Poor Bertha Eswick was nearly worn to death from hurrying between her
daughter's cottage and the castle, though her young mistress required,
and certainly obtained, by far the greatest share of her care. Healthy,
however, as Bertha Morton had always appeared, soon after the birth of
her child she caught a cold, and this produced an illness which made her
mother and husband very anxious about her, and it became too evident,
before long, to the anxious eyes of affection, that she held her life on
a most precarious tenure. Hilda, on the contrary, seemed completely
restored to health, both of body and mind. She had now a deeply
interesting object in existence, and all her thoughts and attention were
devoted to her infant.

Lawrence Brindister did not return to the castle till late in the day on
which Hilda's child was born. He received the announcement with a look
of incredulity on his countenance.

"And so you tell me that an heir to Lunnasting is born," he exclaimed to
Bertha Eswick, whom he met as she was hurrying down for the first time
from her mistress's chamber. "Ha, ha, ha! how many heirs to Lunnasting
are there, think ye? Never mind, good Bertha, `The prince will hae his
ain again! The prince will hae his ain again!' Who is the prince,
think ye, Bertha? Ye little ken, but I do; the fool knows more than the
wise man, or the wise woman either ha, ha, ha!"

These remarks sorely puzzled Bertha Eswick, and made her think a great
deal; she knew Lawrence Brindister thoroughly, and seldom failed to
distinguish between the mere hallucinations which occasionally took
possession of his mind, and the ideas which originated from facts. "If
Marcus Wardhill is not the rightful possessor of Lunnasting, who can be
the owner?" she asked herself, over and over again.

Several weeks passed by, and young Don Hernan, for so Hilda's new-born
babe was called, gave every promise of being a remarkably healthy and
robust child. Father Mendez seemed deeply interested in it, and took
every opportunity of watching its progress, and examining it to
ascertain that it was a thoroughly well-made healthy child.

At length the father gave notice that he was going to Lerwick: he went,
and some of the household declared that they breathed far more freely
than they had done for a very long time. Pedro Alvarez walked about
with a more self-confident air than usual, and Lawrence sang and laughed
and rattled away as had been his custom