Mr Morton prudently abstained from argument, which he perceived would only harden the magistrate in his opinion, and barely asked how he intended to dispose of the prisoner?

"It is a question of some difficulty, considering the state of the country."6 ̧ðalf "Could you not detain him (being such a gentleman-like young man) here in your own house, out of harm's way, till this storm blow over ?"

"My good friend, neither your house nor mine will be long out of harm's way, even were it legal to confine him here. I have just learned that the commander-inchief, who marched into the Highlands to seek out and disperse the insurgents, has declined giving them battle at Corryerick, and marched on northwards with all the disposable force of government to Inverness, John-o'-Groat's House, or the devil, for what I know, leaving the road to the " low country open and undefended to the Highland army."

"Good God! Is the man a coward, a traitor, or an idiot?"

"None of the three, I believe. He has bas nomina

the

e common-place courage of a common soldier, is honest enough, does, what he is commanded, and understands what is told him, but is as fit to act for himself, in circumstances of importance, as I, my dear parson, to occupy your pulpit."

ita¿ This important public intelligence natu rally diverted the discourse from Waverley for some time; at length, however, the subject was resumed.ked fliw odin the I believe," said Major Melville, "that I must give this young man in charge to,. some of the detached parties of armed volunteers, who were lately sent out to overawe the disaffected districts. They are now recalled towards Stirling, and a small body comes this way to-morrow or next day, by the westland-manwhat's his name?You saw him, and said, he was the very model of one of Crom well's military saints."

Commanded

are.

"Gillfillan, the Cameronian. I wish the young gentleman may be safe with him. Strange things are done in the heat and hurry of minds in so agitating a crisis, and I fear Gillfillan is of a sect which has suffered persecution without learning mercy."

"He has only to lodge Mr Waverley in Stirling Castle: I will give strict injunctions to treat him well. I really cannot devise any better mode for securing him, and I fancy you would hardly advise me to encounter the responsibility of setting him at liberty."

"But you will have no objection to my seeing him to-morrow in private ?"

"None, certainly; your loyalty and character is my warrant. But with what view do you make the request?"

'Simply to make the experiment whether he may not be brought to communicate to me some circumstances which may hereafter be useful to alleviate, if not to exculpate, his conduct."

The friends now parted and retired to rest, each filled with the most anxious reflections on the state of the country,

WAVERLEY awoke in the morning from troubled dreams and unrefreshing slumbers, to a full consciousness of the horrors of his situation. How it might terminate he knew not. He might be delivered up to military law, which, in the midst of civil war, was not likely to be scrupulous in the choice of its victims, or the quality of the evidence. Nor did he feel much more comfortable at the thoughts of a trial before a Scottish court of justice, where he knew the laws and forms differed in many respects from those of England, and had been taught to believe, however erroneously, that the liberty and rights of the subject were less carefully protected. A