The monastery; The abbot.

378 WAVERLEY NOVELS.
"Much, much!" answered Michael. "Herod's daughter, who did such
execution with her foot and ankle, danced not men's heads off more cleanly
than this maiden of Morton.*'Tis an axe, man, - an axe which falls of
itself like a sash window, and never gives the headsmen the trouble to
wield it."
" By my faith, a shrewd device," said Woodcock; "heaven keep us free
on't!"
The page, seeing no end to the conversation betwixt these two old comrades, and anxious from what he had heard, concerning the fate of tile
Abbot, now interrupted their conference.''Methinks," he said, "Adam Woodcock, thou hadst better deliver thy
master's letter to the Regent; questionless he hath therein stated what has
chanced at Kennaquhair, in the way most advantageous for all concerned."
" The boy is right," said Michael Wing-the-wind, " my lord will be very
impatient."
"The child hath wit enough to keep himself warm," said Adam Woodcock, producing from his hawking-bag his lord's letter, addressed to the
Earl of Murray, "and for that matter so have I. So, Master Roland, you
will e'en please to present this yourself to the Lord Regent; his presence
will be better graced by a young page than by an old falconer."
" Well said, canny Yorkshire!" replied his fiiend; "and but now you were
so earnest to see our good lord! Why, wouldst thou put the lad into the
noose that thou mayst slip tether thyself? or dost thou think the maiden
will clasp his fair young neck more willingly than thy old sunburnt weasand?"
" Go to," answered the falconer; "thy wit towers high an it could strike
the quarry. I tell thee, the youth has nought to fear-he had nothing to
do with the gambol —a rare gambol it was, Michael, as mad-caps ever
played; and I had made as rare a ballad, if we had had the luck to get it
sung to an end. But mum for that tace, as I said before, is Latin for a
candle. Carry the youth to the presence, and I will remain here, with
bridle in hand, ready to strike the spurs up to the rowel-heads, in case the
hawk flies my way.-I will soon put Soltraedge, I trow, betwixt the Regent
and me, if he means me less than fair play."
" Come on then, my lad," said Michael, " since thou must needs take the
spring before canny Yorkshire." So saying, he led the way through winding passages, closely followed by Roland Groeme, until they arrived at
a large winding stone stair, the steps of which were so long and broad, and
at the same time so low, as to render the ascent uncommonly easy. When
they had ascended about the height of one story, the guide stepped aside,
and pushed open the door of a dark and gloomy antechamber; so dark, indeed, that his youthful companion stumbled, and nearly fell down upon a
low step, which was awkwardly placed on the very threshold.
"Take heed," said Michael Wing-the-wind, in a very low tone of voice,
and first glancing cautiously round to see if any one listened-" Take heed,
my young friend, for those who fall on these boards seldom rise againSeest thou that," he added, in a still lower voice, pointing to some dark
crimson stains on the floor, on which a ray of light, shot through a small
aperture, and traversing the general gloom of the apartment, fell with
mottled radiance -" Seest thou that, youth? -walk warily, for men have
fallen here before you."
"What mean you?" said the page, his flesh creeping, though he scarce
knew why; " Is it blood?"
"Ay, ay," said the domestic, in the same whispering tone, and dragging
the youth on by the arm-" Blood it is,-but this is no time to question, or
Maiden of Morton —a species of Guillotine which the Regent Morton brought down from Halifax. certainly
at a period considerably later than intimated in the tale. He was himself the first who suffered by the
-engine.