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.

THE HEART OF MID-LOTIIIAN. 395
As he spoke, she recovered herself from an agony which partook of the
bitterness of death; and, in a minute or two, through the strong exertion
of her natural sense and courage, collected herself sufficiently to understand
he intended her no personal injury..' No!" he repeated; "I would not add to the murder of your sister, and
of her child, that of any one belonging to her!-Mad, frantic, as I am, and
unrestrained by either fear or mercy, given up to the possession of an evil
being, and forsaken by all that is good, I would not hurt you, were the
world offered me for a bribe I But, for the sake of all that is dear to you,
swear you will follow my counsel. Take this weapon, shoot me through
the head, and with your own hand revenge your sister's wrong, only follow
the course-the only course, by which her life can be saved."
" Alas! is she innocent or guilty?"
" She is guiltless-guiltless of every thing, but of having trusted a villain!
-Yet, had it not been for those that were worse than I am-yes, worse than
I am, though I am bad indeed —this misery had not befallen."
"And my sister's child-does it live?" said Jeanie.
" No; it was murdered-the new-born infant was barbarously murdered,"
he uttered in a low, yet stern and sustained voice; —"but," he added hastily,
"not by her knowledge or consent."
" Then, why cannot the guilty be brought to justice, and the innocent
freed?"
" Torment me not with questions which can serve no purpose," he sternly
replied-" The deed was done by those who are far enough from pursuit,
and safe enough from discovery!-'No one can save Effie but yourself."
" Wo's me! how is it in my power?" asked Jeanie, in despondency.
" Hearken to me! -You have sense - you can apprehend my meaning
I will trust you. Your sister is innocent of the crime charged against
her "
"Thank God for that-!" said Jeanie.
"Be still and hearken!-The person who assisted her in her illness murdered the child; but it was without the mother's knowledge or consent.She is therefore guiltless, as guiltless as the unhappy innocent, that but
gasped a few minutes in this unhappy world-the better was its hap to be
so soon at rest. She is innocent as that infant, and yet she must die-it is
impossible to clear her of the law!"
" Cannot the wretches be discovered, and given up to punishment?" said
Jeanie.
" Do you think you will persuade those who are hardened in guilt to die
to save another?-Is that the reed you would lean to?"
"But you said there was a remedy," again gasped out the terrified young
woman.
" There is," answered the stranger, "and it is in your own hands. The
blow which the law, aims cannot be broken by directly encountering it, but
it may be turned aside. You saw your sister during the period preceding
the birth of her child-what is so natural as that she should have mentioned
her condition to you? The doing so would, as their cant goes, take the case
from under the statute, for it removes the quality of concealment. I know
their jargon, and have had sad cause to know it; and the quality of concealment is essential to this statutory offence.*. Nothing is so natural as
that Effie should have mentioned her condition to you - think - reflect — I
*am positive that she did."
* The Scottish Statute Book, anno 1690, chapter 21, in consequence of the great increase of the crime of
child murder both from the temptations to commit the offence and the dlifficulty of discovery, enacted a certain set of presumptions, which, in the absence of direct proof, the jury were directed to receive as evidence
of the crime having actually been committed. The circumstances selected for this purpose were, that the
woman should have concealed her situation during the whole period of pregnancy; that she should not have
called for help at her delivery; and that combined with these grounds of suspicion, the child should be either
found dead or be altogether missing. l.tany persons suffered death during the last century undler this severe'
a(ct. But during the author's memory a nlore lenient course was followed, and the fernale accused under tile