But who can Addem be?'
'Possibly Adam, for poor Gardiner, a sort of pun on his name.'
The other letters were to the same purpose, and they soon received yet
more complete light upon Donald Bean's machinations.
John Hedges, one of Waverley's servants, who had remained with the
regiment, and had been taken at Preston, now made his appearance. He had
sought out his master, with the purpose of again entering his service.
From this fellow they learned, that, some time after Waverley had
gone from the head-quarters of the regiment, a pedlar, called Ruthven,
Ruffin, or Rivane, known among the soldiers by the name of Wily Will,
had made frequent visits to the town of Dundee. He appeared to possess
plenty of money, sold his commodities very cheap, seemed always willing
to treat his friends at the ale-house, and easily ingratiated himself
with many of Waverley's troop, particularly Sergeant Houghton, and
one Timms, also a non-commissioned officer. To these he unfolded, in
Waverley's name, a plan for leaving the regiment, and joining him in the
Highlands, where report said the clans had already taken arms in great
numbers. The men, who had been educated as Jacobites, so far as they had
any opinion at all, and who knew their landlord, Sir Everard, had always
been supposed to hold such tenets, easily fell into the snare.
Pages:
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553