nd object of concern or of love,
here below, were for ever removed from him, he abandoned himself to
despair, and threatened to go down to the grave with his son.

But, although he made no attempt to discover the murderers, the arm of
justice was not idle; and, it being evident to all that the crime must
infallibly be brought home to young Drummond, some of his friends
sought him out, and compelled him, sorely against his will, to retire
into concealment till the issue of the proof that should be led was
made known. At the same time, he denied all knowledge of the incident
with a resolution that astonished his intimate friends and relations,
who to a man suspected him guilty. His father was not in Scotland, for
I think it was said to me that this young man was second son to a John,
Duke of Melfort, who lived abroad with the royal family of the Stuarts;
but this young gentleman lived with the relations of his mother, one of
whom, an uncle, was a Lord of Session: these, having thoroughly
effected his concealment, went away, and listened to the evidence; and
the examination of every new witness convinced them that their noble
young relative was the slayer of his friend.

All the young gentlemen of the party were examined, save Drummond, who,
when sent for, could not be found, which circumstance sorely confirmed
the suspicions against him in the minds of judges and jurors, friends
and enemies; and there is little doubt that the care of his relations
in concealing him injured his character and his cause. The young
gentlemen of whom the party was composed varied considerably with
respect to the quarrel between him and the deceased. Some of them had
neither heard nor noted it; others had, but not one of them could tell
how it began. Some of them had heard the threat uttered by Drummond on
leaving the house, and one only had noted him lay his hand on his
sword. Not one of them could swear that it was Drummond who came to the
door and desired to speak with the deceased, but the general impression
on the minds of them all was to that effect; and one of the women swore
that she heard the voice distinctly at the door, and every word that
voice pronounced, and at the same time heard the deceased say that it
was Drummond's.

On the other hand, there were some evidences on Drummond's part, which
Lord Craigie, his uncle, had taken care to collect. He produced the
sword which his nephew had worn that night, on which there was neither