over Cockburn. Truly, I do intend to weed thy pretty arbours,
Maudge; and, peradventure, I may even essay to sing a bass to thy sweet
ballad of "Lustye May, with Flora Queen;" and such a domesticated
creature shall I be that, like Hercules, you may see me, ere long, ply
the distaff--a pretty sight for Adam Scott's warlike eye."

Cockburn's merriment fell with a lurid glare over the heart of his
wife, who, seeing him determined to cover his designs by light raillery,
replied nothing; but, calling to her her three children, kissed them,
and bade them set aside their sports, and return with her to the Castle.
As they passed along, Cockburn still cast a wistful eye to the skies,
which wore a threatening aspect--the sun having been surrounded in his
setting with large folds of clouds, whose bellying forms came dipping
near the mountains; while the pale form of the moon, scarcely
distinguishable in the falling gloaming, seemed to be sailing through
broken masses of vapour, like a labouring bark in a stormy sea; and, now
and then, a deep hollow moan among the woods came on the ear, like the
far echo of dying thunder. About the Castle, the followers of Cockburn
were observed, by the anxious eye of Marjory, to be all secretly
employed in repairing their arms or habiliments--an occupation they
threw aside, stealthily, when they saw their mistress; but not until she
had observed what they had thus endeavoured to conceal. Their
countenances exhibited that mixture of repressed joy and affected
seriousness which the expectation of being gratified by a luxury from
which the heart has long been debarred by some external power, produces
in the presence of one hostile to the gratification. So strong was the
desire of marauding and spoliation in that distracted part of the
country, that an expedition was then looked upon in nearly the light in
which a fair, or maiden-feast, or penny-wedding, would be contemplated
by more civilized revellers. These indications Marjory noticed; and,
turning up her eyes in the face of her husband, she sighed heavily, and
sought her apartment. Soon afterwards she proceeded to put her children
to rest, making them offer up to heaven a prayer to avert from the head
of their father a danger they did not understand, but enough to them, if
they saw it in the face of their mother, whose looks were their laws,
and whose smiles were the sunlight of their young hearts.

"This is a prettier sight," muttered she, in so