Guy Mannering Volume II - Chapter XVII

In which Colonel Mannering returns to Woodbourne, and the devoted Dominie Sampson, troubled by the loss of young Bertram and his own past failings, embarks on a melancholy pilgrimage to war-ravaged scenes of old tragedies, only to encounter the wild and mysterious Meg Merrilies. With a solemn message and uncanny fervour, the gipsy matron charges the Dominie to deliver a cryptic letter and prophecy to the Colonel, amid brooding omens and the waxing splendour of the setting sun.