While the servants admitted the troopers, whose oaths and threats already indicated resentment at the delay they had been put to, Cuddie took the opportunity to whisper to his mother, Now, ye daft auld carline, mak yoursell deafye hae made us a deaf ere nowand let me speak for ye. I wad like ill to get my neck raxed for an auld wifes clashes, though ye be our mither.
O, hinny, ay; Ise be silent or thou sall come to ill, was the corresponding whisper of Mause but bethink ye, my dear, them that deny the Word, the Word will denyHer admonition was cut short by the entrance of the Life-Guardsmen, a party of four troopers, commanded by Bothwell.
In they tramped, making a tremendous clatter upon the stone-floor with the iron-shod heels of their large jack-boots, and the clash and clang of their long, heavy, basket-hilted broadswords. Milnwood and his housekeeper trembled, from well-grounded apprehensions of the system of exaction and plunder carried on during these domiciliary visits. Henry Morton was discomposed with more special cause, for he remembered that he stood answerable to the laws for having harboured Burley. The widow Mause Headrigg, between fear for her sons life and an overstrained and enthusiastic zeal, which reproached her for consenting even tacitly to belie her religious sentiments, was in a strange quandary. The other servants quaked for they knew not well what. Cuddie alone, with the look of supreme indifference and stupidity which a Scottish peasant can at times assume as a mask for considerable shrewdness and craft, continued to swallow large spoonfuls of his broth, to command which he had drawn within his sphere the large vessel that contained it, and helped himself, amid the confusion, to a sevenfold portion.
What is your pleasure here, gentlemen? said Milnwood, humbling himself before the satellites of power.
We come in behalf of the king, answered Bothwell; why the devil did you keep us so long standing at the door?
We were at dinner, answered Milnwood, and the door was locked, as is usual in landward towns [Note: The Scots retain the use of the word town in its comprehensive Saxon meaning, as a place of habitation. A mansion or a farm house, though solitary, is called the town. A landward town is a dwelling situated in the country.] in this country. I am sure, gentlemen, if I had kend ony servants of our gude king had stood at the doorBut wad ye please to drink some aleor some brandyor a cup of canary sack, or claret wine? making a pause between each offer as long as a stingy bidder at an auction, who is loath to advance his offer for a favourite lot.
Claret for me, said one fellow.
I like ale better, said another, provided it is right juice of John Barleycorn.
Better never was malted, said Milnwood; I can hardly say sae muckle for the claret. Its thin and cauld, gentlemen.
Brandy will cure that, said a third fellow; a glass of brandy to three glasses of wine prevents the curmurring in the stomach.
Brandy, ale, sack, and claret?well try them all, said Bothwell, and stick to that which is best. Theres good sense in that, if the damndest whig in Scotland had said it.
Hastily, yet with a reluctant quiver of his muscles, Milnwood lugged out two ponderous keys, and delivered them to the governante.
The housekeeper, said Bothwell, taking a seat, and throwing himself upon it, is neither so young nor so handsome as to tempt a man to follow her to the gauntrees, and devil a one here is there worth sending in her place.Whats this?meat? (searching with a fork among the broth, and fishing up a cutlet of mutton)I think I could eat a bitwhy, its as tough as if the devils dam had hatched it.
If there is any thing better in the house, sir, said Milnwood, alarmed at these symptoms of disapprobationNo, no, said Bothwell, its not worth while, I must proceed to business.You attend Poundtext, the presbyterian parson, I understand, Mr Morton?
Mr Morton hastened to slide in a confession and apology.
By the indulgence of his gracious majesty and the government, for I wad do nothing out of lawI hae nae objection whatever to the establishment of a moderate episcopacy, but only that I am a country-bred man, and the ministers are a hamelier kind of folk, and I can follow their doctrine better; and, with reverence, sir, its a mair frugal establishment for the country.
Well, I care nothing about that, said Bothwell; they are indulged, and theres an end of it; but, for my part, if I were to give the law, never a crop-eard cur of the whole pack should bark in a Scotch pulpit. However, I am to obey commands.There comes the liquor; put it down, my good old lady.
He decanted about one-half of a quart bottle of claret into a wooden quaigh or bicker, and took it off at a draught.
You did your good wine injustice, my friend;its better than your brandy, though thats good too. Will you pledge me to the kings health?
With pleasure, said Milnwood, in ale,but I never drink claret, and keep only a very little for some honoured friends.
Like me, I suppose, said Bothwell; and then, pushing the bottle to Henry, he said, Here, young man, pledge you the kings health.
Henry filled a moderate glass in silence, regardless of the hints and pushes of his uncle, which seemed to indicate that he ought to have followed his example, in preferring beer to wine.
Well, said Bothwell, have ye all drank the toast?What is that old wife about? Give her a glass of brandy, she shall drink the kings health, byIf your honour pleases, said Cuddie, with great stolidity of aspect, this is my mither, stir; and shes as deaf as Corra-linn; we canna mak her hear day nor door; but if your honour pleases, I am ready to drink the kings health for her in as mony glasses of brandy as ye think neshessary.
I dare swear you are, answered Bothwell; you look like a fellow that would stick to brandyhelp thyself, man; alls free whereer I come. Tom, help the maid to a comfortable cup, though shes but a dirty jilt neither. Fill round once moreHeres to our noble commander, Colonel Graham of Claverhouse!What the devil is the old woman groaning for? She looks as very a whig as ever sate on a hill-sideDo you renounce the Covenant, good woman?
Whilk Covenant is your honour meaning? Is it the Covenant of Works, or the Covenant of Grace? said Cuddie, interposing.
Any covenant; all covenants that ever were hatched, answered the trooper.
Mither, cried Cuddie, affecting to speak as to a deaf person, the gentleman wants to ken if ye will renunce the Covenant of Works?
With all my heart, Cuddie, said Mause, and pray that my feet may be delivered from the snare thereof.
Come, said Bothwell, the old dame has come more frankly off than I expected. Another cup round, and then well proceed to business.You have all heard, I suppose, of the horrid and barbarous murder committed upon the person of the Archbishop of St Andrews, by ten or eleven armed fanatics?
All started and looked at each other; at length Milnwood himself answered, They had heard of some such misfortune, but were in hopes it had not been true.
There is the relation published by government, old gentleman; what do you think of it?
Think, sir? Whwhwhatever the council please to think of it, stammered Milnwood.
I desire to have your opinion more explicitly, my friend, said the dragoon, authoritatively.
Milnwoods eyes hastily glanced through the paper to pick out the strongest expressions of censure with which it abounded, in gleaning which he was greatly aided by their being printed in italics.
Milnwoods eyes hastily glanced through the paper to pick out the strongest expressions of censure with which it abounded, in gleaning which he was greatly aided by their being printed in italics.
I think it abloody and execrablemurder and parricidedevised by hellish and implacable crueltyutterly abominable, and a scandal to the land.
Well said, old gentleman! said the queristHeres to thee, and I wish you joy of your good principles. You owe me a cup of thanks for having taught you them; nay, thou shalt pledge me in thine own sacksour ale sits ill upon a loyal stomach.Now comes your turn, young man; what think you of the matter in hand?
I should have little objection to answer you, said Henry, if I knew what right you had to put the question.
The Lord preserve us! said the old housekeeper, to ask the like o that at a trooper, when a folk ken they do whatever they like through the haill country wi man and woman, beast and body.
The old gentleman exclaimed, in the same horror at his nephews audacity, Hold your peace, sir, or answer the gentleman discreetly. Do you mean to affront the kings authority in the person of a sergeant of the Life-Guards?
Silence, all of you! exclaimed Bothwell, striking his hand fiercely on the tableSilence, every one of you, and hear me!You ask me for my right to examine you, sir (to Henry); my cockade and my broadsword are my commission, and a better one than ever Old Nol gave to his roundheads; and if you want to know more about it, you may look at the act of council empowering his majestys officers and soldiers to search for, examine, and apprehend suspicious persons; and, therefore, once more, I ask you your opinion of the death of Archbishop Sharpeits a new touch-stone we have got for trying peoples metal.
Henry had, by this time, reflected upon the useless risk to which he would expose the family by resisting the tyrannical power which was delegated to such rude hands; he therefore read the narrative over, and replied, composedly, I have no hesitation to say, that the perpetrators of this assassination have committed, in my opinion, a rash and wicked action, which I regret the more, as I foresee it will be made the cause of proceedings against many who are both innocent of the deed, and as far from approving it as myself.
While Henry thus expressed himself, Bothwell, who bent his eyes keenly upon him, seemed suddenly to recollect his features.
Aha! my friend Captain Popinjay, I think I have seen you before, and in very suspicious company.
I saw you once, answered Henry, in the public-house of the town of.
And with whom did you leave that public-house, youngster?Was it not with John Balfour of Burley, one of the murderers of the Archbishop?
I did leave the house with the person you have named, answered Henry, I scorn to deny it; but, so far from knowing him to be a murderer of the primate, I did not even know at the time that such a crime had been committed.
Lord have mercy on me, I am ruined!utterly ruined and undone! exclaimed Milnwood. That callants tongue will rin the head aff his ain shoulders, and waste my gudes to the very grey cloak on my back!
But you knew Burley, continued Bothwell, still addressing Henry, and regardless of his uncles interruption, to be an intercommuned rebel and traitor, and you knew the prohibition to deal with such persons. You knew, that, as a loyal subject, you were prohibited to reset, supply, or intercommune with this attainted traitor, to correspond with him by word, writ, or message, or to supply him with meat, drink, house, harbour, or victual, under the highest painsyou knew all this, and yet you broke the law. (Henry was silent.) Where did you part from him? continued Bothwell; was it in the highway, or did you give him harbourage in this very house?
In this house! said his uncle; he dared not for his neck bring ony traitor into a house of mine.
Dare he deny that he did so? said Bothwell.
As you charge it to me as a crime, said Henry, you will excuse my saying any thing that will criminate myself.
O, the lands of Milnwood!the bonny lands of Milnwood, that have been in the name of Morton twa hundred years! exclaimed his uncle; they are barking and fleeing, outfield and infield, haugh and holme!
No, sir, said Henry, you shall not suffer on my account.I own, he continued, addressing Bothwell, I did give this man a nights lodging, as to an old military comrade of my father. But it was not only without my uncles knowledge, but contrary to his express general orders. I trust, if my evidence is considered as good against myself, it will have some weight in proving my uncles innocence.
Come, young man, said the soldier, in a somewhat milder tone, youre a smart spark enough, and I am sorry for you; and your uncle here is a fine old Trojan, kinder, I see, to his guests than himself, for he gives us wine and drinks his own thin aletell me all you know about this Burley, what he said when you parted from him, where he went, and where he is likely now to be found; and, dn it, Ill wink as hard on your share of the business as my duty will permit. Theres a thousand merks on the murdering whigamores head, an I could but light on itCome, out with itwhere did you part with him?
You will excuse my answering that question, sir, said Morton; the same cogent reasons which induced me to afford him hospitality at considerable risk to myself and my friends, would command me to respect his secret, if, indeed, he had trusted me with any.
So you refuse to give me an answer? said Bothwell.
I have none to give, returned Henry.
Perhaps I could teach you to find one, by tying a piece of lighted match betwixt your fingers, answered Bothwell.
O, for pitys sake, sir, said old Alison apart to her master, gie them sillerits siller theyre seekingtheyll murder Mr Henry, and yoursell next!
Milnwood groaned in perplexity and bitterness of spirit, and, with a tone as if he was giving up the ghost, exclaimed, If twenty pppunds would make up this unhappy matterMy master, insinuated Alison to the sergeant, would gie twenty punds sterlingPunds Scotch, ye bh! interrupted Milnwood; for the agony of his avarice overcame alike his puritanic precision and the habitual respect he entertained for his housekeeper.
Punds sterling, insisted the housekeeper, if ye wad hae the gudeness to look ower the lads misconduct; hes that dour ye might tear him to pieces, and ye wad neer get a word out o him; and it wad do ye little gude, Im sure, to burn his bonny fingerends.
Why, said Bothwell, hesitating, I dont knowmost of my cloth would have the money, and take off the prisoner too; but I bear a conscience, and if your master will stand to your offer, and enter into a bond to produce his nephew, and if all in the house will take the test-oath, I do not know butO ay, ay, sir, cried Mrs Wilson, ony test, ony oaths ye please! And then aside to her master, Haste ye away, sir, and get the siller, or they will burn the house about our lugs.
Old Milnwood cast a rueful look upon his adviser, and moved off, like a piece of Dutch clockwork, to set at liberty his imprisoned angels in this dire emergency. Meanwhile, Sergeant Bothwell began to put the test-oath with such a degree of solemn reverence as might have been expected, being just about the same which is used to this day in his majestys custom-house.