'

While these reflections passed like the stings of scorpions through
Waverley's sensorium, the worthy divine was startled in a long
disquisition on the battle of Falkirk by the ghastliness which they
communicated to his looks, and asked him if he was ill? Fortunately the
bride, all smirk and blush, had just entered the room. Mrs. Williams was
none of the brightest of women, but she was good-natured, and readily
concluding that Edward had been shocked by disagreeable news in the
papers, interfered so judiciously, that, without exciting suspicion, she
drew off Mr. Twigtythe's attention, and engaged it until he soon after
took his leave. Waverley then explained to his friends that he was under
the necessity of going to London with as little delay as possible.

One cause of delay, however, did occur, to which Waverley had been very
little accustomed. His purse, though well stocked when he first went to
Tully-Veolan, had not been reinforced since that period; and although his
life since had not been of a nature to exhaust it hastily, for he had
lived chiefly with his friends or with the army, yet he found that, after
settling with his kind landlord, he should be too poor to encounter the
expense of travelling post. The best course, therefore, seemed to be to
get into the great north road about Boroughbridge, and there take a place
in the northern diligence, a huge old-fashioned tub, drawn by three
horses, which completed the journey from Edinburgh to London (God
willing, as the advertisement expressed it) in three weeks. Our hero,
therefore, took an affectionate farewell of his Cumberland friends, whose
kindness he promised never to forget, and tacitly hoped ene day to
acknowledge by substantial proofs of gratitude. After some petty
difficulties and vexatious delays, and after putting his dress into a
shape better befitting his rank, though perfectly plain and simple, he
accomplished crossing the country, and found himself in the desired
vehicle vis-a-vis to Mrs. Nosebag, the lady of Lieutenant Nosebag,
adjutant and riding-master of the--dragoons, a jolly woman of about
fifty, wearing a blue habit, faced with scarlet, and grasping a
silver-mounted horse-whip.

This lady was one of those active members of society who take upon them
faire lefrais de la conversation. She had just returned from the north,
and informed Edward how nearly her regiment had cut the petticoat people
into ribands at Falkirk, 'only somehow there was