 scandalous story, but it was necessarily their joint opinion, that
his own honour, equally with that of the regiment, depended upon its being
instantly contradicted by his authority, etc. etc. etc.
    »What do you think of all this?« said Colonel Talbot, to whom Waverley
handed the letters after he had perused them.
    »Think! it renders thought impossible. It is enough to drive me mad.«
    »Be calm, my young friend; let us see what are these dirty scrawls that
follow.«
    The first was addressed, »For Master W. Ruffin These,«
 
        »Dear sur, sum of our yong gulpins will not bite, thof I tuold them you
        shoed me the squoires own seel. But Tims will deliver you the lettrs as
        desired, and tell ould Addem he gave them to squoir's hond, as to be
        sure yours is the same, and shall be ready for signal, and hoy for Hoy
        Church and Sachefrel,91 as fadur sings at harvest whome. Yours, deer
        sur,
                                                                            H.H.
        Poscriff. Do'e tell squoire we longs to heer from him, and has dootings
        about his not writing himself, and Lieftenant Bottler is smoky.«
 
»This Ruffin, I suppose, then, is your Donald of the Cavern, who has intercepted
your letters, and carried on a correspondence with the poor devil Houghton, as
if under your authority?«
    »It seems too true. But who can Addem be?«
    »Possibly Adam, for poor Gardiner, a sort of pun on his name.«
    The other letters were to the same purpose, and they soon received yet more
complete light upon Donald Bean's machinations.
    John Hodges, one of Waverley's servants, who had remained with the regiment,
and had been taken at Preston, now made his appearance. He had sought out his
master, with the purpose of again entering his service. From this fellow they
learned, that, some time after Waverley had gone from the head-quarters of the
regiment, a pedlar, called Ruthven, Ruffin, or Rivane, known among the soldiers
by the name of Wily Will, had made frequent visits to the town of Dundee. He
appeared to possess plenty of money, sold his commodities very cheap, seemed
always willing to treat his friends at the ale-house, and easily ingratiated
himself with many of Waverley's troop, particularly Sergeant Houghton, and one
Tims, also a non-commissioned officer. To these he unfolded, in Waverley's name,
a plan for leaving the regiment
