Ramsay of Newburn was lying on his bed dressed in a warm robe de chambre, as if he had been only allowed to get up during the morning. He was a powerful and a handsome man of one or two-and-twenty years of age, with good features, but by no means a prepossessing expression. His face was very pale from loss of blood, and from the illness consequent upon his wound; but his eye was bright and hawk-like, and, with his black hair, neglected since his wound, and falling in ragged masses over his forehead, it gave a wild, fierce look to his worn countenance. As soon as the servant entered, he motioned his own attendant to withdraw, and said in a low, hollow tone, "They tell me you are the Earl of Gowrie's servant. You are not the man who wounded me?" "No, sir," replied the other. "He is still at the embassy." "You have got a letter for me, have you not?" asked Ramsay, keeping his eyes fixed upon his face. The man presented it; but Ramsay went on without opening the letter, saying, "You are a countryman of mine, by your tongue." "Yes, sir," answered the servant. "I come from fair Perth itself." "It is a beautiful town," said Ramsay. "I suppose you have been long in the service of the earl?" "I was in the service of his brother before him," replied the man. "Well, I am very sorry there should have been any disagreement between the earl and myself," continued Ramsay. "Pray, who is the lady who is with his lordship?" "I cannot justly say, sir," answered the man; and then, seeing a curious sort of light coming into the other's eyes, he added, "She's a far-away cousin of my lord's. The Lady Julia Douglas, they call her. My lord met with her in Italy, where some of her relations dying, he agreed to see her safe back to Scotland." "Then she is not an Italian, as some of my people told me?" rejoined the young man. "Oh, no," cried the servant. "She speaks fine English; and I've never heard her speak anything else, except to the servants at times." Ramsay mused, and then inquired if the earl was going direct back to Scotland. "He'll stay a while in London town, they say," rejoined the man; "but I can tell nothing for certain. My lord does not talk much of what he intends to do."