About a mile from the house, and upon the verge of the woods, which, as we have said, covered a promontory terminating in the cape called the Point of Warroch, Kennedy met young Harry Bertram, attended by his tutor, Dominie Sampson. He had often promised the child a ride upon his galloway; and, from singing, dancing, and playing Punch for his amusement, was a particular favourite. He no sooner came scampering up the path, than the boy loudly claimed his promise; and Kennedy, who saw no risk in indulging him, and wished to tease the Dominie, in whose visage he read a remonstrance, caught up Harry from the ground, placed him before him, and continued his route; Sampson's "Peradventure, Master Kennedy--" being lost in the clatter of his horse's feet. The pedagogue hesitated a moment whether he should go after them; but Kennedy being a person in full confidence of the family, and with whom he himself had no delight in associating, "being that he was addicted unto profane and scurrilous jests," he continued his own walk at his own pace, till he reached the Place of Ellangowan. The spectators from the ruined walls of the castle were still watching the sloop of war, which at length, but not without the loss of considerable time, recovered sea-room enough to weather the Point of Warroch, and was lost to their sight behind that wooded promontory. Some time afterwards the discharges of several cannon were heard at a distance, and, after an interval, a still louder explosion, as of a vessel blown up, and a cloud of smoke rose above the trees, and mingled with the blue sky. All then separated on their different occasions, auguring variously upon the fate of the smuggler, but the majority insisting that her capture was inevitable, if she had not already gone to the bottom. "It is near our dinner-time, my dear," said Mrs. Bertram to her husband; "will it be lang before Mr. Kennedy comes back?" "I expect him every moment, my dear," said the Laird; "perhaps he is bringing some of the officers of the sloop with him." "My stars, Mr. Bertram! why did not ye tell me this before, that we might have had the large round table?--and then, they're a' tired o' saut meat, and, to tell you the plain truth, a rump o' beef is the best part of your dinner--and then I wad have put on another gown, and ye wadna have been the waur o' a clean neckcloth yoursell--But ye delight in surprising and hurrying one--I am sure I am no to haud out for ever against this sort of going on--But when folk's missed, then they are moaned." "Pshaw, pshaw! deuce take the beef, and the gown, and table, and the neckcloth!--we shall doall very well.--Where's the Dominie, John?--(to a servant who was busy about the table)--where's the Dominie and little Harry?" "Mr. Sampson's been at hame these twa hours and mair, but I dinna think Mr. Harry cam hame wi' him." "Not come hame wi' him?" said the lady; "desire Mr. Sampson to step this way directly."