[The Fair Maid of Perth by Sir Walter Scott]@TWC D-Link book
The Fair Maid of Perth

CHAPTER XXXI
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Begone--yet stay; ere you go to arrange this silly pageant, something must be settled to impose on the thick witted Charteris.

He is like enough, should he be left in the belief that the Duchess of Rothsay is still here, and Catharine Glover in attendance on her, to come down with offers of service, and the like, when, as I need scarce tell thee, his presence would be inconvenient.
Indeed, this is the more likely, that some folks have given a warmer name to the iron headed knight's great and tender patronage of this damsel." "With that hint, let me alone to deal with him.

I will send him such a letter, that for this month he shall hold himself as ready for a journey to hell as to Falkland.

Can you tell me the name of the Duchess's confessor ?" "Waltheof, a grey friar." "Enough--then here I start." In a few minutes, for he was a clerk of rare celerity, Dwining finished a letter, which he placed in Ramorny's hand.
"This is admirable, and would have made thy fortune with Rothsay.

I think I should have been too jealous to trust thee in his household, save that his day is closed." "Read it aloud," said Dwining, "that we may judge if it goes trippingly off." And Ramorny read as follows: "By command of our high and mighty Princess Marjory, Duchess of Rothsay, and so forth, we Waltheof, unworthy brother of the order of St.Francis, do thee, Sir Patrick Charteris, knight of Kinfauns, to know, that her Highness marvels much at the temerity with which you have sent to her presence a woman of whose fame she can judge but lightly, seeing she hath made her abode, without any necessity, for more than a week in thine own castle, without company of any other female, saving menials; of which foul cohabitation the savour is gone up through Fife, Angus, and Perthshire.


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