The Bride of Lammermoor

the high trees

whose vapour,

ft, uprolle

sign did send

e did wonne som

EN

domains, and, moreover, was generally an inhabitant of the city of Edinburgh; and she, on the other hand, had, with her mother, resided the whole summer in Rav

ky bourne fro

who, hanging on his arm with filial kindness, now called him to admire the size of some ancient oak, and now the unexpected turn where the path, developing its maze from glen or dingle, suddenly reache

gee; and on turning from the little hill, a path which led around it, worn by the daily steps of the infirm inmate, brought them in sight of the hut, w

and rudely roofed over with thatch, much of which was in a dilapidated condition. The thin blue smoke rose from it in a light column, and curled upward along the white face of the incumbent rock, giving the scene a tint of exquisite softn

erable in her dwelling, it was easy to judge by the first glance that neither years

nance which chiefly struck the spectator, and induced most persons to address her with a degree of deference and civility very inconsistent with the miserable state of her dwelling, and which, nevertheless, she received with that easy composure which showed she felt it to be her due. She had once been beautiful, but her beauty had been of a bold and masculine cast, such as does not survive the bloom of youth; yet her features continued to express strong sense, deep reflection, and a character of sober pride, w

gate, and solicited the old woman's attent

you," said the old woman, turning and

Keeper, who, struck with the outward appearance of Alice, was some

e replied; "I feel the air

, "take charge of these bees yourse

ects," resumed Alice; "and I am fortu

, and Babie, a girl of fifteen, made her appearance from the hut, not altogether so cleanly arrayed as she would probably ha

y to the Lord Keeper and Miss Ashton; they will excuse

direction, was fixed in wonder upon the laird, who was more frequently heard of than seen by his tenants and dependants. The bread and honey, however, deposited on a plantain leaf, was offered and accepted in all due

sident on this property?

dame, whose conversation, though perfectly civil and respectful, seemed cauti

accent, of this country originally?"

n." "Yet you seem attached to thi

ctionate husband for more than twenty years; I was here the mother of six promising children; it was here that God deprived me of all these blessings; it was h

Lord Keeper, looking at i

shfully, catching at the hint, "give orders to m

aid the blind woman; "I would not have my lo

better house, and were rich, and now

hat I have suffered, and seen others suffer, it must have been strong en

," said the Lord Keeper; "but your experi

o endure them, my l

needs arrive in the course

fty tree, must needs one day fall by decay, or by the axe; yet I hoped my eye

oubtless, to love them, and I respect your gratitude. I will order some repairs in your cottage, and I hope we shall live to be friends when we know each other better." "Those of my

upon you as a woman of sense and education beyond your appearance, and that I ho

s made an article in the sale of Ravenswood to your lordship, thoug

onfused. "I perceive you are too much attached to your

better than what I am now about to say." The Lord Keeper looked at her in some surprise, but said not a word. "My l

the political circumstances of the country. "Has any

firm. My warning is of another kind. You have driven matters hard with the house of Ravenswood. Believe

has been the work of the law, not my doing; and to the

take the law into their own hand, whe

per. "Young Ravenswood would not h

en. Honourable and open, said I? I should have added, free, generous, noble. But he is

the cruelty which he afterwards committed. I could not keep silence, though to speak it ill became my station. 'You are devising a dreadful crime,' I said, 'for which you must reckon before the judgment seat.' Never shall I forget his look, as he replied, 'I must reckon then for many thi

that young Ravenswood had received injuries sufficient to prompt him to that sort of revenge, which becomes a frequent though fearful consequence of the partial administration of justice. He endeavoured to disguise from Alice the nature of the apprehensions which he entertained; but so ineffectually, that a person even of less penetration than nature had endowed her with must necessarily have been aware that t