The Monastery Page 13

  Chapter the Thirteenth.

  The Miller was of manly make, To meet him was na mows; There durst na ten come him to take, Sae noited he their pows. CHRIST'S KIRK ON THE GREEN.

  It was after sunset, as we have already stated, when Halbert Glendinningreturned to the abode of his father. The hour of dinner was at noon, andthat of supper about an hour after sunset at this period of the year.The former had passed without Halbert's appearing; but this was nouncommon circumstance, for the chase, or any other pastime whichoccurred, made Halbert a frequent neglecter of hours; and his mother,though angry and disappointed when she saw him not at table, was so muchaccustomed to his occasional absence, and knew so little how to teachhim more regularity, that a testy observation was almost all the censurewith which such omissions were visited.

  On the present occasion, however, the wrath of good Dame Elspeth soaredhigher than usual. It was not merely on account of the special tup'shead and trotters, the haggis and the side of mutton, with which hertable was set forth, but also because of the arrival of no less a personthan Hob Miller, as he was universally termed, though the man's name wasHapper.

  The object of the Miller's visit to the Tower of Glendearg was like thepurpose of those embassies which potentates send to each other's courts,partly ostensible, partly politic. In outward show, Hob came to visithis friends of the Halidome, and share the festivity common amongcountry folk, after the barn-yard has been filled, and to renew oldintimacies by new conviviality. But in very truth he also came to havean eye upon the contents of each stack, and to obtain such informationrespecting the extent of the crop reaped and gathered in by each feuar,as might prevent the possibility of _abstracted multures_.

  All the world knows that the cultivators of each barony or regality,temporal or spiritual, in Scotland, are obliged to bring their cornto be grinded at the mill of the territory, for which they pay a heavycharge, called the _intown multures_. I could speak to the thirlageof _invecta et illata_ too, but let that pass. I have said enoughto intimate that I talk not without book. Those of the _Sucken_, orenthralled ground, were liable in penalties, if, deviating from thisthirlage, (or thraldom,) they carried their grain to another mill. Nowsuch another mill, erected on the lands of a lay-baron, lay within atempting and convenient distance of Glendearg; and the Miller was soobliging, and his charges so moderate, that it required Hob Miller'sutmost vigilance to prevent evasions of his right of monopoly.

  The most effectual means he could devise was this show of goodfellowship and neighbourly friendship,--under colour of which he madehis annual cruise through the barony--numbered every corn-stack, andcomputed its contents by the boll, so that he could give a shrewd hintafterwards whether or not the grist came to the right mill.

  Dame Elspeth, like her compeers, was obliged to take these domiciliaryvisits in the sense of politeness; but in her case they had not occurredsince her husband's death, probably because the Tower of Glendearg wasdistant, and there was but a trifling quantity of arable or _infield_land attached to it. This year there had been, upon some speculation ofold Martin's, several bolls sown in the exit-field, which, the seasonbeing fine, had ripened remarkably well. Perhaps this circumstanceoccasioned the honest Miller's including Glendearg, on this occasion, inhis annual round Dame Glendinning received with pleasure a visit whichshe used formerly only to endure with patience; and she had changed herview of the matter chiefly, if not entirely, because Hob had broughtwith him his daughter Mysie, of whose features she could give so slightan account, but whose dress she had described so accurately to theSub-Prior.

  Hitherto this girl had been an object of very trifling consideration inthe eyes of the good widow; but the Sub-Prior's particular and somewhatmysterious inquiries had set her brains to work on the subject of Mysieof the Mill; and she had here asked a broad question, and there she hadthrown out an innuendo, and there again she had gradually led on to aconversation on the subject of poor Mysie. And from all inquiriesand investigations she had collected, that Mysie was a dark-eyed,laughter-loving wench, with cherry-cheeks, and a skin as white as herfather's finest bolted flour, out of which was made the Abbot's ownwastel-bread. For her temper, she sung and laughed from morning tonight; and for her fortune, a material article, besides that which theMiller might have amassed by means of his proverbial golden thumb, Mysiewas to inherit a good handsome lump of land, with a prospect of the milland mill-acres descending to her husband on an easy lease, if a fairword were spoken in season to the Abbot, and to the Prior, and to theSub-Prior, and to the Sacristan, and so forth.

  By turning and again turning these advantages over in her own mind,Elspeth at length came to be of opinion, that the only way to save herson Halbert from a life of "spur, spear, and snaffle," as they calledthat of the border-riders, from the dint of a cloth-yard shaft, or theloop of an inch-cord, was, that he should marry and settle, and thatMysie Happer should be his destined bride.

  As if to her wish, Hob Miller arrived on his strong-built mare, bearingon a pillion behind him the lovely Mysie, with cheeks like a peony-rose,(if Dame Glendinning had ever seen one,) spirits all afloat with rusticcoquetry, and a profusion of hair as black as ebony. The _beau-ideal_which Dame Glendinning had been bodying forth in her imagination, becameunexpectedly realized in the buxom form of Mysie Happer, whom, in thecourse of half an hour, she settled upon as the maiden who was to fixthe restless and untutored Halbert. True, Mysie, as the dame soon saw,was like to love dancing round a May-pole as well as managing a domesticestablishment, and Halbert was like to break more heads than he wouldgrind stacks of corn. But then a miller should always be of manlymake, and has been described so since the days of Chaucer and James I.[Footnote: The verse we have chosen for a motto, is from a poem imputedto James I. of Scotland. As for the Miller who figures among theCanterbury pilgrims, besides his sword and buckler, he boasted otherattributes, all of which, but especially the last, show that he reliedmore on the strength of the outside than that of the inside of hisskull.

  The miller was a stout carl for the nones, Full big he was of brawn, and eke of bones; That proved well, for wheresoe'r he cam, At wrestling he wold bear away the ram; He was short shoulder'd, broad, a thick gnar; There n'as no door that he n'old heave of bar, Or break it at a running with his head, &c. ]

  Indeed, to be able to outdo and bully the whole _Sucken_, (once more weuse this barbarous phrase,) in all athletic exercises, was one way torender easy the collection of dues which men would have disputed with aless formidable champion. Then, as to the deficiencies of the miller'swife, the dame was of opinion that they might be supplied by theactivity of the miller's mother. "I will keep house for the young folkmyself, for the tower is grown very lonely," thought Dame Glendinning,"and to live near the kirk will be mair comfortable in my auld age--andthen Edward may agree with his brother about the feu, more especially ashe is a favourite with the Sub-Prior, and then he may live in the auldtower like his worthy father before him--and wha kens but Mary Avenel,high-blood as she is, may e'en draw in her stool to the chimney-nook,and sit down here for good and a'?--It's true she has no tocher, but thelike of her for beauty and sense ne'er crossed my een; and I have kendevery wench in the Halidome of St. Mary's--ay, and their mothers thatbore them--ay, she is a sweet and a lovely creature as ever tied snoodover brown hair--ay, and then, though her uncle keeps her out of her ainfor the present time, yet it is to be thought the gray-goose shaft willfind a hole in his coat of proof, as, God help us! it has done in many abetter man's--And, moreover, if they should stand on their pedigree andgentle race, Edward might say to them, that is, to her gentle kith andkin, 'whilk o' ye was her best friend, when she came down the glen toGlendearg in a misty evening, on a beast mair like a cuddie than aughtelse?'--And if they tax him with churl's blood, Edward might say, that,forby the old proverb, how

  Gentle deed Makes gentle bleid;

  yet, moreover, there comes no churl's blood from Glendinning or Brydone;for, says Edward--"

  The h
oarse voice of the Miller at this moment recalled the dame from herreverie, and compelled her to remember that if she meant to realize herairy castle, she must begin by laying the foundation in civility toher guest and his daughter, whom she was at that moment most strangelyneglecting, though her whole plan turned on conciliating their favourand good opinion, and that, in fact, while arranging matters forso intimate a union with her company, she was suffering them to situnnoticed, and in their riding gear, as if about to resume theirjourney. "And so I say, dame," concluded the Miller, (for she had notmarked the beginning of his speech,) "an ye be so busied with yourhousekep, or ought else, why, Mysie and I will trot our way down theglen again to Johnnie Broxmouth's, who pressed us right kindly to bidewith him."

  Starting at once from her dream of marriages and intermarriages, mills,mill-lands, and baronies, Dame Elspeth felt for a moment like themilk-maid in the fable, when she overset the pitcher, on the contentsof which so many golden dreams were founded. But the foundation of DameGlendinning's hopes was only tottering, not overthrown, and she hastenedto restore its equilibrium. Instead of attempting to account for herabsence of mind and want of attention to her guests, which she mighthave found something difficult, she assumed the offensive, like an ablegeneral when he finds it necessary, by a bold attack, to disguise hisweakness.

  A loud exclamation she made, and a passionate complaint she set upagainst the unkindness of her old friend, who could for an instant doubtthe heartiness of her welcome to him and to his hopeful daughter; andthen to think of his going back to Johnny Broxmouth's, when the auldtower stood where it did, and had room in it for a friend or two in theworst of times--and he too a neighbour that his umquhile gossip Simon,blessed be his cast, used to think the best friend he had inthe Halidome! And on she went, urging her complaint with so muchseriousness, that she had well-nigh imposed on herself as well as uponHob Miller, who had no mind to take any thing in dudgeon; and as itsuited his plans to pass the night at Glendearg, would have beenequally contented to do so even had his reception been less vehementlyhospitable.

  To all Elspeth's expostulations on the unkindness of his proposal toleave her dwelling, he answered composedly, "Nay, dame, what could Itell? ye might have had other grist to grind, for ye looked as if yescarce saw us--or what know I? ye might bear in mind the words Martinand I had about the last barley ye sawed--for I ken dry multures[Footnote: Dry multures were a fine, or compensation in money, for notgrinding at the mill of the thirl. It was, and is, accounted a vexatiousexaction.] will sometimes stick in the throat. A man seeks but his awn,and yet folk shall hold him for both miller and miller's man, that ismillar and knave, [Footnote: The under miller is, in the language ofthirlage, called the knave, which, indeed, signified originally his lad.(_Knabe_--German,) but by degrees came to be taken in a worse sense. Inthe old translation of the Bible, Paul is made to term himself the knaveof our Saviour. The allowance of meal taken by the miller's servant wascalled knave-ship.] all the country over."

  "Alas, that you will say so, neighbour Hob," said Dame Elspeth, "or thatMartin should have had any words with you about the mill-dues! I willchide him roundly for it, I promise you, on the faith of a true widow.You know full well that a lone woman is sore put upon by her servants."

  "Nay, dame," said the miller, unbuckling the broad belt which madefast his cloak, and served, at the same time, to suspend by his side aswinging Andrea Ferrara, "bear no grudge at Martin, for I bear none--Itake it on me as a thing of mine office, to maintain my right ofmulture, lock, and gowpen. [Note: The multure was the regular exactionfor grinding the meal. The _lock_, signifying a small quantity, and the_gowpen_, a handful, were additional perquisites demanded by themiller, and submitted to or resisted by the _Suckener_ as circumstancespermitted. These and other petty dues were called in general the_Sequels_.] And reason good, for as the old song says,

  I live by my mill. God bless her, She's parent, child, and wife.

  The poor old slut, I am beholden to her for my living, and bound tostand by her, as I say to my mill knaves, in right and in wrong. And soshould every honest fellow stand by his bread-winner.--And so, Mysie,ye may doff your cloak since our neighbour is so kindly glad to seeus--why, I think, we are as blithe to see her--not one in the Halidomepays their multures more duly, sequels, arriage, and carriage, andmill-services, used and wont."

  With that the Miller hung his ample cloak without farther ceremony upona huge pair of stag's antlers, which adorned at once the naked walls ofthe tower, and served for what we vulgarly call cloak-pins.

  In the meantime Dame Elspeth assisted to disembarrass the damsel whomshe destined for her future daughter-in-law, of her hood, mantle, andthe rest of her riding gear, giving her to appear as beseemed the buxomdaughter of the wealthy Miller, gay and goodly, in a white kirtle,the seams of which were embroidered with green silken lace or fringe,entwined with some silver thread. An anxious glance did Elspoth castupon the good-humoured face, which was now more fully shown to her, andwas only obscured by a quantity of raven black hair, which the maidof the mill had restrained by a snood of green silk, embroidered withsilver, corresponding to the trimmings of her kirtle. The countenanceitself was exceedingly comely--the eyes black, large, and roguishlygood-humoured--the mouth was small--the lips well formed, thoughsomewhat full--the teeth were pearly white--and the chin had a veryseducing dimple in it. The form belonging to this joyous face was fulland round, and firm and fair. It might become coarse and masculinesome years hence, which is the common fault of Scottish beauty; but inMysie's sixteenth year she had the shape of a Hebe. The anxious Elspeth,with all her maternal partiality, could not help admitting withinherself, that a better man than Halbert might go farther and fare worse.She looked a little giddy, and Halbert was not nineteen; still it wastime he should be settled, for to that point the dame always returned;and here was an excellent opportunity.

  The simple cunning of Dame Elspeth now exhausted itself in commendationsof her fair guest, from the snood, as they say, to the single-soledshoe. Mysie listened and blushed with pleasure for the first fiveminutes; but ere ten had elapsed, she began to view the old lady'scompliments rather as subjects of mirth than of vanity, and was muchmore disposed to laugh at than to be flattered with them, for Nature hadmingled the good-humour with which she had endowed the damsel with nosmall portion of shrewdness. Even Hob himself began to tire of hearinghis daughter's praises, and broke in with, "Ay, ay, she is a cleverquean enough; and, were she five years older, she shall lay a loadedsack on an _aver_ [Note: _Aver_--properly a horse of labour.] with e'era lass in the Halidome. But I have been looking for your two sons, dame.Men say downby that Halbert's turned a wild springald, and that we mayhave word of him from Westmoreland one moonlight night or another."

  "God forbid, my good neighbour; God, in his mercy, forbid!" said DameGlendinning, earnestly; for it was touching the very key-note of herapprehensions, to hint any probability that Halbert might become one ofthe marauders so common in the age and country. But, fearful of havingbetrayed too much alarm on this subject, she immediately added, "Thatthough, since the last rout at Pinkiecleuch, she had been all of atremble when a gun or a spear was named, or when men spoke of fighting;yet, thanks to God and our Lady, her sons were like to live and diehonest and peaceful tenants to the Abbey, as their father might havedone, but for that awful hosting which he went forth to with mony abrave man that never returned."

  "Ye need not tell me of it, dame," said the Miller, "since I was theremyself, and made two pair of legs (and these were not mine, but mymare's,) worth one pair of hands. I judged how it would be, when Isaw our host break ranks, with rushing on through that broken ploughedfield, and so as they had made a pricker of me, I e'en pricked off withmyself while the play was good."

  "Ay, ay, neighbour," said the dame, "ye were aye a wise and a wary man;if my Simon had had your wit, he might have been here to speak aboutit this day; but he was aye cracking of his good blood and his highkindred, and less would not serve him than to bide th
e bang to the last,with the earls, and knights, and squires, that had no wives to greet forthem, or else had wives that cared not how soon they were widows; butthat is not for the like of us. But touching my son Halbert, there is nofear of him; for if it should be his misfortune to be in the like case,he has the best pair of heels in Halidome, and could run almost as fastas your mare herself."

  "Is this he, neighbour?" quoth the Miller.

  "No," replied the mother; "that is my youngest son, Edward, who can readand write like the Lord Abbot himself, if it were not a sin to say so."

  "Ay," said the Miller; "and is that the young clerk the Sub-Prior thinksso much of? they say he will come far ben that lad; wha kens but he maycome to be Sub-Prior himself?--as broken a ship has come to land."

  "To be a Prior, neighbour Miller," said Edward, "a man must first be apriest, and for that I judge I have little vocation."

  "He will take to the pleugh-pettle, neighbour," said the good dame; "andso will Halbert too, I trust. I wish you saw Halbert.--Edward, where isyour brother?"

  "Hunting, I think," replied Edward; "at least he left us this morning tojoin the Laird of Colmslie and his hounds. I have heard them baying inthe glen all day."

  "And if I had heard that music," said the Miller, "it would have done myheart good, ay, and may be taken me two or three miles out of my road.When I was the Miller of Morebattle's knave, I have followed the houndsfrom Eckford to the foot of Hounam-law--followed them on foot, DameGlendinning, ay, and led the chase when the Laird of Cessford and hisgay riders were all thrown out by the mosses and gills. I brought thestag on my back to Hounam Cross, when the dogs had pulled him down. Ithink I see the old gray knight, as he sate so upright on his strongwar-horse, all white with foam; and 'Miller,' said he to me, 'an thouwilt turn thy back on the mill, and wend with me, I will make a man ofthee.' But I chose rather to abide by clap and happer, and the betterluck was mine; for the proud Percy caused hang five of the Laird'shenchmen at Alnwick for burning a rickle of houses some gate beyondFowberry, and it might have been my luck as well as another man's."

  "Ah, neighbour, neighbour," said Dame Glendinning, "you were aye wiseand wary; but if you like hunting, I must say Halbert's the lad toplease you. He hath all those fair holiday terms of hawk and hound asready in his mouth as Tom with the tod's tail, that is the Lord Abbot'sranger."

  "Ranges he not homeward at dinner-time, dame," demanded the Miller; "forwe call noon the dinner-hour at Kennaquhair?"

  The widow was forced to admit that, even at this important period of theday, Halbert was frequently absent; at which the Miller shook hishead, intimating, at the same time, some allusion to the proverb ofMacFarlane's geese, which "liked their play better than their meat."[Footnote: A brood of wild-geese, which long frequented one of theuppermost islands in Loch-Lomond, called Inch-Tavoe, were supposed tohave some mysterious connexion with the ancient family of MacFarlane ofthat ilk, and it is said were never seen after the ruin and extinctionof that house. The MacFarlanes had a house and garden upon that sameisland of Inch-Tavoe. Here James VI. was, on one occasion, regaled bythe chieftain. His Majesty had been previously much amused by the geesepursuing each other on the Loch. But, when one which was broughtto table, was found to be tough and ill fed, James observed--"thatMacFarlane's geese liked their play better than their meat," a proverbwhich has been current ever since.]

  That the delay of dinner might not increase the Miller's disposition toprejudge Halbert, Dame Glendinning called hastily on Mary Avenel to takeher task of entertaining Mysie Happer, while she herself rushed tothe kitchen, and, entering at once into the province of Tibb Tacket,rummaged among trenchers and dishes, snatched pots from the fire, andplaced pans and gridirons on it, accompanying her own feats of personalactivity with such a continued list of injunctions to Tibb, that Tibb atlength lost patience, and said, "Here was as muckle wark about meatingan auld miller, as if they had been to banquet the blood of Bruce." Butthis, as it was supposed to be spoken aside, Dame Glendinning did notthink it convenient to hear.

  * * * * *