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.

490 wAVER LEY NOVELS.
Jeanie snatched up her little bundle, followed Madge into the free air,
and eagerly looked round her for a human habitation; but none was to be
seen. The ground was partly cultivated, and partly left in its natural
state, according as the fancy of the slovenly agriculturists had decided.
In its natural state it was waste, in some places covered with dwarf trees
and bushes, in others swamp, and elsewhere firm and dry downs or pasture
grounds.
Jeanie's active mind next led her to conjecture which way the high-road
lay, whence she had been forced. If she regained that public road, she
imagined she must soon meet some person, or arrive at some house,
where she might tell her story, and request protection. But, after a
glance around her, she saw with regret that she had no means whatever
of directing her- course with any degree of certainty, and that she was
still in dependence upon her crazy companion. " Shall we not walk upon
the high-road?" said she to Madge, in such a tone as a nurse uses to coax a
child. " It's brawer walking on the road -than amang thae wild bushes and
whins."
Madge, who was walking very fast, stopped at this question, and looked
at Jeanie with a sudden and scrutinizing glance, that seemed to indicate.
complete acquaintance with her purpose. "Aha, lass!" she exclaimed,
"are ye gaun to guide us that gate? - Ye'll be for making your heels'save
your head, I am judging."
Jeanie hesitated for a moment, on hearing her companion thus express
herself, whether she had not better take the hint, and try to outstrip and
get rid of her. But she knew not in which direction to fly.; she was by no
means sure that she would prove the swiftest, and perfectly conscious that,
in the event of her being pursued and overtaken, she would be inferior to
the madwomlan in strength. She therefore gave up thoughts for the present
of attempting to escape in that manner, and, saying a few words to allay'
Madge's suspicions, she followed in anxious apprehension the wayward path
by which her guide thought proper to lead her. Madge, infirm of purpose,
and easily reconciled to the present scene, whatever it was, began soon to
talk with her usual diffuseness of ideas.
"It's a dainty thing to be in the woods on a fine morning like this! I
like it far better than the town, for there isna a wheen duddie bairns to
be crying after ane, as if ane were a warld's wonder, just because ane
maybe is a thought bonnier and better put-on than their neighboursthough, Jeanie, ye suld never be proud o' braw claiths, or beauty neitherwae's me I they're but a snare. —I anes thought better o' them, and what
came o't?"
" Are ye sure ye ken the way ye are taking us?" said Jeanie, who began
-to imagine that she was getting- deeper into the woods and' more remote from
the high-road.
"Do I ken the road? - Wasna I mony a day living here, and what for
shouldna I ken the road? I might hae forgotten, too, for it was afore my
accident; but there are some things ane can never forget, let them try it as
muckle as they like."
By this time they had gained the deepest part of a patch of woodland.
The trees were a little separated from each other, and at the foot of one
of them, a beautiful poplar, was a hillock of moss, such as the poet of
Grasmere has described. So soon as she arrived at this spot, Madge Wildfire joining her hands above her head, with a loud scream that resembled
laughter, flung herself all at once upon the spot, and remained lying there
motionless.
Jeanie's first idea was to take the opportunity of flight; but her desire to
escape yielded for a moment to apprehension for the poor insane being, who,
she thought, might perish'for want of relief. With an effort, which in her
circumstances, might be termed heroic, she stooped down, spoke in a sooth