O! it would grieve your honour's soul to see the murmuring, and the singing,
and massing, that's in the kirk, and the piping that's in the quire, and the
heathenish dancing and dicing upon the Sabbath!«
    This set Gilfillan off upon the Book of Sports and the Covenant, and the
Engagers, and the Protesters, and the Whiggamore's Raid and the assembly of
Divines at Westminster, and the Longer and Shorter Catechism, and the
Excommunication at Torwood, and the slaughter of Archbishop Sharp. This last
topic, again, led him into the lawfulness of defensive arms, on which subject he
uttered much more sense than could have been expected from some other parts of
his harangue, and attracted even Waverley's attention, who had hitherto been
lost in his own sad reflections. Mr. Gilfillan then considered the lawfulness of
a private man's standing forth as the avenger of public oppression, and as he
was labouring with great earnestness the cause of Mas James Mitchell, who fired
at the Archbishop of St. Andrews some years before the prelate's assassination
on Magus Muir, an incident occurred which interrupted his harangue. The rays of
the sun were lingering on the very verge of the horizon, as the party ascended a
hollow and somewhat steep path, which led to the summit of a rising ground. The
country was unenclosed, being part of a very extensive heath or common; but it
was far from level, exhibiting in many places hollows filled with furze and
broom; in others little dingles of stunted brushwood. A thicket of the latter
description crowned the hill up which the party ascended. The foremost of the
band, being the stoutest and most active, had pushed on, and having surmounted
the ascent, were out of ken for the present. Gilfillan, with the pedlar, and a
small party who were Waverley's more immediate guard, were near the top of the
ascent, and the remainder straggled after them at a considerable interval.
    Such was the situation of matters, when the pedlar, missing, as he said, a
little doggie which belonged to him, began to halt and whistle for the animal.
This signal, repeated more than once, gave offence to the rigour of his
companion, the rather because it appeared to indicate inattention to the
treasures of theological and controversial knowledge which was pouring out for
his edification. He therefore signified gruffly, that he could not waste his
time in waiting for a useless cur.
    »But if your honour would consider the case of Tobit« --
    »Tobit!« exclaimed