Willie was obliged to retreat; but not before he had half played, half hummed, by way of farewell, "Leave thee-leave thee, lad- The stars shall gae withershins I am thus, I think, secure of one trusty adherent in my misfortunes; and, however whimsical it may be to rely much on a man of this idle profession, and deprived of sight withal, it is deeply impressed on my mind, that his services may be both useful and necessary. There is another quarter from which I look for succour, and which I have indicated to thee, Alan, in more than one part of my journal. Twice, at the early hour of day-break, I have seen the individual alluded to in the court of the farm, and twice she made signs of recognition in answer to the gestures by which I endeavoured to make her comprehend my situation; but on both occasions, she pressed her finger on her lips, as expressive of silence and secrecy. The manner in which G. M. entered upon the scene for the first time seems to assure me of her good-will so far as her power may reach; and I have many reasons to believe it is considerable. Yet she seemed hurried and frightened during the very transitory moments of our interview, and I think was, upon the last occasion, startled by the entrance of some one into the farm-yard, just as she was on the point of addressing me. You must not ask whether I am an early riser, since such delights are only to be seen at day-break; and although I have never again seen her, yet I have reason to think she is not distant. It was but three nights ago, that, worn out by the uniformity of my confinement, I had manifested more symptoms of despondence than I had before exhibited, which I conceive may have attracted the attention of the domestics, through whom the circumstance might transpire. On the next morning, the following lines lay on my table; but how conveyed there, I cannot tell, The hand in which they are written is a beautiful Italian manuscript. "As lords their labourers' hire delay, Fate quits our toil with hopes to come, VOL. II. 3 Quit not the pledge, frail sufferer, then, That these lines are written with the friendly-the more than friendly purpose of inducing me to keep up my spirits, I cannot doubt; and I trust the manner in which f shall conduct myself may show that the pledge is accepted. The dress is arrived in which it seems to be my selfelected guardian's pleasure that I shall travel; and what does it prove to be?-A skirt or upper petticoat of camlet, like those worn by country ladies of moderate rank when on horseback, with such a riding-mask as they frequently use on journeys to preserve their eyes and complexion from the sun and dust, and sometimes, it is suspected, to enable them to play off a little coquetry. From the use of the mask, however, I suspect I shall be precluded; for instead of being only pasteboard, covered with black velvet, I observe with anxiety, that mine is thickened with a plate of steel, which, like Quixote's visor, serves to render it more strong and durable. This apparatus, together with a steel clasp for securing the mask behind me with a padlock, gave me fearful recollections of the unfortunate being, who, never being permitted to lay aside such a visor, acquired the well-known historical epithet of the Man in the Iron Mask. I hesitated a moment whether I should so far submit to the acts of oppression designed against me as to assume this disguise, which was, of course, contrived to aid their purposes. But then I remember Mr. Herries' threat, that I would be kept close prisoner in a carriage, unless I assumed the dress which should be appointed for me; and I considered the comparative degree of freedom which I might purchase by wearing the mask and female dress, as easily and advantageously purchased. Here, therefore, I must pause for the present, and await what the morning may bring forth. [To carry on the story from the documents before us, we think it proper here to drop the Journal of the captive Darsie Latimer, and adopt, instead, a narrative of the proceedings of Alan Fairford in pursuit of his friend, which forms another series in this history.] CHAPTER III. NARRATIVE OF ALAN FAIRFORD. THE reader ought, by this time, to have formed some idea of the character of Alan Fairford. He had a warmth of heart which the study of the law and of the world, could not chill, and the talents which they had rendered unusually acute. Deprived of the personal patronage enjoyed by most of his contemporaries, who assumed the gown under protection of their aristocratic alliances and descents, he early saw that he would have that to achieve for himself which fell to them as a right of birth. He laboured hard in silence and solitude, and his labours were crowned with success. But Alan doted on his friend Darsie, even more than he loved his profession, and, as we have seen, threw every thing aside when he thought Latimer in danger; forgetting fame and fortune, and hazarding even the serious displeasure of his father, to rescue him whom he loved with an elder brother's affection. Darsie, though his parts were more quick and brilliant than those of his friend, seemed always to the latter a being under his peculiar charge, whom he was called upon to cherish and protect, in cases where the youth's own experience was unequal to the exigency; and now, when, the fate of Latimer seeming worse than doubtful, Alan's whole prudence and energy were to be exerted in his behalf, an adventure which might have seemed perilous to most youths of his age, had no terrors for him. He was well acquainted with the laws of his country, and knew how to appeal to them; and, besides his professional confidence, his natural disposition was steady, sedate, persevering, and undaunted. With these requisites he undertook a quest which, at that time, was not unattended with actual danger, and had much in it to appal a more timid disposition. Fairford's first inquiry concerning his friend, was at the chief magistrate of Dumfries, Provost Crosbie, who had sent the information of Darsie's disappearance. On his first application, he thought he discerned in the honest dignitary, a desire to get rid of the subject. The Provost spoke of the riot at the fishing station as an "outbreak among those lawless loons, the fishermen, which concerned the Sheriff," he said, "more than us, poor Town-Council bodies, that have aneugh to do to keep peace within burgh, amongst such a set of commoners as the town are plagued with.' 66 "But this is not all, Provost Crosbie," said Mr. Alan Fairford; a young gentleman of rank and fortune has disappeared amongst their hands-you know him. My father gave him a letter to you-Mr. Darsie Latimer." "Lack-a-day, yes! lack-a-day, yes!" said the Provost; "Mr. Darsie Latimer-he dined at my house-I hope he is well." "I hope so too," said Alan, rather indignantly; "but I desire more certainly on that point. You yourself wrote my father that he had disappeared." 66 Troth, yes, and that is true," said the Provost. "But did he not go back to his friends in Scotland? it was not natural to think he would stay here." "Not unless he is under restraint," said Fairford, surprised at the coolness with which the Provost seemed to take up the matter. Rely on it, Sir," said Mr. Crosbie, "that if he has not returned to his friends in Scotland, he must have gone to his friends in England." "I will rely on no such thing," said Alan; "if there is law or justice in Scotland, I will have the thing cleared to the very bottom." "Reasonable, reasonable," said the Provost, " so far as is possible; but you know I have no power beyond the ports of the burgh." "But you are in the commission besides, Mr. Crosbie ; a Justice of Peace for the county." 66 True, very true—that is," said the cautious magistrate, "I will not say but my name may stand on the list, but I cannot remember that I have ever qualified." "Why, in that case," said young Fairford, "there are ill-natured people might doubt your attachment to the Protestant line, Mr. Crosbie." "God forbid, Mr. Fairford; me that have done and suffered in the forty-five! I reckon the Highlandmen did me damage to the amount of 100l. Scots, forbye all they ate and drank-no, no, Sir, I stand beyond challenge; but as for plaguing myself with county business, let them that. aught the mare shoe the mare. The Commissioners of Supply would see my back broken or they would help me in the burgh's work, and all the world kens the difference of the weight between public business in burgh and landward. What are their riots to me? have we not riots enough of our own?-But I must be getting ready, for the council meets this forenoon. I am blythe to see your father's son on the causeway of our ancient burgh, Mr. Alan Fairford. Were you a twelvemonth aulder, we would make a burgess of you, man. I hope you will come and dine with me before you go away. What think you of today at two o'clock-just a roasted chucky and a drappit egg?" Alan Fairford resolved that his friend's hospitality should not, as it seeemd the inviter intended, put a stop to his queries. "I must delay you for a moment," he said, Mr. Crosbie, this is a serious affair; a young gentleman of high hopes, my own dearest friend, is missing-you cannot think it will be passed over slightly, for a man of your high character and known zeal for the government, not to make some active inquiry. Mr. Crosbie, you are my father's friend, and I respect you as such-but to others it will have a bad appearance." The withers of the Provost were not unwrung; he paced the room in much tribulation, repeating" But what can I do, Mr. Fairford? I warrant your friend casts up again-he will come back again, like the ill shilling-he is not the sort of gear that tynes-a hellicat boy, running through the country with a blind fiddler, and playing the fiddle to a parcel of blackguards, who can tell where the like of him may have scampered to ?" "There are persons apprehended, and in the jail of the town, as I understand from the Sheriff-Substitute," said Mr. Fairford; "you must call them before you, and inquire what they know of this young gentleman." "Ay, ay-the Sheriff-Depute did commit some poor creatures, I believe-wretched, ignorant fishermen bodies, that had been quarrelling with Quaker Geddes and his stake-nets, whilk, under favour of your gown be it spoken, Mr. Fairford, are not over and above lawful, and the TownClerk thinks they may be lawfully removed via facti-but that is by the by. But, sir, the creatures were a' dismissed for want of evidence; the Quaker would not, swear |