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.

"08 WAVERLEY NOVELS.
tered their cottage, the tight well-made lass, who, presuming on her good
looks and flippant tongue, had so often provoked her by insubordination;
and her former lover, the redoubted Lance, not being conscious that ale had
given rotundity to his own figure, which was formerly so slight and active,
and that brandy had transferred to his nose the colour which had once
occupied his cheeks, was unable to discover that Deborah's French cap,
composed of sarsenet and Brussels lace, shaded the features which had so
often procured him a rebuke from Dr. Dummerar, for suffering his eyes,
during the time of prayers, to wander to the maid-servant's bench.
In brief, the blushing visiter was compelled to make herself known; and
when known, was received by aunt and nephew with the most sincere
cordiality.
The home-brewed was produced; and, in lieu of more vulgar food, a few
slices of venison presently hissed in the frying-pan, giving strong room for
inference that Lance Outram, in his capacity of keeper, neglected not his
own cottage when he supplied the larder at the Castle. A modest sip of
the excellent Derbyshire ale, and a taste of the highly-seasoned hash, soon
placed Deborah entirely at home with her old acquaintance.
Having put all necessary questions, and received all suitable answers,
respecting the state of the neighbourhood, and such of her own friends as
continued to reside there, the conversation began rather to flag, until Deborah found the art of again renewing its interest, by communicating to
he' friends the dismal intelligence that they must soon look for deadly bad
news from the Castle; for that her present master, Major Bridgenorth, had
been summoned, by some great people from London, to assist in taking her
old master, Sit; Geoffrey; and that all Master Bridgenorth's servants, and
several other persons, whom she named friends and adherents of the same
interest, had assembled a force to surprise the Castle; and that as Sir
Geoffrey was now so old, and gouty withal, it could not be expected he
should make the defence he was wont; and then he was known to be so
stout-hearted, that it was not to be supposed that he would yield up without
stroke of sword; and then if he was killed, as he was like to be, amongst
them that liked never a bone of his body, and now had him at their mercy,
why, in that case, she, Dame Deborah, would look upon Lady Peveril as
little better than a dead woman; and undoubtedly there would be a general
mourning through all that country, where they had such great kin; and
silks were likely to rise on it, as Master Lutestring, the mercer of Chesterfield, was like to feel in his purse bottom. But for her part, let matters wag
how they would, an if Master Julian Peveril was to come to his own, she
could give as near a guess as e'er another who was likely to be Lady at
Martindale.
The text of this lecture, or, in other words, the fact that Bridgenorth was
gone with a party to attack Sir Geoffrey Peveril in his own Castle'of Martindale, sounded so stunningly strange in the ears of those old retainers of
his family, that they had no power either to attend to Mistress Deborah's
inferences, or to interrupt the velocity of speech with which she poured
them forth. And when at length she made a breathless pause, all that poor
Dame Ellesmere could reply, was the emphatic question, "Bridgenorth
take brave Peveril of the Peak!-Is the woman mad?"
" Come, come, dame," said Deborah, " woman me no more than I woman
you. I have not been called Mistress at the head of the table for so many
years, to be woman'd here by you. And for the news, it is as true as that
you are sitting there in a white hood, who will wear a black one ere long."
"Lance Outram," said the old woman, "make out, if thou be'st a man,
and listen about if aught stirs up at the Castle."
"If there should,'" said Outram, "I am even too long here;" and he
caught up his crossbow, and one or two arrows, and rushed out of the
cottage.