed in him, and as they were necessarily much together, the character of the colonel rose in Waverley's estimation. There seemed at first something harsh in his strong expressions of dislike and censure, although no one was in the general case more open to conviction. The habit of authority also had given his manners some peremptory hardness, notwithstanding the polish which they had received from his intimate acquaintance with the higher circles. As a specimen of the military character, he differed from all whom Waverley had as yet seen. The soldiership of the Baron of Bradwardine was marked by pedantry; that of Major Melville by a sort of martinet attention to the minutia and technicalities of discipline, rather suitable to one who was to manœuvre a battalion, than to him who was to command an army; the military spirit of Ferges was so much warped and blended with his plans and political views, that it was that of a pretty sovereign, rather than that of a soldier. But Colonel Talbot was in every point the English soldier. His whole soul was devoted to the service of his king and country, without feeling any pride in knowing the theory of his art with the baron, or its practical minutiæ with the major, or in applying his science to his own particular plans, like the chieftain of Glennaquoich. Added to this he was a man of extended knowledge and cultivated taste, although strongly tinged, as we have already observed with those prejudices which are peculiarly English.

The character of Colonel Talbot dawned upon Edward by degrees; for the delay of the Highlanders in the fruitless siege of Edinburgh Castle occupied several weeks, during which Waverley had little to do, 'excepting to seek such amusement as society afforded. He would willingly have persuaded his new friend to become acquainted with some of his former inmates. But the colonel, after one or two visits, shook his head, and declined farther experiment. Indeed he went farther, aud characterized the baron as the most intolerable, formal pedant he had ever had the misfortune to meet with, and the chief of Glennaquoich as a Frenchified Scotchman, possessing all the cunning and plausibility of the nation where he was educated, with the proud, vindictive, and turbulent humour of that of his birth. "If the devil," he said, "had sought out an agent expressly for the purpose of embroiling this miserable country, I do not think he could find a better than such a fellow as this, whose temper seems equally active, supple and mischievous, and who is followed, and implicity obeyed, by a gang of such cut-throats as those whom you are pleased to admire so much."

The ladies of the party did not escape his censure. He allowed that Flora Mac-Ivor was a fine woman, and Rose Bradwardine a pretty girl. But he alledg. ed that the former destroyed the effect of her beauty by an affectation of the grand airs which she had probably seen practised in the mock court of St. Germains. As for Rose Bradwardine, he said it was impossible for any mortal to admire such a little. uniform thing, whose small portion of education was as ill adapted to her sex or youth, as if she had appeared with one of her father's old campaign coats upon her person for her sole garment. Now, all this was mere spleen and prejudice in the excellent colonel, with whom the white cockade on the breast, the white rose in the hair, and the Mac at the beginning of a name, would have made a devil out of an