A rude litter waited for her, in which she could recline when the pass allowed its safe passage, and which could be easily borne by the bearers when the intricacies of the path prevented all egress save by pedestrianism.

It had been hurriedly made by her devoted adherents, and soothed and gratified, her usual energy seemed for the moment to return.

By nine o'clock forenoon all traces of the Bruce and his party had departed from the glen, the last gleam of their armor was lost in the winding path, and then it was that a man, who had lain concealed in a thicket from the moment of the affray, hearing all that had passed, unseen himself, now slowly, cautiously raised himself on his knees, gazed carefully round him, then with a quicker but as silent motion sprung to his feet, and raised his hands in an action of triumph.
"_He is_ amongst them, then," he muttered, "the traitor Bruce himself.
This is well.

The countess, her son, find the would-be king--ha! ha! My fortune's made!" and he bounded away in quite a contrary direction to that taken by the Bruce.
The old retainers of Buchan were correct in their surmises.

The evening of the second day succeeding the event we have narrated brought them to the hunting-lodge.