Guy Mannering Volume II - Chapter XVIII

In which the perplexed Mr. Sampson brings a mysterious message from the feared gipsy Meg Merrilies, whose wild but weighty words send ripples through the household at Woodbourne. Meanwhile, young Charles Hazlewood encounters the same enigmatic figure and returns home to find his father’s house guarded against a threatened attack, only to witness the soldiers being ordered away by the resolute sheriff-substitute, setting a scene charged with suspicion and duty.