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.

OLD MORTALITY. 377
hoisted, at his own earnest request, upon the quietest horse of the party;
and, prompted and supported by old Gudyill the butler, as his front file,
he passed muster tolerably enough; the sheriff not caring to examine too
closely the recruits of so well-affected a person as Lady Margaret Bellenden.
To the above cause it was owing that the personal retinue of Lady Margaret, on this eventful day, amounted only to two lacqueys, with which diminished train she would, on any other occasion, have been much ashamed
to appear in public. But for the cause of royalty she was ready at any
time to have made the most unreserved personal sacrifices. She had lost
her husband and two promising sons in the civil wars of that unhappy period; but she had received her reward, —for, on his route through the west
of Scotland to meet Cromwell in the unfortunate field of Worcester, Charles
the Second had actually breakfasted at the Tower of Tillietudlem.-an incident which formed, from that moment, an important era in the life of Lady
Margaret, who seldom afterwards partook of that meal, either at home or
abroad, without detailing the whole circumstances of the royal visit, not
forgetting the salutation which his Majesty conferred on each side of her
face, though she sometimes omitted to notice that he bestowed the same
favour on two buxom serving-wenches who appeared at her back, elevated
for the day into the capacity of waiting gentlewomen.
These instances of royal favour were decisive; and if Lady Margaret had
not been a confirmed royalist already, from sense of high birth, influence of
education, and hatred to the opposite party, through whom she had suffered
such domestic calamity, the having given a breakfast to majesty, and received the royal salute in return, were honours enough of themselves to
unite her exclusively to the fortunes of the Stuarts. These were now, in
all appearance, triumphant; but Lady Margaret's zeal had adhered to
them through the worst of times, and was ready to sustain the same severities of. fortune should their scale once more kick. the beam. At present
she enjoyed in full extent the military display of the force which stood
reaidy to support the crown, and stifled, as well as she could, the mortification she felt at the unworthy desertion of her own retainers.
Many civilities passed between her ladyship and the representatives of
sundry ancient loyal families who were upon the ground, by whom she was
held in high reverence; and not a young man of rank passed by them in
the course of the muster, but he carried his body more erect in the saddle,
and threw his horse upon its haunches, to display his own horsemanship,
and the perfect bitting of his steed, to the best advantage in the eyes of
Miss Edith Bellenden. But the young cavaliers, distinguished by high
descent and undoubted loyalty, attracted no more attention from Edith
than the laws of courtesy peremptorily demanded; and she turned an indifferent ear to the compliments with which she was addressed, most of
which were little the worse for the wear, though borrowed for the.nonce from
the laborious and long-winded romances of Calprenede and Scuderi, the
mirrors in which the youth of that age delighted to dress themselves, ere
Folly had thrown her ballast overboard, and cut down her vessels of the
first-rate, such. as the romances of Cyrus, Cleopatra, and others, into small
craft, drawing as little water, or, to speak more plainly, consuming as little
time as the little cock-boat in which the gentle reader has deigned. to embark. It was, however, the decree of fate that Miss Bellenden should not
continue to evince the same equanimity till the conclusion of the day.
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