His
armor, and his language, showed he was their countryman; and they
easily believed that he had joined the plunderers as a volunteer from
the army, which at a greater distance beleaguered the castle. The
story of his desertion from the Lanark garrison had not yet reached
those of Glasgow and Dumbarton; and one or two men, who had known him
in former expeditions, readily reported that he had been drafted into
the present one. Their recognition warranted his truth; and he had no
difficulty, after the carnage in the state apartment, to make his way
to the bed-chamber where Lord Aymer de Valence had ordered Lord Mar to
be carried. He found the earl alone, and lost in grief. He knew not
but that his nephew, and even his daughter and wife, had fallen beneath
the impetuous swords of the enemy. Astonished at seeing the soldier
walking at large, he expressed his surprise with some suspicions. But
Grimsby told him the strategem he had used, and assured him Lord Andrew
had not been seen since the onset. This information inspired the earl
with a hope that his nephew might have escaped: and when the soldier
also said, that he had seen the countess led by Lord Soulis across the
hall toward the Lady Helen's apartments, while he overheard him
promising them every respect, the earl seemed comforted.
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