Sir Quixote of the Moors

h huddled around the house looked near and imminent. The place was so still that if one shouted it seemed almost a profanation. 'Twas so Sabbath-like that I almost c

and that far-away world in which n

closed, for the Privy Council, seeing that Master Lambert was opposed to them, had commanded him to be silent; and yet, mark you, so well was he loved in the place that they durst set no successor in his stead. They tried it once and a second time, but the unhappy man was so taken with fear of

tures, written in Latin and plentifully interspersed with Greek and Hebrew. But there was good store of the Classics, both prose and poetry,- Horace, who has ever been my favorite, and Homer, who, to my thinki

ty of his pronunciation; while in turn I fell to calling him Henry, as if we had been born and bred together. I found that he loved to hear of my own land and my past life, which, now that I think of it, must have had no little interest to one dwelling in such solitudes. From him I heard of his father, of his brief term at the College of Edinburgh, which he left when the strife in the country grew high, and of his sorrow and anger at the sufferings

a keep her a moment out of my thoughts, and I fear she's more to me than any earthly thing should be. I think of her at nicht. I see her name in every page of the Book. I though

see the love of a maid; but I hold 'tis a f

nd sigh, nor did I think it otherwise than fitting, till I found from his words that the sighs were on account of my own spiritual darkness. I have no quarrel with any man for wishing to convert me, but to sigh at one's approach seems a doleful way of setting about it. Then he would break out from his wonted quietness at times to rail at his foes, calling down the wrath of Heaven to blight them. Such a fit was always followed by a

ntry and his many anxieties, in which he was more surly than a bear, speaking little, and that mainly from the Scriptures. I have one case in my memory, when, had I not been in a sense his guest, I had scarce refra

e becomes you to be singing in these days, unless it

"You praised her this very morning

the house; "if the lass hearkened to your accur

my hand on my sword, and had I been in my own land we should soon have

himself when he so insulted me. Indeed, I discerned two natures in the man-one, hard, saturnine, fanatically religious; the other, genial and kindly, like that of any othe

fe at Lindean. 'Twas just at the lighting of the lamp, when Anne and the minister and myself sat talking in the litt

bb is here

be wanting?" asked the old

hem to none but you; so hasten out, sir, to the ba

ouse, conversing as on some matter of deep import. Anne fetched the lamp from the kitchen and trimmed it

le and tightly drawn about the lips. He crept to a chair and leaned his head on th

are. We're men, and can warstle through ills; but oh, what am I to dae wi' the bit helpless lassie? It's awfu' to have to gang oot among hills and bogs to bide, but it's ten times waur when ye dinna ke

ad, when Master Henry also entered the room. His eyes were fi

eak mortal complaining. Is't no' better to be hunkering in a moss-hole and communing with the Lord than waxing fat like Jeshuru

t's to become o' my bairn? What will Anne dae? I once thought there was somet

ne, my dearie, we canna leave ye, and you to be my wife. This is a sore trial of faith, sir, and I misdoub

orehead and walked about the

you, Henry? Tell me, for I am sore gr

now the soldiers are coming at ony moment to lay hands on us and take us off to Embro'. Then there'll be but a short lease of life for us; and unless we take to the hills this very nicht we may be ower late in the morning. I'm wae to tak' sae auld a man as Mas

sed mourning and looked up, while she sat, still as a statue, with her grave, lovely face against his. But Master Semple's grief was pitiful to witness. He rocked himself to and

les, and if ours are heavier than some, it's no' for us to complain. Think o' the many years o' grace we

d to strike Henry, and he was on hi

I'm going to ask ye for the greatest servic

hear it,

I would trust my ain brither. Oh, man, dinna deny me! It's the last hope I ha'e, for if ye refuse, we maun e'

thed, for Heaven knew how many weary days? My life and prospects were none so cheerful for me to despise anything, nor so varied that I might pick and choose; but yet 'twas dreary, if no worse,

common honor to do something to requite their kindness. And let me add, though not often a man subject to any feelings of compassion, whatever natural bent I had this way having been s

Henry stood before me. The look in his eyes, the pained face of the old

will bide in the house, if so you will, and be the maid's protector. God gra

emple, one-half of the burden seemed to be lifted from their minds. I was amazed at the trusting natures of these men, who had habited all their days with honest folk till they c

he fugitives must be off before the first light. Anne went about with a pale, tearful face; and 'twas a matter of no surprise, for to see a father, a man frail and fallen in years, going out to the chill moorlands in the early autumn till no man knew when, is a grievous

oward the hills. They affected a cheerful resolution, assumed to comfort Anne's fears and sorrow; but I could mark beneath it a settled despair. The old man prayed at the threshold, and clasped his daughter many times, kissing her and giving her his blessing.

ith great good-will. They poked their low-bred faces into every nook in the house and outbuildings; and when at length they had satisfied themselves that there was no hope from that quarter, they had all the folk of the dwelling out on the green and questioned them one by one. The two serving-lasses were stanch, and stoutly denied all knowledge of th

and when I bade them keep their scurvy tongues from defiling a gentleman's house, they were none so well pleased. I am not a vain ma

in pursuit of the fugitives. This he seemed to look upon as a hardship, being a man to all appearance more fond of the bottle and pasty t

dy. I would ask you, therefore, to be more civil in your talk or to get down and meet me in fair fight.

reputation was at stake. There was no oth

ng's dragoons? I' faith, I will teach you better manners;" and he came at me with his

The combat was not of long duration. In a trice I found that he was a mere child in my hands,

d, twirled his blade from his hands and sent it spinning over the grass. "Follow your sword, and learn

his weapon and rode away, vowing vengeance upon me and swearing at every trooper behind him. I cared not a straw for him, for desp