“Merciful Providence, Rory Spears!” cried the Lady Beatrice, almost doubting the evidence of her ears. “The holy Virgin be praised, if it be thee indeed!”
“Yea, in good truth, it is assuredly me, Roderick Spears, esquire, at the humble service of thy leddyship,” replied Rory.
“Then thanks be to the blessed Virgin, I am safe!” replied Beatrice.
“Safe!” cried Rory; “yea, as safe as the bold heart of ane esquire can make thee. Trust me, they sall take measure o’ ane ell and ane half o’ this lance that hangs ahint me here, that may essay to do thee aught o’ harm between this and Tarnawa, whither my shalty Brambleberry shall speedily convey us.”
“May the saints unite to shower their blessings upon thee, [[606]]Rory, for thy timely aid!” cried the Lady Beatrice; “but how, I pray thee, didst thou chance to rescue me from the power of Sir Andrew Stewart?”
“What!” cried Rory, “so that ill-doing, misbegotten fumart hath been besetting thee again with this accursed traiterie. By St. Lowrie, but I did ance tak measure o’ him afore.”
“Yea, he encountered me as I did escape from the flames of the Maison Dieu, and he pursued me to the shrine of the Virgin, where he was in the act of laying his impure hands on me, when I did faint away.”
“Na, troth, my leddy,” said Rory, “the hands that war laid on thee war my hands; and, though I should speak weel o’ that the which be’s mine ain, I do boldly avow that they are purer than the scartin’ claws o’ that mouldwarp, although they hae handled mony a foul fish, and I wad be sair ashamed an they waur no teucher. It was me that took haud o’ ye, my leddy, and I made bauld to do that same (being ane esquire) that I might succour ye, distressed damsel that thou wert, by lifting thy dead body into the saddle, that wi’ a sair heart I mought bring thee aff to Tarnawa, where, an thou didst not recover thee, thou mightest have had ane honourable yirdin’.”
“But tell me, I pray thee, how thou didst chance to come there?” demanded Beatrice.
“I’ll tell thee,” said Rory. “My master, the Yearl, did send me to Aberdeen wi’ a flight o’ falcons he had promised till the King’s Majesty; so I hae been there, yea, and did behold his Royal Grace afore he depairted for his Palace of Scone. I wot he was weel pleased wi’ the birds, and he did show me the fair side o’ his Royal favour for bringing them, partly, nae doot, for the sake o’ my noble master the Yearl o’ Moray, and partly, I do opine, because I am noo an esquire admitted and acknowledged, the which the King himsel did alswa most graciously confirm out o’ his ain mouth. For, says he to me, ‘Squire Rory,’ says he, ‘are the falcons well mewed, and hast thou reclaimed them to purpose?’ To the which I did answer, ‘Try ye them, my Royal Liege, and ye’ll see gin there be ony Royal hern that’ll mount wi’ them. Trust me, my Lord King, that they have a wing that will carry them up to the very riggin’ o’ the lift, an ye can find a hern that ’ill gang there before them.’ The king gied a most gracious laugh thereupon, and so I did laugh too, and the Lords did laugh. At length the King telled ane o’ his fouk to see that Squire Roderick Spears was well feasted; and so I was in good troth, yea, and got handsome gurdeon I rauckon alswa. So, as I was on my way back from Aberdeen, I stopped late [[607]]yestreen at the Spital o’ the Mason’s Due; but I had not lain long asleep until I was startled to my legs by the cry o’ fire, and the flames bursting out. I hurried on some of my garments, and grupping the rest in my hands, I made the best o’ my way to the stable; but there I could not get in for lack o’ the key. It was firm fast, and I had hard wark, I wis, till I could get something to break it open wi’. Then did I ride through a’ the town to see what destruction the Wolfe o’ Badenoch was doing. But as I was but ae man, and that it would ill become me to find faut wi’ the son o’ the King or the brother o’ my leddy Countess, I cam aff hot foot to tell the Yearl. So seeing thee moving in the light yonder, I maun just say, that, at the first, I did opine that thou wert something not o’ this warld; and had it not been for Brambleberry here, who would by no means pass thee by, and whose good sense therein did gie me time to see that thou were nae ghost, verily thou mightst ha’e lain there still for me.”