d the old dame, who had formerly lived in Ravenswood Castle, and
knew, as she said, the ways of the nobility, was in no whit wanting in
arranging matters, as well as circumstances permitted, according to the
etiquette of the times. The cooper's house was so roomy that each guest
had his separate retiring-room, to which they were ushered with all due
ceremony, while the plentiful supper was in the act of being placed upon
the table.

Ravenswood no sooner found himself alone than, impelled by a thousand
feelings, he left the apartment, the house, and the village, and hastily
retraced his steps to the brow of the hill, which rose betwixt the
village and screened it from the tower, in order to view the final fall
of the house of his fathers. Some idle boys from the hamlet had taken
the same direction out of curiosity, having first witnessed the arrival
of the coach and six and its attendants. As they ran one by one past the
Master, calling to each other to "Come and see the auld tower blaw up in
the lift like the peelings of an ingan," he could not but feel himself
moved with indignation. "And these are the sons of my father's vassals,"
he said--"of men bound, both by law and gratitude, to follow our steps
through battle, and fire, and flood; and now the destruction of their
liege lord's house is but a holiday's sight to them."

These exasperating reflections were partly expresssed in the acrimony
with which he exclaimed, on feeling himself pulled by the cloak: "What
do you want, you dog?"

"I am a dog, and an auld dog too," answered Caleb, for it was he who had
taken the freedom, "and I am like to get a dog's wages; but it does not
signification a pinch of sneesing, for I am ower auld a dog to learn new
tricks, or to follow a new master."

As he spoke, Ravenswood attained the ridge of the hill from which Wolf's
Crag was visible; the flames had entirely sunk down, and, to his great
surprise, there was only a dusky reddening upon the clouds immediately
over the castle, which seemed the reflection of the embers of the sunken
fire.

"The place cannot have blown up," said the Master; "we must have heard
the report: if a quarter of the gunpowder was there you tell me of, it
would have been heard twenty miles off."

"It've very like it wad," said Balderstone, composedly.

"Then the fire cannot have reached the vaults?"

"It's like no," answered Caleb, with the same impenetrable gravity.

"Hark ye, Caleb," said his maste