The Antiquary Volume II - Chapter Eighth

In which the mendicant Edie Ochiltree, returning from a secret interview with Lord Glenallan, becomes the arbiter of a lively village game before the mirth is hushed by news of a fisherman's fatal accident, stirring reflections on youthful days and lost companions. The evening’s quiet is further disturbed when Edie is suddenly accused and arrested for a violent crime against a notorious local agent, provoking both sympathy and speculation among the hamlet’s inhabitants.