ed
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.

[Illustration: Tillietudlem Castle--128]

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 Stewarts.
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 ready 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 de