ions in religion from the prelatic clergy, who so
perversely laboured to set up the royal prerogative in things sacred.

This last insinuation probably induced Waverley to set both down to
the prejudices of his commanding-officer. He was sensible that Mr.
Bradwardine had acted with the most scrupulous delicacy, in never
entering upon any discussion that had the most remote tendency to bias
his mind in political opinions, although he was himself not only a
decided partisan of the exiled family, but had been trusted at different
times with important commissions for their service. Sensible, therefore,
that there was no risk of his being perverted from his allegiance,
Edward felt as if he should do his uncle's old friend injustice in
removing from a house where he gave and received pleasure and amusement,
merely to gratify a prejudiced and ill-judged suspicion, He therefore
wrote a very general answer, assuring his commanding-officer that
his loyalty was not in the most distant danger of contamination, and
continued an honoured guest and inmate of the house of Tully-Veolan.

CHAPTER XV

A CREAGH, AND ITS CONSEQUENCES [A CREAGH was an incursion for plunder,
termed on the Borders a raid.]

When Edward had been a guest at Tully-Veolan nearly six weeks,
he descried one morning, as he took his usual walk before the
breakfast-hour, signs of uncommon perturbation in the family. Four
bare-legged dairymaids, with each an empty milk-pail in her hand, ran
about with frantic gestures, and uttering loud exclamations of surprise,
grief, and resentment. From their appearance, a pagan might have
conceived them a detachment of the celebrated Belides, just come from
their baling penance. As nothing was to be got from this distracted
chorus, excepting 'Lord guide us!' and 'Eh, sirs!' ejaculations which
threw no light upon the cause of their dismay, Waverley repaired to the
forecourt, as it was called, where he beheld Bailie Macwheeble cantering
his white pony down the avenue with all the speed it could muster. He
had arrived, it would seem, upon a hasty summons and was followed by
half a score of peasants from the village, who had no great difficulty
in keeping pace with him.

The Bailie, greatly too busy, and too important, to enter into
explanations with Edward, summoned forth Mr. Saunderson, who appeared
with a countenance in which dismay was mingled with solemnity, and they
immediately entered into close conference. Davie Gellatl