d knew that it was
familiar to me, but in vain tried to recall its owner. Why, Cluny,
it is a long time since you went dressed as a girl into Ayr! And
so it is my good friend who had shared my wife's dangers."

"He has done more than that, Archie," Marjory said, "for it was
to him that I owe my first idea of coming here. The moment after
the castle was taken and it was found that you had been carried
off in a boat by the English, Cluny started to tell me the news.
Your mother and I were beside ourselves with grief, and Cluny, to
comfort us, said, `Do not despair yet, my lady; my lord shall not
be killed by the English if I can prevent it. The master and I
have been in a good many dangers, and have always come out of them
safe; it shall not be my fault if he does not slip through their
hands yet.' `Why, what can you do, Cluny?' I said. `I don't know
what I can do yet,' he replied; `that must depend upon circumstances.
My lord is sure to be taken to Carlisle, and I shall go south to
see if I cannot get him out of prison. I have often gone among the
English garrisons disguised as a woman, and no one in Carlisle is
likely to ask me my business there.' It was plain to me at once that
if Cluny could go to your aid, so could I, and I at once told him
that I should accompany him. Cluny raised all sorts of objections,
but to these I would not listen, but brought him to my will by saying,
that if he thought my being with him would add to his difficulties
I would go alone, but that go I certainly would. So without more
ado we got these dresses and made south. We had a few narrow
escapes of falling into the hands of parties of English, but at last
we crossed the frontier and made to Carlisle. Three days later we
heard of your arrival, and the next morning all men were talking
about your defiance of the king, and that you had been sent to Berwick
for execution at the end of the week. So we journeyed hither and
got here the day after you arrived. The first step was to find
a Scotchwoman whom we might trust. This, by great luck, we did,
and Mary Martin, who lives in this house, is a true Scotchwoman,
and will help us to the extent of her power; she is poor, for her
husband, who is an Englishman, had for some time been ill, and died
but yesterday. He was, by what she says, a hard man and cruel, and
his death is no grief to her, and Mary will, if she can, return
with her daughter to Roxburgh, where her relations live, and where