purpose, had he not been withheld by the cautious Caxon. « Haud a care o' us, your honour will be killed wi' the hoast--ye'll no get out o your night-cowl this fortnight — and that will suit us unco íll.-Na, na-there's the chariot down bye, let twa o' the folk carry the young lady there.>> « You're right," said the Antiquary, re-adjusting the sleeves and collar of his coat, « you are right, Caxon; this is a naughty night to swim inMiss Wardour, let me convey you to the chariot. >> « Not for worlds, till I see my father safe.» In a few distinct words, evincing how much her resolution had surmounted even the mortal fear of so agitating a hazard, she explained the nature of the situation beneath, and the wishes of Lovel and Ochiltree. Right, right, that's right too--I should like to see the son of Sir Gamelyn de Guardover on dry-land myself-I have a notion he would sign the abjuration oath, and the Ragman-roll to boot, and acknowledge Queen Mary to be nothing better than she should be, to get alongside my bottle of old port that he ran away and left scarce begun-But he's safe now, and here a comes-(for the chair was again lowered, and Sir Arthur. made fast in it, without much consciousness on his own part)-here a comes-rouse away, my boys-canny wi' him-a pedigree of a hundred links is hanging on a tenpenny tow-the whole barony of Knockwinnock depends on three plies of hemp-respice finem, respice funem-look to your end-look to a rope's end.-Welcome, welcome, my good old friend, to firm land, though I cannot say to warm land or to dry land—a cord for ever against fifty fathom of water, though not in the sense of the base proverb-a fico for the phrase-better sus. per funem, than sus. per coll.» While Oldbuck ran on in this way, Sir Arthur was safefy wrapped in the close embraces of his daughter, who, assuming that authority which the circumstances demanded, ordered some of the assistants to convey him to the chariot, promising to follow in a few minutes. She lingered on the cliff, holding an old countryman's arm, to witness probably the safety of those whose dangers she had shared. What have we here?" said Oldbuck, as the vehicle once more ascended, « What patched and weather-beaten matter is this?» then, as the torches illumined the rough face and grey hairs of old Ochiltree,-«What! is it thou?-come, old Mocker, I must needs be friends with thee-but who the devil makes up your party besides?»> « Ane that's weel worth ony twa o' us, Monk-. barns-it's the young stranger lad they ca' Lovel --and he's behaved this blessed night, as if he had three lives to rely on, and was willing to waste them a' rather than endanger ither folks Ca' hooly, sirs, as ye wad win an auld man's blessing!-mind there's naebody below now to haud the gy-Hae a care o' the Cat's-lug-corner-bide weel aff Crummie's-horn.!» Have a care, indeed," echoed Oldbuck; black swan-my « What! is it my rara avis-my phoenix of companions in a post-chaise?-take care of him, Mucklebackit.» « As meikle care as if he were a greybeard o' brandy; and I canna take mair if his hair were like John Harlowe's-Yo ho, my hearts, bowse away with him!»> Lovel did, in fact, run a much greater risk than any of his precursors. His weight was not sufficient to render his ascent steady amid such a storm of wind, and he swung like an agitated pendulum at the mortal risk of being dashed against the rocks. But he was young, bold, and active, and, with the assistance of the beggar's stout piked staff, which he had retained by advice of the proprietor, contrived to bear himself from the face of the precipice, and the yet more hazardous projecting cliffs which varied its surface. Tossed in empty space, like an idle and unsubstantial feather, with a motion that agitated the brain at once with fear and with dizziness, he retained his alertness of exertion and presence of mind; and it was not until he was safely grounded upon the summit of the cliff, that he felt temporary and giddy sickness. As he recovered from a sort of half swoon, he cast his eyes eagerly around. The object which they would most willingly have sought, was already in the act of vanishing. Her white garment was just discernible as she followed on the path which her father had taken. She had lingered till she saw the last of their company rescued from dan ger, and until she had been assured by the coarse voice of Muklebackit, that « the callant had come off wi' unbrizzed banes, and that he was but in a kind of dwam.» But Lovel was not aware that she had expressed in his fate even this degree of interest, which, though nothing more than was due to a stranger who had assisted her in such an hour of peril, he would have gladly purchased by braving even more imminent danger than he had that evening been exposed to. The beggar she had already commanded to come to Knockwinnock that night. He made an excuse. to-morrow let me see you." Then The old man promised to obey. Oldbuck thrust something into his hand-Ochiltree looked at it by the torch-light, and returned it—« Na, na! I never tak gowd-besides, Monkbarns, ye wad maybe be rueing it the morn ;» then turning to the group of fishermen and peasants,―« Now, sirs, whae will gie me a supper and some clean pease-strae ?» - K and I,» « and I,» answered many a ready Aweel, since sae it is, and I can only sleep in ae barn at ance, I'll gae down wi' Saunders Mucklebackit--he has aye a soup o' something comfortable about his bigging-and, bairns, I'll maybe live to put ilka ane o' ye in mind some ither night that ye hae promised me quarters and my awmous;"> and away he went with the fisher man. Oldbuck laid the hand of strong possession on Lovel- « De'il a stride ye's go to Fairport this night, young man—you must go home with me to Monkbarns. Why, man, you have been a hero-a perfect Sir William Wallace by all accounts.-Come, my good lad, take hold of my arm—I am not a prime support in such a wind --but Caxon shall help us out-Here, you old idiot, come on the other side of me-And how the de'il got you down to that infernal Bessie'sapron, as they called it?-Bess, said they—why, curse her, she has spread out that vile pennon or banner of womankind, like all the rest of her sex, to allure her votaries to death and headlong ruin.»> << I have been pretty well accustomed to climbing, and I have long observed fowlers practise that pass down the cliff.» « But how, in the name of all that is wonderful, came you to discover the danger of the petted baronet and his far more deserving daughter?>> « I saw them from the verge of the precipice. >> « From the verge!-umph-And what possessed you, dumosa pendere procul de rupe?-though dumosa is not the appropriate epithet-What the de'il, man, tempted ye to the verge of the craig?" Why I like to see the gathering and growling of a coming storm-or, in your own classical language, Mr Oldbuck, suave est mari magno-and so forth but here we reach the turn to Fairport. I must wish you good night.» «Not a step, not a pace, not an inch, not a |