"[1] It describes a plot to start a fictional third Jacobite Rebellion, and includes "Wandering Willie's Tale", a famous short story which frequently appears in anthologies.

It is likely that Scott was responsible for at least some of the small changes to the text of the novel when it appeared in the 1827 Tales and Romances (his involvement being with the octavo and 18mo formats rather than the intervening duodecimo).

However, Redgauntlet discovers that his fellow Jacobites are not as committed as he, and their stated objection is that they suspect the Prince's mistress, Clementina Walkinshaw, of being a spy.

As he returned from fishing in the Solway Firth, with Benjie as his instructor, Darsie was overtaken by the tide, and carried by Mr Herries, dressed as a fisherman, on horseback to a cottage, where his niece Lilias said grace at supper-time; and next morning he was placed under the guidance of Joshua Geddes.

The Quaker, who was part owner of some fishing nets in the river, invited him to spend a few days at his house; and while there he heard from Alan that a young lady had called to warn him that his friend was in considerable danger, and to urge that he should at once return to Edinburgh.

A letter, however, from old Mr Fairford determined him not to do so; and having made acquaintance with the blind fiddler, who told him a tale of the Redgauntlet family, Darsie went with him to a fishers' merry-making, where he danced with Lilias, who reproached him for leading an idle life, and begged him to leave the neighbourhood.

Alan instantly rushed out of court, and started in search of his friend, who had accompanied the Quaker to await an attack on his fishing station, and been made prisoner by the rioters, of whom Mr Herries was the leader.

After being nearly drowned, and recovering from a fever, he awoke in a strange room, to which he was confined for several days, when he was visited by his captor, and conducted by him to an interview with Squire Foxley, who, acting as a magistrate, declined to interfere with Mr Herries' guardianship.

Meanwhile, Alan had applied to the provost, and, having obtained from his wife's relation, Mr Maxwell, a letter to Herries, he started for Annan, where, under the guidance of Trumbull, he took ship for Cumberland.

On landing at Crakenthorp's inn, he was transported by Nanty Ewart, and a gang of smugglers, to Fair-ladies' House, where he was nursed through a fever, and introduced to a mysterious Father Buonaventure.

Darsie was also travelling thither with Herries and his followers, when he discovered that Lilias, who accompanied them, was his sister, and learnt from her his own real name and rank.

He was also urged by his uncle to join a rising in favour of the Pretender; and, having hesitated to do so, was detained in custody when they reached their destination, where Alan, as well as other visitors and several of the neighbouring gentry, had already arrived.

He was then introduced to a conference of Charles Edward Stuart's adherents, and afterwards to the prince himself, who refused to agree to their conditions, and decided to abandon the contemplated attempt in his favour.

Sir Arthur now learned that Fairford and Geddes were in the house; but, before he was allowed to see them, they had been shown into the room where Lilias was waiting, when Alan became aware that his fair visitor at Edinburgh was his friend's sister, and heard from her lips all the particulars of her brother's history.

During the confusion which ensued, General Campbell, a former military acquaintance of Herries, appeared, unarmed and unaccompanied, and after explaining that the Jacobites had been betrayed weeks before, announced that he was sufficiently supported with cavalry and infantry.

This, however, he would not permit, and, after an exchange of courtesies with the general, the prince departed amidst the tears and sobs of the last supporters of his cause, and henceforward the term Jacobite ceased to be a party name.

Lilias, of course, married Alan, and Herries, who had asked his nephew's pardon for attempting to make a rebel of him, threw away his sword, and became the prior of a monastery.

Letter 4 The Same to the Same: Darsie tells how a formidable horseman [Redgauntlet] rescued him from the advancing Solway tide and afforded him overnight accommodation.

After breakfast he accepted an invitation to stay for a while at Mount Sharon, and Rachel Geddes gave him a conducted tour with information about the fishing dispute.

2 Narrative continued: The paper mistakenly handed to Alan is a letter to his father from Provost Crosbie of Dumfries intimating that Darsie has not been heard of since an attack on Joshua's net.

5 (18) Narrative of Darsie Latimer, continued: Lilias tells her story, highlighting her being directed by Redgauntlet to exchange gages at George III's coronation feast.

Joshua tries to restrain Nanty from attacking Peter, who turns out to have been the callous property owner who caused the death of Ewart's landlady and the ruin of her daughter.

General Colin Campbell arrives unarmed, and by the King's order permits Redgauntlet to leave with the Prince, ending the conspiracy without fuss.

Conclusion: In a letter to the Author of Waverley, Dr Dryasdust presents the results of his researches into the subsequent careers of the main characters.

The reviewers of Redgauntlet were evenly divided into three groups: one found a welcome return to the author's best level, a second discerned virtues and defects in roughly equal measure, and a third saw no recovery from the nadir of Saint Ronan's Well.

[4] A majority found much to admire in the strong and varied characterisation: Peter Peebles, Nanty Ewart, Joshua Geddes, and Redgauntlet himself were most often singled out, along with Wandering Willie, whose tale was pronounced the high point of the narrative.

There were differing views on the effectiveness of the plot, but it was widely felt that the correspondents in the first volume were insufficiently differentiated, unlike those in Richardson, and the double shift from letters to journal to conventional narrative was judged unsatisfactory.

In the introduction to the novel, Scott discussed the position of the former Jacobites: Most Scottish readers who can count the number of sixty years, must recollect many respected acquaintances of their youth, who, as the established phrase gently worded it, out in the Forty-Five.

... Jacobites were looked on in society as men who had proved their sincerity by sacrificing their interests to their principles; and in well-regulated companies, it was held a piece of ill-breeding to injure their feelings... [5]Magnus Magnusson wrote: Its two young heroes, Alan Fairford and Darsie Latimer (Redgauntlet's nephew), between them reflect the duality of Scott's own character.

[1]David Daiches wrote: The picture of the slow disintegration of the meeting, of the embarrassment of the Jacobites when faced with the problem of reconciling their fierce protestations of loyalty to the House of Stuart with the realities of their present situation, is brilliantly done.