CHAPTER XL
AN OLD AND A NEW ACQUAINTANCE
While he was deep sunk in his reverie, the rustle of tartans was heardbehind him, a friendly arm clasped his shoulders, and a friendly voiceexclaimed,
'Said the Highland prophet sooth? Or must second-sight go for nothing?'
Waverley turned, and was warmly embraced by Fergus Mac-Ivor. 'Athousand welcomes to Holyrood, once more possessed by her legitimatesovereign! Did I not say we should prosper, and that you would fallinto the hands of the Philistines if you parted from us?'
'Dear Fergus!' said Waverley, eagerly returning his greeting. 'It islong since I have heard a friend's voice. Where is Flora?'
'Safe, and a triumphant spectator of our success.'
'In this place?' said Waverley.
'Ay, in this city at least,' answered his friend, 'and you shall seeher; but first you must meet a friend whom you little think of, who hasbeen frequent in his inquiries after you.'
Thus saying, he dragged Waverley by the arm out of the guard chamber,and, ere he knew where he was conducted, Edward found himself in apresence room, fitted up with some attempt at royal state.
A young man, wearing his own fair hair, distinguished by the dignity ofhis mien and the noble expression of his well-formed and regularfeatures, advanced out of a circle of military gentlemen and Highlandchiefs by whom he was surrounded. In his easy and graceful mannersWaverley afterwards thought he could have discovered his high birth andrank, although the star on his breast and the embroidered garter at hisknee had not appeared as its indications.
'Let me present to your Royal Highness,' said Fergus, bowingprofoundly--
'The descendant of one of the most ancient and loyal families inEngland,' said the young Chevalier, interrupting him. 'I beg yourpardon for interrupting you, my dear Mac-Ivor; but no master ofceremonies is necessary to present a Waverley to a Stuart.'
Thus saying, he extended his hand to Edward with the utmost courtesy,who could not, had he desired it, have avoided rendering him the homagewhich seemed due to his rank, and was certainly the right of his birth.'I am sorry to understand, Mr. Waverley, that, owing to circumstanceswhich have been as yet but ill explained, you have suffered somerestraint among my followers in Perthshire and on your march here; butwe are in such a situation that we hardly know our friends, and I ameven at this moment uncertain whether I can have the pleasure ofconsidering Mr. Waverley as among mine.'
He then paused for an instant; but before Edward could adjust asuitable reply, or even arrange his ideas as to its purport, the Princetook out a paper and then proceeded:--'I should indeed have no doubtsupon this subject if I could trust to this proclamation, set forth bythe friends of the Elector of Hanover, in which they rank Mr. Waverleyamong the nobility and gentry who are menaced with the pains ofhigh-treason for loyalty to their legitimate sovereign. But I desire togain no adherents save from affection and conviction; and if Mr.Waverley inclines to prosecute his journey to the south, or to join theforces of the Elector, he shall have my passport and free permission todo so; and I can only regret that my present power will not extend toprotect him against the probable consequences of such a measure. But,'continued Charles Edward, after another short pause, 'if Mr. Waverleyshould, like his ancestor, Sir Nigel, determine to embrace a causewhich has little to recommend it but its justice, and follow a princewho throws himself upon the affections of his people to recover thethrone of his ancestors or perish in the attempt, I can only say, thatamong these nobles and gentlemen he will find worthy associates in agallant enterprise, and will follow a master who may be unfortunate,but, I trust, will never be ungrateful.'
The politic Chieftain of the race of Ivor knew his advantage inintroducing Waverley to this personal interview with the royaladventurer. Unaccustomed to the address and manners of a polishedcourt, in which Charles was eminently skilful, his words and hiskindness penetrated the heart of our hero, and easily outweighed allprudential motives. To be thus personally solicited for assistance by aprince whose form and manners, as well as the spirit which he displayedin this singular enterprise, answered his ideas of a hero of romance;to be courted by him in the ancient halls of his paternal palace,recovered by the sword which he was already bending towards otherconquests, gave Edward, in his own eyes, the dignity and importancewhich he had ceased to consider as his attributes. Rejected, slandered,and threatened upon the one side, he was irresistibly attracted to thecause which the prejudices of education and the political principles ofhis family had already recommended as the most just. These thoughtsrushed through his mind like a torrent, sweeping before them everyconsideration of an opposite tendency,--the time, besides, admitted ofno deliberation,--and Waverley, kneeling to Charles Edward, devoted hisheart and sword to the vindication of his rights!
The Prince (for, although unfortunate in the faults and follies of hisforefathers, we shall here and elsewhere give him the title due to hisbirth) raised Waverley from the ground and embraced him with anexpression of thanks too warm not to be genuine. He also thanked FergusMac-Ivor repeatedly for having brought him such an adherent, andpresented Waverley to the various noblemen, chieftains, and officerswho were about his person as a young gentleman of the highest hopes andprospects, in whose bold and enthusiastic avowal of his cause theymight see an evidence of the sentiments of the English families of rankat this important crisis. [Footnote: See Note 4.] Indeed, this was apoint much doubted among the adherents of the house of Stuart; and as awell-founded disbelief in the cooperation of the English Jacobites keptmany Scottish men of rank from his standard, and diminished the courageof those who had joined it, nothing could be more seasonable for theChevalier than the open declaration in his favour of the representativeof the house of Waverley-Honour, so long known as Cavaliers andRoyalists. This Fergus had foreseen from the beginning. He really lovedWaverley, because their feelings and projects never thwarted eachother; he hoped to see him united with Flora, and he rejoiced that theywere effectually engaged in the same cause. But, as we before hinted,he also exulted as a politician in beholding secured to his party apartizan of such consequence; and he was far from being insensible tothe personal importance which he himself gained with the Prince fromhaving so materially assisted in making the acquisition.
Charles Edward, on his part, seemed eager to show his attendants thevalue which he attached to his new adherent, by entering immediately,as in confidence, upon the circumstances of his situation. 'You havebeen secluded so much from intelligence, Mr. Waverley, from causes ofwhich I am but indistinctly informed, that I presume you are even yetunacquainted with the important particulars of my present situation.You have, however, heard of my landing in the remote district ofMoidart, with only seven attendants, and of the numerous chiefs andclans whose loyal enthusiasm at once placed a solitary adventurer atthe head of a gallant army. You must also, I think, have learned thatthe commander-in-chief of the Hanoverian Elector, Sir John Cope,marched into the Highlands at the head of a numerous and well-appointedmilitary force with the intention of giving us battle, but that hiscourage failed him when we were within three hours' march of eachother, so that he fairly gave us the slip and marched northward toAberdeen, leaving the Low Country open and undefended. Not to lose sofavourable an opportunity, I marched on to this metropolis, drivingbefore me two regiments of horse, Gardiner's and Hamilton's, who hadthreatened to cut to pieces every Highlander that should venture topass Stirling; and while discussions were carrying forward among themagistracy and citizens of Edinburgh whether they should defendthemselves or surrender, my good friend Lochiel (laying his hand on theshoulder of that gallant and accomplished chieftain) saved them thetrouble of farther deliberation by entering the gates with five hundredCamerons. Thus far, therefore, we have done well; but, in themeanwhile, this doughty general's nerves being braced by the keen airof Aberdeen, he has taken shipping for Dunbar, and I have just receivedcertain information that he landed there yesterday. His purpose mustunquestionably be to march towards us to recover posse
ssion of thecapital. Now there are two opinions in my council of war: one, thatbeing inferior probably in numbers, and certainly in discipline andmilitary appointments, not to mention our total want of artillery andthe weakness of our cavalry, it will be safest to fall back towards themountains, and there protract the war until fresh succours arrive fromFrance, and the whole body of the Highland clans shall have taken armsin our favour. The opposite opinion maintains, that a retrogrademovement, in our circumstances, is certain to throw utter discredit onour arms and undertaking; and, far from gaining us new partizans, willbe the means of disheartening those who have joined our standard. Theofficers who use these last arguments, among whom is your friend FergusMac-Ivor, maintain that, if the Highlanders are strangers to the usualmilitary discipline of Europe, the soldiers whom they are to encounterare no less strangers to their peculiar and formidable mode of attack;that the attachment and courage of the chiefs and gentlemen are not tobe doubted; and that, as they will be in the midst of the enemy, theirclansmen will as surely follow them; in fine, that having drawn thesword we should throw away the scabbard, and trust our cause to battleand to the God of battles. Will Mr. Waverley favour us with his opinionin these arduous circumstances?'
Waverley coloured high betwixt pleasure and modesty at the distinctionimplied in this question, and answered, with equal spirit andreadiness, that he could not venture to offer an opinion as derivedfrom military skill, but that the counsel would be far the mostacceptable to him which should first afford him an opportunity toevince his zeal in his Royal Highness's service.
'Spoken like a Waverley!' answered Charles Edward; 'and that you mayhold a rank in some degree corresponding to your name, allow me,instead of the captain's commission which you have lost, to offer youthe brevet rank of major in my service, with the advantage of acting asone of my aides-de-camp until you can be attached to a regiment, ofwhich I hope several will be speedily embodied.'
'Your Royal Highness will forgive me,' answered Waverley (for hisrecollection turned to Balmawhapple and his scanty troop), 'if Idecline accepting any rank until the time and place where I may haveinterest enough to raise a sufficient body of men to make my commanduseful to your Royal Highness's service. In the meanwhile, I hope foryour permission to serve as a volunteer under my friend FergusMac-Ivor.'
'At least,' said the Prince, who was obviously pleased with thisproposal, 'allow me the pleasure of arming you after the Highlandfashion.' With these words, he unbuckled the broadsword which he wore,the belt of which was plaited with silver, and the steel basket-hiltrichly and curiously inlaid. 'The blade,' said the Prince, 'is agenuine Andrea Ferrara; it has been a sort of heir-loom in our family;but I am convinced I put it into better hands than my own, and will addto it pistols of the same workmanship. Colonel Mac-Ivor, you must havemuch to say to your friend; I will detain you no longer from yourprivate conversation; but remember we expect you both to attend us inthe evening. It may be perhaps the last night we may enjoy in thesehalls, and as we go to the field with a clear conscience, we will spendthe eve of battle merrily.'
Thus licensed, the Chief and Waverley left the presence-chamber.