in the utmost extremity. She hoped her dear
Edward would follow the footsteps of his ancestors, and as speedily as
possible get rid of the badge of servitude to the usurping family, and
regard the wrongs sustained by his father as an admonition from Heaven,
that every desertion of the line of loyalty becomes its own punishment.
She also concluded with her respects to Mr. Bradwardine, and begged
Waverley would inform her whether his daughter, Miss Rose, was old
enough to wear a pair of very handsome ear-rings, which she proposed
to send as a token of her affection. The good lady also desired to be
informed whether Mr. Bradwardine took as much Scotch snuff, and danced
as unweariedly, as he did when he was at Waverley-Honour about thirty
years ago.

These letters, as might have been expected, highly excited Waverley's
indignation. From the desultory style of his studies, he had not any
fixed political opinion to place in opposition to the movements of
indignation which he felt at his father's supposed wrongs. Of the real
cause of his disgrace, Edward was totally ignorant; nor had his habits
at all led him to investigate the politics of the period in which he
lived, or remark the intrigues in which his father had been so actively
engaged. Indeed, any impressions which he had accidentally adopted
concerning the parties of the times, were (owing to the society in which
he had lived at Waverley-Honour) of a nature rather unfavourable to
the existing government and dynasty. He entered, therefore, without
hesitation, into the resentful feeling of the relations who had the best
title to dictate his conduct; and not perhaps the less willingly, when
he remembered the tedium of his quarters, and the inferior figure which
he had made among the officers of his regiment. If he could have had
any doubt upon the subject, it would have been decided by the following
letter from his commanding-officer, which, as it is very short, shall be
inserted verbatim:--

'SIR,

'Having carried somewhat beyond the line of my duty an indulgence which
even the lights of nature, and much more those of Christianity, direct
towards errors which may arise from youth and inexperience, and that
altogether without effect, I am reluctantly compelled, at the present
crisis, to use the only remaining remedy which is in my power. You are
therefore, hereby commanded to repair to--, the head-quarters of the
regiment, within three days after the date of this letter