Hobbie advanced eagerly to meet his betrothed bride. Earnscliff followed more slowly to guard against treachery. Suddenly Hobbie slackened his pace in the deepest mortification, while that of Earnscliff was hastened by impatient surprise. It was not Grace Armstrong, but Miss Isabella Vere, whose liberation had been effected by their appearance before the tower.

Where is Grace? Where is Grace Armstrong?' exclaimed Hobbie, in the extremity of wrath and indignation.

'Not in my hands,' answered Westburnflat; 'ye may search the tower, if ye misdoubt me.' 'You fause villain, you shall account for her, or die on the spot,' said Elliot, presenting his gun.

But his companions, who now came up, instantly disarmed him of his weapon, exclaiming, all at once, Hand and glove! faith and troth! Haud a care, Hobbie, we maun keep our faith with Westburnflat, were he the greatest rogue ever rode.'

Thus protected, the outlaw recovered his audacity, which had been somewhat daunted by the menacing gesture of Elliot.

'I have kept my word, sirs!' he said, ' and I look to have nae wrang amang ye. If this is no the prisoner ye sought,' he said, addressing Earnscliff, 'ye'll render her back to me again. I am answerable for her to those that aught her.'

'For God's sake, Mr. Earnscliff, protect me!' said Miss Vere, clinging to her deliverer;' do not you abandon one whom the whole world seems to have abandoned.'

"Fear nothing,' whispered Earnscliff, I will protect you with my life.' Then turning to West

burnflat, Villain!' he said, 'how dared you to insult this lady?'

For that matter, Earnscliff,' answered the freebooter, I can answer to them that has better right to ask me than you have; but if you come with an armed force, and take her awa' from them that her friends lodged her wi', how will you answer that?-But it's your ain affair-Nae single man can keep a tower against twenty-A' the men o' the Mearns downa do mair than they dow.'

'He lies most falsely,' whispered Isabella; ' he carried me off by violence from my father.'

'May be he only wanted ye to think sae, hinny; but it's nae business o' mine, let it be as it may. So ye winna resign her back to me?'

'Back to you, fellow? Surely no,' answered Earnscliff; 'I will protect Miss Vere, and escort her safely wherever she is pleased to be conveyed.' 'Ay, ay, maybe you and her hae settled that already.'

'And Grace?' interrupted Hobbie, shaking himself loose from the friends who had been preaching to him the sanctity of the safe conduct, upon the faith of which the freebooter had ventured from his tower. 'Where's Grace?' and he rushed on the marauder, sword in hand. Westburnflat, thus pressed, after calling out,' God sake, Hobbie, hear me a gliff!' fairly turned his back and fled. His mother stood ready to open and shut the grate; but Hobbie struck at the freebooter as he entered with so much force, that the sword made a considerable cleft in the lintel of the vaulted door, which is still shown as a me.

A

morial of the superior strength of those who liv! ed in the days of yore. Ere Hobbie could repeat the blow, the door was shut and secured, and he was compelled to retreat to his companions, who were now preparing to break up the siege of Westburnflat. They insisted upon his accompanying them in their return.

'Ye hae broken truce already,' said old Dick of the Dingle; an' we take na the better care, ye'll play mair gowk's tricks, and make yoursel the laughing-stock o' the hale country, besides having your friends charged with slaughter under trust. Bide till the meeting at Castleton, as ye hae greed; and if he doesna make ye amends, then we'll hae it out o' his heart's blood. But let us gang reasonably to wark and keep our tryst, and I'se warrant we get back Grace, and the key an' a'.'

This cold-blooded reasoning went ill down with the unfortunate lover; but, as he could only obtain the assistance of his neighbours and kinsmen on their own terms, he was compelled to acquiesce in their notions of good faith and regular procedure.

Earnscliff now requested the assistance of a few of the party to convey Miss Vere to her father's castle of Ellieslaw, to which she was peremptory in desiring to be conveyed. This was readily granted; and five or six young men agreed to attend him as an escort. Hobbie was not of the number. Almost heart-broken by the events of the day, and his final disappointment, he returned moodily home to take such measures as he could for the sustenance and protection of his family, and to arrange with his neighbours the farther

steps which should be taken for the recovery of Grace Armstrong. The rest of the party dispersed in different directions, as soon as they had crossed the morass. The outlaw and his mother watched them from the tower until they entirely disappeared.

CHAPTER X.

I left my ladye's bower last night-
It was clad in wreaths of snaw,-
I sought it when the sun was bright,
And sweet the roses blaw.

Old Ballad.

INCENSED at what he deemed the coldness of his friends, in a cause which interested him so nearly, Hobbie had shaken himself free of their company, and was now upon his solitary road homeward.'

The fiend founder thee!' he said, as he spurred impatiently his over-fatigued and stumbling horse; thou art like a' the rest of them. Hae I not fed thee, and bred thee, and dressed thee wi' mine ain hand, and wouldst thou snapper now and break

my neck at my utmost need? But thou'rt e'en like the laive-the farthest off o' them a' is my cousin ten times removed; and day or night I wad hae served them wi' my best blood; and now, I think they show mair regard to the common thief of Westburnflat than to their ain kinsman. But I should see the lights now in Heugh-foot-Waes me!' he continued, recollecting himself, 'there' will neither coal nor candle-light shine in the

Heugh-foot ony mair! An' it were na for my mother and sisters, and poor Grace, I could find in my heart to put spurs to the beast, and loup ower the scaur into the water to make an end o't a'. In this disconsolate mood, he turned his horse's bridle toward the cottage in which his family had found refuge.

As he approached the door, he heard whispering and tittering amongst his sisters. The devil's in the women,' said poor Hobbie; they would nicker, and laugh, and giggle, if their best friend was lying a corp-and yet I am glad they can keep up their hearts sae weel, poor silly things; but the dirdum fa's on me, to be sure, and no on them.'

While he thus meditated, he was engaged in fastening up his horse in a shed. 'Thou maun do without horse-sheet and surcingle now, lad,' he said, addressing the animal; 'you and me hae had a downcome alike; we had better hae fa'en in the deepest pool o' Tarras.'

He was interrupted by the youngest of his sisters, who came running out, and speaking in a constrained voice, as if to stifle some emotion, called out to him, 'What are ye doing there, Hobbie, fiddling about the naig, and there's ane frae Cumberland been waiting here for ye this hour and mair? Haste ye in, man; I'll take off the saddle.'

'Ane frae Cumberland!' exclaimed Elliot; and putting the bridle of his horse into the hand of his sister, he rushed into the cottage. 'Where is he? where is he?' he exclaimed, glancing eagerly round, and seeing only females; ' Did he bring news of Grace?'