on, ye shall this day speak till her in her father's bouse." "What wad I gie," answered Macrandy, "that ye meant guid faith?” "In troth do I," said the Borderer. "What! that I sall speak face till face wi' her ainsel?" cried the cit. "Even sae," replied the Marchman. "But how wull ye compass it? By what stratagem do ye expect I sall get intill the house?" said Macrandy. "Marry, by nae stratagem at a'," answered Armstrong; "but ye shall just bear me a note till her father, and that wull gar ye be admitted without cross or scruple." "Hoot awa," cried Macrandy, "write yer note, write twenty, an' I'll be yer postman ower a' the town, gin that'll gar me enter intill Mr. Bradshaw's house. The mornin's near breakin', an' I'll do yer errand sae sune as they're stirring, ye may depend. But are ye personally acquent wi' his honour?" "Doubt it not,” replied Armstrong; “I've mair friends than yersell, Macrandy, or we might stay here, the de'il kens how long. But what'll we do for the materials? Here are neither pen, ink, nor paper." "Never ye mind," replied the citizen, rising; “ I'll find ye a' in the strikin' o' ae bell." He unbolted the door, and left the room. Sydenham immediately said, " And does Mr. Bradshaw and his family actually reside in Edinburgh ?" “In the varra house where we stopped," answered Armstrong; but ye would pass on, an' sae ye tint the explanation." "What mean you by sending to him." "Naething but this. He can procure our liberty wi' ae word to the Provost, and it'll nae be the waur for either you or me, an' we pass without examination." "They dare not use violence to us," said Sydenham; "we are under the King's protection." "Remember James Graham," replied Armstrong. Macrandy now returned with paper, an ink-horn, and a grey goose quill, the latter of which he speedily converted into a pen. Armstrong then wrote a short billet to Mr. Bradshaw, which we dare say was remarkable for neither graphiarial nor orthographical precision; but as we have no means of coming to a conclusion on this interesting point, (for the letter never reached our hands,) we shall say no more upon that subject; but merely state, that Macrandy having received the note, and undertaken to deliver it into the hands of Mr. Bradshaw himself, departed. The Cavaliers then wrapped themselves in their cloaks, and Sydenham extending himself on the settle, and his companion in the large chair, they quickly fell asleep. CHAPTER II. Let me advise ye, Sir, Check your presumption in its wild career, Siege of Candy. OUR hero and the Scotsman slept, without interruption, until the ninth hour; for whether Macrandy had left any charge with Mr. Janus Fetterlegs, or that officer did not dare again to disturb the slumbering wrath of the Cavaliers, it is certain that he did not make his appearance. The Colonel was first aroused by a string of reverberations upon the iron gate of the tollbooth, and to his great surprise, perceived the broad rays of the sun darting through the high window of the room. Upon consulting his horologe, he was amazed at the advanced progress of the morning, and endeavoured to awake Armstrong, whose nasal organ pour'd forth a sound which might have served for an alarm in the hour of battle. It was in vain that Sydenham used the might of his lungs; his voice was drowned in the overwhelming snore of the Borderer, and he was at length obliged to have recourse to manual exertion, before he could rouse Armstrong from his lair. "What the deil gars ye mak siccan ae rout?” cried Willie, stretching himself. Is the tollbooth in ae lowe? or has that thief unhangit, Fetterlegs, ventured to shew his impudent face here again?" "Neither," replied Sydenham," but you may see the sun has quartered his course; 'tis past nine." "Past nine!" said Armstrong. "Ye may weel ken, gin it were past twal', we hinna had ae half of our reglar rest. It had striken four on the tollbooth clock afore Macrandy left, an' its nae likely we'll grow fat an' pursy upon five hours sleepin'." He was proceeding to wrap himself again in his roquelaure, for the purpose of resuming his somnolent position, when a noise was heard in the passage, and immediately after the door opened, and Mr. Bradshaw himself, followed by Lieutenant Macrandy, entered the chamber. The former advanced to the Colonel, and shook his hand with all the warmth of ancient friendship, whilst Armstrong, starting up from his seat, cried aloud, "Ye're a friend in need, Mr. Bradshaw; an' there's nowt like 'em. Here hae we twa bin syne the last e'ening coopit up in less room than ye wad tak to turn bandrons in; an' had it nae been for this guid chiel, wha laid us fast, we maun hae remain'd here until the gaol delivery." "I hae gi'en his honour," said Macrandy, "a full an' porteeclar account o' a circumstances whilk came wi'in the sphere o' my observance.". "The deil ye did," said Armstrong, drawing him aside; "ye did na tell him ye found us wi' naked swords." "I did truly," answered Macrandy. "Truly ye did a fulis action then, an' deserve a fule's reward," said the Borderer. "Ye did na caution me," cried the citizen. "Are ye a callant? or an idiot? that ye need ae horn buik till yer girdle, wi' yer charge thereon," said the Marchman. "But it's nae to greet at the shot arrow. Bridle yer galloping tongue for the coming time, an' ye luve sound banes an' a hail skin." "Muckle thanks ye gie me," said Macrandy; "for the service I've done ye. Gin I had na gaun yer errand, ye wad hae lookit lang an' found few that wad hae done yer bidding." "Ae het aizle in yer mouth, yc barkin' collie," cried the Borderer; ye went to see the lassie, an' nae for luve o' me. Didna ye tak it as a favour done ye? an' now ye mouth it out, as though the saddle were on t'ither aiver." "An' weel may I, ye ken," answered Macrandy, "for the damsel didna appear, an' I had my trouble for my pains." "An' as muckle as ye deserv'd," cried Armstrong, "that wadna do ae guid turn to yer neighbour in distress, without the hope of reward. Ye ken now, we're likely, as I towd ye, to scape without yer halp or favour; an' in return for the little guid ye've done us, I'll gie ye some advice, whilk, if ye tak it, wull repay ye doubly." Weel, what mean ye?" said Macrandy. "Shut up yer shop, make disponement of yer stock in trade, an' quit the town," answered the Borderer. "The city of Edinbro' wull sune, ye ken, be fillet wi' armed men, and amang the rest, the Armstrongs of the Border. They are my kin an' frends for life an' death, an' are nae ower nice in the distinction of their ain an' ither men's guids. I say till ye my say, tak it as ye wull; but gin I find ye as ye are in ae month's course, I'll leave ye neither stockin' for yer shop, nor guids for yer bigging, claes to yer back, nor life in yer body. Mark ye me, Mr. City Lieutenant; the day's nae lang." Although Armstrong thus threatened Macrandy in jest, it put the citizen (who believed the whole as true as the gospel) into a most pitiable taking. He endeavoured to soften the Borderer by silent imploration; but the cavalier avoided taking any further notice of him. In the meantime, whilst the dialogue between the two Scots had been in peractione, Mr. Bradshaw and Colonel Sydenham had been engaged in an earnest conference. "You are now free," said the worthy elder. "I have already visited the Lord Provost, who has given your discharge to the city lieutenant. Is it not so, Mr. Macrandy?" "Yer honour is doubtless correct,” replied the citizen officer, bowing; " I hae the discharge i' my pocket; an' gin yer honour an' the gentleman wull wait ae minute, I'll bring ye Master Fetterlegs, the governor." He went out of the room, and shortly returned, bearing the swords of the Cavaliers, which were restored to them. He was accompanied by the keeper, to whom he tendered the order. Fetterlegs read it over with great circumspection, and then put it in his pocket, whence he drew another instrument of somewhat larger dimensions. It was, in fact, his bill of charges which he presented to Armstrong. Sydenham drew his purse, and would have paid it without scruple; but the Borderer was of another mind, and told the Colonel to go onward with Mr. Bradshaw, and he would settle with Fetterlegs, and follow them. Our hero complied, leaving the purse with Armstrong; who, when they had left the tollbooth, tried in vain to decypher the keeper's writing. "Ye've a d-d crampit hond o' yer ain," said Willie. It's nae possible for ae plain mon just to mak❜ |