About noon
This person , whom they call Gifted Gilfillan , has been long a leader among them , and now heads a small party , which will pass here to-day or to-morrow on their march towards Stirling , under whose escort Major Melville proposes you shall travel . I would willingly speak to Gilfillan in your behalf ; but , having deeply imbibed all the prejudices of his sect , and being of the same fierce disposition , he would pay little regard to the remonstrances of an Erastian divine , as he would politely term me . And now , farewell , my young friend ; for the present I must not weary out the Major 's indulgence , that I may obtain his permission to visit you again in the course of the day . ' About noon Mr. Morton returned and brought an invitation from Major Melville that Mr. Waverley would honour him with his company to dinner , notwithstanding the unpleasant affair which detained him at Cairnvreckan , from which he should heartily rejoice to see Mr. Waverley completely extricated . The truth was that Mr. Morton 's favourable report and opinion had somewhat staggered the preconceptions of the old soldier concerning Edward 's supposed accession to the mutiny in the regiment ; and in the unfortunate state of the country the mere suspicion of disaffection or an inclination to join the insurgent Jacobites might infer criminality indeed , but certainly not dishonour . Besides , a person whom the Major trusted had reported to him -LRB- though , as it proved , inaccurately -RRB- a contradiction of the agitating news of the preceding evening . According to this second edition of the intelligence , the Highlanders had withdrawn from the Lowland frontier with the purpose of following the army in their march to Inverness .