I only want my kinswoman's help to dress a wound for my comrade below." Janet, previously taking the precaution to retire behind Alice's chair, made a hasty signal to her cousin, who did not observe it. "You see, mistress, bullets were more plenty than bannocks in the place we have left, and, while I came through without a scratch, my comrade, poor lad, had more blood let out of him on that black day in Blair of Athol than he seems like to get back in a hurry; more than I've been able to nurse into him these three weeks, what with fever and fretting and forced marches when he should have had quiet; and the Highland cailleachs, with their herbs and witch-words, are no great adepts in the barber-surgeon's art. So as we walked fifteen miles yesterday on little food or nonea scrap of oat-cake and a draught of sour ale" 66 Alas, poor fellow! how came that?" asked Alice. 66 Hey, mistress! simply enow. The Spey and the Garry don't roll gold, and the richest of us had not seen the blink of a carolus for three months and more. Dundee would have sold the last jewel he possessed had there been any to buy-and we all knew that he had stripped himself of every tester to provide for us— but not even he could coin money out of sclate-stones. He was poor as the poorest of his followers, fought and toiled, marched and starved with us--helped the weak and cheered the sick like a brother; we served him and the King for dear love and not for pelf, and there was not among us a heart base enough to desert him for lack of that he could not give. Heaven help King James and Scotland now he is gone!" Allan Johnstone passed his large hard hand from his forehead downwards, and seemed to carry away in it something which had dimmed his eye and thickened his voice a little. Janet's signals were quite unheeded, perhaps unnecessary, for Alice was more composed than herself. "And this comrade of yours? is he very young, poor boy?" asked the latter. "My comrade?-the-oh, ay! to be sure. Why yes, not half my age." "And is he dangerously wounded?" Allan drew in a long whistle, and shrugged his shoulders. "Two bad hits. A pistol-shot in the chest—that's nearly healed though-and a sword-cut over the shoulder. He got them in our first charge for the guns; a rascally blackguard traitor, an old boon companion of mine who had donned the Hollander's livery, dealt him the blows, and I returned the civility for him by cutting the infernal scoundrel down to the eyes." Janet's frowning brow and lifted finger became unmistakeable here, and Allan, made suddenly sensible of his indecorous behaviour, coloured all over his sunburnt face as he had almost forgotten how to do. "Your pardon, young lady,” he said apologetically, "our soldier tongues are mighty unruly members, as the preachers are pleased to tell us. However, as I was masterless, or my own master, I e'en took upon myself to fend for this youngster, who, being rather too delicately bred for a course of soaking and fasting, rags and sickness to suit, is more feckless than we old campaigners, and needs a tight hand over him, and so and A dead, awkward pause, produced by Janet. 66 Well, cousin Rutherford, is it yes or no? I've told you already that the wound won't heal; and there is nothing like a woman's hand in these cases, you know, mistress (to Alice). But do your pleasure." These four words were rather sharply uttered, as Janet had only returned a half consent, very unlike her general alacrity on such occasions of displaying her skill, for she was born a nurse, just as some people are born poets and artists. “I am sure this will be Janet's pleasure, it always is to do a kind action, and she will not let the poor fellow suffer," said Alice's sweet voice, accompanied by a smile of entreaty to her old friend. "I'll come!" said she shortly. Then bending over Alice, she whispered, "I am laith to be awa' frae ye, Elsie dearie; ye might need me." 66 Oh, never mind, dear Janet, it will not be for long, and little Lizzie Morison will be blythe to sit by me. You must go; only think of the poor soldier laddie! And perhaps he has a mother or a wife. If it were a son of yours in such a case?" "I'll do it, to please ye," said Janet. But it was odd that she should experience such difficulty in making her mind to this very simple piece of good-nature. "Not now, cousin," replied Allan. "He was asleep up when I came up, thoroughly worn out, so in an hour or two will be soon enough. In fact, I reckoned upon getting a crack with you over old timesbut 66 He made a move towards the door. "Do not go away on my account," interposed Alice. Stay, if you wish; you must have so much to say to your kinswoman." Janet was rather for dismissing him and his news at once, but upon Alice's positive assurance that they were not likely to disturb her in the least, she drew him into the inner room in order to make security doubly sure. Once there, her inherent taste for gossip did the rest; and the cousins, with their heads together, launched forthwith into an endless conversation, of which the staple was supplied by Allan's account of his adventures during the recent campaign. And, as this account contained the fate of two individuals who have figured prominently in our tale, we transcribe such passages of it as relate to them; taking the recital out of Allan's mouth, and divesting it of extraneous interruptions, as well as of the irrelevant queries, remarks, and exclamation, which arose from the excited feelings of both narrator and listener. I will not weep-revenge, not grief, must be- THE few pages which our limits permit us to devote to the following events, and the secondary rank which they must necessarily hold in a tale purporting to deal chiefly with the history of one mind and heart, forbid us to give the earlier portion of Allan Johnstone's romantic story, which might in itself have furnished a novelist with abundant materials for the exercise of his talents. Perils by flood and field, raids and forays, privations and escapes, displays of heroic gallantry and endurance as heroic, a repetition of Montrose's tactics guided by a genius equal to his in brilliancy-superior in prudence and weight-temptingly do these lie open before us; but we refer the reader, if his curiosity be sufficiently awakened on the subject, to the different histories which contain the outline of this short civil war, and pass on to the immediate point which concerns us-the fall of Viscount Dundee |