s' Church, Edinburgh; and, however
much they differed in church politics, preserved the most perfect harmony
as private friends and as clergymen serving the same cure]

Mr. Morton had been alarmed by the discharge of the pistol and the
increasing hubbub around the smithy. His first attention, after he had
directed the bystanders to detain Waverley, but to abstain from injuring
him, was turned to the body of Mucklewrath, over which his wife, in a
revulsion of feeling, was weeping, howling, and tearing her elf-locks in
a state little short of distraction. On raising up the smith, the first
discovery was that he was alive; and the next that he was likely to live
as long as if he had never heard the report of a pistol in his life. He
had made a narrow escape, however; the bullet had grazed his head and
stunned him for a moment or two, which trance terror and confusion of
spirit had prolonged somewhat longer. He now arose to demand vengeance on
the person of Waverley, and with difficulty acquiesced in the proposal of
Mr. Morton that he should be carried before the Laird, as a justice of
peace, and placed at his disposal. The rest of the assistants unanimously
agreed to the measure recommended; even Mrs. Mucklewrath, who had begun
to recover from her hysterics, whimpered forth, 'She wadna say naething
against what the minister proposed; he was e'en ower gude for his trade,
and she hoped to see him wi' a dainty decent bishop's gown on his back; a
comelier sight than your Geneva cloaks and bands, I wis.'

All controversy being thus laid aside, Waverley, escorted by the whole
inhabitants of the village who were not bed-ridden, was conducted to the
house of Cairnvreckan, which was about half a mile distant.

CHAPTER II

AN EXAMINATION

Major Melville of Cairnvreckan, an elderly gentleman, who had spent his
youth in the military service, received Mr. Morton with great kindness,
and our hero with civility, which the equivocal circumstances wherein
Edward was placed rendered constrained and distant.

The nature of the smith's hurt was inquired into, and, as the actual
injury was likely to prove trifling, and the circumstances in which it
was received rendered the infliction on Edward's part a natural act of
self-defence, the Major conceived he might dismiss that matter on
Waverley's depositing in his hands a small sum for the benefit of the
wounded person.

'I could wish, sir,' continued the Major, 'that my duty termi