children! Dinmont was first in the room. He stood aghast a moment,
and then exclaimed, 'It's him, sure enough. Deil o' the like o'
that ever I saw!'

At the sound of 'Mr. Dinmont and Colonel Mannering wanting to
speak to you, sir,' Pleydell turned his head, and blushed a little
when he saw the very genteel figure of the English stranger. He
was, however, of the opinion of Falstaff, 'Out, ye villains, play
out the play!' wisely judging it the better way to appear totally
unconcerned. 'Where be our guards?' exclaimed this second
Justinian; 'see ye not a stranger knight from foreign parts
arrived at this our court of Holyrood, with our bold yeoman Andrew
Dinmont, who has succeeded to the keeping of our royal flocks
within the forest of Jedwood, where, thanks to our royal care in
the administration of justice, they feed as safe as if they were
within the bounds of Fife? Where be our heralds, our pursuivants,
our Lyon, our Marchmount, our Carrick, and our Snowdown? Let the
strangers be placed at our board, and regaled as beseemeth their
quality and this our high holiday; to-morrow we will hear their
tidings.'

'So please you, my liege, to-morrow's Sunday,' said one of the
company.

'Sunday, is it? then we will give no offence to the assembly of
the kirk; on Monday shall be their audience.'

Mannering, who had stood at first uncertain whether to advance or
retreat, now resolved to enter for the moment into the whim of the
scene, though internally fretting at Mac-Morlan for sending him to