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.

PEVERIL OF THIE PEAK. 377surprise and sorrow, that all which she had done and attempted, to establish
peace and unanimity betwixt the contending factions, had been perversely
fated to turn out the very reverse of what she had aimed at.
"But for my unhappy invitation," she said, " Bridgenorth would not have
been at the Castle on the morning which succeeded the feast, would not
have seen the Countess, and would not have incurred the resentment and
opposition of my husband. And but for the King's return, an event which
was so anxiously expected as the termination of all our calamities, neither
the noble lady nor ourselves had been engaged in this new path of difficulty
and danger."
"Heonoured madam," said Doctor Dummerar, "were the affairs of this
world to be guided implicitly by human wisdom, or were they unifoimily to
fall out according to the conjectures of human foresight, events would no
longer be under the domination of that time and chance, which happen unto
all men, since we should, in the one case, work out our own purposes to a
certainty, by our own skill, and in the other, regulate our conduct according
to the views of unerring prescience. But man is, while in this vale of tears,
like an uninstructed bowler, so to speak, who thinks to attain the jack, by
delivering his bowl straight forward upon it, being ionorant that there is a
concealed bias within the spheroid, which will make it, in all probability,
swerve away, and lose the cast."
tIaving spoken this with a seententious air, the Doctor took his shovelshaped hat, and went down to the Castle green, to conclude a match of
bowls with Whitaker, which had probably. suggested this notable illustration of the uncertain course of human events.
Two days afterwards, Sir Geoffrey arrived. He had waited at Vale-Royal
till he heard of the Countess's being safely embarked for Man, and then
had posted homeward to his Castle and Dame Margaret. On his way, he
learned from some of his attendants, the mode in which his lady had conducted the entertainment which she had given to the neighbourhood at his
order; and notwithstanding the great deference he usually showed in cases
where Lady Peveril was concerned, he heard of her liberality towards the
Presbyterian party with great indignation.
"I could have admitted Bridgenorth," he said, "for he always bore him
in neighbourly and kindly fashion till this last career-I could have endured
him, so he would have drunk the King's health, like a true man - but to
bring that snuffling scoundrel Solsgrace, with all his beggarly, long-eared
congregation, to hold a conventicle in my father's house-to let them domnineer it as they listed - why, I would not have permitted them such liberty,
when they held their head the highest! They never, in the worst of times,
found any way into Martindale Castle but what Noll's'cannon made for
them; and, that they should come and cant there, when good King Charles
is returned - By my hand, Dame Margaret shall hear of it!"
But, notwithstanvding these ireful resolutions, resentment altogether subsided in the honest Knight'o breast, when he saw the fair features of his
lady lightened with affectionate joy at his return in safety. As he took her
in his arms and kissed her, he forgave her ere he mentioned her offence.
"Thou hast played the knave with me, MIeg," he said, shaking his head,
and smiling at the same time, " and thou knowest in what manner: but I
think thou art true churchwoman, and didst only act from some silly womanish fancy of keeping fair with these roguish Roundheads. But let me have
no more of this. I had rather Martindale Castle were again rent by their
bullets, than receive any of the knaves in the way of friendship- I always
except Ralph Bridgenorth of the Hall, if he should come to his senses
again."
Lady Peveril was here under the necessity of explaining what she had
heard of Master Bridgenorth - the disappearance of the governante with
his daughter, and placed Bridgenorth's letter in his hand. Sir Geoffrey
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