Old Mortality, Volume 1. Read online

  CHAPTER VII.

  From seventeen years till now, almost fourscore, Here lived I, but now live here no more. At seventeen years many their fortunes seek, But at fourscore it is too late a week. As You Like it.

  We must conduct our readers to the Tower of Tillietudlem, to which LadyMargaret Bellenden had returned, in romantic phrase, malecontent and fullof heaviness, at the unexpected, and, as she deemed it, indelibleaffront, which had been brought upon her dignity by the publicmiscarriage of Goose Gibbie. That unfortunate man-at-arms was forthwithcommanded to drive his feathered charge to the most remote parts of thecommon moor, and on no account to awaken the grief or resentment of hislady, by appearing in her presence while the sense of the affront was yetrecent.

  The next proceeding of Lady Margaret was to hold a solemn court ofjustice, to which Harrison and the butler were admitted, partly on thefooting of witnesses, partly as assessors, to enquire into the recusancyof Cuddie Headrigg the ploughman, and the abetment which he had receivedfrom his mother--these being regarded as the original causes of thedisaster which had befallen the chivalry of Tillietudlem. The chargebeing fully made out and substantiated, Lady Margaret resolved toreprimand the culprits in person, and, if she found them impenitent, toextend the censure into a sentence of expulsion from the barony. MissBellenden alone ventured to say any thing in behalf of the accused, buther countenance did not profit them as it might have done on any otheroccasion. For so soon as Edith had heard it ascertained that theunfortunate cavalier had not suffered in his person, his disaster hadaffected her with an irresistible disposition to laugh, which, in spiteof Lady Margaret's indignation, or rather irritated, as usual, byrestraint, had broke out repeatedly on her return homeward, until hergrandmother, in no shape imposed upon by the several fictitious causeswhich the young lady assigned for her ill-timed risibility, upbraided herin very bitter terms with being insensible to the honour of her family.Miss Bellenden's intercession, therefore, had, on this occasion, littleor no chance to be listened to.

  As if to evince the rigour of her disposition, Lady Margaret, on thissolemn occasion, exchanged the ivory-headed cane with which she commonlywalked, for an immense gold-headed staff which had belonged to herfather, the deceased Earl of Torwood, and which, like a sort of mace ofoffice, she only made use of on occasions of special solemnity. Supportedby this awful baton of command, Lady Margaret Bellenden entered thecottage of the delinquents.

  There was an air of consciousness about old Mause, as she rose from herwicker chair in the chimney-nook, not with the cordial alertness ofvisage which used, on other occasions, to express the honour she felt inthe visit of her lady, but with a certain solemnity and embarrassment,like an accused party on his first appearance in presence of his judge,before whom he is, nevertheless, determined to assert his innocence. Herarms were folded, her mouth primmed into an expression of respect,mingled with obstinacy, her whole mind apparently bent up to the solemninterview. With her best curtsey to the ground, and a mute motion ofreverence, Mause pointed to the chair, which, on former occasions, LadyMargaret (for the good lady was somewhat of a gossip) had deigned tooccupy for half an hour sometimes at a time, hearing the news of thecounty and of the borough. But at present her mistress was far tooindignant for such condescension. She rejected the mute invitation with ahaughty wave of her hand, and drawing herself up as she spoke, sheuttered the following interrogatory in a tone calculated to overwhelm theculprit.

  "Is it true, Mause, as I am informed by Harrison, Gudyill, and others ofmy people, that you hae taen it upon you, contrary to the faith you oweto God and the king, and to me, your natural lady and mistress, to keepback your son frae the wappen-schaw, held by the order of the sheriff,and to return his armour and abulyiements at a moment when it wasimpossible to find a suitable delegate in his stead, whereby the baronyof Tullietudlem, baith in the person of its mistress and indwellers, hasincurred sic a disgrace and dishonour as hasna befa'en the family sincethe days of Malcolm Canmore?"

  Mause's habitual respect for her mistress was extreme; she hesitated, andone or two short coughs expressed the difficulty she had in defendingherself.

  "I am sure--my leddy--hem, hem!--I am sure I am sorry--very sorry thatony cause of displeasure should hae occurred--but my son's illness"--"Dinna tell me of your son's illness, Mause! Had he been sincerelyunweel, ye would hae been at the Tower by daylight to get something thatwad do him gude; there are few ailments that I havena medical recipesfor, and that ye ken fu' weel."

  "O ay, my leddy! I am sure ye hae wrought wonderful cures; the last thingye sent Cuddie, when he had the batts, e'en wrought like a charm."

  "Why, then, woman, did ye not apply to me, if there was only realneed?--but there was none, ye fause-hearted vassal that ye are!"

  "Your leddyship never ca'd me sic a word as that before. Ohon! that Isuld live to be ca'd sae," she continued, bursting into tears, "and me aborn servant o' the house o' Tillietudlem! I am sure they belie baithCuddie and me sair, if they said he wadna fight ower the boots in bludefor your leddyship and Miss Edith, and the auld Tower--ay suld he, and Iwould rather see him buried beneath it, than he suld gie way--but thirridings and wappenschawings, my leddy, I hae nae broo o' them ava. I canfind nae warrant for them whatsoever."

  "Nae warrant for them?" cried the high-born dame. "Do ye na ken, woman,that ye are bound to be liege vassals in all hunting, hosting, watching,and warding, when lawfully summoned thereto in my name? Your service isnot gratuitous. I trow ye hae land for it.--Ye're kindly tenants; hae acot-house, a kale-yard, and a cow's grass on the common.--Few hae beenbrought farther ben, and ye grudge your son suld gie me a day's servicein the field?"

  "Na, my leddy--na, my leddy, it's no that," exclaimed Mause, greatlyembarrassed, "but ane canna serve twa maisters; and, if the truth maune'en come out, there's Ane abune whase commands I maun obey before yourleddyship's. I am sure I would put neither king's nor kaisar's, nor onyearthly creature's, afore them."

  "How mean ye by that, ye auld fule woman?--D'ye think that I order onything against conscience?"

  "I dinna pretend to say that, my leddy, in regard o' your leddyship'sconscience, which has been brought up, as it were, wi' prelaticprinciples; but ilka ane maun walk by the light o' their ain; and mine,"said Mause, waxing bolder as the conference became animated, "tells methat I suld leave a'--cot, kale-yard, and cow's grass--and suffer a',rather than that I or mine should put on harness in an unlawfu' cause,"

  "Unlawfu'!" exclaimed her mistress; "the cause to which you are called byyour lawful leddy and mistress--by the command of the king--by the writof the privy council--by the order of the lordlieutenant--by the warrantof the sheriff?"

  "Ay, my leddy, nae doubt; but no to displeasure your leddyship, ye'llmind that there was ance a king in Scripture they ca'd Nebuchadnezzar,and he set up a golden image in the plain o' Dura, as it might be in thehaugh yonder by the water-side, where the array were warned to meetyesterday; and the princes, and the governors, and the captains, and thejudges themsells, forby the treasurers, the counsellors, and thesheriffs, were warned to the dedication thereof, and commanded to falldown and worship at the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut,psaltery, and all kinds of music."

  "And what o' a' this, ye fule wife? Or what had Nebuchadnezzar to do withthe wappen-schaw of the Upper Ward of Clydesdale?"

  "Only just thus far, my leddy," continued Mause, firmly, "that prelacy islike the great golden image in the plain of Dura, and that as Shadrach,Meshach, and Abednego, were borne out in refusing to bow down andworship, so neither shall Cuddy Headrigg, your leddyship's poorpleughman, at least wi' his auld mither's consent, make murgeons orJenny-flections, as they ca' them, in the house of the prelates andcurates, nor gird him wi' armour to fight in their cause, either at thesound of kettle-drums, organs, bagpipes, or ony other kind of musicwhatever."

  Lady Margaret Bellenden heard this exposition of Scr
ipture with thegreatest possible indignation, as well as surprise.

  "I see which way the wind blaws," she exclaimed, after a pause ofastonishment; "the evil spirit of the year sixteen hundred and forty-twais at wark again as merrily as ever, and ilka auld wife in thechimley-neuck will be for knapping doctrine wi' doctors o' divinity andthe godly fathers o' the church."

  "If your leddyship means the bishops and curates, I'm sure they hae beenbut stepfathers to the Kirk o' Scotland. And, since your leddyship ispleased to speak o' parting wi' us, I am free to tell you a piece o' mymind in another article. Your leddyship and the steward hae been pleasedto propose that my son Cuddie suld work in the barn wi' a new-fangledmachine [Note: Probably something similar to the barn-fanners now usedfor winnowing corn, which were not, however, used in their present shapeuntil about 1730. They were objected to by the more rigid sectaries ontheir first introduction, upon such reasoning as that of honest Mause inthe text.] for dighting the corn frae the chaff, thus impiously thwartingthe will of Divine Providence, by raising wind for your leddyship's ainparticular use by human art, instead of soliciting it by prayer, orwaiting patiently for whatever dispensation of wind Providence waspleased to send upon the sheeling-hill. Now, my leddy"--"The woman woulddrive ony reasonable being daft!" said Lady Margaret; then resuming hertone of authority and indifference, she concluded, "Weel, Mause, I'lljust end where I sud hae begun--ye're ower learned and ower godly for meto dispute wi'; sae I have just this to say,--either Cuddie must attendmusters when he's lawfully warned by the ground officer, or the sooner heand you flit and quit my bounds the better; there's nae scarcity o' auldwives or ploughmen; but, if there were, I had rather that the rigs ofTillietudlem bare naething but windle-straes and sandy lavrocks [Note:Bent-grass and sand-larks.] than that they were ploughed by rebels to theking."

  "Aweel, my leddy," said Mause, "I was born here, and thought to die wheremy father died; and your leddyship has been a kind mistress, I'll ne'erdeny that, and I'se ne'er cease to pray for you, and for Miss Edith, andthat ye may be brought to see the error of your ways. But still"--"Theerror of my ways!" interrupted Lady Margaret, much incensed--"The errorof my ways, ye uncivil woman?"

  "Ou, ay, my leddy, we are blinded that live in this valley of tears anddarkness, and hae a' ower mony errors, grit folks as weel as sma'--but,as I said, my puir bennison will rest wi' you and yours wherever I am. Iwill be wae to hear o' your affliction, and blithe to hear o' yourprosperity, temporal and spiritual. But I canna prefer the commands of anearthly mistress to those of a heavenly master, and sae I am e'en readyto suffer for righteousness' sake."

  "It is very well," said Lady Margaret, turning her back in greatdispleasure; "ye ken my will, Mause, in the matter. I'll hae nae whiggeryin the barony of Tillietudlem--the next thing wad be to set up aconventicle in my very withdrawing room."

  Having said this, she departed, with an air of great dignity; and Mause,giving way to feelings which she had suppressed during theinterview,--for she, like her mistress, had her own feeling ofpride,--now lifted up her voice and wept aloud.

  Cuddie, whose malady, real or pretended, still detained him in bed, layperdu during all this conference, snugly ensconced within his boardedbedstead, and terrified to death lest Lady Margaret, whom he held inhereditary reverence, should have detected his presence, and bestowed onhim personally some of those bitter reproaches with which she loaded hismother. But as soon as he thought her ladyship fairly out of hearing, hebounced up in his nest.

  "The foul fa' ye, that I suld say sae," he cried out to his mother, "fora lang-tongued clavering wife, as my father, honest man, aye ca'd ye!Couldna ye let the leddy alane wi' your whiggery? And I was e'en as greata gomeral to let ye persuade me to lie up here amang the blankets like ahurcheon, instead o' gaun to the wappen-schaw like other folk. Odd, but Iput a trick on ye, for I was out at the window-bole when your auld backwas turned, and awa down by to hae a baff at the popinjay, and I shotwithin twa on't. I cheated the leddy for your clavers, but I wasna gaunto cheat my joe. But she may marry whae she likes now, for I'm clean dungower. This is a waur dirdum than we got frae Mr Gudyill when ye garr'd merefuse to eat the plum-porridge on Yule-eve, as if it were ony matter toGod or man whether a pleughman had suppit on minched pies or soursowens."

  "O, whisht, my bairn, whisht," replied Mause; "thou kensna about thaethings--It was forbidden meat, things dedicated to set days and holidays,which are inhibited to the use of protestant Christians."

  "And now," continued her son, "ye hae brought the leddy hersell on ourhands!--An I could but hae gotten some decent claes in, I wad hae spangedout o' bed, and tauld her I wad ride where she liked, night or day, anshe wad but leave us the free house and the yaird, that grew the bestearly kale in the haill country, and the cow's grass."

  "O wow! my winsome bairn, Cuddie," continued the old dame, "murmur not atthe dispensation; never grudge suffering in the gude cause."

  "But what ken I if the cause is gude or no, mither," rejoined Cuddie,"for a' ye bleeze out sae muckle doctrine about it? It's clean beyond mycomprehension a'thegither. I see nae sae muckle difference atween the twaways o't as a' the folk pretend. It's very true the curates read aye thesame words ower again; and if they be right words, what for no? A gudetale's no the waur o' being twice tauld, I trow; and a body has aye thebetter chance to understand it. Every body's no sae gleg at the uptake asye are yoursell, mither."

  "O, my dear Cuddie, this is the sairest distress of a'," said the anxiousmother--"O, how aften have I shown ye the difference between a pureevangelical doctrine, and ane that's corrupt wi' human inventions? O, mybairn, if no for your ain saul's sake, yet for my grey hairs"--"Weel,mither," said Cuddie, interrupting her, "what need ye mak sae muckle dinabout it? I hae aye dune whate'er ye bade me, and gaed to kirk whare'erye likit on the Sundays, and fended weel for ye in the ilka days besides.And that's what vexes me mair than a' the rest, when I think how I am tofend for ye now in thae brickle times. I am no clear if I can pleugh onyplace but the Mains and Mucklewhame, at least I never tried ony othergrund, and it wadna come natural to me. And nae neighbouring heritorswill daur to take us, after being turned aff thae bounds fornon-enormity."

  "Non-conformity, hinnie," sighed Mause, "is the name that thae warldlymen gie us."

  "Weel, aweel--we'll hae to gang to a far country, maybe twall or fifteenmiles aff. I could be a dragoon, nae doubt, for I can ride and play wi'the broadsword a bit, but ye wad be roaring about your blessing and yourgrey hairs." (Here Mause's exclamations became extreme.) "Weel, weel, Ibut spoke o't; besides, ye're ower auld to be sitting cocked up on abaggage-waggon wi' Eppie Dumblane, the corporal's wife. Sae what's tocome o' us I canna weel see--I doubt I'll hae to tak the hills wi' thewild whigs, as they ca' them, and then it will be my lo to be shot downlike a mawkin at some dikeside, or to be sent to heaven wi' a SaintJohnstone's tippit about my hause."

  "O, my bonnie Cuddie," said the zealous Mause, "forbear sic carnal,self-seeking language, whilk is just a misdoubting o' Providence--I havenot seen the son of the righteous begging his bread, sae says the text;and your father was a douce honest man, though somewhat warldly in hisdealings, and cumbered about earthly things, e'en like yoursell, my jo!"

  "Aweel," said Cuddie, after a little consideration, "I see but ae gatefor't, and that's a cauld coal to blaw at, mither. Howsomever, mither, yehae some guess o' a wee bit kindness that's atween Miss Edith and youngMr Henry Morton, that suld be ca'd young Milnwood, and that I hae whilescarried a bit book, or maybe a bit letter, quietly atween them, and madebelieve never to ken wha it cam frae, though I kend brawly. There'swhiles convenience in a body looking a wee stupid--and I have aften seenthem walking at e'en on the little path by Dinglewood-burn; but naebodyever kend a word about it frae Cuddie; I ken I'm gay thick in the head,but I'm as honest as our auld fore-hand ox, puir fallow, that I'll ne'erwork ony mair--I hope they'll be as kind to him that come ahint me as Ihae been.--But, as I was saying, we'll awa down to Milnwood and tell MrHarry our distress They w
ant a pleughman, and the grund's no unlike ourain--I am sure Mr Harry will stand my part, for he's a kind-heartedgentleman.--I'll get but little penny-fee, for his uncle, auld NippieMilnwood, has as close a grip as the deil himsell. But we'l, aye win abit bread, and a drap kale, and a fire-side and theeking ower our heads,and that's a' we'll want for a season.--Sae get up, mither, and sort yourthings to gang away; for since sae it is that gang we maun, I wad likeill to wait till Mr Harrison and auld Gudyill cam to pu' us out by thelug and the horn."