woods. What matter have you in
hand that brings you here--and what is your name?"

"I am the daughter of Allen Musgrove," replied Mary indignantly.

"Is it so?" said the first speaker; "then it is the Miller's own
daughter, and we ask your pardon. We only saw you flying along the bank
of the river, and not knowing what it was, why we thought it right to
follow. But as it is all explained now, we will see you back to the
house."

"I can find my way without help," replied the maiden.

"Now, that's not good-natured for so kind a girl as the miller's
daughter ought to be," said the second soldier.

"I will see if my father can protect me," said Mary, hastening back
towards the house so rapidly as almost to run. "I will know if
Lieutenant Macdonald will allow me to be insulted."

With a hurried step she entered upon the porch, and, without stopping to
parley with those who occupied this part of the dwelling, retired to her
chamber and threw herself into a chair, where she sat for some time
panting with affright. As she gradually recovered her strength, she
began to turn her thoughts upon her recent discomfiture; and it was with
a deep sense of chagrin and disappointment, that she reflected upon her
not being able successfully to renew her enterprise on the same night.
The hour of meeting had arrived; the officers of the guard were still
frequenting the porch; her conduct had already excited notice, and if
she wished to be in a condition to render future service, her most
obvious duty was to postpone any further attempt to deliver the papers
until another time. On the other hand, she had reason to fear that John
Ramsay would be hovering near to ascertain the cause of her failure to
meet him, and might rashly resort to the same mode of conveying a signal
which he had successfully practised heretofore. This would infallibly,
she believed, provoke an investigation that might entirely frustrate all
their views. "But then John is a good soldier," she said, in the way of
self-consolation, "and will know that the enemy is awake; because if it
was not so, he would be sure I would keep my word. And if he only takes
that notion into his head, he is too careful to run the chance of
spoiling all by coming here."

Still, with some little mistrust as to John's soldiership when it
crossed the path of his love, which naturally, she reflected, makes a
man rash, she thought it best to provide against accident, by throwing
herself into