Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume 07
General
Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume 07
Scottish Borders (Scotland) -- Fiction
"'Yes; even that cruel parent, through whose obduracy I am now a
degraded felon, is forgiven by me. But no more of this. When you see
Emily, give her my blessing. Tell her that her dying uncle had her
always in his thoughts; and that, in his last moments, he prayed for her
prosperity and happiness.'
"As he was evidently much exhausted, I entreated him not to fatigue
himself by farther conversation. The clergyman arriving, I took my
leave, and returned in the morning. He was still sensible; and the man
who had sat up with him mentioned that he had been very quiet all night,
though he apparently slept very little. When I approached the bedside,
he recognised me; and, with extreme difficulty articulated--
"'Remember!'
"I assured him that his request should be implicitly complied with. His
last words were 'Bless you!' Raising himself, he placed his wife's
marriage-ring on my finger, pressed my hand feebly, and, overcome by the
exertion, fell back on his pillow; a gentle slumber seemed gradually to
come over him, from which he never awoke.
"As he was only known as Ranald More, the secret of his birth and rank
was carefully preserved by me; my adventure with him of former years was
generally known, and my anxiety about him, and my following his body to
the grave, created no manner of surprise. His companions were tried,
convicted, and executed. The death of their leader, and the capital
punishment inflicted on his followers, had a wholesome effect in that
district, and 'lifting' of cattle, from that time, became, at least
there, somewhat uncommon.
"Resolved to redeem my pledge, I procured leave of absence, and
journeyed to Northumberland, where I found the family in mourning for
the old gentleman, who had died, strange to say, about a week before his
son. The delivery of the ring at once announced the cause of my visit,
and my attentions to the unhappy donor were repaid by the extreme
kindness of his relatives. Her brother, Edmund, thought he could never
do too much for me; and the kind-hearted and beautiful niece of the
ill-fated Ranald became----" Here he paused.
"What, father?" inquired Edmund.
"YOUR MOTHER."
THE SERJEANT'S TALES.
JOHN SQUARE'S VOYAGE TO INDIA.
Having been so much edified by Serjeant Square's narrative of the
Palantines, I was anxious to hear another section of his adventures.
Next day, my wish was gratified.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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