'
The hawk's eye of Callum flashed delight upon a golden guinea, with which
these last words were accompanied. He hastened, not without a curse on
the intricacies of a Saxon breeches pocket, or spleuchan, as he called
it, to deposit the treasure in his fob; and then, as if he conceived the
benevolence called for some requital on his part, he gathered close up to
Edward, with an expression of countenance peculiarly knowing, and spoke
in an undertone, 'If his honour thought ta auld deevil Whig carle was a
bit dangerous, she could easily provide for him, and teil ane ta wiser.'
'How, and in what manner?'
'Her ain sell,' replied Callum, 'could wait for him a wee bit frae the
toun, and kittle his quarters wi'her skene-occle.'
'Skene-occle! what's that?'
Callum unbuttoned his coat, raised his left arm, and, with an emphatic
nod, pointed to the hilt of a small dirk, snugly deposited under it, in
the lining of his jacket. Waverley thought he had misunderstood his
meaning; he gazed in his face, and discovered in Callum's very handsome
though embrowned features just the degree of roguish malice with which a
lad of the same age in England would have brought forward a plan for
robbing an orchard.
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