'I favoured Sergeant Houghton as a
clever, active young fellow, and I believe his fellow-soldiers respected
him accordingly.'
'But you used through this man,' answered Major Melville, 'to communicate
with such of your troop as were recruited upon Waverley-Honour?'
'Certainly; the poor fellows, finding themselves in a regiment chiefly
composed of Scotch or Irish, looked up to me in any of their little
distresses, and naturally made their countryman and sergeant their
spokesman on such occasions.'
'Sergeant Houghton's influence,' continued the Major, 'extended, then,
particularly over those soldiers who followed you to the regiment from
your uncle's estate?'
'Surely; but what is that to the present purpose?'
'To that I am just coming, and I beseech your candid reply. Have you,
since leaving the regiment, held any correspondence, direct or indirect,
with this Sergeant Houghton?'
'I!--I hold correspondence with a man of his rank and situation! How, or
for what purpose?'
'That you are to explain. But did you not, for example, send to him for
some books?'
'You remind me of a trifling commission,' said Waverley, 'which I gave
Sergeant Houghton, because my servant could not read.
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