appointed Burley to the command of a chosen body of five hundred men, who
were to remain behind, for the purpose of blockading the Tower of
Tillietudlem. Morton testified the greatest repugnance to this
arrangement.

"He had the strongest personal motives," he said, "for desiring to remain
near Tillietudlem; and if the management of the siege were committed to
him, he had little doubt but that he would bring it to such an
accommodation, as, without being rigorous to the besieged, would fully
answer the purpose of the besiegers."

Burley readily guessed the cause of his young colleague's reluctance to
move with the army; for, interested as he was in appreciating the
characters with whom he had to deal, he had contrived, through the
simplicity of Cuddie, and the enthusiasm of old Mause, to get much
information concerning Morton's relations with the family of
Tillietudlem. He therefore took the advantage of Poundtext's arising to
speak to business, as he said, for some short space of time, (which
Burley rightly interpreted to mean an hour at the very least), and seized
that moment to withdraw Morton from the hearing of their colleagues, and
to hold the following argument with him:

"Thou art unwise, Henry Morton, to desire to sacrifice this holy cause to
thy friendship for an uncircumcised Philistine, or thy lust for a
Moabitish woman."

"I neither understand your meaning, Mr Balfour, nor relish your
allusions," replied Morton, indignantly; "and I know no reason you have
to bring so gross a charge, or to use such uncivil language."

"Confess, however, the truth," said Balfour, "and own that there are
those within yon dark Tower, over whom thou wouldst rather be watching
like a mother over her little ones, than thou wouldst bear the banner of
the Church of Scotland over the necks of her enemies."

"If you mean, that I would willingly terminate this war without any
bloody victory, and that I am more anxious to do this than to acquire any
personal fame or power, you may be," replied Morton, "perfectly right."

"And not wholly wrong," answered Burley, "in deeming that thou wouldst
not exclude from so general a pacification thy friends in the garrison of
Tillietudlem."

"Certainly," replied Morton; "I am too much obliged to Major Bellenden
not to wish to be of service to him, as far as the interest of the cause
I have espoused will permit. I never made a secret of my regard for him."

"I am aware of that," said Burl