stock of the haill country, besides having your friends
charged with slaughter under trust. Bide till the meeting at Castleton,
as ye hae greed; and if he disna make ye amends, then we'll hae it out
o' his heart's blood. But let us gang reasonably to wark and keep our
tryst, and I'se warrant we get back Grace, and the kye an' a'."

This cold-blooded reasoning went ill down with the unfortunate lover;
but, as he could only obtain the assistance of his neighbours and
kinsmen on their own terms, he was compelled to acquiesce in their
notions of good faith and regular procedure.

Earnscliff now requested the assistance of a few of the party to
convey Miss Vere to her father's castle of Ellieslaw, to which she was
peremptory in desiring to be conducted. This was readily granted; and
five or six young men agreed to attend him as an escort. Hobbie was not
of the number. Almost heart-broken by the events of the day, and his
final disappointment, he returned moodily home to take such measures as
he could for the sustenance and protection of his family, and to arrange
with his neighbours the farther steps which should be adopted for
the recovery of Grace Armstrong. The rest of the party dispersed in
different directions, as soon as they had crossed the morass. The
outlaw and his mother watched them from the tower, until they entirely
disappeared.

CHAPTER X.

I left my ladye's bower last night--
It was clad in wreaths of snaw,--
I'll seek it when the sun is bright,
And sweet the roses blaw.--OLD BALLAD.

Incensed at what he deemed the coldness of his friends, in a cause
which interested him so nearly, Hobbie had shaken himself free of their
company, and was now on his solitary road homeward. "The fiend founder
thee!" said he, as he spurred impatiently his over-fatigued and
stumbling horse; "thou art like a' the rest o' them. Hae I not bred
thee, and fed thee, and dressed thee wi' mine ain hand, and wouldst thou
snapper now and break my neck at my utmost need? But thou'rt e'en like
the lave--the farthest off o' them a' is my cousin ten times removed,
and day or night I wad hae served them wi' my best blood; and now, I
think they show mair regard to the common thief of Westburnflat than to
their ain kinsman. But I should see the lights now in Heugh-foot--Wae's
me!" he continued, recollecting himself, "there will neither coal nor
candle-light shine in the Heugh-foot ony mair! An it werena for my
mother