Old Mortality Volume 1 Chapter 11

In which the loyal and aged Major Bellenden, stirred from his repose by a cryptic letter, journeys to the Tower of Tillietudlem to meet the formidable Claverhouse, while the household busily prepares to receive a distinguished but controversial military guest. The scene is set amidst a richly described landscape, as the old soldier finds both charm and melancholy in the approaching cavalry and the young Edith’s tender concerns about a prisoner within the castle’s walls.