This arrangement being made, Morton and his colleague took possession, for
the night, of such quarters as the over-crowded and miserable hamlet could
afford them. They did not, however, separate for repose till they had drawn up a
memorial of the grievances of the moderate Presbyterians, which was summed up
with a request of free toleration for their religion in future, and that they
should be permitted to attend gospel ordinances as dispensed by their own
clergymen, without oppression or molestation. Their petition proceeded to
require that a free parliament should be called for settling the affairs of
church and state, and for redressing the injuries sustained by the subject; and
that all those who either now were, or had been, in arms, for obtaining these
ends, should be indemnified. Morton could not but strongly hope that these
terms, which comprehended all that was wanted, or wished for, by the moderate
party among the insurgents, might, when thus cleared of the violence of
fanaticism, find advocates, even among the royalists, as claiming only the
ordinary rights of Scottish freemen.
    He had the more confidence of a favourable reception, that the Duke of
Monmouth, to whom Charles had entrusted the charge of subduing this rebellion,
was a man of gentle, moderate, and accessible disposition, well known to be
favourable to the Presbyterians, and invested by the king with full powers to
take measures for quieting the disturbances in Scotland. It seemed to Morton,
that all that was necessary for influencing him in their favour was to find a
fit and sufficiently respectable channel of communication, and such seemed to be
opened through the medium of Lord Evandale. He resolved, therefore, to visit the
prisoner early in the morning, in order to sound his dispositions to undertake
the task of mediator; but an accident happened which led him to anticipate his
purpose.
 

                             Chapter Twenty-Seventh

 Gie ower your house, lady, he said, -
 Gie ower your house to me
                                                                 Edom of Gordon.
 
Morton had finished the revisal and the making out of a fair copy of the paper
on which he and Poundtext had agreed to rest as a full statement of the
grievances of their party, and the conditions on which the greater part of the
insurgents would be contented to lay down their arms; and he was about to betake
himself to repose, when there was a knocking at the door of his apartment.
    »Enter,« said Morton; and the round bullet-head of Cuddie Headrigg was
thrust into the room. »Come in,« said Morton, »and tell me what you want. Is
there any alarm?