The sound of
military music died away as the procession moved on; the sullen clang of
the bells was soon heard to sound alone.
The last of the soldiers had now disappeared from under the vaulted
archway through which they had been filing for several minutes; the
court-yard was now totally empty, but Waverley still stood there as if
stupefied, his eyes fixed upon the dark pass where he had so lately seen
the last glimpse of his friend. At length a female servant of the
governor's, struck with compassion, at the stupefied misery which his
countenance expressed, asked him if he would not walk into her master's
house and sit down? She was obliged to repeat her question twice ere he
comprehended her, but at length it recalled him to himself. Declining the
courtesy by a hasty gesture, he pulled his hat over his eyes, and,
leaving the Castle, walked as swiftly as he could through the empty
streets till he regained his inn, then rushed into an apartment and
bolted the door.
In about an hour and a half, which seemed an age of unutterable suspense,
the sound of the drums and fifes performing a lively air, and the
confused murmur of the crowd which now filled the streets, so lately
deserted, apprised him that all was finished, and that the military and
populace were returning from the dreadful scene.
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