The times., 1901-06-23
THE MILLER'S
DAUGHTER

| about butt have been in and out among
your men a score times since Carlisle"
Lord Elcho bit his lip. for he had prided
| himself upon the secrecy of all our move
| ments; to cover his annoyance, he turned
| and pointed to the narrower of the two
trampled paths that climbed the hillside
! on our right. ''The whole army. it would
seem. did not go on to Litchfield,' he
said. "A smaller force has been detached
from the main column; what was its pur-
| pose. Mr.. Weir?"
( Just this" he said surlily; 'Sir Peter
| Talbot lives over yonder hills, half
league away; and it came to the Dukes
/ knowledge that Sir Peter was zealously
arming his friends on the Pretender's be-
half"
| 1 tapped him smartly on the arm. THE
| Princes, sir l corrected.
''As you WILL" said he with shrug.
1.-TWO hundred dragons were despatched
this morning to sack the house and bring
| Sir Peter and his friends as prisoners to
| the camp"
Lord EIcho glanced at me, and / at
him We understood now what was the
meaning of the musketry that we had
| heard awhile since. What can we dor"
said he. I'VE are too few to ride to the
rescue of this Sir Peter Talbot"
Shall ! gallop back to our army?"
| put IL eagerly. THE Prince. l think,
would let me have a cavalry detach-
| ment."
NO. mo- He could not spare them
! and II would delay our march too much.
1t seems a pity. Mr.. Anstruther; but there
| is nothing whatever to be done
| 1t did seem a pity and more than
! pity. that a loyal gentleman should be
/ lying under arrest almost within muskst-
/ shot Of us and yet we could not move
/ step to help him. There would be brief
| trial for Sir Peter Talbot by-and-by, and
| a short shrift at Cumberland's hand; and
| we. his fellow-Jacobites, were well aware
of it. Was it the fact that we could do
! nothing?
! As asked myself the question, I glanc-
I ed at my friend, MacGregor. to see if he
had any light to throw upon the situa-
ton: and somehow 1 was struck by the
curious likeness which he bore to Prince
Z Charlle-not in face. indeed, but in shoul-
der width and poise of body.
{ -Awsel. laddie. and hae I anither face
( this morning fro that which yere aw-
I quaint WIZ said Archie. catching my
{ keen glance Maybe yell tell us what
/ ye're thinking OF the noo?"
/ i was thinking" l answered slowly,
/ that If you hid your face, or If the light
was overdim TO show IT plainly, there's
many a man even in our own army might
mistake you for the Prince"
.'Hootsi Dinna tickle my vanity. Is that
a ye mean by yon fine rapt gaze O.
yours
Il was thinking, too. that there's a
heavy price upon the Princes head, and
that these 200 dragons would go far on
the chance of capturing him"
1r-. H,06 n
glimmering of my plan. but its details all
escaped me, and I think / should have
yielded to Elcho's impatient summons and
have ridden quietly to camp with him,
had Archie himself not given me the hint
needed.
"Dinna be hard on the chieI." he said,
with a slow glance at Elcho. Il ken fine
what ails him; he's looking over at New
castle, ven mark, an I'll wager a crown
to a bawbee that his thocts are wi yon
miIIer's daughter we saw as We came
by"
Come. gentlemen, a truce to all this
testing" cried Elcho. gathering up his
reins His Highness VIII be growing
impatient for our return
But my plan was ripening now. 1. too.
had remembered the miller's daughter,
and wondered why had not thought Of
her till now.
Lord Elcho." I said, without waiting
to see anything more clearly, will you
give leave of absence to MacGregor and
myself till midnight?'
Leave of absence?' he repeated. ''We
know your taste for long odds. Mr. Ans
: truther. but surely you do not mean
/. To-
Indeed. but 1 do interrupted, laugh
ing; "and il you see me back in camp at
all, it will be with the best part of these
ten-score dragons"
But what is your plan, sir? Two mer
against two hundred does not sound
promising"
your pardon: but If 1 told you. you'd
! never credit its achievement. / have
made witless requests before, my lord"
added, laughing still. and it is the fash
ion nowadays to humour me"
That is true, SIR said Elcho with q
l puzzled smile. In fact since we tooi
: Edinburgh, the Prince has almost giver
carte blanche to MacGregor and yourself
and If you're bent on it, ] have no more
to say. Captain MacGregor, do you wisl
to join him?'
! where the chiel gangs. there maum
gang too. for fear he comes to harm,
said Archie slowly.
And can you spare four of the troop
ers who rode with US this morning."
asked, as Elcho, still puzzled. was turn
= ing TO bid US both farewell and wish u.
| luck.
Take them, sir; it is useless giving my
4 consent to halves" growled Elcho. mo
4 tioning half his guard to join us.
After I had asked him to inform th'
| Prince Of what was going forward, ant
D to prepare our camp for sudden bugl
T. call to boot and saddle-all which h
! prornfsed with an air that spoke little. TO
- his faith In our wild venture-Lord Elch'
n headed straight for Congleton, with tn
' remainder Of his guard and Weir, the spy
e Archie and l were left standing in tn
i middle Of the road, while the four troop
= ers waited at a little distance for thei
, orders; and for awhile we looked gravel!
at each other in perfect silence.
e "Aweel, ye ken best, laddie; but In
= thinking we wad look fine and naked i
a Won ten thousand English came marching
d back to Newcastle" said MacGregor pres
r emily.
4 eThere's mill, Archie. at the bottom
e of the village, and big house inside it,
a / said Il think you marked it as W
e passed through"
e Il wilma hearken TO your gbes. lad
Mark it? And weel / micht, for there wa
= as b->w lassie upon the doorstep as "
S ever seen sin / set foot T. this dour
= waefu' England"
n ''Yes. there was a lass upon the door
: step" answered softly; "and the miller
Il daughter is going 10 prove the mainsta
10