AN ECLAIRCISSEMENT The hint which the Chieftain had thrown out respecting Flora was not unpremeditated.

He had observed with great satisfaction the growing attachment of Waverley to his sister, nor did he see any bar to their union, excepting the situation which Waverley's father held in the ministry, and Edward's own commission in the army of George II.

These obstacles were now removed, and in a manner which apparently paved the way for the son's becoming reconciled to another allegiance.

In every other respect the match would be most eligible.

The safety, happiness, and honourable provision of his sister, whom he dearly loved, appeared to be ensured by the proposed union; and his heart swelled when he considered how his own interest would be exalted in the eyes of the ex-monarch to whom he had dedicated his service, by an alliance with one of those ancient, powerful, and wealthy English families of the steady Cavalier faith, to awaken whose decayed attachment to the Stuart family was now a matter of such vital importance to the Stuart cause.