Blair Collection > Celtic magazine > Volume 5

178 THE CELTIC MAGAZINE.
" Jesu "Maria !" said the friar, looking upwards and crossing bimseli ' J
" An abettor of tlie rebel Bruce !"
" He is. To-morrow my uncle goes against him. There will be a : ^
great battle, and my father may be slain. I know he will be in the front i )
ranks, for he is brave and fearless. Bruce is a gallant knight, but his i i
love of adventure and a hopeless cause, will imperil the lives of many ; 4
dauntless men. Moreover, if my uncle learns of my father's escapade, he.
may retain me as a hostage. For tlie matter of that, I am a prisoner \
already, and all my movements are religiously observed and reported on. ■ j
You will have learned aU about the scene in the feasting haU where ; j
young Dermond of Dunkerlyne wounded the great Macnab in a sword to' J
sword encounter. My conduct on that occasion has called forth the ut-.f
most displeasure, and even cousin Nora is threatened by her fatlier with J f
confinement if she does not leave off thinking about the son of the brave . i
old viking. Dermond, as you know, was thrown into prison. Thank ;,j
God, he has since been liberated. My uncle is growing most cruel and' 1
tyrannical. He ordered me to be thrown into a dungeon as well, but' i
Nora would not let him. I determined on going to my father's castle' j
where I might be happier, but uncle refuses to give me a sufficient retinue ( t
for the journey. I want to teU my father of Lorn's tyranny, to warn, a
him against risking his life in a mad enterprise, to exhort him to forsake' i
the standard of the rebels, and to entreat him to come and save me from , t
the clutches of John of Lorn." , ,
" Ay," said the friar thoughtfully. " Yon have really set for yourseli; i
an extraordinary task, What if your uncle discover the plot? If he, ;
intercepts the letter, what become of the fair Bertha^ her docile emissary,, i
and her treasonable amanuensis V
" Trust me," said Bertha eagerly, " the letter cannot miscarry. Write! 1
it, and aU will be well." i
" Ha ! ha ! A gaUaut in the case !" exclaimed the friar, " 'Tis e'en )
as I thought. This is the key to all your rashness." , ,
" Why, good father, you jest now. Do you wish me to swear for theil
faithfulness of the intended bearer ?" i ]
" WeU, well, be it so ; but burden not your soul with vows for the- 1
conduct of a gay j^oung chieftain." : j
"Neither, good father, be so uncharitable as vow to the contrary, oj; <
raise doubts regarding the honour of a man you know naught of," saioi '^
Bertha pouting. \ ',
"Now, by St Francis," replied the friar, "if I were young and aji
Boldier, as I ought to have been, I'd go break the noddle of my audaciouf ( i
rival But Heaven forgive the thought. Lend me the pen and parch-; ^
ment."
The merry friar soon wrote to the dictation of his fair confident, not.', 1
however, without a sigh, as he had a soft heart and could not help admir-!
ing her courage. Having finished the letter, he gave it to her with hiti
blessing, resolving to pray for its safety, and urging the maiden not tc , I
be too precipitate in her confidences. I
" St Francis speed the bearer," he said, " or I would not give a goose-; v
quill for the security of his neck, or the living of the poor friar." j :
As he made to leave with a halting step, Bertha called him back, and; ;■
a tear glistened in her dark blue eye. She then signed to her attendant i I