 to his own advantage. Meanwhile he mounted the white
cockade, and waited upon Rose with a pretext of great devotion for the service
in which her father was engaged, and many apologies for the freedom he must
necessarily use for the support of his people. It was at this moment that Rose
learned, by open-mouthed fame, with all sorts of exaggeration, that Waverley had
killed the smith of Cairnvreckan, in an attempt to arrest him; had been cast
into a dungeon by Major Melville of Cairnvreckan, and was to be executed by
martial law within three days. In the agony which these tidings excited, she
proposed to Donald Bean the rescue of the prisoner. It was the very sort of
service which he was desirous to undertake, judging it might constitute a merit
of such a nature as would make amends for any peccadilloes which he might be
guilty of in the country. He had the art, however, pleading all the while duty
and discipline, to hold off, until poor Rose, in the extremity of her distress,
offered to bribe him to the enterprise with some valuable jewels which had been
her mother's.
    Donald Bean, who had served in France, knew, and perhaps over-estimated the
value of these trinkets. But he also perceived Rose's apprehensions of its being
discovered that she had parted with her jewels for Waverley's liberation.
Resolved this scruple should not part him and the treasure, he voluntarily
offered to take an oath that he would never mention Miss Rose's share in the
transaction; and foreseeing convenience in keeping the oath, and no probable
advantage in breaking it, he took the engagement - in order, as he told his
lieutenant, to deal handsomely by the young lady - in the only form and mode
which, by a mental paction with himself, he considered as binding - he swore
secrecy upon his drawn dirk. He was the more especially moved to this act of
good faith by some attentions that Miss Bradwardine showed to his-daughter
Alice, which, while they gained the heart of the mountain damsel, highly
gratified the pride of her father. Alice, who could now speak a little English,
was very communicative in return for Rose's kindness, readily confided to her
the whole papers respecting the intrigue with Gardiner's regiment, of which she
was the depositary, and as readily undertook, at her instance, to restore them
to Waverley without her father's knowledge. »For they may oblige the bonnie
young lady and the handsome young gentleman,« said Alice, »and what use has my
father
