# IX: The Heather on Fire explained — Catriona

> Chapter companion for Catriona by Robert Louis Stevenson.

## What happens

David Balfour, angered by Prestongrange's duplicity, meets secretly with Charles Stewart, who reveals the corrupt legal maneuvers against James Stewart. Stewart explains that Alan Breck is not being genuinely sought, that witnesses are illegally imprisoned, and that David himself is likely to be kidnapped. He advises David to disappear.

## Themes in this chapter

### Justice and Injustice

The chapter exposes the corruption of the legal system, with witnesses illegally imprisoned, the defense denied access, and the trial rigged against James Stewart.

### Deception and Manipulation

Prestongrange, Symon Fraser, and the Duke engage in a conspiracy to manipulate the trial, deceive David, and plan his kidnapping.

### Loyalty and Betrayal

Charles Stewart's loyalty to his kinsman James Stewart is contrasted with the betrayal by the authorities who pretend to uphold the law while subverting it.

## Character check-ins

### David Balfour

David is angry and suspicious after his interview with Prestongrange, realizing he has been mocked and endangered. He seeks counsel from Charles Stewart and learns of the conspiracy against him.

### Charles Stewart

Charles Stewart, the Highland writer, meets David in a secret location. He reveals the legal injustices in James Stewart's case, including the improper summoning of Alan Breck and the imprisonment of witnesses.

### Lord Advocate Prestongrange

Prestongrange is revealed to have made a mockery of David, pretending to accept his testimony while secretly conspiring with Symon Fraser and the Duke. He is implicated in the plan to kidnap David.

### Symon Fraser

Symon Fraser is identified as a key conspirator, threatening David's life and working with Prestongrange and the Duke. He is compared to his father, who managed the Lady Grange affair.

### Alan Breck Stewart

Alan is mentioned as being in hiding, with Charles Stewart arranging his escape via Gillane Sands. He is the principal in the case, and the authorities are not genuinely seeking him.

### James More Macgregor

James More is suspected by Charles Stewart of being involved in the kidnapping plot against David, given his history of abduction and his redheaded retainer Neil.

### Neil Duncanson

Neil, the redheaded retainer of James More, is noted as a potential threat, having been seen whistling and lurking, suggesting involvement in the conspiracy.

### James More Macgregor

James More is suspected by Charles Stewart of being involved in the kidnapping plot against David, given his history of abduction and his redheaded retainer Neil.

## Key lines

> The heather is on fire inside my wame.

I am burning with indignation and fury.

_Charles Stewart uses this metaphor to express his intense anger at the injustice of the legal proceedings._

> Disappear yourself.

You must vanish and go into hiding.

_Charles Stewart advises David to disappear to avoid being kidnapped by the conspirators._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/catriona_se/chapters/ix-the-heather-on-fire
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/catriona_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/catriona_se/chapters