a party of armed soldiers, and, in their midst, a tall man in a
great coat. He walked with a stoop that was like a piece of
courtesy, genteel and insinuating: he waved his hands plausibly as
he went, and his face was sly and handsome. I thought his eye took
me in, but could not meet it. This procession went by to a door in
the close, which a serving-man in a fine livery set open; and two
of the soldier-lads carried the prisoner within, the rest lingering
with their firelocks by the door.

There can nothing pass in the streets of a city without some
following of idle folk and children. It was so now; but the more
part melted away incontinent until but three were left. One was a
girl; she was dressed like a lady, and had a screen of the Drummond
colours on her head; but her comrades or (I should say) followers
were ragged gillies, such as I had seen the matches of by the dozen
in my Highland journey. They all spoke together earnestly in
Gaelic, the sound of which was pleasant in my ears for the sake of
Alan; and, though the rain was by again, and my porter plucked at
me to be going, I even drew nearer where they were, to listen. The
lady scolded sharply, the others making apologies and cringeing
before her, so that I made sure she was come of a chief's house.
All the while the three of them sought in their pockets, and by
what I could make out, they had the matter of half a farthing among
the party; which made me smile a little to see all Highland folk
alike for fine obeisances and empty sporrans.

It chanced the girl turned suddenly about, so that I saw her face
for the first time. There is no greater wonder than the way the
face of a young woman fits in a man's mind, and stays there, and he
could never tell you why; it just seems it was the thing he wanted.