l fated child pardon and acceptance in a better
world."

Ramorny stretched out his arms after his benefactress, and endeavoured
to express contrition and excuse; but the countenance of the apparition
became darker and sterner, till it was no longer that of the late Queen,
but presented the gloomy and haughty aspect of the Black Douglas; then
the timid and sorrowful face of King Robert, who seemed to mourn over
the approaching dissolution of his royal house; and then a group of
fantastic features, partly hideous, partly ludicrous, which moped, and
chattered, and twisted themselves into unnatural and extravagant
forms, as if ridiculing his endeavour to obtain an exact idea of their
lineaments.

CHAPTER XVIII.

A purple land, where law secures not life.

BYRON.

The morning of Ash Wednesday arose pale and bleak, as usual at this
season in Scotland, where the worst and most inclement weather often
occurs in the early spring months. It was a severe day of frost, and the
citizens had to sleep away the consequences of the preceding holiday's
debauchery. The sun had therefore risen for an hour above the horizon
before there was any general appearance of life among the inhabitants
of Perth, so that it was some time after daybreak when a citizen, going
early to mass, saw the body of the luckless Oliver Proudfute lying on
its face across the kennel in the manner in which he had fallen under
the blow; as our readers will easily imagine, of Anthony Bonthron, the
"boy of the belt"--that is the executioner of the pleasure--of John of
Ramorny.

This early citizen was Allan Griffin, so termed because he was master
of the Griffin Inn; and the alarm which he raised soon brought together
first straggling neighbours, and by and by a concourse of citizens. At
first from the circumstance of the well known buff coat and the crimson
feather in the head piece, the noise arose that it was the stout smith
that lay there slain. This false rumour continued for some time, for the
host of the Griffin, who himself had been a magistrate, would not permit
the body to be touched or stirred till Bailie Craigdallie arrived, so
that the face was not seen..

"This concerns the Fair City, my friends," he said, "and if it is the
stout Smith of the Wynd who lies here, the man lives not in Perth who
will not risk land and life to avenge him. Look you, the villains have
struck him down behind his back, for there is not a man within ten
Sc