lled it, had attended Rose as fille-de-chambre, smiled and smirked
with the best of them. Rose and Edward, however, endured all these
little vexatious circumstances as other folks have done before and
since, and probably contrived to obtain some indemnification, since they
are not supposed, on the whole, to have been particularly unhappy during
Waverley's six days' stay at the Duchran.

It was finally arranged that Edward should go to Waverley-Honour to make
the necessary arrangements for his marriage, thence to London to take
the proper measures for pleading his pardon, and return as soon as
possible to claim the hand of his plighted bride. He also intended in
his journey to visit Colonel Talbot; but, above all, it was his
most important object to learn the fate of the unfortunate Chief of
Glennaquoich; to visit him at Carlisle, and to try whether anything
could be done for procuring, if not a pardon, a commutation at least, or
alleviation, of the punishment to which he was almost certain of being
condemned;--and in case of the worst, to offer the miserable Flora an
asylum with Rose, or otherwise to assist her views in any mode which
might seem possible. The fate of Fergus seemed hard to be averted.
Edward had already striven to interest his friend Colonel Talbot in his
behalf; but had been given distinctly to understand, by his reply, that
his credit in matters of that nature was totally exhausted.

The Colonel was still in Edinburgh, and proposed to wait there for some
months upon business confided to him by the Duke of Cumberland. He was
to be joined by Lady Emily, to whom easy travelling and goat's whey
were recommended, and who was to journey northward, under the escort of
Francis Stanley. Edward, therefore, met the Colonel at Edinburgh, who
wished him joy in the kindest manner on his approaching happiness, and
cheerfully undertook many commissions which our hero was necessarily
obliged to delegate to his charge. But on the subject of Fergus he was
inexorable. He satisfied Edward, indeed, that his interference would
be unavailing; but besides, Colonel Talbot owned that he could not
conscientiously use any influence in favour of that unfortunate
gentleman. 'Justice,' he said, 'which demanded some penalty of those who
had wrapped the whole nation in fear and in mourning, could not perhaps
have selected a fitter victim, He came to the field with the fullest
light upon the nature of his attempt. He had studied and und