It hadn't occurred to me that an officer could simply resign in the middle of a campaign. But this was pre-conscription, of course, so I suppose it was an option for him. I don't know what he'd do afterwards, though - soldiering is all he knows, and he could hardly go home to his mother (who in some sense obtained that commission for him.)

Keith's insistence that Ewen is a gentleman always amuses me. Class trumps all! But it's the poor woman and her baby who cause the sea-change in him.

Phonetic accents are annoying - though I think it was the convention in books of the time to write them thus.

I find myself wondering how he recognises Ewen for certain. What does the And --- at the end of that paragraph refer to? He's already caught glimpses of Ewen's face and hair, and knows the tartan. Ewen's head is now above the level of the thatch. I can only assume that he recognises Ewen's knees.

[Eagle's Lake] Either Ewen or someone else must have explained it to him while he was there, which is a rather sweet scene to imagine

Aww, it really is!