The scaffold and the grave have
naught to do with the immortal soul; it cannot be wounded by the one
nor confined by the other. And is not the soul thy full and perfect
Wallace? It is that which now speaks to thee--which will cherish thy
beloved idea forever. Lament not, then, how soon this body, its mere
apparel, is laid down in the dust. But rejoice still in my existence,
which, through Him who 'led captivity captive,' will never know a
pause? Comfort then thy heart, my soul's dear sister, and sojourn a
little while on this earth to bear witness for thy Wallace to the
friends he loves."
Helen, who felt the import of his words in her heart, gently bowed her
head, and he proceeded:
"As the first who stemmed with me the torrent which, with God's help,
we so often laid into a calm, I mention to you my faithful men of
Lanark. Many of them bled and died in the contest; and to their
orphans, with the children of those who yet survive, I consign all of
the world's wealth that yet belongs to William Wallace; Ellerslie and
its estates are theirs.** To Bruce, my sovereign and my friend--the
loved companion of the hour in which I freed you, my Helen, from the
arms of violence! to him I bequeath this heart, knit to him by bonds
more dear than even loyalty.
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