"His hatred of the present government, and his weariness o' this life. He spoke unco dreich and sadly, puir callant,—and sae I fell fast asleep and dozed like a top."
"And did not that goosecap, the King's Advocate, give him a twinge or two of the torture?"
"We brought some braw things to light without the help o' rack or screw. The tails o' his coat were as fu' o' treason as an egg's fu' o' meat. There were five and twenty autograph letters frae the bluidy and papistical Duke James——"
"Stuff! But lately he was styled His most Sacred Majesty, by the grace of God, and so forth."
"I speak as we wrote it in the council minutes. Five and twenty letters to the cut-throat Hieland chiefs, to the Murrays of Stormont, the Drummonds and others, some slee tod lowries we have long had our een on. But maist of a' was a notable plot of that d——ned jaud Madame Maintenon to assassinate King William."
"Hah!"
"From a paper found, it appears that a certain Monsieur Dumont is now disguised as a soldier in our confederate army in Flanders, watching an opportunity to shoot the King and escape."
"By St. George, I hope the aforesaid Monsieur Dumont is a good shot—a regular candle-snuffer!"
"Our culprit, Fenton, knew not of Maintenon's plot, or of her papers being among those on his person. He looked black dumbfoundered when Maclutchy drew them frae a neuk in his coat tail."
"And to whom were they directed?"