The Waverley novels, by Sir Walter Scott, complete in 12 vol., printed from the latest English ed., embracing the author's last corrections, prefaces & notes.

OLD MORTALITY. 411
upon the person of the Archbishop of St. Andrews, by ten or eleven armed
fanatics?"
All started and looked at each other; at length 3Milnwood himself answered, " They had heard of some such misfortune, but were in hopes it
had not been true."
"There is the relation published by Government, old gentleman; what
do you think of it?"
"Think, sir? Wh- wh — whatever the council please to think of it,"
stammered Milnwood.
" 1 desire to have your opinion more explicitly, my friend," said the dragoon, authoritatively.
Milnwood's eyes hastily glanced through the paper to pick out the strongest expressions of censure with which it abounded, in gleaning which he
was greatly aided by their being printed in italics.
"I think it a-bloody and execrable-murder and parricide-devised by
hellish and implacable cruelty-utterly abominable, and a scandal to the
land."
"Well said, old gentleman!" said the querist-" Here's to thee, and I wish
you joy of your good principles. You owe me a cup of thanks for having
taught you them; nay, thou shalt pledge me in thine own sack-sour ale
sits ill upon a loyal stomach. —Now comes your turn, young man; what
think you of the matter in hand?"
"I should have little objection to answer you," said Henry, "if I knew
what right you had to put the question."
" The Lord preserve us!" said the old housekeeper, "to ask the like o'
that, at a trooper, when a' folk ken they do whatever they like through the
haill country wi' man and woman, beast and body."
The old gentleman exclaimed, in the same horror at his nephew's audacity, " Hold your peace, sir, or answer the gentleman discreetly. Do you
mean to affront the king's authority in the person of a sergeant of the LifeGuards?"
" Silence, all of you!" exclaimed Bothwell, striking his hand fiercely on
the table-" Silence, every one of you, and hear me! —You ask me for nly
right to examine you, sir" (to Henry); "my cockade and my broadsword
are my commission, and a better one than ever Old Nol gave to his roundheads; and if you want to know more about it, you may look at the act of
council empowering his pMajesty's officers and soldiers to' search for, examine, and apprehend suspicious persons; and therefore, once more, I ask you
y(!ur opinion of the death of Archbishop Sharpe-it's a new touch-stone we
have got for trying people's mettle."
Henry had, by this time, reflected upon the useless risk to which. he would
expose the family by resisting the tyrannical power which was delegated to
such rude hands; he therefore read the narrative over, and replied, composedly, "I have no hesitation to say, that the perpetrators of this assassination have committed, in my opinion, a rash and wicked action, which I
regret the more, as I foresee it will be made the cause of proceedings
against many who are both innocent of the deed, and as far from approving it as myself."
While Henry thus expressed himself, Bothwell, who bent his eyes keenly
upon him, seemed suddenly to recollect his features.
" Aha! my friend Captain Popinjay! I think I have seen you before, and
in very suspicious company."
"I saw you once," answered Henry, "in the public-house of the town
of."
"And with whom did you leave that public-house, youngster?-was it
not with John Balfour of Burley, one of the murderers of the Archbishop??"
"I did leave the house with the person you have named," answered
Henry -- " I scorn to deny it; but, so far from knowing him to be a mlur