A SOLDIER'S GRATITUDE And this is woman's fate : And all her affections are called into life By winning flatteries, and then thrown back NO, by the memory of my forefathers," exclaimed Sir Henry Macdonald, "I will show no mercy. What! shall the loyal house of Macdonald be reproached with succouring Jacobites? Spare none-give no quarter whatever. They-the merciless invaders of the crown and constitution of their country, seek for refuge in the bosom of its staunch defenders!" "From their appearance, Sir Henry I should consider they came rather in an hostile, than a suppliant character," replied the young Evan Douglass. "They a scanty handful-a beg! garly epitome of a regiment-coming with hostile intentions! In sooth, perhaps to put to flight our gallant adherents-drive off what little cattle they have left us, and perhaps take you, with Flora and myself, prisoners Do you not tremble already, of war! Evan ?" "The gambler, Sir Henry, will not give up the last stake, till he finds the board cleared and his pocket empty. And thus it is with them: their cause is already lost, and were it not for the infatuation that blinds their eyes, they would see there was not a hope remaining." "The rebel scouts! more true blood has been lost through their wilful folly, than ever bled for the noblest cause that strung the nerves of a soldier! Yes, Allan James, 'tis not a father's weakness, that mourns for thy memory for his greatest pride was, that ye both should die in the cause of your country. That hope, God knows, has been gratified. But why stand we here-their blood-no, the cause of our king demands that all who participated in their our country's wrongs, should be exterminated from L. E. L. the earth. Where have the rebels taken up their quarters ?" "To the right of the pass of Glenamure, and flanked by the woods of St. Auleyn." "Well, there we'll give them welcome, and a warm one too, I peradventure." It was about noon day when the contendiug foes met. The loyalists were greatly superior, both in regard to numbers, ammunition, and discipline, to the enthusiastic adherents of the pretender. The latter seemed to be actuated by the feeling, that on the issue of that skirmish depended all their hope of future prosperity. The situation they had chosen was by no means favourable, and every thing seemed to go against them from the first, and yet the contest remained for a considerable time extremely doubtful. The followers of James knew that death was the worst that could befall them, as the chances of escape led to a punishment far more terrible, while the hope of victory animated every nerve, and made each so bold in imaginary strength, that they met the foe with incredible alacrity. And well they might-for they felt the die was about to be thrown, on which their only hope depended. "Let us conquer or perish," said one to the other; and they dealt with all around them with a desperation so heightened by despair, as to confound and terrify the enemy. But all their bravery and determination could not compete against superior numbers. Their ammunition had been long expended, and they had nothing but their broadswords to wield against the powerful artillery of the royalists. Incompatible as their weapons were, they made terrific havoc in the enemy's ranks. But it was to no purpose-not a discharge took place, but a chasm followed in their little army, till they were reduced to so small a number, that it was suicide to attempt any further resistance. The two first in command had already fallen, and one field officer, quite a youth, only remained out of the number that entered the field. Desperate as his situation was, he at first determined to throw himself on the enemy's sabre, till the remembrance that he still might be of service in the cause of his sovereign, animated him with the hope of escape, and accordingly, though fainting from the loss of blood, he pricked the sides of his jaded steed, and retreated towards the wood with what of the company were able to follow him. The loyalists pursued, and offered terms of capitulation-a fresh attack was the only reply. This was the last burst of their fury-it was like goading the tiger in his den. Encompassed by their foes, disdaining every offer of clemency, though bending under their last ebb of strength, they fell victims of their own lion-heartedness, which, reckless as it was, had it been employed in a more noble, or a more reasonable cause, would have been sufficient to carry down their names in the stream of immortality. The young officer, Colonel Macfarlane, still escaped, though not without a fresh wound, which, added to the many he had already received,rendered him careless of his fate. He felt assured, from the great loss of blood, that he could not live long; and as his life was no longer a blessing to himself, or of service in the cause of his sovereign, he cared not how soon the mortal strife was ended. As the enemy had left him for dead, he lay in this deplorable situation for a considerable time, till either a return of strength, or the powerful energies of his mind, would not permit him to remain longer in a state of inactivity. With some difficulty he succeeded in mounting his favourite steed, and endeavoured to gain the border of the wood, which, with the help of a cloak that a warm-hearted loyalist had spread over him, when he fell, apparently lifeless, from his horse, he hoped to clear undetected. He had passed the confines of the wood, and had reached the domains of Sir Henry Macdonald, when, in consequence of the severe exercise, and the irritation of his mind, his wounds began to bleed afresh: no longer able to support himself he fell headlong from his horse, and there remained without sense or motion. It happened that this spot was a wild and romantic glen, the favourite ramble of Flora Macdonald, the only remaining child of Sir Henry. She had lost her mother during her infancy, and had chiefly resided under the care of a maiden aunt in the Highlands of Scotland, till she approached towards womanhood; when her father, during the few intermissions of war, requiring the solace of society, she joyfully consented to take the management of his household. She was of a singular, yet most amiable temper. Unaccustomed from her infancy to any restraint in her edncation, and being the very idol of her aunt, she indulged in all the eccentricities of her mind. It was her delight to shun the society of those the best adapted for her years, and ramble amidst the wild scenery of the Western Highlands, and listen to the legendary lore of their superstitious inhabitants. Her mind, naturally of a romantic turn, became there imbued with wilder feelings. Her delight was to collect the ballads and traditions of the ancient bards; and, associated as they were with the wild scenery around her, her soul was more than ordinarily susceptible of the gentler feelings of our nature, whose fine edges are too frequently blunted by a promiscuous commerce with the world. Evan Douglass had been from her infancy, her chosen companion in all her romantic rambles. He was the son of a brother warrior of her father, who felt a secret satisfaction at the growing intimacy of the young people. Evan was of a noble family, had ample possessions, was open and courageous, and possessed of every quality that could ornament the soldier and the man. She was accustomed from her childhood to view him as her brother, of his fancy. Indeed it was too bright for reality-too beautiful to belong to the world. and she loved him with all the disinterested affection of a sister: her innocent heart knew no other feeling, while that of Evan's glowed with one more passionate. His affection for the lovely girl was not to be annihilated by time or distance: it "grew with his growth and strengthened with his strength," and he ardently looked for ward to the conclusion of the war, when the rites of the church were to make her solely his. The young officer remained on the spot upon which he fell for above an hour, when his senses, though unaccompanied by his vigour, partially returned. On his opening his languid eyes, the first object that presented itself to them was that of a young and beautiful female bending over him in a compassionate attitude. Her look, her smile was that of a superior race of beings, and as the white robes, so carelessly thrown over her, floated in the wind, he imagined he was either in the world of spirits, or that Providence had sent one of her ministers to succour him in his helplessness. He was however soon convinced of her mortality, by her gently placing his head on a mound of earth, and gliding quickly from the spot. He strained his aching eyes for the last glimpse of her sylph-like form, as it bounded through the glen, and when it was totally out of sight did he only feel emotions of hope and fear which he could by no means account for. Were they inspired by the melting look of tenderness, the soft sigh which swelled her gentle bosom when he first beheld her, the thrilling touch of her small white hand, as she placed his head on the bank, or the exquisite expression of pity and sensibility that animated her beautiful countenance when she left him? "Is this a being of earth, or a spirit of heaven ?" he mentally exclaimed. His memory told him he had wandered much, and as he had besides but an indistinct remembrance of the events of the preceding hours, he thought the figure was no more than a frail, though beautiful creation 40 ATHENEUM VOL. 2. 2d series. 66 The light steps of Flora quickly brought her to her father's mansion; breathlessly she entered the room, where he was engaged in writing despatches of the memorable events of the day. Why, how now, ye frolicsome kid! What ails you." "Oh! father, rise, quick. Where's Evanthere's a cavalier bleeding to death in the glen; he appears as if he had been engaged in the horrid encounter of Glenamure." The brave heart of the knight did not suffer him to wait till he heard whether he was a jacobite or a loyalist, but instantly prompted him to sally out with Evan and their beautiful guide, and offer succour and protection. As soon as the two had arrived at the glen, they found the Colonel insensible, and to all appearance dead. "Alas!" sobbed Flora, "we are too late, he must have died since I left him, for he has moved from the spot where I placed his head." "By his cloak I perceive he is a loyalist," said Evan, "there is one more stout heart added to the heavy list." "Not yet, my worthy Douglass, I hope that he may still recover, and by the help of Flora's nursing be yet a staunch defender of his king and country. But who can he be? These features are too noble to belong to an individual of an inferior station, and are too striking and handsome to escape our notice if he was at Glenamure." "There was an officer of the Pretender's party who fought as if heaven and earth depended on his sword, and these features strongly remind me of him," replied Evan. Before they had time for any further examination, Ellen, who had flown back to the house, returned with a host of servants bearing a couch, on which the body of the soldier was conveyed to a chamber in her father's hospitable mansion. In those dangerous times, when Scotland was but thinly populated, and the frequent encounters diminished its inhabitants, it may be supposed that medical assistance was difficult to be procured. Evan had had his arm dressed by the military surgeon, who immediately joined the remnant of the victorious army to head-quarters. He therefore very confidently placed himself under the care of his beautiful mistress, who had now two objects for the exercise of her medical knowledge. The stranger for a while did not seem likely to require any more assistance on earth, but by close attention he partially recovered his senses, to the manifest delight of his young nurse. In the meantime, from his uniform it was discovered, to the visible disappointment of Sir Henry, that he belonged to the opposite party. To harbour a rebel in his house-to make it a receptacle for an enemy to his king, was to the loyal heart of Sir Henry, as heinous a crime as any in the calendar. It was treason by the laws of this country to afford refuge to a red rebel, but yet it was repugnant to the laws of his Maker, and those of social life, to turn a fellow-being adrift in his then pitiable situation. Honour and conscience had a severe struggle, but the feelings of humanity triumphed over the artificial bonds of authority; for how could his daughter's prayers and the young soldier's wounds be replied to in the language of royal proclamation, or quotations from acts of parliament? He at last determined to give what assistance he could to the officer, ill he should be sufficiently recovered o seek another asylum. In the meantime the improving appearance of the brave sufferer, gradually repaid the beautiful eyes of his anxious watcher; who witnessed his recovery with a heartfelt and deeply breathing interest. As the energies of his mind gradually developed, he became to her more and more engaging. Her soul, that first clung to him from the impulse of all the warmer feelings of a woman's nature, became fully tempered to receive a feeling equally intellectual and refined. His large dark eyes gradually assumed their wonted brilliancy, and his lovely attendant watched with unconscious delight the returning glow to his cheek. Sir Henry at length con sented to hold some communication with his guest, when with a mixture of satisfaction and regret, he discovered that he was the son of one of his father's friends and companions; and who had formerly fought side by side in the same glorious cause, and under the same standard-that of Prince Rupert, at the memorable Marston Moor. The invalid, as he increased in the good opinion of his host, improved in his health and good looks, to the unconcealed satisfaction of his romantic guardian. She evidently entertained feelings of a more enthusiastic turn than those of mere benevolence and philanthropy. No wonder that the unsophisticated mind of the girl should be so engrossed by its object. The situation in which he first engaged her attention, when pity, sympathy, and fellow-feeling were awakened in his favour, the gratitude seemingly blended with the warmest affection, which beamed from his eyes whenever he turned them towards her—his person, which to her enthusiastic judgment was the beau ideal of chivalry and romance, all combined to create for him the liveliest emotion, and before she herself was aware of it, she loved him with all the enthusiasm and tenderness that was inherent in her disposition, and which a woman can display in the impulses of her first affection. It is scarcely possible to imagine a feeling more innocent and refined than that which seemed the life-spring of every action of her heart. Had she but a moment reflected on the prospect of their future felicity, she would have endeavoured to fortify her heart, rather than abandon it to the contemplation of an object it could never obtain. She thought not of the likelihood of their union, or the probabilities of their separation, the heavenly delight of the present was all to her; and love is not a miser, who foregoes the fleeting happiness of the present moment in the anticipation of future misery. As he gradually gained strength, her heart gladdened in innocent gaiety. Oh! it was to her a sight the most joyful on earth, to see that form, which was but lately like a tree rooted up by the winds, lying weak and defenceless as a new-born babe; now firm and erect-proud in the consciousness of superiority; to behold the brow from which she had so lately removed the clammy dews of sickness, now flushed with hope and glowing with returning vigour. When she witnessed these effects of her care and tenderness-the proud being, that had it not been for her would have been a tenant of the tomb, moving a living ornament to the earth, she felt a secret glow of satisfaction-a feeling of pride she was hitherto a stranger to; and she blessed Providence for ordaining her as the agent of his benevolence. But this flow of affection was not to remain unruffled. Evan had repeatedly urged to her and her parent the impropriety of the stranger remaining in his present asylum. He spoke of the probability that the hand which was now clasped in friendship within that of his host, must shortly be raised against his life. How would they that had associated in the communion of brotherly love, meet in the field of battle, where all private feeling must be sacrificed in the cause of mankind. These arguments came home to the baronet's breast, but did not cause his guest's immediate absence. The latter was now able to leave his room; whose arm could support him now so well as that which bore the hand that had so often smoothed his thorny pillow? Flora therefore gladly consented to become the companion of his rambles. It was on one evening when their steps had wandered to the very glen, where she first saw him faint and help less, that he seemed more than usually enthusiastic. He spoke of the everlasting obligations he was under to her, first in pleading on his behalf, and watching with unremitting attention, regardless of fatigue and confinement; and for all those attentions that a stranger, not to mention an enemy, could not even expect, even when no kindred or affectionate hand were near to perform the same kind offices. "Can I ever forget them, no! The vows of gratitude I have made are registered in Heaven, where they will remain in evidence against me, should I ever prove cold or ungrateful." She glanced a look of conscious belief and unconscious affection, and listened with a glow of anxious feeling, when he said, in a tone between gaiety and gravity, "that there was one, that however weak he might be in expressing his sense of her kindness, would not remain silent or ungrateful, as the following day would testify." Who can this one be, thought the agitated girl? he has seldom or never spoke of his family, but rather avoided the topic. He had mentioned that he had a father and a mother doatingly fond of him. Ab! it must be his mother; for who, she thought, was so likely to feel gratitude for the preserver of life, as she who first nourished it. He had spoken of a sister too, on whose happiness his very life depended. "Oh!" she thought to herself, "how sweet, how enchanting would it be for his own sister to clasp me in her arms, thank me with her own voice. How delicious the thought, to weep the full reward of her bosom !" In rapturous expectation she counted the slow minutes, till the arrival of the dearly anticipated being was announced. When the hour did approach how high her heart beat-when the noise of a carriage pronounced the expected arrival. Macfarlane was present, and although she did not perceive that overwhelming expression of delight in his features, she thought he seemed restless and impatient. At length the door opened-she looked forward expecting to behold an aged matron, when a young and lovely fe male rushed into the room, and exclaiming Edward, threw herself in the arms of the young soldier. "It is his sister-his own sister-how I long to clasp her to my heart." The young lady had disengaged herself from the Colonel's embrace, and as the happy enthusiast sprung forward to embrace her, with a firm and graceful spring, he in the same deep and tender tone that first won her heart, exclaimed, "Miss Flora Macdonald,-my wife." "His wife !" she uttered with a piercing shriek. "His wife !" and gazing on him with a look fraught with |