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.

370 WWAVERLEY NOVELS.
betray the girl to our master. She hath a right to follow her fancy, as the
dame said who kissed her cow — only I do not much approve her choice,
that is all. He cannot be six years short of fifty; and a verjuice counrtenance, under the penthouse of a slouched beaver, and bag of meagre dried
bones, swaddled up in a black cloak, is no such temptation, methinks."
"I tell you once more," said Whitaker, "you are mistaken; and that
there neither is, nor can be, any matter of love between them, but only
some intrigue, concerning, perhaps, this same noble Countess of Derbv. I
tell thee, it behoves my master to know it, and I will presently tell it to
him."
So saying, and in spite of all the remonstrances which Lance continued
to make on behalf of Mistress Deborah, the steward rode up to the main
body of their little party, and mentioned to the Knight, and the Countess
of Derby, what he had just heard from the keeper, adding at the same time
his own suspicions, that Master Bridgenorth of Moultrassie-Hall was desirous to keep up some system of espial in the Castle of Martindale, either
in order to secure his menaced vengeance on the Countess of Derby, as authoress of his brother-in-law's death, or for some unknown, but probably
sinister purpose.
The Knight of the Peak was filled with high resentment at Whitaker's
communication. According to his prejudices, those of the opposite faction
were supposed to make up by wit and intrigue what they wanted in open
force; and he now hastily conceived that his neighbour, whose prudence he
always respected, and sometimes even dreaded, was maintaining, for his
private purposes, a clandestine correspondence with a member of his family.
If this was for the betrayal of his noble guest, it argued at once treachery
and presumption; or, viewing the whole as Lance had done, a criminal intrigue with a woman so near the person of Lady Peveril, was in itself, he
deemed, a piece of sovereign impertinence and disrespect on the part of
such a person as Bridgenorth, against whom Sir Geoffrey's anger was kindled accordingly.
Whitaker had scarce regained his post in the rear, when he again quitted
it, and galloped to the main body with more speed than before, with the
unpleasing tidings that they were-pursued by half a score of horsemen, and
better.
"Ride on briskly to Hartley-nick," said the Knight, "and there, with
God to help, we will bide the knaves.-Countess of Derby-one word and a
short one —Farewell! -you must ride forward with Whitaker and another
careful fellow, and let me alone to see that no one treads on your skirts."
"I will abide with you and stand them," said the Countess; " you know
of old, I fear not to look on man's work."
"You must ride on, madam," said the Knight, " for the sake of the young
Earl, and the rest of my noble friend's family. There is no manly work
which can be worth your looking upon it; it is but child's play that these
fellows bring with them."
As she yielded a reluctant consent to continue her flight, they reached
the bottom of Hartley-nick, a pass very steep and craggy, and where the
road, or rather path, which had hithertopassed over more open ground,
became pent up and confined, betwixt copsewood on the one side, and, on
the other, the precipitous bank of a mountain stream.
The Countess of Derby, after an affectionate adieu to Sir Geoffrey, and
having requested him. to convey her kind commendations to her little pageelect and his mother, proceeded up the pass at a round pace, and with her
attendants and escort, was soon out of sight. Immediately after she had
disappeared, the pursuers came up with Sir Geoffrey Peveril, who had divided and drawn up-his party so as completely to occupy the road at three
different points.
The opposite party was led, as Sir Geoffrey had expected, by Major