all the time of his confinement.

Now he has ridden o'er moor and moss, O'er hill and many a glen,

Fergus, all the while, with his myrmidons, striding stoutly by his side,
or diverging to get a shot at a roe or a heath-cock. Waverley's bosom
beat thick when they approached the old tower of Ian nan Chaistel, and
could distinguish the fair form of its mistress advancing to meet them.

Fergus began immediately, with his usual high spirits, to exclaim, 'Open
your gates, incomparable princess, to the wounded Moor Abindarez, whom
Rodrigo de Narvez, constable of Antiquera, conveys to your castle; or
open them, if you like it better, to the renowned Marquis of Mantua, the
sad attendant of his half-slain friend Baldovinos of the Mountain. Ah,
long rest to thy soul, Cervantes! without quoting thy remnants, how
should I frame my language to befit romantic ears!'

Flora now advanced, and welcoming Waverley with much kindness, expressed
her regret for his accident, of which she had already heard particulars,
and her surprise that her brother should not have taken better care to
put a stranger on his guard against the perils of the sport in which he
engaged him. Edward easily exculpated the Chieftain, who, indeed, at his
own personal risk, had probably saved his life.

This greeting over, Fergus said three or four words to his sister in
Gaelic. The tears instantly sprung to her eyes, but they seemed to be
tears of devotion and joy, for she looked up to heaven and folded her
hands as in a solemn expression of prayer or gratitude. After the pause
of a minute, she presented to Edward some letters which had been
forwarded from Tully-Veolan during his absence, and at the same time
delivered some to her brother. To the latter she likewise gave three or
four numbers of the Caledonian Mercury, the only newspaper which was then
published to the north of the Tweed.

Both gentlemen retired to examine their despatches, and Edward speedily
found that those which he had received contained matters of very deep
interest.

CHAPTER XXV

NEWS FROM ENGLAND

The letters which Waverley had hitherto received from his relations in
England were not such as required any particular notice in this
narrative. His father usually wrote to him with the pompous affectation
of one who was too much oppressed by public affairs to find leisure to
attend to those of his own family. Now and then he mentioned persons of
rank in Scotland to whom he wishe