Waverley; Or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since — Volume 2

by Walter Scott

  CHAPTER LI

  INTRIGUES OF LOVE AND POLITICS

  It is not necessary to record in these pages the triumphantentrance of the Chevalier into Edinburgh after the decisive affairat Preston. One circumstance, however, may be noticed, because itillustrates the high spirit of Flora Mac-Ivor. The Highlanders bywhom the Prince was surrounded, in the license and extravagance ofthis joyful moment, fired their pieces repeatedly, and one ofthese having been accidentally loaded with ball, the bullet grazedthe young lady's temple as she waved her handkerchief from abalcony. [Footnote: See Note II.] Fergus, who beheld the accident,was at her side in an instant; and, on seeing that the wound wastrifling, he drew his broadsword with the purpose of rushing downupon the man by whose carelessness she had incurred so muchdanger, when, holding him by the plaid, 'Do not harm the poorfellow,' she cried; 'for Heaven's sake, do not harm him! but thankGod with me that the accident happened to Flora Mac-Ivor; for hadit befallen a Whig, they would have pretended that the shot wasfired on purpose.'

  Waverley escaped the alarm which this accident would haveoccasioned to him, as he was unavoidably delayed by the necessityof accompanying Colonel Talbot to Edinburgh.

  They performed the journey together on horseback, and for sometime, as if to sound each other's feelings and sentiments, theyconversed upon general and ordinary topics.

  When Waverley again entered upon the subject which he had most atheart, the situation, namely, of his father and his uncle, ColonelTalbot seemed now rather desirous to alleviate than to aggravatehis anxiety. This appeared particularly to be the case when heheard Waverley's history, which he did not scruple to confide tohim.

  'And so,' said the Colonel, 'there has been no malice prepense, aslawyers, I think, term it, in this rash step of yours; and youhave been trepanned into the service of this Italian knight-errantby a few civil speeches from him and one or two of his Highlandrecruiting sergeants? It is sadly foolish, to be sure, but notnearly so bad as I was led to expect. However, you cannot desert,even from the Pretender, at the present moment; that seemsimpossible. But I have little doubt that, in the dissensionsincident to this heterogeneous mass of wild and desperate men,some opportunity may arise, by availing yourself of which you mayextricate yourself honourably from your rash engagement before thebubble burst. If this can be managed, I would have you go to aplace of safety in Flanders which I shall point out. And I think Ican secure your pardon from government after a few months'residence abroad.'

  'I cannot permit you, Colonel Talbot,' answered Waverley, 'tospeak of any plan which turns on my deserting an enterprise inwhich I may have engaged hastily, but certainly voluntarily, andwith the purpose of abiding the issue.'

  'Well,' said Colonel Talbot, smiling, 'leave me my thoughts andhopes at least at liberty, if not my speech. But have you neverexamined your mysterious packet?'

  'It is in my baggage,' replied Edward; 'we shall find it inEdinburgh.'

  In Edinburgh they soon arrived. Waverley's quarters had beenassigned to him, by the Prince's express orders, in a handsomelodging, where there was accommodation for Colonel Talbot. Hisfirst business was to examine his portmanteau, and, after a veryshort search, out tumbled the expected packet. Waverley opened iteagerly. Under a blank cover, simply addressed to E. Waverley,Esq., he found a number of open letters. The uppermost were twofrom Colonel Gardiner addressed to himself. The earliest in datewas a kind and gentle remonstrance for neglect of the writer'sadvice respecting the disposal of his time during his leave ofabsence, the renewal of which, he reminded Captain Waverley, wouldspeedily expire. 'Indeed,' the letter proceeded, 'had it beenotherwise, the news from abroad and my instructions from the WarOffice must have compelled me to recall it, as there is greatdanger, since the disaster in Flanders, both of foreign invasionand insurrection among the disaffected at home. I thereforeentreat you will repair as soon as possible to the headquarters ofthe regiment; and I am concerned to add that this is still themore necessary as there is some discontent in your troop, and Ipostpone inquiry into particulars until I can have the advantageof your assistance.'

  The second letter, dated eight days later, was in such a style asmight have been expected from the Colonel's receiving no answer tothe first. It reminded Waverley of his duty as a man of honour, anofficer, and a Briton; took notice of the increasingdissatisfaction of his men, and that some of them had been heardto hint that their Captain encouraged and approved of theirmutinous behaviour; and, finally, the writer expressed the utmostregret and surprise that he had not obeyed his commands byrepairing to headquarters, reminded him that his leave of absencehad been recalled, and conjured him, in a style in which paternalremonstrance was mingled with military authority, to redeem hiserror by immediately joining his regiment. 'That I may becertain,' concluded the letter, 'that this actually reaches you, Idespatch it by Corporal Tims of your troop, with orders to deliverit into your own hand.'

  Upon reading these letters Waverley, with great bitterness offeeling, was compelled to make the amende honorable to the memoryof the brave and excellent writer; for surely, as Colonel Gardinermust have had every reason to conclude they had come safely tohand, less could not follow, on their being neglected, than thatthird and final summons, which Waverley actually received atGlennaquoich, though too late to obey it. And his beingsuperseded, in consequence of his apparent neglect of this lastcommand, was so far from being a harsh or severe proceeding, thatit was plainly inevitable. The next letter he unfolded was fromthe major of the regiment, acquainting him that a report to thedisadvantage of his reputation was public in the country, stating,that one Mr. Falconer of Ballihopple, or some such name, hadproposed in his presence a treasonable toast, which he permittedto pass in silence, although it was so gross an affront to theroyal family that a gentleman in company, not remarkable for hiszeal for government, had never theless taken the matter up, andthat, supposing the account true, Captain Waverley had thussuffered another, comparatively unconcerned, to resent an affrontdirected against him personally as an officer, and to go out withthe person by whom it was offered. The major concluded that no oneof Captain Waverley's brother officers could believe thisscandalous story, but that it was necessarily their joint opinionthat his own honour, equally with that of the regiment, dependedupon its being instantly contradicted by his authority, etc. etc.etc.

  'What do you think of all this?' said Colonel Talbot, to whomWaverley handed the letters after he had perused them.

  'Think! it renders thought impossible. It is enough to drive memad.'

  'Be calm, my young friend; let us see what are these dirty scrawlsthat follow.'

  The first was addressed,--

  'For Master W. Ruffin, These.'--

  'Dear sur, sum of our yong gulpins will not bite, thof I tuoldthem you shoed me the squoire's own seel. But Tims will deliveryou the lettrs as desired, and tell ould Addem he gave them tosquoir's bond, as to be sure yours is the same, and shall be readyfor signal, and hoy for Hoy Church and Sachefrel, as fadur singsat harvestwhome. Yours, deer Sur,

  'H. H.

  'Poscriff.--Do'e tell squoire we longs to heer from him, and hasdootings about his not writing himself, and Lifetenant Bottler issmoky.'

  'This Ruffin, I suppose, then, is your Donald of the Cavern, whohas intercepted your letters, and carried on a correspondence withthe poor devil Houghton, as if under your authority?'

  'It seems too true. But who can Addem be?'

  'Possibly Adam, for poor Gardiner, a sort of pun on his name.'

  The other letters were to the same purpose; and they soon receivedyet more complete light upon Donald Bean's machinations.

  John Hodges, one of Waverley's servants, who had remained with theregiment and had been taken at Preston, now made his appearance.He had sought out his master with the purpose of again enteringhis service. From this fellow they learned that some time afterWaverley had gone from the headquarters of the regiment, a pedlar,called Ruthven, Rufnn, or Rivane, known among the soldiers by thename of Wily Will, had made freq
uent visits to the town of Dundee.He appeared to possess plenty of money, sold his commodities verycheap, seemed always willing to treat his friends at the ale-house, and easily ingratiated himself with many of Waverley'stroop, particularly Sergeant Houghton and one Tims, also a non-commissioned officer. To these he unfolded, in Waverley's name, aplan for leaving the regiment and joining him in the Highlands,where report said the clans had already taken arms in greatnumbers. The men, who had been educated as Jacobites, so far asthey had any opinion at all, and who knew their landlord, SirEverard, had always been supposed to hold such tenets, easily fellinto the snare. That Waverley was at a distance in the Highlandswas received as a sufficient excuse for transmitting his lettersthrough the medium of the pedlar; and the sight of his well-knownseal seemed to authenticate the negotiations in his name, wherewriting might have been dangerous. The cabal, however, began totake air, from the premature 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 Waverleywas superseded, great part of his troop broke out into actualmutiny, but were surrounded and disarmed by the rest of theregiment In consequence of the sentence of a court-martial,Houghton and Tims were condemned to be shot, but afterwardspermitted to cast lots for life. Houghton, the survivor, showedmuch penitence, being convinced, from the rebukes and explanationsof Colonel Gardiner, that he had really engaged in a very heinouscrime. It is remarkable that, as soon as the poor fellow wassatisfied of this, he became also convinced that the instigatorhad acted without authority from Edward, saying, 'If it wasdishonourable and against Old England, the squire could knownought about it; he never did, or thought to do, anythingdishonourable, no more didn't Sir Everard, nor none of them aforehim, and in that belief he would live and die that Ruffin had doneit all of his own head.'

  The strength of conviction with which he expressed himself uponthis subject, as well as his assurances that the letters intendedfor Waverley had been delivered to Ruthven, made that revolutionin Colonel Gardiner's opinion which he expressed to Talbot.

  The reader has long since understood that Donald Bean Lean playedthe part of tempter on this occasion. His motives were shortlythese. Of an active and intriguing spirit, he had been longemployed as a subaltern agent and spy by those in the confidenceof the Chevalier, to an extent beyond what was suspected even byFergus Mac-Ivor, whom, though obliged to him for protection, heregarded with fear and dislike. To success in this politicaldepartment he naturally looked for raising himself by some boldstroke above his present hazardous and precarious trade of rapine.He was particularly employed in learning the strength of theregiments in Scotland, the character of the officers, etc., andhad long had his eye upon Waverley's troop as open to temptation.Donald even believed that Waverley himself was at bottom in theStuart interest, which seemed confirmed by his long visit to theJacobite Baron of Bradwardine. When, therefore, he came to hiscave with one of Glennaquoich's attendants, the robber, who couldnever appreciate his real motive, which was mere curiosity, was sosanguine as to hope that his own talents were to be employed insome intrigue of consequence, under the auspices of this wealthyyoung Englishman. Nor was he undeceived by Waverley's neglectingall hints and openings afforded for explanation. His conductpassed for prudent reserve, and somewhat piqued Donald Bean, who,supposing himself left out of a secret where confidence promisedto be advantageous, determined to have his share in the drama,whether a regular part were assigned him or not. For this purposeduring Waverley's sleep he possessed himself of his seal, as atoken to be used to any of the troopers whom he might discover tobe possessed of the captain's confidence. His first journey toDundee, the town where the regiment was quartered, undeceived himin his original supposition, but opened to him a new field ofaction. He knew there would be no service so well rewarded by thefriends of the Chevalier as seducing a part of the regular army tohis standard. For this purpose he opened the machinations withwhich the reader is already acquainted, and which form a clue toall the intricacies and obscurities of the narrative previous toWaverley's leaving Glennaquoich.

  By Colonel Talbot's advice, Waverley declined detaining in hisservice the lad whose evidence had thrown additional light onthese intrigues. He represented to him, that it would be doing theman an injury to engage him in a desperate undertaking, and that,whatever should happen, his evidence would go some length at leastin explaining the circumstances under which Waverley himself hadembarked in it. Waverley therefore wrote a short state of what hadhappened to his uncle and his father, cautioning them, however, inthe present circumstances, not to attempt to answer his letter.Talbot then gave the young man a letter to the commander of one ofthe English vessels of war cruising in the frith, requesting himto put the bearer ashore at Berwick, with a pass to proceed to----shire. He was then furnished with money to make an expeditiousjourney, and directed to get on board the ship by means of bribinga fishing-boat, which, as they afterwards learned, he easilyeffected.

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