sters when I
should be in the King's Park.'

'But you will dine with Waverley and me on your return? I assure you,
Baron, though I can live like a Highlander when needs must, I remember my
Paris education, and understand perfectly faire la meilleure chere.'

'And wha the deil doubts it,' quoth the Baron, laughing, 'when ye bring
only the cookery and the gude toun must furnish the materials? Weel, I
have some business in the toun too; but I'll join you at three, if the
vivers can tarry so long.'

So saying, he took leave of his friends and went to look after the charge
which had been assigned him.

CHAPTER XIII

A SOLDIER'S DINNER

James of the Needle was a man of his word when whisky was no party to the
contract; and upon this occasion Callum Beg, who still thought himself in
Waverley's debt, since he had declined accepting compensation at the
expense of mine host of the Candlestick's person, took the opportunity of
discharging the obligation, by mounting guard over the hereditary tailor
of Sliochd nan Ivor; and, as he expressed himself, 'targed him tightly'
till the finishing of the job. To rid himself of this restraint, Shemus's
needle flew through the tartan like lightning; and as the artist kept
chanting some dreadful skirmish of Fin Macoul, he accomplished at least
three stitches to the death of every hero. The dress was, therefore, soon
ready, for the short coat fitted the wearer, and the rest of the apparel
required little adjustment.

Our hero having now fairly assumed the 'garb of old Gaul,' well
calculated as it was to give an appearance of strength to a figure which,
though tall and well-made, was rather elegant than robust, I hope my fair
readers will excuse him if he looked at himself in the mirror more than
once, and could not help acknowledging that the reflection seemed that of
a very handsome young fellow. In fact, there was no disguising it. His
light-brown hair--for he wore no periwig, notwithstanding the universal
fashion of the time--became the bonnet which surmounted it. His person
promised firmness and agility, to which the ample folds of the tartan
added an air of dignity. His blue eye seemed of that kind,

Which melted in love, and which kindled in war;

and an air of bashfulness, which was in reality the effect of want of
habitual intercourse with the world, gave interest to his features,
without injuring their grace or intelligence.

'He's a pratty man, a very pratty man,'