The Heart of Mid-Lothian, Volume 2 Page 23

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THIRD.

  Lord! who would live turmoiled in a court, And may enjoy such quiet walks as these? Shakespeare.

  Within a reasonable time after Butler was safely and comfortably settledin his living, and Jeanie had taken up her abode at Auchingower with herfather,--the precise extent of which interval we request each reader tosettle according to his own sense of what is decent and proper upon theoccasion,--and after due proclamation of banns, and all otherformalities, the long wooing of this worthy pair was ended by their unionin the holy bands of matrimony. On this occasion, David Deans stoutlywithstood the iniquities of pipes, fiddles, and promiscuous dancing, tothe great wrath of the Captain of Knockdunder, who said, if he "hadguessed it was to be sic a tamn'd Quakers' meeting, he wad hae seen thempeyont the cairn before he wad hae darkened their doors."

  And so much rancour remained on the spirits of the gracious Duncan uponthis occasion, that various "picqueerings," as David called them, tookplace upon the same and similar topics and it was only in consequence ofan accidental visit of the Duke to his Lodge at Roseneath, that they wereput a stop to. But upon that occasion his Grace showed such particularrespect to Mr. and Mrs. Butler, and such favour even to old David, thatKnockdunder held it prudent to change his course towards the latter. He,in future, used to express himself among friends, concerning the ministerand his wife, as "very worthy decent folk, just a little over strict intheir notions; put it was pest for thae plack cattle to err on the safeside." And respecting David, he allowed that "he was an excellent judgeof nowte and sheep, and a sensible eneugh carle, an it werena for histamn'd Cameronian nonsense, whilk it is not worth while of a shentlemanto knock out of an auld silly head, either by force of reason orotherwise." So that, by avoiding topics of dispute, the personages of ourtale lived in great good habits with the gracious Duncan, only that hestill grieved David's soul, and set a perilous example to thecongregation, by sometimes bringing his pipe to the church during a coldwinter day, and almost always sleeping during sermon in the summer time.

  Mrs. Butler, whom we must no longer, if we can help it, term by thefamiliar name of Jeanie, brought into the married state the same firmmind and affectionate disposition--the same natural and homely goodsense, and spirit of useful exertion--in a word, all the domestic goodqualities of which she had given proof during her maiden life. She didnot indeed rival Butler in learning; but then no woman more devoutlyvenerated the extent of her husband's erudition. She did not pretend tounderstand his expositions of divinity; but no minister of the Presbyteryhad his humble dinner so well arranged, his clothes and linen in equalgood order, his fireside so neatly swept, his parlour so clean, and hisbooks so well dusted.

  If he talked to Jeanie of what she did not understand--and (for the manwas mortal, and had been a schoolmaster) he sometimes did harangue morescholarly and wisely than was necessary--she listened in placid silence;and whenever the point referred to common life, and was such as cameunder the grasp of a strong natural understanding, her views were moreforcible, and her observations more acute, than his own. In acquiredpoliteness of manners, when it happened that she mingled a little insociety, Mrs. Butler was, of course, judged deficient. But then she hadthat obvious wish to oblige, and that real and natural good-breedingdepending on, good sense and good humour, which, joined to a considerabledegree of archness and liveliness of manner, rendered her behaviouracceptable to all with whom she was called upon to associate.Notwithstanding her strict attention to all domestic affairs, she alwaysappeared the clean well-dressed mistress of the house, never the sordidhousehold drudge. When complimented on this occasion by Duncan Knock, whoswore "that he thought the fairies must help her, since her house wasalways clean, and nobody ever saw anybody sweeping it," she modestlyreplied, "That much might be dune by timing ane's turns."

  Duncan replied, "He heartily wished she could teach that art to thehuzzies at the Lodge, for he could never discover that the house waswashed at a', except now and then by breaking his shins over the pail--Cot tamn the jauds!"

  Of lesser matters there is not occasion to speak much. It may easily bebelieved that the Duke's cheese was carefully made, and so graciouslyaccepted, that the offering became annual. Remembrances andacknowledgments of past favours were sent to Mrs. Bickerton and Mrs.Glass, and an amicable intercourse maintained from time to time withthese two respectable and benevolent persons.

  It is especially necessary to mention that, in the course of five years,Mrs. Butler had three children, two boys and a girl, all stout healthybabes of grace, fair-haired, blue-eyed, and strong-limbed. The boys werenamed David and Reuben, an order of nomenclature which was much to thesatisfaction of the old hero of the Covenant, and the girl, by hermother's special desire, was christened Euphemia, rather contrary to thewish both of her father and husband, who nevertheless loved Mrs. Butlertoo well, and were too much indebted to her for their hours of happiness,to withstand any request which she made with earnestness, and as agratification to herself. But from some feeling, I know not of what kind,the child was never distinguished by the name of Effie, but by theabbreviation of Femie, which in Scotland is equally commonly applied topersons called Euphemia.

  In this state of quiet and unostentatious enjoyment, there were, besidesthe ordinary rubs and ruffles which disturb even the most uniform life,two things which particularly chequered Mrs. Butler's happiness. "Withoutthese," she said to our informer, "her life would have been but toohappy; and perhaps," she added, "she had need of some crosses in thisworld to remind her that there was a better to come behind it."

  The first of these related to certain polemical skirmishes betwixt herfather and her husband, which, notwithstanding the mutual respect andaffection they entertained for each other, and their great love forher--notwithstanding, also, their general agreement in strictness, andeven severity, of Presbyterian principle--often threatened unpleasantweather between them. David Deans, as our readers must be aware, wassufficiently opinionative and intractable, and having prevailed onhimself to become a member of a kirk-session under the EstablishedChurch, he felt doubly obliged to evince that, in so doing, he had notcompromised any whit of his former professions, either in practice orprinciple. Now Mr. Butler, doing all credit to his father-in-law'smotives, was frequently of opinion that it were better to drop out ofmemory points of division and separation, and to act in the manner mostlikely to attract and unite all parties who were serious in religion.Moreover, he was not pleased, as a man and a scholar, to be alwaysdictated to by his unlettered father-in-law; and as a clergyman, he didnot think it fit to seem for ever under the thumb of an elder of his ownkirk-session. A proud but honest thought carried his opposition now andthen a little farther than it would otherwise have gone. "My brethren,"he said, "will suppose I am flattering and conciliating the old man forthe sake of his succession, if I defer and give way to him on everyoccasion; and, besides, there are many on which I neither can nor willconscientiously yield to his notions. I cannot be persecuting old womenfor witches, or ferreting out matter of scandal among the young ones,which might otherwise have remained concealed."

  From this difference of opinion it happened that, in many cases ofnicety, such as in owning certain defections, and failing to testifyagainst certain backslidings of the time, in not always severely tracingforth little matters of scandal and _fama clamosa,_ which David called aloosening of the reins of discipline, and in failing to demand cleartestimonies in other points of controversy which had, as it were, driftedto leeward with the change of times, Butler incurred the censure of hisfather-in-law; and sometimes the disputes betwixt them became eager andalmost unfriendly. In all such cases Mrs Butler was a mediating spirit,who endeavoured, by the alkaline smoothness of her own disposition, toneutralise the acidity of theological controversy. To the complaints ofboth she lent an unprejudiced and attentive ear, and sought always ratherto excuse than absolutely to defend the other party.

  She reminded her fa
ther that Butler had not "his experience of the auldand wrastling times, when folk were gifted wi' a far look into eternity,to make up for the oppressions whilk they suffered here below in time.She freely allowed that many devout ministers and professors in timespast had enjoyed downright revelation, like the blessed Peden, andLundie, and Cameron, and Renwick, and John Caird the tinkler, wha enteredinto the secrets, and Elizabeth Melvil, Lady Culross, wha prayed in herbed, surrounded by a great many Christians in a large room, in whilk itwas placed on purpose, and that for three hours' time, with wonderfulassistance; and Lady Robertland, whilk got six sure outgates of grace,and mony other in times past; and of a specially, Mr. John Scrimgeour,minister of Kinghorn, who, having a beloved child sick to death of thecrewels, was free to expostulate with his Maker with such impatience ofdispleasure, and complaining so bitterly, that at length it was said untohim, that he was heard for this time, but that he was requested to use nosuch boldness in time coming; so that when he returned he found the childsitting up in the bed hale and fair, with all its wounds closed, andsupping its parritch, whilk babe he had left at the time of death. Butthough these things might be true in these needful times, she contendedthat those ministers who had not seen such vouchsafed and especialmercies, were to seek their rule in the records of ancient times; andtherefore Reuben was carefu' both to search the Scriptures and the bookswritten by wise and good men of old; and sometimes in this way it wadhappen that twa precious saints might pu' sundry wise, like twa cowsriving at the same hayband."

  To this David used to reply, with a sigh, "Ah, hinny, thou kenn'st littleo't; but that saam John Scrimgeour, that blew open the gates of heaven asan it had been wi' a sax-pund cannonball, used devoutly to wish that mostpart of books were burnt, except the Bible. Reuben's a gude lad and akind--I have aye allowed that; but as to his not allowing inquiry anentthe scandal of Marjory Kittlesides and Rory MacRand, under pretence thatthey have southered sin wi' marriage, it's clear agane the Christiandiscipline o' the kirk. And then there's Aily MacClure of Deepheugh, thatpractises her abominations, spacing folks' fortunes wi' egg-shells, andmutton-banes, and dreams and divinations, whilk is a scandal to onyChristian land to suffer sic a wretch to live; and I'll uphaud that, ina' judicatures, civil or ecclesiastical."

  "I daresay ye are very right, father," was the general style of Jeanie'sanswer; "but ye maun come down to the Manse to your dinner the day. Thebits o' bairns, puir things, are wearying to see their luckie dad; andReuben never sleeps weel, nor I neither, when you and he hae had ony bitoutcast."

  "Nae outcast, Jeanie; God forbid I suld cast out wi' thee, or aught thatis dear to thee!" And he put on his Sundays coat, and came to the Manseaccordingly.

  With her husband, Mrs. Butler had a more direct conciliatory process.Reuben had the utmost respect for the old man's motives, and affectionfor his person, as well as gratitude for his early friendship. So that,upon any such occasion of accidental irritation, it was only necessary toremind him with delicacy of his father-in-law's age, of his scantyeducation, strong prejudices, and family distresses. The least of theseconsiderations always inclined Butler to measures of conciliation, in sofar as he could accede to them without compromising principle; and thusour simple and unpretending heroine had the merit of those peacemakers,to whom it is pronounced as a benediction, that they shall inherit theearth.

  The second crook in Mrs. Butler's lot, to use the language of her father,was the distressing circumstance, that she had never heard of hersister's safety, or of the circumstances in which she found herself,though betwixt four and five years had elapsed since they had parted onthe beach of the island of Roseneath. Frequent intercourse was not to beexpected--not to be desired, perhaps, in their relative situations; butEffie had promised, that, if she lived and prospered, her sister shouldhear from her. She must then be no more, or sunk into some abyss ofmisery, since she had never redeemed her pledge. Her silence seemedstrange and portentous, and wrung from Jeanie, who could never forget theearly years of their intimacy, the most painful anticipation concerningher fate. At length, however, the veil was drawn aside.

  One day, as the Captain of Knockdunder had called in at the Manse, on hisreturn from some business in the Highland part of the parish, and hadbeen accommodated, according to his special request, with a mixture ofmilk, brandy, honey, and water, which he said Mrs. Butler compounded"potter than ever a woman in Scotland,"--for, in all innocent matters,she studied the taste of every one around her,--he said to Butler, "Pythe py, minister, I have a letter here either for your canny pody of awife or you, which I got when I was last at Glasco; the postage comes tofourpence, which you may either pay me forthwith, or give me tooble orquits in a hit at packcammon."

  The playing at backgammon and draughts had been a frequent amusement ofMr. Whackbairn, Butler's principal, when at Liberton school. Theminister, therefore, still piqued himself on his skill at both games, andoccasionally practised them, as strictly canonical, although David Deans,whose notions of every kind were more rigorous, used to shake his head,and groan grievously, when he espied the tables lying in the parlour, orthe children playing with the dice boxes or backgammon men. Indeed, Mrs.Butler was sometimes chidden for removing these implements of pastimeinto some closet or corner out of sight. "Let them be where they are,Jeanie," would Butler say upon such occasions; "I am not conscious offollowing this, or any other trifling relaxation, to the interruption ofmy more serious studies, and still more serious duties. I will not,therefore, have it supposed that I am indulging by stealth, and againstmy conscience, in an amusement which, using it so little as I do, I maywell practise openly, and without any check of mind--_Nil conscire sibi,_Jeanie, that is my motto; which signifies, my love, the honest and openconfidence which a man ought to entertain when he is acting openly, andwithout any sense of doing wrong."

  Such being Butler's humour, he accepted the Captain's defiance to atwopenny hit at backgammon, and handed the letter to his wife, observingthe post-mark was York, but, if it came from her friend Mrs. Bickerton,she had considerably improved her handwriting, which was uncommon at heryears.

  Leaving the gentlemen to their game, Mrs. Butler went to order somethingfor supper, for Captain Duncan had proposed kindly to stay the night withthem, and then carelessly broke open her letter. It was not from Mrs.Bickerton; and, after glancing over the first few lines, she soon foundit necessary to retire to her own bedroom, to read the document atleisure.