"There were some that did oppose it, mother, were there not? -- some
true Scotchmen who refused to own the supremacy of the King of
England?"

"Very few, Archie. One Sir Malcolm Wallace, a knight of but small
estate, refused to do so, and was, together with his eldest son,
slain in an encounter with an English detachment under a leader
named Fenwick at Loudon Hill."

"And was he the father of that William Wallace of whom the talk was
lately that he had slain young Selbye, son of the English governor
of Dundee?"

"The same, Archie."

"Men say, mother, that although but eighteen years of age he is of
great stature and strength, of very handsome presence, and courteous
and gentle; and that he was going quietly through the streets when
insulted by young Selbye, and that he and his companions being set
upon by the English soldiers, slew several and made their escape."

"So they say, Archie. He appears from all description of him
to be a remarkable young man, and I trust that he will escape the
vengeance of the English, and that some day he may again strike
some blows for our poor Scotland, which, though nominally under
the rule of Baliol, is now but a province of England."

"But surely, mother, Scotchmen will never remain in such a state
of shameful servitude!"