“I did,--and I wad hae taen a yet mair holy pledge on it, if there had been ane--I wad not hae spared the blood of my body, or the guilt of my soul, to serve the house of Glenallan.” “Wretch! do you call that horrid perjury, attended with consequences yet more dreadful--do you esteem that a service to the house of your benefactors?” “I served her, wha was then the head of Glenallan, as she required me to serve her. The cause was between God and her conscience--the manner between God and mine--She is gane to her account, and I maun follow. Have I taulds you a’?” “No,” answered Lord Glenallan--“you have yet more to tell--you have to tell me of the death of the angel whom your perjury drove to despair, stained, as she thought herself, with a crime so horrible. Speak truth--was that dreadful--was that horrible incident”--he could scarcely articulate the words--“was it as reported? or was it an act of yet further, though not more atrocious cruelty, inflicted by others?” “I understand you,” said Elspeth. “But report spoke truth;--our false witness was indeed the cause, but the deed was her ain distracted act. On that fearfu’ disclosure, when ye rushed frae the Countess’s presence and saddled your horse, and left the castle like a fire-flaught, the Countess hadna yet discovered your private marriage; she hadna fund out that the union, which she had framed this awfu’ tale to prevent, had e’en taen place. Ye fled from the house as if the fire o’ Heaven was about to fa’ upon it, and Miss Neville, atween reason and the want o’t, was put under sure ward. But the ward sleep’t, and the prisoner waked--the window was open--the way was before her--there was the cliff, and there was the sea!--O, when will I forget that!” “And thus died,” said the Earl, “even so as was reported?”