with violence, prevented the torches carried by the guard from acquiring a fixed and steady light. The city lieutenant ordered the porter to open the wicket, and admit but one man at a time. On the postern being opened, the officer appointed by Argyle in the stead of Macrandy entered the court, and cried out, "We are on the service of the state; resist not. Follow, guards." But seeing Macrandy and his two companions, whose dress he could not even discern in the dark, he held out the point of his sword, and called for light.

"Who have we here?" cried the officer.

Wha hae we here?" replied the citizen, "why ye've me here, Randal Macrandy, lieutenant o' the guard. Ken ye me not, Oswald Forrester ?”

"And what do ye here," cried Forrester, « when his Excellency set me on this business?"

"It's nae his Excellency," retorted Macrandy, "that'll mak_me tine the reward, gin the Cavaliers are ta'en; an' ae hundred Jacobuses are as weel i' my pocket, hinney, as yer ain."

ter.

But have ye found the men!" enquired Forres

"Deil ae bit," replied the citizen. "It's a clean bejunk; for I an' thae twa laddies hae watched the house for three hours an mair, an we've sought it clean frae t'ane end till t'ither. There's nae sight nor sign o' Cavalier nor Cavalier's ghaist."

"I must search myself, however," said Forrester. "Comrades, follow."

The guard entered the court-yard, one half of which followed the officer into the house, and the other watched the door. Macrandy then departed, followed by the Cavaliers, and they made all haste from the spot, fearing the eye of the unknown traitor might still be upon them. Armstrong left them at the first turning, and went towards his kinsman's, the city officer undertaking to convey the Colonel in safety to Macgraith's. As they proceeded, the Ca

valier expressed a hope that the friendship of Macrandy might be of no disservice to himself.

"Nae, nae, wha's to inform, think ye?" replied the Citizen; "an' gin I were dismissit frae my lieutenancy, whilk I trow is the warst pain the Lords o' Council wad inflict, I sould neither greet nor grumble; for, to tell ye a trouth, there's mair fash than profit attachit to the office; an' where ane o' my fees gangs intill my ain pocket, there are e'en twenty find their gate intill that o' the Governor. If it binna ae liberty, I wad ask ye ae question ?"

"Speak out," replied Sydenham; "your service entitles you to freedom from ceremony."

"Weel, then," said Macrandy, how lang may ye hae bin acquent wi' the Lord Caryfort?"

"Never before to-day," answered the Colonel. "We were perfect strangers, until we met this morning at Mr. Bradshaw's."

Ken ye that he is i' suit till the young leddy?" enquired the citizen.

"I learnt it from himself," returned the Cavalier. "Ye're no his rival?" said Macrandy."Ye'll pardon me for the question."

"I believe," replied Sydenham, "you are a true man, Mr. Macrandy; and I trust you have sufficient discretion to conceal the acknowledgment, if I tell you that I am.'

"An' kens he your rivalship?" enquired the lieutenant.

"He does; and we have already met upon it," returned the Cavalier.

"Fought!" said Macrandy in surprise. "Yea," answered Sydenham.

"And the issue?" said the citizen.

"Was disastrous to the Lord," replied the Colonel.

Macrandy drew up his mouth, as if in the agonics of acute pain, and shook his head with a terrified aspect. At length he said, "I will no' say it was his Lordship wha betrayed ye to-day, for I kenna how

he might hae an opportunity, an' ye no' acquent wi it; but I counsel ye, he's no' to be lippen'd, or trustit, as ye may say, either wi' life or liberty. He's as fause ae chiel as ever wore a smooth face ower ae dissemblin' heart, an' ye mought as sune expect to see Argyle himsel turn Cavalier as Murray forgie ae personal humiliation."

They had now reached the door of Macgraith's house; and the Cavalier leading the citizen into the porch, they re-exchanged cloaks. Sydenham, on giving his hand to the lieutenant, as he was preparing to depart, said, "You must not refuse me one favour, Mr. Macrandy, and that is the acceptance of this trifling mark of my gratitude and esteem."

"What's this?" exclaimed Macrandy, (holding up a superb diamond ring, which the Cavalier had taken from his own finger, and put into the Citizen's hand)

What's this? ae diamond ring! nae, Sir, I canna, Sir; ye maunna think I did what I did out o' the hope o' lucre; an' mairower, ye Cavaliers are no owerburden'd wi' ready cash; an' I sould account mysel waur than ae Border rider, gin I were to rob. ye o' this jewel i' yer need."

But notwithstanding Mr. Macrandy's delicacy, the Colonel forced the ring upon him, and he left the house, no doubt highly gratified with the magnificent fashion of Sydenham's gratitude.

CHAPTER VI.

Devise some means to come to shrift

This afternoon;

And there she shall at Friar Lawrence' cell,
Be shrived and married.

Romeo and Juliet.

THE Course of our narrative renders it here necessary to take some notice of public events, especially as several of the actors in this our drama, played parts of eminence on the grand theatre of the British empire. General Cromwell had now entered Scotland, and advancing by slow marches towards the capital, near which the Scottish army, commanded by Lesley, was advantageously posted, endeavoured to draw the Scottish Fabius into an engagement. But Lesley, well knowing the inequality of his own troops, both in courage and discipline, compared with the veterans of the English commander, stirred not from his camp. He did indeed suffer some few skirmishes between the advanced parties, wherein he was successful, and the King having arrived at the camp with many Cavaliers in his train (and among others Colonel Sydenham and the Borderer,) in a desperate rencounter with the enemy's horse, his Majesty had the best; and by his personal courage, highly raised himself in the opinion of the soldiers. But this success was so little agreeable to the Scottish clergy who ruled the roast (as it was obtained chiefly by the valour of the Cavaliers,) that they purged the army of four thousand malignants (so they called those of the court or kingly party, who were the best soldiers, and most experienced among the troops,) saying that their army, being composed of saints, who could not be conquered by the arm of

"

flesh, they needed not the assistance of the ungodly. This stupid infatuation, though at present its effects were not plainly visible (for Cromwell perceiving he could not provoke Lesley to draw out of his camp, retreated to Dunbar,) was eventually the ruin of the Scottish army. Lesley was ordered to pursue Agag as they called Cromwell) and his sectarians, whom God had delivered into their hands; and that general at length removed his camp to the heights of Lammermoor, overlooking the town of Dunbar. We shall not here state further the disastrous progress of the campaign; but continuing the faithful ally of Colonel Charles Sydenham, who stayed no longer with the army than his Majesty was suffered to remain with it, we shall return with the Cavalier to the city of Edinburgh. Our readers may have guessed, assisted as all novel readers are by a singular and wonderful intuition, that the traitor who had so basely betrayed Sydenham and the Borderer, was no other than the cunning and hypocritical Simon Murray. He had sent his valet with the identical note which he had written at Mr. Bradshaw's, to the Earl of Argyle; and but for the interposition of an all-wise and all-gracious Providence, the two gallant Cavaliers might have fallen victims to the jealousy and revenge of this unprincipled nobleman. But although his rival and Armstrong had been preserved by the activity of Macrandy, yet whether Caryfort feared his treachery would reach the ears of Mr. Bradshaw, if he should take any steps against the city lieutenant, or whether he feared Border justice (a sudden blow by lead or steel,) if Armstrong should detect his policy, we know not; but Macrandy was suffered to remain in his post without eviction or trouble. In the meantime, Sydenham, whilst in Edinburgh, had been a daily visitor at Mr. Bradshaw's house, and had requested the silence of that gentleman upon the subject of his visits to Lord Caryfort, taking care never to make his appearance whilst Murray was there; and that nobleman unannoyed by the Cava