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ROB ROY

VOLUME ONE

BY SIR WALTER SCOTT

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 For why? Because the good old rule Sufficeth them; the simple plan, That they should take who have the power, And they should keep who can. 

 _Rob Roy's Grave_--Wordsworth

ADVERTISEMENT TO THE FIRST EDITION

When the Editor of the following volumes published, about two yearssince, the work called the "Antiquary, " he announced that he was, for thelast time, intruding upon the public in his present capacity. He mightshelter himself under the plea that every anonymous writer is, like thecelebrated Junius, only a phantom, and that therefore, although anapparition, of a more benign, as well as much meaner description, hecannot be bound to plead to a charge of inconsistency. A better apologymay be found in the imitating the confession of honest Benedict, that, when he said he would die a bachelor, he did not think he should live tobe married. The best of all would be, if, as has eminently happened inthe case of some distinguished contemporaries, the merit of the workshould, in the reader's estimation, form an excuse for the Author'sbreach of promise. Without presuming to hope that this may prove thecase, it is only further necessary to mention, that his resolution, likethat of Benedict, fell a sacrifice, to temptation at least, if not tostratagem. 

It is now about six months since the Author, through the medium of hisrespectable Publishers, received a parcel of Papers, containing theOutlines of this narrative, with a permission, or rather with a request, couched in highly flattering terms, that they might be given to thePublic, with such alterations as should be found suitable. *

* As it maybe necessary, in the present Edition(1829), to speak upon thesquare, the Author thinks it proper to own, that the communicationalluded to is entirely imaginary. 

These were of course so numerous, that, besides the suppression of names, and of incidents approaching too much to reality, the work may in a greatmeasure be, said to be new written. Several anachronisms have probablycrept in during the course of these changes; and the mottoes for theChapters have been selected without any reference to the supposed date ofthe incidents. For these, of course, the Editor is responsible. Someothers occurred in the original materials, but they are of littleconsequence. In point of minute accuracy, it may be stated, that thebridge over the Forth, or rather the Avondhu (or Black River), near thehamlet of Aberfoil, had not an existence thirty years ago. It does not, however, become the Editor to be the first to point out these errors; andhe takes this public opportunity to thank the unknown and namelesscorrespondent, to whom the reader will owe the principal share of anyamusement which he may derive from the following pages. 

1st December 1817. 

INTRODUCTION---(1829)

When the author projected this further encroachment on the patience of anindulgent public, he was at some loss for a title; a good name being verynearly of as much consequence in literature as in life. The title of _RobRoy_ was suggested by the late Mr. Constable, whose sagacity andexperience foresaw the germ of popularity which it included. 

No introduction can be more appropriate to the work than some account ofthe singular character whose name is given to the title-page, and who, through good report and bad report, has maintained a wonderful degree ofimportance in popular recollection. This cannot be ascribed to thedistinction of his birth, which, though that of a gentleman, had in itnothing of high destination, and gave him little right to command in hisclan. Neither, though he lived a busy, restless, and enterprising life, were his feats equal to those of other freebooters, who have been lessdistinguished. He owed his fame in a great measure to his residing on thevery verge of the Highlands, and playing such pranks in the beginning ofthe 18th century, as are usually ascribed to Robin Hood in the middleages, --and that within forty miles of Glasgow, a great commercial city, the seat of a learned university. Thus a character like his, blending thewild virtues, the subtle policy, and unrestrained license of an AmericanIndian, was flourishing in Scotland during the Augustan age of Queen Anneand George I. Addison, it is probable, or Pope, would have beenconsiderably surprised if they had known that there, existed in the sameisland with them a personage of Rob Roy's peculiar habits and profession. It is this strong contrast betwixt the civilised and cultivated mode oflife on the one side of the Highland line, and the wild and lawlessadventures which were habitually undertaken and achieved by one who dwelton the opposite side of that ideal boundary, which creates the interestattached to his name. Hence it is that even yet, Far and near, through vale and hill, Are faces that attest the same, And kindle like a fire new stirr'd, At sound of Rob Roy's name. 

There were several advantages which Rob Roy enjoyed for sustaining toadvantage the character which he assumed. 

The most prominent of these was his descent from, and connection with, the clan MacGregor, so famous for their misfortunes, and the indomitablespirit with which they maintained themselves as a clan, linked and bandedtogether in spite of the most severe laws, executed with unheard-ofrigour against those who bore this forbidden surname. Their history wasthat of several others of the original Highland clans, who weresuppressed by more powerful neighbours, and either extirpated, or forcedto secure themselves by renouncing their own family appellation, andassuming that of the conquerors. The peculiarity in the story of theMacGregors, is their retaining, with such tenacity, their separateexistence and union as a clan under circumstances of the utmost urgency. The history of the tribe is briefly as follows--But we must premise thatthe tale depends in some degree on tradition; therefore, excepting whenwritten documents are, quoted, it must be considered as in some degreedubious. 

The sept of MacGregor claimed a descent from Gregor, or Gregorius, thirdson, it is said, of Alpin King of Scots, who flourished about 787. Hencetheir original patronymic is MacAlpine, and they are usually termed theClan Alpine. An individual tribe of them retains the same name. They areaccounted one of the most ancient clans in the Highlands, and it iscertain they were a people of original Celtic descent, and occupied atone period very extensive possessions in Perthshire and Argyleshire, which they imprudently continued to hold by the _coir a glaive, _ that is, the right of the sword. Their neighbours, the Earls of Argyle andBreadalbane, in the meanwhile, managed to leave the lands occupied by theMacGregors engrossed in those charters which they easily obtained fromthe Crown; and thus constituted a legal right in their own favour, without much regard to its justice. As opportunity occurred of annoyingor extirpating their neighbours, they gradually extended their owndomains, by usurping, under the pretext of such royal grants, those oftheir more uncivilised neighbours. A Sir Duncan Campbell of Lochow, knownin the Highlands by the name of _Donacha Dhu nan Churraichd, _ that is, Black Duncan with the Cowl, it being his pleasure to wear such ahead-gear, is said to have been peculiarly successful in those acts ofspoliation upon the clan MacGregor. 

The devoted sept, ever finding themselves iniquitously driven from theirpossessions, defended themselves by force, and occasionally gainedadvantages, which they used cruelly enough. This conduct, though natural, considering the country and time, was studiously represented at thecapital as arising from an untameable and innate ferocity, which nothing, it was said, could remedy, save cutting off the tribe of MacGregor rootand branch. 

In an act of Privy Council at Stirling, 22d September 1563, in the reignof Queen Mary, commission is granted to the most powerful nobles, andchiefs of the clans, to pursue the clan Gregor with fire and sword. Asimilar warrant in 1563, not only grants the like powers to Sir JohnCampbell of Glenorchy, the descendant of Duncan with the Cowl, butdischarges the lieges to receive or assist any of the clan Gregor, orafford them, under any colour whatever, meat, drink, or clothes. 

An atrocity which the clan Gregor committed in 1589, by the murder ofJohn Drummond of Drummond-ernoch, a forester of the royal forest ofGlenartney, is elsewhere given, with all its horrid circumstances. Theclan swore upon the severed head of the murdered man, that they wouldmake common cause in avowing the deed. This led to an act of the PrivyCouncil, directing another crusade against the "wicked clan Gregor, solong continuing in blood, slaughter, theft, and robbery, " in whichletters of fire and sword are denounced against them for the space ofthree years. The reader will find this particular fact illustrated in theIntroduction to the Legend of Montrose in the present edition of theseNovels. 

Other occasions frequently occurred, in which the MacGregors testifiedcontempt for the laws, from which they had often experienced severity, but never protection. Though they were gradually deprived of theirpossessions, and of all ordinary means of procuring subsistence, theycould not, nevertheless, be supposed likely to starve for famine, whilethey had the means of taking from strangers what they considered asrightfully their own. Hence they became versed in predatory forays, andaccustomed to bloodshed. Their passions were eager, and, with a littlemanagement on the part of some of their most powerful neighbours, theycould easily be _hounded out, _ to use an expressive Scottish phrase, tocommit violence, of which the wily instigators took the advantage, andleft the ignorant MacGregors an undivided portion of blame andpunishment. This policy of pushing on the fierce clans of the Highlandsand Borders to break the peace of the country, is accounted by thehistorian one of the most dangerous practices of his own period, in whichthe MacGregors were considered as ready agents. 

Notwithstanding these severe denunciations, ---which were acted upon inthe same spirit in which they were conceived, some of the clan stillpossessed property, and the chief of the name in 1592 is designedAllaster MacGregor of Glenstrae. He is said to have been a brave andactive man; but, from the tenor of his confession at his death, appearsto have been engaged in many and desperate feuds, one of which finallyproved fatal to himself and many of his followers. This was thecelebrated conflict at Glenfruin, near the southwestern extremity of LochLomond, in the vicinity of which the MacGregors continued to exercisemuch authority by the _coir a glaive, _ or right of the strongest, whichwe have already mentioned. 

There had been a long and bloody feud betwixt the MacGregors and theLaird of Luss, head of the family of Colquhoun, a powerful race on thelower part of Loch Lomond. The MacGregors' tradition affirms that thequarrel began on a very trifling subject. Two of the MacGregors beingbenighted, asked shelter in a house belonging to a dependant of theColquhouns, and were refused. They then retreated to an out-house, took awedder from the fold, killed it, and supped off the carcass, for which(it is said) they offered payment to the proprietor. The Laird of Lussseized on the offenders, and, by the summary process which feudal baronshad at their command, had them both condemned and executed. TheMacGregors verify this account of the feud by appealing to a proverbcurrent amongst them, execrating the hour _(Mult dhu an Carbail ghil)_that the black wedder with the white tail was ever lambed. To avenge thisquarrel, the Laird of MacGregor assembled his clan, to the number ofthree or four hundred men, and marched towards Luss from the banks ofLoch Long, by a pass called _Raid na Gael, _ or the Highlandman's Pass. 

Sir Humphrey Colquhoun received early notice of this incursion, andcollected a strong force, more than twice the number of that of theinvaders. He had with him the gentlemen of the name of Buchanan, with theGrahams, and other gentry of the Lennox, and a party of the citizens ofDumbarton, under command of Tobias Smollett, a magistrate, or bailie, ofthat town, and ancestor of the celebrated author. 

The parties met in the valley of Glenfruin, which signifies the Glen ofSorrow---a name that seemed to anticipate the event of the day, which, fatal to the conquered party, was at least equally so to the victors, the"babe unborn" of Clan Alpine having reason to repent it. The MacGregors, somewhat discouraged by the appearance of a force much superior to theirown, were cheered on to the attack by a Seer, or second-sighted person, who professed that he saw the shrouds of the dead wrapt around theirprincipal opponents. The clan charged with great fury on the front of theenemy, while John MacGregor, with a strong party, made an unexpectedattack on the flank. A great part of the Colquhouns' force consisted incavalry, which could not act in the boggy ground. They were said to havedisputed the field manfully, but were at length completely routed, and amerciless slaughter was exercised on the fugitives, of whom betwixt twoand three hundred fell on the field and in the pursuit. If the MacGregorslost, as is averred, only two men slain in the action, they had slightprovocation for an indiscriminate massacre. It is said that their furyextended itself to a party of students for clerical orders, who hadimprudently come to see the battle. Some doubt is thrown on this fact, from the indictment against the chief of the clan Gregor being silent onthe subject, as is the historian Johnston, and a Professor Ross, whowrote an account of the battle twenty-nine years after it was fought. Itis, however, constantly averred by the tradition of the country, and astone where the deed was done is called _Leck-a-Mhinisteir, _ the Ministeror Clerk's Flagstone. The MacGregors, by a tradition which is now foundto be inaccurate, impute this cruel action to the ferocity of a singleman of their tribe, renowned for size and strength, called Dugald, _CiarMhor, _ or the great Mouse-coloured Man. He was MacGregor'sfoster-brother, and the chief committed the youths to his charge, withdirections to keep them safely till the affray was over. Whether fearfulof their escape, or incensed by some sarcasms which they threw on histribe, or whether out of mere thirst of blood, this savage, while theother MacGregors were engaged in the pursuit, poniarded his helpless anddefenceless prisoners. When the chieftain, on his return, demanded wherethe youths were, the _Ciar_ (pronounced Kiar) _Mhor_ drew out his bloodydirk, saying in Gaelic, "Ask that, and God save me!" The latter wordsallude to the exclamation which his victims used when he was murderingthem. It would seem, therefore, that this horrible part of the story isfounded on fact, though the number of the youths so slain is probablyexaggerated in the Lowland accounts. The common people say that the bloodof the Ciar Mhor's victims can never be washed off the stone. WhenMacGregor learnt their fate, he expressed the utmost horror at the deed, and upbraided his foster-brother with having done that which wouldoccasion the destruction of him and his clan. This supposed homicide wasthe ancestor of Rob Roy, and the tribe from which he was descended. Helies buried at the church of Fortingal, where his sepulchre, covered witha large stone, * is still shown, and where his great strength and courageare the theme of many traditions. *

* Note A. The Grey Stone of MacGregor. 

** Note B. Dugald Ciar Mhor. 

MacGregor's brother was one of the very few of the tribe who was slain. He was buried near the field of battle, and the place is marked by a rudestone, called the Grey Stone of MacGregor. 

Sir Humphrey Colquhoun, being well mounted, escaped for the time to thecastle of Banochar, or Benechra. It proved no sure defence, however, forhe was shortly after murdered in a vault of the castle, ---the familyannals say by the MacGregors, though other accounts charge the deed uponthe MacFarlanes. 

This battle of Glenfruin, and the severity which the victors exercised inthe pursuit, was reported to King James VI. In a manner the mostunfavourable to the clan Gregor, whose general character, being that oflawless though brave men, could not much avail them in such a case. ThatJames might fully understand the extent of the slaughter, the widows ofthe slain, to the number of eleven score, in deep mourning, riding uponwhite palfreys, and each bearing her husband's bloody shirt on a spear, appeared at Stirling, in presence of a monarch peculiarly accessible tosuch sights of fear and sorrow, to demand vengeance for the death oftheir husbands, upon those by whom they had been made desolate. 

The remedy resorted to was at least as severe as the cruelties which itwas designed to punish. By an Act of the Privy Council, dated 3d April1603, the name of MacGregor was expressly abolished, and those who hadhitherto borne it were commanded to change it for other surnames, thepain of death being denounced against those who should call themselvesGregor or MacGregor, the names of their fathers. Under the same penalty, all who had been at the conflict of Glenfruin, or accessory to othermarauding parties charged in the act, were prohibited from carryingweapons, except a pointless knife to eat their victuals. By a subsequentact of Council, 24th June 1613, death was denounced against any personsof the tribe formerly called MacGregor, who should presume to assemble ingreater numbers than four. Again, by an Act of Parliament, 1617, chap. 26, these laws were continued, and extended to the rising generation, inrespect that great numbers of the children of those against whom the actsof Privy Council had been directed, were stated to be then approaching tomaturity, who, if permitted to resume the name of their parents, wouldrender the clan as strong as it was before. 

The execution of those severe acts was chiefly intrusted in the west tothe Earl of Argyle and the powerful clan of Campbell, and to the Earl ofAthole and his followers in the more eastern Highlands of Perthshire. TheMacGregors failed not to resist with the most determined courage; andmany a valley in the West and North Highlands retains memory of thesevere conflicts, in which the proscribed clan sometimes obtainedtransient advantages, and always sold their lives dearly. At length thepride of Allaster MacGregor, the chief of the clan, was so much loweredby the sufferings of his people, that he resolved to surrender himself tothe Earl of Argyle, with his principal followers, on condition that theyshould be sent out of Scotland. If the unfortunate chief's own account betrue, he had more reasons than one for expecting some favour from theEarl, who had in secret advised and encouraged him to many of thedesperate actions for which he was now called to so severe a reckoning. But Argyle, as old Birrell expresses himself, kept a Highlandman'spromise with them, fulfilling it to the ear, and breaking it to thesense. MacGregor was sent under a strong guard to the frontier ofEngland, and being thus, in the literal sense, sent out of Scotland, Argyle was judged to have kept faith with him, though the same partywhich took him there brought him back to Edinburgh in custody. 

MacGregor of Glenstrae was tried before the Court of Justiciary, 20thJanuary 1604, and found guilty. He appears to have been instantlyconveyed from the bar to the gallows; for Birrell, of the same date, reports that he was hanged at the Cross, and, for distinction sake, wassuspended higher by his own height than two of his kindred and friends. 

On the 18th of February following, more men of the MacGregors wereexecuted, after a long imprisonment, and several others in the beginningof March. 

The Earl of Argyle's service, in conducting to the surrender of theinsolent and wicked race and name of MacGregor, notorious commonmalefactors, and in the in-bringing of MacGregor, with a great many ofthe leading men of the clan, worthily executed to death for theiroffences, is thankfully acknowledged by an Act of Parliament, 1607, chap. 16, and rewarded with a grant of twenty chalders of victual out of thelands of Kintire. 

The MacGregors, notwithstanding the letters of fire and sword, and ordersfor military execution repeatedly directed against them by the Scottishlegislature, who apparently lost all the calmness of conscious dignityand security, and could not even name the outlawed clan withoutvituperation, showed no inclination to be blotted out of the roll ofclanship. They submitted to the law, indeed, so far as to take the namesof the neighbouring families amongst whom they happened to live, nominally becoming, as the case might render it most convenient, Drummonds, Campbells, Grahams, Buchanans, Stewarts, and the like; but toall intents and purposes of combination and mutual attachment, theyremained the clan Gregor, united together for right or wrong, andmenacing with the general vengeance of their race, all who committedaggressions against any individual of their number. 

They continued to take and give offence with as little hesitation asbefore the legislative dispersion which had been attempted, as appearsfrom the preamble to statute 1633, chapter 30, setting forth, that theclan Gregor, which had been suppressed and reduced to quietness by thegreat care of the late King James of eternal memory, had neverthelessbroken out again, in the counties of Perth, Stirling, Clackmannan, Monteith, Lennox, Angus, and Mearns; for which reason the statutere-establishes the disabilities attached to the clan, and, grants a newcommission for enforcing the laws against that wicked and rebelliousrace. 

Notwithstanding the extreme severities of King James I. And Charles I. Against this unfortunate people, who were rendered furious byproscription, and then punished for yielding to the passions which hadbeen wilfully irritated, the MacGregors to a man attached themselvesduring the civil war to the cause of the latter monarch. Their bards haveascribed this to the native respect of the MacGregors for the crown ofScotland, which their ancestors once wore, and have appealed to theirarmorial bearings, which display a pine-tree crossed saltire wise with anaked sword, the point of which supports a royal crown. But, withoutdenying that such motives may have had their weight, we are disposed tothink, that a war which opened the low country to the raids of the clanGregor would have more charms for them than any inducement to espouse thecause of the Covenanters, which would have brought them into contact withHighlanders as fierce as themselves, and having as little to lose. Patrick MacGregor, their leader, was the son of a distinguished chief, named Duncan Abbarach, to whom Montrose wrote letters as to his trustyand special friend, expressing his reliance on his devoted loyalty, withan assurance, that when once his Majesty's affairs were placed upon apermanent footing, the grievances of the clan MacGregor should beredressed. 

At a subsequent period of these melancholy times, we find the clan Gregorclaiming the immunities of other tribes, when summoned by the ScottishParliament to resist the invasion of the Commonwealth's army, in 1651. Onthe last day of March in that year, a supplication to the King andParliament, from Calum MacCondachie Vich Euen, and Euen MacCondachieEuen, in their own name, and that of the whole name of MacGregor, setforth, that while, in obedience to the orders of Parliament, enjoiningall clans to come out in the present service under their chieftains, forthe defence of religion, king, and kingdoms, the petitioners were drawingtheir men to guard the passes at the head of the river Forth, they wereinterfered with by the Earl of Athole and the Laird of Buchanan, who hadrequired the attendance of many of the clan Gregor upon their arrays. This interference was, doubtless, owing to the change of name, whichseems to have given rise to the claim of the Earl of Athole and the Lairdof Buchanan to muster the MacGregors under their banners, as Murrays orBuchanans. It does not appear that the petition of the MacGregors, to bepermitted to come out in a body, as other clans, received any answer. Butupon the Restoration, King Charles, in the first Scottish Parliament ofhis reign (statute 1661, chap. 195), annulled the various acts againstthe clan Gregor, and restored them to the full use of their family name, and the other privileges of liege subjects, setting forth, as a reasonfor this lenity, that those who were formerly designed MacGregors had, during the late troubles, conducted themselves with such loyalty andaffection to his Majesty, as might justly wipe off all memory of formermiscarriages, and take away all marks of reproach for the same. 

It is singular enough, that it seems to have aggravated the feelings ofthe non-conforming Presbyterians, when the penalties which were mostunjustly imposed upon themselves were relaxed towards the poorMacGregors;--so little are the best men, any more than the worst, able tojudge with impartiality of the same measures, as applied to themselves, or to others. Upon the Restoration, an influence inimical to thisunfortunate clan, said to be the same with that which afterwards dictatedthe massacre of Glencoe, occasioned the re-enaction of the penal statutesagainst the MacGregors. There are no reasons given why these highly penalacts should have been renewed; nor is it alleged that the clan had beenguilty of late irregularities. Indeed, there is some reason to think thatthe clause was formed of set purpose, in a shape which should eludeobservation; for, though containing conclusions fatal to the rights of somany Scottish subjects, it is neither mentioned in the title nor therubric of the Act of Parliament in which it occurs, and is thrown brieflyin at the close of the statute 1693, chap. 61, entitled, an Act for theJusticiary in the Highlands. 

It does not, however, appear that after the Revolution the acts againstthe clan were severely enforced; and in the latter half of the eighteenthcentury, they were not enforced at all. Commissioners of supply werenamed in Parliament by the proscribed title of MacGregor, and decrees ofcourts of justice were pronounced, and legal deeds entered into, underthe same appellative. The MacGregors, however, while the laws continuedin the statute-book, still suffered under the deprivation of the namewhich was their birthright, and some attempts were made for the purposeof adopting another, MacAlpine or Grant being proposed as the title ofthe whole clan in future. No agreement, however, could be entered into;and the evil was submitted to as a matter of necessity, until fullredress was obtained from the British Parliament, by an act abolishingfor ever the penal statutes which had been so long imposed upon thisancient race. This statute, well merited by the services of many agentleman of the clan in behalf of their King and country, was passed, and the clan proceeded to act upon it with the same spirit of ancienttimes, which had made them suffer severely under a deprivation that wouldhave been deemed of little consequence by a great part of theirfellow-subjects. 

They entered into a deed recognising John Murray of Lanrick, Esq. (afterwards Sir John MacGregor, Baronet), representative of the family ofGlencarnock, as lawfully descended from the ancient stock and blood ofthe Lairds and Lords of MacGregor, and therefore acknowledged him astheir chief on all lawful occasions and causes whatsoever. The deed wassubscribed by eight hundred and twenty-six persons of the name ofMacGregor, capable of bearing arms. A great many of the clan during thelast war formed themselves into what was called the Clan Alpine Regiment, raised in 1799, under the command of their Chief and his brother ColonelMacGregor. 

Having briefly noticed the history of this clan, which presents a rareand interesting example of the indelible character of the patriarchalsystem, the author must now offer some notices of the individual whogives name to these volumes. 

In giving an account of a Highlander, his pedigree is first to beconsidered. That of Rob Roy was deduced from Ciar Mhor, the greatmouse-coloured man, who is accused by tradition of having slain the youngstudents at the battle of Glenfruin. 

Without puzzling ourselves and our readers with the intricacies ofHighland genealogy, it is enough to say, that after the death of AllasterMacGregor of Glenstrae, the clan, discouraged by the unremittingpersecution of their enemies, seem not to have had the means of placingthemselves under the command of a single chief. According to their placesof residence and immediate descent, the several families were led anddirected by _Chieftains, _ which, in the Highland acceptation, signifiesthe head of a particular branch of a tribe, in opposition to _Chief, _ whois the leader and commander of the whole name. 

The family and descendants of Dugald Ciar Mhor lived chiefly in themountains between Loch Lomond and Loch Katrine, and occupied a good dealof property there--whether by sufferance, by the right of the sword, which it was never safe to dispute with them, or by legal titles ofvarious kinds, it would be useless to inquire and unnecessary to detail. Enough;--there they certainly were--a people whom their most powerfulneighbours were desirous to conciliate, their friendship in peace beingvery necessary to the quiet of the vicinage, and their assistance in warequally prompt and effectual. 

Rob Roy MacGregor Campbell, which last name he bore in consequence of theActs of Parliament abolishing his own, was the younger son of DonaldMacGregor of Glengyle, said to have been a Lieutenant-Colonel (probablyin the service of James II. ), by his wife, a daughter of Campbell ofGlenfalloch. Rob's own designation was of Inversnaid; but he appears tohave acquired a right of some kind or other to the property or possessionof Craig Royston, a domain of rock and forest, lying on the east side ofLoch Lomond, where that beautiful lake stretches into the dusky mountainsof Glenfalloch. 

The time of his birth is uncertain. But he is said to have been active inthe scenes of war and plunder which succeeded the Revolution; andtradition affirms him to have been the leader in a predatory incursioninto the parish of Kippen, in the Lennox, which took place in the year1691. It was of almost a bloodless character, only one person losing hislife; but from the extent of the depredation, it was long distinguishedby the name of the Her'-ship, or devastation, of Kippen. * The time of hisdeath is also uncertain, but as he is said to have survived the year1733, and died an aged man, it is probable he may have been twenty-fiveabout the time of the Her'-ship of Kippen, which would assign his birthto the middle of the 17th century. 

* See _Statistcal Account of Scotland, _ 1st edition, vol. Xviii. P. 332. Parish of * Kippen. 

In the more quiet times which succeeded the Revolution, Rob Roy, or RedRobert, seems to have exerted his active talents, which were of no meanorder, as a drover, or trader in cattle, to a great extent. It may wellbe supposed that in those days no Lowland, much less English drovers, ventured to enter the Highlands. The cattle, which were the staplecommodity of the mountains, were escorted down to fairs, on the bordersof the Lowlands, by a party of Highlanders, with their arms rattlingaround them; and who dealt, however, in all honour and good faith withtheir Southern customers. A fray, indeed, would sometimes arise, when theLowlandmen, chiefly Borderers, who had to supply the English market, usedto dip their bonnets in the next brook, and wrapping them round theirhands, oppose their cudgels to the naked broadswords, which had notalways the superiority. I have heard from aged persons who had beenengaged in such affrays, that the Highlanders used remarkably fair play, never using the point of the sword, far less their pistols or daggers; sothat

 With many a stiff thwack and many a bang, Hard crabtree and cold iron rang. 

A slash or two, or a broken head, was easily accommodated, and as thetrade was of benefit to both parties, trifling skirmishes were notallowed to interrupt its harmony. Indeed it was of vital interest to theHighlanders, whose income, so far as derived from their estates, dependedentirely on the sale of black cattle; and a sagacious and experienceddealer benefited not only himself, but his friends and neighbours, by hisspeculations. Those of Rob Roy were for several years so successful as toinspire general confidence, and raise him in the estimation of thecountry in which he resided. 

His importance was increased by the death of his father, in consequenceof which he succeeded to the management of his nephew Gregor MacGregor ofGlengyle's property, and, as his tutor, to such influence with the clanand following as was due to the representative of Dugald Ciar. Suchinfluence was the more uncontrolled, that this family of the MacGregorsseemed to have refused adherence to MacGregor of Glencarnock, theancestor of the present Sir Ewan MacGregor, and asserted a kind ofindependence. 

It was at this time that Rob Roy acquired an interest by purchase, wadset, or otherwise, to the property of Craig Royston already mentioned. He was in particular favour, during this prosperous period of his life, with his nearest and most powerful neighbour, James, first Duke ofMontrose, from whom he received many marks of regard. His Grace consentedto give his nephew and himself a right of property on the estates ofGlengyle and Inversnaid, which they had till then only held as kindlytenants. The Duke also, with a view to the interest of the country andhis own estate, supported our adventurer by loans of money to aconsiderable amount, to enable him to carry on his speculations in thecattle trade. 

Unfortunately that species of commerce was and is liable to suddenfluctuations; and Rob Roy was, by a sudden depression of markets, and, asa friendly tradition adds, by the bad faith of a partner named MacDonald, whom he had imprudently received into his confidence, and intrusted witha considerable sum of money, rendered totally insolvent. He absconded, ofcourse--not empty-handed, if it be true, as stated in an advertisementfor his apprehension, that he had in his possession sums to the amount ofL1000 sterling, obtained from several noblemen and gentlemen underpretence of purchasing cows for them in the Highlands. This advertisementappeared in June 1712, and was several times repeated. It fixes theperiod when Rob Roy exchanged his commercial adventures for speculationsof a very different complexion. *

* See Appendix, No. I. 

He appears at this period first to have removed from his ordinarydwelling at Inversnaid, ten or twelve Scots miles (which is double thenumber of English) farther into the Highlands, and commenced the lawlesssort of life which he afterwards followed. The Duke of Montrose, whoconceived himself deceived and cheated by MacGregor's conduct, employedlegal means to recover the money lent to him. Rob Roy's landed propertywas attached by the regular form of legal procedure, and his stock andfurniture made the subject of arrest and sale. 

It is said that this diligence of the law, as it is called in Scotland, which the English more bluntly term distress, was used in this case withuncommon severity, and that the legal satellites, not usually thegentlest persons in the world, had insulted MacGregor's wife, in a mannerwhich would have aroused a milder man than he to thoughts of unboundedvengeance. She was a woman of fierce and haughty temper, and is notunlikely to have disturbed the officers in the execution of their duty, and thus to have incurred ill treatment, though, for the sake ofhumanity, it is to be hoped that the story sometimes told is a popularexaggeration. It is certain that she felt extreme anguish at beingexpelled from the banks of Loch Lomond, and gave vent to her feelings ina fine piece of pipe-music, still well known to amateurs by the name of"Rob Roy's Lament. "

The fugitive is thought to have found his first place of refuge in GlenDochart, under the Earl of Breadalbane's protection; for, though thatfamily had been active agents in the destruction of the MacGregors informer times, they had of late years sheltered a great many of the namein their old possessions. The Duke of Argyle was also one of Rob Roy'sprotectors, so far as to afford him, according to the Highland phrase, wood and water--the shelter, namely, that is afforded by the forests andlakes of an inaccessible country. 

The great men of the Highlands in that time, besides being anxiouslyambitious to keep up what was called their Following, or militaryretainers, were also desirous to have at their disposal men of resolutecharacter, to whom the world and the world's law were no friends, and whomight at times ravage the lands or destroy the tenants of a feudal enemy, without bringing responsibility on their patrons. The strife between thenames of Campbell and Graham, during the civil wars of the seventeenthcentury, had been stamped with mutual loss and inveterate enmity. Thedeath of the great Marquis of Montrose on the one side, the defeat atInverlochy, and cruel plundering of Lorn, on the other, were reciprocalinjuries not likely to be forgotten. Rob Roy was, therefore, sure ofrefuge in the country of the Campbells, both as having assumed theirname, as connected by his mother with the family of Glenfalloch, and asan enemy to the rival house of Montrose. The extent of Argyle'spossessions, and the power of retreating thither in any emergency, gavegreat encouragement to the bold schemes of revenge which he had adopted. 

This was nothing short of the maintenance of a predatory war against theDuke of Montrose, whom he considered as the author of his exclusion fromcivil society, and of the outlawry to which he had been sentenced byletters of horning and caption (legal writs so called), as well as theseizure of his goods, and adjudication of his landed property. Againsthis Grace, therefore, his tenants, friends, allies, and relatives, hedisposed himself to employ every means of annoyance in his power; andthough this was a circle sufficiently extensive for active depredation, Rob, who professed himself a Jacobite, took the liberty of extending hissphere of operations against all whom he chose to consider as friendly tothe revolutionary government, or to that most obnoxious of measures--theUnion of the Kingdoms. Under one or other of these pretexts, all hisneighbours of the Lowlands who had anything to lose, or were unwilling tocompound for security by paying him an annual sum for protection orforbearance, were exposed to his ravages. 

The country in which this private warfare, or system of depredation, wasto be carried on, was, until opened up by roads, in the highest degreefavourable for his purpose. It was broken up into narrow valleys, thehabitable part of which bore no proportion to the huge wildernesses offorest, rocks, and precipices by which they were encircled, and whichwas, moreover, full of inextricable passes, morasses, and naturalstrengths, unknown to any but the inhabitants themselves, where a few menacquainted with the ground were capable, with ordinary address, ofbaffling the pursuit of numbers. 

The opinions and habits of the nearest neighbours to the Highland linewere also highly favourable to Rob Roy's purpose. A large proportion ofthem were of his own clan of MacGregor, who claimed the property ofBalquhidder, and other Highland districts, as having been part of theancient possessions of their tribe; though the harsh laws, under theseverity of which they had suffered so deeply, had assigned the ownershipto other families. The civil wars of the seventeenth century hadaccustomed these men to the use of arms, and they were peculiarly braveand fierce from remembrance of their sufferings. The vicinity of acomparatively rich Lowland district gave also great temptations toincursion. Many belonging to other clans, habituated to contempt ofindustry, and to the use of arms, drew towards an unprotected frontierwhich promised facility of plunder; and the state of the country, now sopeaceable and quiet, verified at that time the opinion which Dr. Johnsonheard with doubt and suspicion, that the most disorderly and lawlessdistricts of the Highlands were those which lay nearest to the Lowlandline. There was, therefore, no difficulty in Rob Roy, descended of atribe which was widely dispersed in the country we have described, collecting any number of followers whom he might be able to keep inaction, and to maintain by his proposed operations. 

He himself appears to have been singularly adapted for the professionwhich he proposed to exercise. His stature was not of the tallest, buthis person was uncommonly strong and compact. The greatest peculiaritiesof his frame were the breadth of his shoulders, and the great and almostdisproportionate length of his arms; so remarkable, indeed, that it wassaid he could, without stooping, tie the garters of his Highland hose, which are placed two inches below the knee. His countenance was open, manly, stern at periods of danger, but frank and cheerful in his hours offestivity. His hair was dark red, thick, and frizzled, and curled shortaround the face. His fashion of dress showed, of course, the knees andupper part of the leg, which was described to me, as resembling that of aHighland bull, hirsute, with red hair, and evincing muscular strengthsimilar to that animal. To these personal qualifications must be added amasterly use of the Highland sword, in which his length of arm gave himgreat advantage--and a perfect and intimate knowledge of all the recessesof the wild country in which he harboured, and the character of thevarious individuals, whether friendly or hostile, with whom he might comein contact. 

His mental qualities seem to have been no less adapted to thecircumstances in which he was placed. Though the descendant of theblood-thirsty Ciar Mhor, he inherited none of his ancestor's ferocity. Onthe contrary, Rob Roy avoided every appearance of cruelty, and it is notaverred that he was ever the means of unnecessary bloodshed, or the actorin any deed which could lead the way to it. His schemes of plunder werecontrived and executed with equal boldness and sagacity, and were almostuniversally successful, from the skill with which they were laid, and thesecrecy and rapidity with which they were executed. Like Robin Hood ofEngland, he was a kind and gentle robber, --and, while he took from therich, was liberal in relieving the poor. This might in part be policy;but the universal tradition of the country speaks it to have arisen froma better motive. All whom I have conversed with, and I have in my youthseen some who knew Rob Roy personally, give him the character of abenevolent and humane man "in his way. "

His ideas of morality were those of an Arab chief, being such asnaturally arose out of his wild education. Supposing Rob Roy to haveargued on the tendency of the life which he pursued, whether from choiceor from necessity, he would doubtless have assumed to himself thecharacter of a brave man, who, deprived of his natural rights by thepartiality of laws, endeavoured to assert them by the strong hand ofnatural power; and he is most felicitously described as reasoning thus, in the high-toned poetry of my gifted friend Wordsworth:

 Say, then, that he was wise as brave, As wise in thought as bold in deed; For in the principles of things _He_ sought his moral creed. 

 Said generous Rob, "What need of Books? Burn all the statutes and their shelves! They stir us up against our kind, And worse, against ourselves. 

 "We have a passion, make a law, Too false to guide us or control; And for the law itself we fight In bitterness of soul. 

 "And puzzled, blinded, then we lose Distinctions that are plain and few; These find I graven on my heart, That tells me what to do. 

 "The creatures see of flood and field, And those that travel on the wind With them no strife can last; they live In peace, and peace of mind. 

 "For why? Because the good old rule Sufficeth them; the simple plan, That they should take who have the power, And they should keep who can. 

 "A lesson which is quickly learn'd, A signal through which all can see; Thus, nothing here provokes the strong To wanton cruelty. 

 "And freakishness of mind is check'd, He tamed who foolishly aspires, While to the measure of his might Each fashions his desires. 

 "All kinds and creatures stand and fall By strength of prowess or of wit; 'Tis God's appointment who must sway, And who is to submit. 

 "Since then, " said Robin, "right is plain, And longest life is but a day, To have my ends, maintain my rights, I'll take the shortest way. "

 And thus among these rocks he lived, Through summer's heat and winter's snow

 The eagle, he was lord above, And Rob was lord below. 

We are not, however, to suppose the character of this distinguishedoutlaw to be that of an actual hero, acting uniformly and consistently onsuch moral principles as the illustrious bard who, standing by his grave, has vindicated his fame. On the contrary, as is common with barbarouschiefs, Rob Roy appears to have mixed his professions of principle with alarge alloy of craft and dissimulation, of which his conduct during thecivil war is sufficient proof. It is also said, and truly, that althoughhis courtesy was one of his strongest characteristics, yet sometimes heassumed an arrogance of manner which was not easily endured by thehigh-spirited men to whom it was addressed, and drew the daring outlawinto frequent disputes, from which he did not always come off withcredit. From this it has been inferred, that Rob Roy w as more of a bullythan a hero, or at least that he had, according to the common phrase, hisfighting days. Some aged men who knew him well, have described him alsoas better at a _taich-tulzie, _ or scuffle within doors, than in mortalcombat. The tenor of his life may be quoted to repel this charge; while, at the same time, it must be allowed, that the situation in which he wasplaced rendered him prudently averse to maintaining quarrels, wherenothing was to be had save blows, and where success would have raised upagainst him new and powerful enemies, in a country where revenge wasstill considered as a duty rather than a crime. The power of commandinghis passions on such occasions, far from being inconsistent with the partwhich MacGregor had to perform, was essentially necessary, at the periodwhen he lived, to prevent his career from being cut short. 

I may here mention one or two occasions on which Rob Roy appears to havegiven way in the manner alluded to. My late venerable friend, John Ramsayof Ochtertyre, alike eminent as a classical scholar and as an authenticregister of the ancient history and manners of Scotland, informed me, that on occasion of a public meeting at a bonfire in the town of Doune, Rob Roy gave some offence to James Edmondstone of Newton, the samegentleman who was unfortunately concerned in the slaughter of Lord Rollo(see Maclaurin's Criminal Trials, No. IX. ), when Edmondstone compelledMacGregor to quit the town on pain of being thrown by him into thebonfire. "I broke one off your ribs on a former occasion, " said he, "andnow, Rob, if you provoke me farther, I will break your neck. " But it mustbe remembered that Edmondstone was a man of consequence in the Jacobiteparty, as he carried the royal standard of James VII. At the battle ofSheriffmuir, and also, that he was near the door of his ownmansion-house, and probably surrounded by his friends and adherents. RobRoy, however, suffered in reputation for retiring under such a threat. 

Another well-vouched case is that of Cunningham of Boquhan. 

Henry Cunningham, Esq. Of Boquhan, was a gentleman of Stirlingshire, who, like many _exquisites_ of our own time, united a natural high spirit anddaring character with an affectation of delicacy of address and mannersamounting to foppery. *

* His courage and affectation of foppery were united, which is lessfrequently the case, with a spirit of innate modesty. He is thusdescribed in Lord Binning's satirical verses, entitled "Argyle's Levee:"

 "Six times had Harry bowed unseen, Before he dared advance; The Duke then, turning round well pleased, Said, 'Sure you've been in France! A more polite and jaunty man I never saw before:' Then Harry bowed, and blushed, and bowed, And strutted to the door. "

See a Collection of original Poems, by Scotch Gentlemen, vol. Ii. P. 125. 

He chanced to be in company with Rob Roy, who, either in contempt ofBoquhan's supposed effeminacy, or because he thought him a safe person tofix a quarrel on (a point which Rob's enemies alleged he was wont toconsider), insulted him so grossly that a challenge passed between them. The goodwife of the clachan had hidden Cunningham's sword, and while herummaged the house in quest of his own or some other, Rob Roy went to theShieling Hill, the appointed place of combat, and paraded there withgreat majesty, waiting for his antagonist. In the meantime, Cunninghamhad rummaged out an old sword, and, entering the ground of contest in allhaste, rushed on the outlaw with such unexpected fury that he fairlydrove him off the field, nor did he show himself in the village again forsome time. Mr. MacGregor Stirling has a softened account of this anecdotein his new edition of Nimmo's Stirlingshire; still he records Rob Roy'sdiscomfiture. 

Occasionally Rob Roy suffered disasters, and incurred great personaldanger. On one remarkable occasion he was saved by the coolness of hislieutenant, Macanaleister or Fletcher, the _Little John_ of his band--afine active fellow, of course, and celebrated as a marksman. It happenedthat MacGregor and his party had been surprised and dispersed by asuperior force of horse and foot, and the word was given to "split andsquander. " Each shifted for himself, but a bold dragoon attached himselfto pursuit of Rob, and overtaking him, struck at him with his broadsword. A plate of iron in his bonnet saved the MacGregor from being cut down tothe teeth; but the blow was heavy enough to bear him to the ground, crying as he fell, "Oh, Macanaleister, is there naething in her?" (_i. E. _in the gun). The trooper, at the same time, exclaiming, "D--n ye, yourmother never wrought your night-cap!" had his arm raised for a secondblow, when Macanaleister fired, and the ball pierced the dragoon's heart. 

Such as he was, Rob Roy's progress in his occupation is thus described bya gentleman of sense and talent, who resided within the circle of hispredatory wars, had probably felt their effects, and speaks of them, asmight be expected, with little of the forbearance with which, from theirpeculiar and romantic character, they are now regarded. 

"This man (Rob Roy MacGregor) was a person of sagacity, and neitherwanted stratagem nor address; and having abandoned himself to alllicentiousness, set himself at the head of all the loose, vagrant, anddesperate people of that clan, in the west end of Perth and Stirlingshires, and infested those whole countries with thefts, robberies, anddepredations. Very few who lived within his reach (that is, within thedistance of a nocturnal expedition) could promise to themselves security, either for their persons or effects, without subjecting themselves to payhim a heavy and shameful tax of _black-mail. _ He at last proceeded tosuch a degree of audaciousness that he committed robberies, raisedcontributions, and resented quarrels, at the head of a very considerablebody of armed men, in open day, and in the face of the government. "*

* Mr. Grahame of Gartmore's Causes of the Disturbances in the Highlands. See Jamieson's edition of Burt's Letters from the North of Scotland, Appendix, vol. Ii. P. 348. 

The extent and success of these depredations cannot be surprising, whenwe consider that the scene of them was laid in a country where thegeneral law was neither enforced nor respected. 

Having recorded that the general habit of cattle-stealing had blindedeven those of the better classes to the infamy of the practice, and thatas men's property consisted entirely in herds, it was rendered in thehighest degree precarious, Mr. Grahame adds--

"On these accounts there is no culture of ground, no improvement ofpastures, and from the same reasons, no manufactures, no trade; in short, no industry. The people are extremely prolific, and therefore sonumerous, that there is not business in that country, according to itspresent order and economy, for the one-half of them. Every place is fullof idle people, accustomed to arms, and lazy in everything but rapinesand depredations. As _buddel_ or _aquavitae_ houses are to be foundeverywhere through the country, so in these they saunter away their time, and frequently consume there the returns of their illegal purchases. Herethe laws have never been executed, nor the authority of the magistrateever established. Here the officer of the law neither dare nor canexecute his duty, and several places are about thirty miles from lawfulpersons. In short, here is no order, no authority, no government. "

The period of the rebellion, 1715, approached soon after Rob Roy hadattained celebrity. His Jacobite partialities were now placed inopposition to his sense of the obligations which he owed to the indirectprotection of the Duke of Argyle. But the desire of "drowning hissounding steps amid the din of general war" induced him to join theforces of the Earl of Mar, although his patron the Duke of Argyle was atthe head of the army opposed to the Highland insurgents. 

The MacGregors, a large sept of them at least, that of Ciar Mhor, on thisoccasion were not commanded by Rob Roy, but by his nephew alreadymentioned, Gregor MacGregor, otherwise called James Grahame of Glengyle, and still better remembered by the Gaelic epithet of _Ghlune Dhu, i. E. _Black Knee, from a black spot on one of his knees, which his Highlandgarb rendered visible. There can be no question, however, that being thenvery young, Glengyle must have acted on most occasions by the advice anddirection of so experienced a leader as his uncle. 

The MacGregors assembled in numbers at that period, and began even tothreaten the Lowlands towards the lower extremity of Loch Lomond. Theysuddenly seized all the boats which were upon the lake, and, probablywith a view to some enterprise of their own, drew them overland toInversnaid, in order to intercept the progress of a large body ofwest-country whigs who were in arms for the government, and moving inthat direction. 

The whigs made an excursion for the recovery of the boats. Their forcesconsisted of volunteers from Paisley, Kilpatrick, and elsewhere, who, with the assistance of a body of seamen, were towed up the river Leven inlong-boats belonging to the ships of war then lying in the Clyde. At Lussthey were joined by the forces of Sir Humphrey Colquhoun, and JamesGrant, his son-in-law, with their followers, attired in the Highlanddress of the period, which is picturesquely described. * The whole partycrossed to Craig-Royston, but the MacGregors did not offer combat. 

* "At night they arrived at Luss, where they were joined by Sir HumphreyColquhoun of Luss, and James Grant of Plascander, his son-in-law, followed by forty or fifty stately fellows in their short hose and beltedplaids, armed each of them with a well-fixed gun on his shoulder, astrong handsome target, with a sharp-pointed steel of above half an ellin length screwed into the navel of it, on his left arm, a sturdyclaymore by his side, and a pistol or two, with a dirk and knife, in hisbelt. "--_Rae's History of the Rebellion, _ 4to, p. 287. 

If we are to believe the account of the expedition given by the historianRae, they leapt on shore at Craig-Royston with the utmost intrepidity, noenemy appearing to oppose them, and by the noise of their drums, whichthey beat incessantly, and the discharge of their artillery and smallarms, terrified the MacGregors, whom they appear never to have seen, outof their fastnesses, and caused them to fly in a panic to the generalcamp of the Highlanders at Strath-Fillan. * The low-country men succeededin getting possession of the boats at a great expenditure of noise andcourage, and little risk of danger. 

* Note C. The Loch Lomond Expedition. 

After this temporary removal from his old haunts, Rob Roy was sent by theEarl of Mar to Aberdeen, to raise, it is believed, a part of the clanGregor, which is settled in that country. These men were of his ownfamily (the race of the Ciar Mhor). They were the descendants of aboutthree hundred MacGregors whom the Earl of Murray, about the year 1624, transported from his estates in Menteith to oppose against his enemiesthe MacIntoshes, a race as hardy and restless as they were themselves. 

But while in the city of Aberdeen, Rob Roy met a relation of a verydifferent class and character from those whom he was sent to summon toarms. This was Dr. James Gregory (by descent a MacGregor), the patriarchof a dynasty of professors distinguished for literary and scientifictalent, and the grandfather of the late eminent physician andaccomplished scholar, Professor Gregory of Edinburgh. This gentleman wasat the time Professor of Medicine in King's College, Aberdeen, and son ofDr. James Gregory, distinguished in science as the inventor of thereflecting telescope. With such a family it may seem our friend Rob couldhave had little communion. But civil war is a species of misery whichintroduces men to strange bed-fellows. Dr. Gregory thought it a point ofprudence to claim kindred, at so critical a period, with a man soformidable and influential. He invited Rob Roy to his house, and treatedhim with so much kindness, that he produced in his generous bosom adegree of gratitude which seemed likely to occasion very inconvenienteffects. 

The Professor had a son about eight or nine years old, --a lively, stoutboy of his age, --with whose appearance our Highland Robin Hood was muchtaken. On the day before his departure from the house of his learnedrelative, Rob Roy, who had pondered deeply how he might requite hiscousin's kindness, took Dr. Gregory aside, and addressed him to thispurport:--"My dear kinsman, I have been thinking what I could do to showmy sense of your hospitality. Now, here you have a fine spirited boy of ason, whom you are ruining by cramming him with your uselessbook-learning, and I am determined, by way of manifesting my greatgood-will to you and yours, to take him with me and make a man of him. "The learned Professor was utterly overwhelmed when his warlike kinsmanannounced his kind purpose in language which implied no doubt of itsbeing a proposal which, would be, and ought to be, accepted with theutmost gratitude. The task of apology or explanation was of a mostdelicate description; and there might have been considerable danger insuffering Rob Roy to perceive that the promotion with which he threatenedthe son was, in the father's eyes, the ready road to the gallows. Indeed, every excuse which he could at first think of--such as regret for puttinghis friend to trouble with a youth who had been educated in the Lowlands, and so on--only strengthened the chieftain's inclination to patronise hisyoung kinsman, as he supposed they arose entirely from the modesty of thefather. He would for a long time take no apology, and even spoke ofcarrying off the youth by a certain degree of kindly violence, whetherhis father consented, or not. At length the perplexed Professor pleadedthat his son was very young, and in an infirm state of health, and notyet able to endure the hardships of a mountain life; but that in anotheryear or two he hoped his health would be firmly established, and he wouldbe in a fitting condition to attend on his brave kinsman, and follow outthe splendid destinies to which he opened the way. This agreement beingmade, the cousins parted, --Rob Roy pledging his honour to carry his youngrelation to the hills with him on his next return to Aberdeenshire, andDr. Gregory, doubtless, praying in his secret soul that he might neversee Rob's Highland face again. 

James Gregory, who thus escaped being his kinsman's recruit, and in allprobability his henchman, was afterwards Professor of Medicine in theCollege, and, like most of his family, distinguished by his scientificacquirements. He was rather of an irritable and pertinacious disposition;and his friends were wont to remark, when he showed any symptom of thesefoibles, "Ah! this comes of not having been educated by Rob Roy. "

The connection between Rob Roy and his classical kinsman did not end withthe period of Rob's transient power. At a period considerably subsequentto the year 1715, he was walking in the Castle Street of Aberdeen, arm inarm with his host, Dr. James Gregory, when the drums in the barrackssuddenly beat to arms, and soldiers were seen issuing from the barracks. "If these lads are turning out, " said Rob, taking leave of his cousinwith great composure, "it is time for me to look after my safety. " Sosaying, he dived down a close, and, as John Bunyan says, "went upon hisway and was seen no more. "*

* The first of these anecdotes, which brings the highest pitch ofcivilisation so closely in contact with the half-savage state ofsociety, I have heard told by the late distinguished Dr. Gregory; and themembers of his family have had the kindness to collate the story withtheir recollections and family documents, and furnish the authenticparticulars. The second rests on the recollection of an old man, who waspresent when Rob took French leave of his literary cousin on hearing thedrums beat, and communicated the circumstance to Mr. Alexander Forbes, aconnection of Dr. Gregory by marriage, who is still alive. 

We have already stated that Rob Roy's conduct during the insurrection of1715 was very equivocal. His person and followers were in the Highlandarmy, but his heart seems to have been with the Duke of Argyle's. Yet theinsurgents were constrained to trust to him as their only guide, whenthey marched from Perth towards Dunblane, with the view of crossing theForth at what are called the Fords of Frew, and when they themselves saidhe could not be relied upon. 

This movement to the westward, on the part of the insurgents, brought onthe battle of Sheriffmuir--indecisive, indeed, in its immediate results, but of which the Duke of Argyle reaped the whole advantage. In thisaction, it will be recollected that the right wing of the Highlandersbroke and cut to pieces Argyle's left wing, while the clans on the leftof Mar's army, though consisting of Stewarts, Mackenzies, and Camerons, were completely routed. During this medley of flight and pursuit, Rob Royretained his station on a hill in the centre of the Highland position;and though it is said his attack might have decided the day, he could notbe prevailed upon to charge. This was the more unfortunate for theinsurgents, as the leading of a party of the Macphersons had beencommitted to MacGregor. This, it is said, was owing to the age andinfirmity of the chief of that name, who, unable to lead his clan inperson, objected to his heir-apparent, Macpherson of Nord, discharginghis duty on that occasion; so that the tribe, or a part of them, werebrigaded with their allies the MacGregors. While the favourable momentfor action was gliding away unemployed, Mar's positive orders reached RobRoy that he should presently attack. To which he coolly replied, "No, no!if they cannot do it without me, they cannot do it with me. " One of theMacphersons, named Alexander, one of Rob's original profession, _videlicet, _ a drover, but a man of great strength and spirit, was soincensed at the inactivity of this temporary leader, that he threw offhis plaid, drew his sword, and called out to his clansmen, "Let us endurethis no longer! if he will not lead you I will. " Rob Roy replied, withgreat coolness, "Were the question about driving Highland stots orkyloes, Sandie, I would yield to your superior skill; but as it respectsthe leading of men, I must be allowed to be the better judge. "--"Did thematter respect driving Glen-Eigas stots, " answered the Macpherson, "thequestion with Rob would not be, which was to be last, but which was to beforemost. " Incensed at this sarcasm, MacGregor drew his sword, and theywould have fought upon the spot if their friends on both sides had notinterfered. But the moment of attack was completely lost. Rob did not, however, neglect his own private interest on the occasion. In theconfusion of an undecided field of battle, he enriched his followers byplundering the baggage and the dead on both sides. 

The fine old satirical ballad on the battle of Sheriffmuir does notforget to stigmatise our hero's conduct on this memorable occasion--

 Rob Roy he stood watch On a hill for to catch The booty for aught that I saw, man; For he ne'er advanced From the place where he stanced, Till nae mair was to do there at a', man. 

Notwithstanding the sort of neutrality which Rob Roy had continued toobserve during the progress of the Rebellion, he did not escape some ofits penalties. He was included in the act of attainder, and the house inBreadalbane, which was his place of retreat, was burned by General LordCadogan, when, after the conclusion of the insurrection, he marchedthrough the Highlands to disarm and punish the offending clans. But upongoing to Inverary with about forty or fifty of his followers, Robobtained favour, by an apparent surrender of their arms to ColonelPatrick Campbell of Finnah, who furnished them and their leader withprotections under his hand. Being thus in a great measure secured fromthe resentment of government, Rob Roy established his residence atCraig-Royston, near Loch Lomond, in the midst of his own kinsmen, andlost no time in resuming his private quarrel with the Duke of Montrose. For this purpose he soon got on foot as many men, and well armed too, ashe had yet commanded. He never stirred without a body-guard of ten ortwelve picked followers, and without much effort could increase them tofifty or sixty. 

The Duke was not wanting in efforts to destroy this troublesomeadversary. His Grace applied to General Carpenter, commanding the forcesin Scotland, and by his orders three parties of soldiers were directedfrom the three different points of Glasgow, Stirling, and Finlarig nearKillin. Mr. Graham of Killearn, the Duke of Montrose's relation andfactor, Sheriff-depute also of Dumbartonshire, accompanied the troops, that they might act under the civil authority, and have the assistance ofa trusty guide well acquainted with the hills. It was the object of theseseveral columns to arrive about the same time in the neighbourhood of RobRoy's residence, and surprise him and his followers. But heavy rains, thedifficulties of the country, and the good intelligence which the Outlawwas always supplied with, disappointed their well-concerted combination. The troops, finding the birds were flown, avenged themselves bydestroying the nest. They burned Rob Roy's house, --though not withimpunity; for the MacGregors, concealed among the thickets and cliffs, fired on them, and killed a grenadier. 

Rob Roy avenged himself for the loss which he sustained on this occasionby an act of singular audacity. About the middle of November 1716, JohnGraham of Killearn, already mentioned as factor of the Montrose family, went to a place called Chapel Errock, where the tenants of the Duke weresummoned to appear with their termly rents. They appeared accordingly, and the factor had received ready money to the amount of about L300, whenRob Roy entered the room at the head of an armed party. The Stewardendeavoured to protect the Duke's property by throwing the books ofaccounts and money into a garret, trusting they might escape notice. Butthe experienced freebooter was not to be baffled where such a prize wasat stake. He recovered the books and cash, placed himself calmly in thereceipt of custom, examined the accounts, pocketed the money, and gavereceipts on the Duke's part, saying he would hold reckoning with the Dukeof Montrose out of the damages which he had sustained by his Grace'smeans, in which he included the losses he had suffered, as well by theburning of his house by General Cadogan, as by the later expeditionagainst Craig-Royston. He then requested Mr. Graham to attend him; nordoes it appear that he treated him with any personal violence, or evenrudeness, although he informed him he regarded him as a hostage, andmenaced rough usage in case he should be pursued, or in danger of beingovertaken. Few more audacious feats have been performed. After some rapidchanges of place (the fatigue attending which was the only annoyance thatMr. Graham seems to have complained of), he carried his prisoner to anisland on Loch Katrine, and caused him to write to the Duke, to statethat his ransom was fixed at L3400 merks, being the balance whichMacGregor pretended remained due to him, after deducting all that he owedto the Duke of Montrose. 

However, after detaining Mr. Graham five or six days in custody on theisland, which is still called Rob Roy's Prison, and could be nocomfortable dwelling for November nights, the Outlaw seems to havedespaired of attaining further advantage from his bold attempt, andsuffered his prisoner to depart uninjured, with the account-books, andbills granted by the tenants, taking especial care to retain the cash. *

* The reader will find two original letters of the Duke of Montrose, withthat which Mr. Graham of Killearn despatched from his prison-house by theOutlaw's command, in the Appendix, No. II. 

About 1717, our Chieftain had the dangerous adventure of falling into thehands of the Duke of Athole, almost as much his enemy as the Duke ofMontrose himself; but his cunning and dexterity again freed him fromcertain death. See a contemporary account of this curious affair in theAppendix, No. V. 

Other pranks are told of Rob, which argue the same boldness and sagacityas the seizure of Killearn. The Duke of Montrose, weary of his insolence, procured a quantity of arms, and distributed them among his tenantry, inorder that they might defend themselves against future violences. Butthey fell into different hands from those they were intended for. TheMacGregors made separate attacks on the houses of the tenants, anddisarmed them all one after another, not, as was supposed, without theconsent of many of the persons so disarmed. 

As a great part of the Duke's rents were payable in kind, there weregirnels (granaries) established for storing up the corn at Moulin, andelsewhere on the Buchanan estate. To these storehouses Rob Roy used torepair with a sufficient force, and of course when he was least expected, and insist upon the delivery of quantities of grain--sometimes for hisown use, and sometimes for the assistance of the country people; alwaysgiving regular receipts in his own name, and pretending to reckon withthe Duke for what sums he received. 

In the meanwhile a garrison was established by Government, the ruins ofwhich may be still seen about half-way betwixt Loch Lomond and LochKatrine, upon Rob Roy's original property of Inversnaid. Even thismilitary establishment could not bridle the restless MacGregor. Hecontrived to surprise the little fort, disarm the soldiers, and destroythe fortification. It was afterwards re-established, and again taken bythe MacGregors under Rob Roy's nephew Ghlune Dhu, previous to theinsurrection of 1745-6. Finally, the fort of Inversnaid was a third timerepaired after the extinction of civil discord; and when we find thecelebrated General Wolfe commanding in it, the imagination is stronglyaffected by the variety of time and events which the circumstance bringssimultaneously to recollection. It is now totally dismantled. *

* About 1792, when the author chanced to pass that way while on a tourthrough the Highlands, a garrison, consisting of a single veteran, wasstill maintained at Inversnaid. The venerable warder was reaping hisbarley croft in all peace and tranquillity and when we asked admittanceto repose ourselves, he told us we would find the key of the Fort underthe door. 

It was not, strictly speaking, as a professed depredator that Rob Roy nowconducted his operations, but as a sort of contractor for the police; inScottish phrase, a lifter of black-mail. The nature of this contract hasbeen described in the Novel of Waverley, and in the notes on that work. Mr. Grahame of Gartmore's description of the character may be heretranscribed:--

"The confusion and disorders of the country were so great, and theGovernment go absolutely neglected it, that the sober people were obligedto purchase some security to their effects by shameful and ignominiouscontracts of _black-mail. _ A person who had the greatest correspondencewith the thieves was agreed with to preserve the lands contracted forfrom thefts, for certain sums to be paid yearly. Upon this fund heemployed one half of the thieves to recover stolen cattle, and the otherhalf of them to steal, in order to make this agreement and black-mailcontract necessary. The estates of those gentlemen who refused tocontract, or give countenance to that pernicious practice, are plunderedby the thieving part of the watch, in order to force them to purchasetheir protection. Their leader calls himself the _Captain_ of the_Watch, _ and his banditti go by that name. And as this gives them a kindof authority to traverse the country, so it makes them capable of doingany mischief. These corps through the Highlands make altogether a veryconsiderable body of men, inured from their infancy to the greatestfatigues, and very capable, to act in a military way when occasionoffers. 

"People who are ignorant and enthusiastic, who are in absolute dependenceupon their chief or landlord, who are directed in their consciences byRoman Catholic priests, or nonjuring clergymen, and who are not mastersof any property, may easily be formed into any mould. They fear nodangers, as they have nothing to lose, and so can with ease be induced toattempt anything. Nothing can make their condition worse: confusions andtroubles do commonly indulge them in such licentiousness, that by thesethey better it. "*

* Letters from the North of Scotland, vol. Ii. Pp. 344, 345. 

As the practice of contracting for black-mail was an obviousencouragement to rapine, and a great obstacle to the course of justice, it was, by the statute 1567, chap. 21, declared a capital crime both onthe part of him who levied and him who paid this sort of tax. But thenecessity of the case prevented the execution of this severe law, Ibelieve, in any one instance; and men went on submitting to a certainunlawful imposition rather than run the risk of utter ruin--just as it isnow found difficult or impossible to prevent those who have lost a verylarge sum of money by robbery, from compounding with the felons forrestoration of a part of their booty. 

At what rate Rob Roy levied black-mail I never heard stated; but there isa formal contract by which his nephew, in 1741, agreed with variouslandholders of estates in the counties of Perth, Stirling, and Dumbarton, to recover cattle stolen from them, or to pay the value within six monthsof the loss being intimated, if such intimation were made to him withsufficient despatch, in consideration of a payment of L5 on each L100 ofvalued rent, which was not a very heavy insurance. Petty thefts were notincluded in the contract; but the theft of one horse, or one head ofblack cattle, or of sheep exceeding the number of six, fell under theagreement. 

Rob Roy's profits upon such contracts brought him in a considerablerevenue in money or cattle, of which he made a popular use; for he waspublicly liberal as well as privately beneficent. The minister of theparish of Balquhidder, whose name was Robertson, was at one timethreatening to pursue the parish for an augmentation of his stipend. RobRoy took an opportunity to assure him that he would do well to abstainfrom this new exaction--a hint which the minister did not fail tounderstand. But to make him some indemnification, MacGregor presented himevery year with a cow and a fat sheep; and no scruples as to the mode inwhich the donor came by them are said to have affected the reverendgentleman's conscience. 

The following amount of the proceedings of Rob Roy, on an application tohim from one of his contractors, had in it something very interesting tome, as told by an old countryman in the Lennox who was present on theexpedition. But as there is no point or marked incident in the story, andas it must necessarily be without the half-frightened, half-bewilderedlook with which the narrator accompanied his recollections, it maypossibly lose, its effect when transferred to paper. 

My informant stated himself to have been a lad of fifteen, living withhis father on the estate of a gentleman in the Lennox, whose name I haveforgotten, in the capacity of herd. On a fine morning in the end ofOctober, the period when such calamities were almost always to beapprehended, they found the Highland thieves had been down upon them, andswept away ten or twelve head of cattle. Rob Roy was sent for, and camewith a party of seven or eight armed men. He heard with great gravity allthat could be told him of the circumstances of the _creagh, _ andexpressed his confidence that the _herd-widdiefows_* could not havecarried their booty far, and that he should be able to recover them. 

* Mad herdsmen--a name given to cattle-stealers [properly one whodeserves to fill a _widdie, _ or halter]. 

He desired that two Lowlanders should be sent on the party, as it was notto be expected that any of his gentlemen would take the trouble ofdriving the cattle when he should recover possession of them. Myinformant and his father were despatched on the expedition. They had nogood will to the journey; nevertheless, provided with a little food, andwith a dog to help them to manage the cattle, they set off withMacGregor. They travelled a long day's journey in the direction of themountain Benvoirlich, and slept for the night in a ruinous hut or bothy. The next morning they resumed their journey among the hills, Rob Roydirecting their course by signs and marks on the heath which my informantdid not understand. 

About noon Rob commanded the armed party to halt, and to lie couched inthe heather where it was thickest. "Do you and your son, " he said to theoldest Lowlander, "go boldly over the hill;--you will see beneath you, ina glen on the other side, your master's cattle, feeding, it may be, withothers; gather your own together, taking care to disturb no one else, anddrive them to this place. If any one speak to or threaten you, tell themthat I am here, at the head of twenty men. "--"But what if they abuse us, or kill us?" said the Lowland, peasant, by no means delighted at findingthe embassy imposed on him and his son. "If they do you any wrong, " saidRob, "I will never forgive them as long as I live. " The Lowlander was byno means content with this security, but did not think it safe to disputeRob's injunctions. 

[Illustration: Cattle Lifting--000]

He and his son climbed the hill therefore, found a deep valley, wherethere grazed, as Rob had predicted, a large herd of cattle. Theycautiously selected those which their master had lost, and took measuresto drive them over the hill. As soon as they began to remove them, theywere surprised by hearing cries and screams; and looking around in fearand trembling they saw a woman seeming to have started out of the earth, who _flyted_ at them, that is, scolded them, in Gaelic. When theycontrived, however, in the best Gaelic they could muster, to deliver themessage Rob Roy told them, she became silent, and disappeared withoutoffering them any further annoyance. The chief heard their story on theirreturn, and spoke with great complacency of the art which he possessed ofputting such things to rights without any unpleasant bustle. The partywere now on their road home, and the danger, though not the fatigue, ofthe expedition was at an end. 

They drove on the cattle with little repose until it was nearly dark, when Rob proposed to halt for the night upon a wide moor, across which acold north-east wind, with frost on its wing, was whistling to the tuneof the Pipers of Strath-Dearn. *

* The winds which sweep a wild glen in Badenoch are so called. 

The Highlanders, sheltered by their plaids, lay down on the heathcomfortably enough, but the Lowlanders had no protection whatever. RobRoy observing this, directed one of his followers to afford the old man aportion of his plaid; "for the callant (boy), he may, " said thefreebooter, "keep himself warm by walking about and watching the cattle. "My informant heard this sentence with no small distress; and as the frostwind grew more and more cutting, it seemed to freeze the very blood inhis young veins. He had been exposed to weather all his life, he said, but never could forget the cold of that night; insomuch that, in thebitterness of his heart, he cursed the bright moon for giving no heatwith so much light. At length the sense of cold and weariness became sointolerable that he resolved to desert his watch to seek some repose andshelter. With that purpose he couched himself down behind one of the mostbulky of the Highlanders, who acted as lieutenant to the party. Notsatisfied with having secured the shelter of the man's large person, hecoveted a share of his plaid, and by imperceptible degrees drew a cornerof it round him. He was now comparatively in paradise, and slept soundtill daybreak, when he awoke, and was terribly afraid on observing thathis nocturnal operations had altogether uncovered the dhuiniewassell'sneck and shoulders, which, lacking the plaid which should have protectedthem, were covered with _cranreuch_ (_i. E. _ hoar frost). The lad rose ingreat dread of a beating, at least, when it should be found howluxuriously he had been accommodated at the expense of a principal personof the party. Good Mr. Lieutenant, however, got up and shook himself, rubbing off the hoar frost with his plaid, and muttering something of a_cauld neight. _ They then drove on the cattle, which were restored totheir owner without farther adventure--The above can hardly be termed atale, but yet it contains materials both for the poet and artist. 

It was perhaps about the same time that, by a rapid march into theBalquhidder hills at the head of a body of his own tenantry, the Duke ofMontrose actually surprised Rob Roy, and made him prisoner. He wasmounted behind one of the Duke's followers, named James Stewart, and madefast to him by a horse-girth. The person who had him thus in charge wasgrandfather of the intelligent man of the same name, now deceased, wholately kept the inn in the vicinity of Loch Katrine, and acted as a guideto visitors through that beautiful scenery. From him I learned the storymany years before he was either a publican, or a guide, except tomoorfowl shooters. --It was evening (to resume the story), and the Dukewas pressing on to lodge his prisoner, so long sought after in vain, insome place of security, when, in crossing the Teith or Forth, I forgetwhich, MacGregor took an opportunity to conjure Stewart, by all the tiesof old acquaintance and good neighbourhood, to give him some chance of anescape from an assured doom. Stewart was moved with compassion, perhapswith fear. He slipt the girth-buckle, and Rob, dropping down from behindthe horse's croupe, dived, swam, and escaped, pretty much as described inthe Novel. When James Stewart came on shore, the Duke hastily demandedwhere his prisoner was; and as no distinct answer was returned, instantlysuspected Stewart's connivance at the escape of the Outlaw; and, drawinga steel pistol from his belt, struck him down with a blow on the head, from the effects of which, his descendant said, he never completelyrecovered. 

In the success of his repeated escapes from the pursuit of his powerfulenemy, Rob Roy at length became wanton and facetious. He wrote a mockchallenge to the Duke, which he circulated among his friends to amusethem over a bottle. The reader will find this document in the Appendix. *It is written in a good hand, and not particularly deficient in grammaror spelling. 

* Appendix, No. III. 

Our Southern readers must be given to understand that it was a piece ofhumour, --a _quiz, _ in short, --on the part of the Outlaw, who was toosagacious to propose such a rencontre in reality. This letter was writtenin the year 1719. 

In the following year Rob Roy composed another epistle, very little tohis own reputation, as he therein confesses having played booty duringthe civil war of 1715. It is addressed to General Wade, at that timeengaged in disarming the Highland clans, and making military roadsthrough the country. The letter is a singular composition. It sets outthe writer's real and unfeigned desire to have offered his service toKing George, but for his liability to be thrown into jail for a civildebt, at the instance of the Duke of Montrose. Being thus debarred fromtaking the right side, he acknowledged he embraced the wrong one, uponFalstaff's principle, that since the King wanted men and the rebelssoldiers, it were worse shame to be idle in such a stirring world, thanto embrace the worst side, were it as black as rebellion could make it. The impossibility of his being neutral in such a debate, Rob seems to laydown as an undeniable proposition. At the same time, while heacknowledges having been forced into an unnatural rebellion against KingGeorge, he pleads that he not only avoided acting offensively against hisMajesty's forces on all occasions, but, on the contrary, sent to themwhat intelligence he could collect from time to time; for the truth ofwhich he refers to his Grace the Duke of Argyle. What influence this pleahad on General Wade, we have no means of knowing. 

Rob Roy appears to have continued to live very much as usual. His fame, in the meanwhile, passed beyond the narrow limits of the country in whichhe resided. A pretended history of him appeared in London during hislifetime, under the title of the Highland Rogue. It is a catch-pennypublication, bearing in front the effigy of a species of ogre, with abeard of a foot in length; and his actions are as much exaggerated as hispersonal appearance. Some few of the best known adventures of the heroare told, though with little accuracy; but the greater part of thepamphlet is entirely fictitious. It is great pity so excellent a themefor a narrative of the kind had not fallen into the hands of De Foe, whowas engaged at the time on subjects somewhat similar, though inferior indignity and interest. 

As Rob Roy advanced in years, he became more peaceable in his habits, andhis nephew Ghlune Dhu, with most of his tribe, renounced those peculiarquarrels with the Duke of Montrose, by which his uncle had beendistinguished. The policy of that great family had latterly been ratherto attach this wild tribe by kindness than to follow the mode of violencewhich had been hitherto ineffectually resorted to. Leases at a low rentwere granted to many of the MacGregors, who had heretofore heldpossessions in the Duke's Highland property merely by occupancy; andGlengyle (or Black-knee), who continued to act as collector ofblack-mail, managed his police, as a commander of the Highland watcharrayed at the charge of Government. He is said to have strictlyabstained from the open and lawless depredations which his kinsman hadpractised, It was probably after this state of temporary quiet had been obtained, that Rob Roy began to think of the concerns of his future state. He hadbeen bred, and long professed himself, a Protestant; but in his lateryears he embraced the Roman Catholic faith, --perhaps on Mrs. Cole'sprinciple, that it was a comfortable religion for one of his calling. Heis said to have alleged as the cause of his conversion, a desire togratify the noble family of Perth, who were then strict Catholics. Having, as he observed, assumed the name of the Duke of Argyle, his firstprotector, he could pay no compliment worth the Earl of Perth'sacceptance save complying with his mode of religion. Rob did not pretend, when pressed closely on the subject, to justify all the tenets ofCatholicism, and acknowledged that extreme unction always appeared to hima great waste of _ulzie, _ or oil. *

* Such an admission is ascribed to the robber Donald Bean Lean inWaverley, chap. Lxii, In the last years of Rob Roy's life, his clan was involved in a disputewith one more powerful than themselves. Stewart of Appin, a chief of thetribe so named, was proprietor of a hill-farm in the Braes ofBalquhidder, called Invernenty. The MacGregors of Rob Roy's tribe claimeda right to it by ancient occupancy, and declared they would oppose to theuttermost the settlement of any person upon the farm not being of theirown name. The Stewarts came down with two hundred men, well armed, to dothemselves justice by main force. The MacGregors took the field, but wereunable to muster an equal strength. Rob Roy, fending himself the weakerparty, asked a parley, in which he represented that both clans werefriends to the _King, _ and, that he was unwilling they should be weakenedby mutual conflict, and thus made a merit of surrendering to Appin thedisputed territory of Invernenty. Appin, accordingly, settled as tenantsthere, at an easy quit-rent, the MacLarens, a family dependent on theStewarts, and from whose character for strength and bravery, it wasexpected that they would make their right good if annoyed by theMacGregors. When all this had been amicably adjusted, in presence of thetwo clans drawn up in arms near the Kirk of Balquhidder, Rob Roy, apparently fearing his tribe might be thought to have conceded too muchupon the occasion, stepped forward and said, that where so many gallantmen were met in arms, it would be shameful to part without it trial ofskill, and therefore he took the freedom to invite any gentleman of theStewarts present to exchange a few blows with him for the honour of theirrespective clans. The brother-in-law of Appin, and second chieftain ofthe clan, Alaster Stewart of Invernahyle, accepted the challenge, andthey encountered with broadsword and target before their respectivekinsmen. *

* Some accounts state that Appin himself was Rob Roy's antagonist on thisoccasion. My recollection, from the account of Invernahyle himself, wasas stated in the text. But the period when I received the information isnow so distant, that it is possible I may be mistaken. Invernahyle wasrather of low stature, but very well made, athletic, and an excellentswordsman. 

The combat lasted till Rob received a slight wound in the arm, which wasthe usual termination of such a combat when fought for honour only, andnot with a mortal purpose. Rob Roy dropped his point, and congratulatedhis adversary on having been the first man who ever drew blood from him. The victor generously acknowledged, that without the advantage of youth, and the agility accompanying it, he probably could not have come off withadvantage. 

This was probably one of Rob Roy's last exploits in arms. The time of hisdeath is not known with certainty, but he is generally said to havesurvived 1738, and to have died an aged man. When he found himselfapproaching his final change, he expressed some contrition for particularparts of his life. His wife laughed at these scruples of conscience, andexhorted him to die like a man, as he had lived. In reply, he rebuked herfor her violent passions, and the counsels she had given him. "You haveput strife, " he said, "betwixt me and the best men of the country, andnow you would place enmity between me and my God. "

There is a tradition, no way inconsistent with the former, if thecharacter of Rob Roy be justly considered, that while on his deathbed, helearned that a person with whom he was at enmity proposed to visit him. "Raise me from my bed, " said the invalid; "throw my plaid around me, andbring me my claymore, dirk, and pistols--it shall never be said that afoeman saw Rob Roy MacGregor defenceless and unarmed. " His foeman, conjectured to be one of the MacLarens before and after mentioned, entered and paid his compliments, inquiring after the health of hisformidable neighbour. Rob Roy maintained a cold haughty civility duringtheir short conference, and so soon as he had left the house. "Now, " hesaid, "all is over--let the piper play, _Ha til mi tulidh_" (we return nomore); and he is said to have expired before the dirge was finished. 

This singular man died in bed in his own house, in the parish ofBalquhidder. He was buried in the churchyard of the same parish, wherehis tombstone is only distinguished by a rude attempt at the figure of abroadsword. 

The character of Rob Roy is, of course, a mixed one. His sagacity, boldness, and prudence, qualities so highly necessary to success in war, became in some degree vices, from the manner in which they were employed. The circumstances of his education, however, must be admitted as someextenuation of his habitual transgressions against the law; and for hispolitical tergiversations, he might in that distracted period plead theexample of men far more powerful, and less excusable in becoming thesport of circumstances, than the poor and desperate outlaw. On the otherhand, he was in the constant exercise of virtues, the more meritorious asthey seem inconsistent with his general character. Pursuing theoccupation of a predatory chieftain, --in modern phrase a captain ofbanditti, --Rob Roy was moderate in his revenge, and humane in hissuccesses. No charge of cruelty or bloodshed, unless in battle, isbrought against his memory. In like manner, the formidable outlaw was thefriend of the poor, and, to the utmost of his ability, the support of thewidow and the orphan--kept his word when pledged--and died lamented inhis own wild country, where there were hearts grateful for hisbeneficence, though their minds were not sufficiently instructed toappreciate his errors. 

The author perhaps ought to stop here; but the fate of a part of RobRoy's family was so extraordinary, as to call for a continuation of thissomewhat prolix account, as affording an interesting chapter, not onHighland manners alone, but on every stage of society in which the peopleof a primitive and half-civilised tribe are brought into close contactwith a nation, in which civilisation and polity have attained a completesuperiority. 

Rob had five sons, --Coll, Ronald, James, Duncan, and Robert. Nothingoccurs worth notice concerning three of them; but James, who was a veryhandsome man, seems to have had a good deal of his father's spirit, andthe mantle of Dougal Ciar Mhor had apparently descended on the shouldersof Robin Oig, that is, young Robin. Shortly after Rob Roy's death, theill-will which the MacGregors entertained against the MacLarens againbroke out, at the instigation, it was said, of Rob's widow, who seemsthus far to have deserved the character given to her by her husband, asan Ate' stirring up to blood and strife. Robin Oig, under herinstigation, swore that as soon as he could get back a certain gun whichhad belonged to his father, and had been lately at Doune to be repaired, he would shoot MacLaren, for having presumed to settle on his mother'sland. *

* This fatal piece was taken from Robin Oig, when he was seized manyyears afterwards. It remained in possession of the magistrates beforewhom he was brought for examination, and now makes part of a smallcollection of arms belonging to the Author. It is a Spanish-barrelledgun, marked with the letters R. M. C. , for Robert MacGregor Campbell. 

He was as good as his word, and shot MacLaren when between the stilts ofhis plough, wounding him mortally. 

The aid of a Highland leech was procured, who probed the wound with aprobe made out of a castock; _i. E. _, the stalk of a colewort or cabbage. This learned gentleman declared he would not venture to prescribe, notknowing with what shot the patient had been wounded. MacLaren died, andabout the same time his cattle were houghed, and his live stock destroyedin a barbarous manner. 

Robin Oig, after this feat--which one of his biographers represents asthe unhappy discharge of a gun--retired to his mother's house, to boastthat he had drawn the first blood in the quarrel aforesaid. On theapproach of troops, and a body of the Stewarts, who were bound to take upthe cause of their tenant, Robin Oig absconded, and escaped all search. 

The doctor already mentioned, by name Callam MacInleister, with James andRonald, brothers to the actual perpetrator of the murder, were brought totrial. But as they contrived to represent the action as a rash deedcommitted by "the daft callant Rob, " to which they were not accessory, the jury found their accession to the crime was Not Proven. The allegedacts of spoil and violence on the MacLarens' cattle, were also found tobe unsupported by evidence. As it was proved, however, that the twobrothers, Ronald and James, were held and reputed thieves, they wereappointed to find caution to the extent of L200, for their good behaviourfor seven years. *

* Note D. Author's expedition against the MacLarens. 

The spirit of clanship was at that time, so strong--to which must beadded the wish to secure the adherence of stout, able-bodied, and, as theScotch phrase then went, _pretty_ men--that the representative of thenoble family of Perth condescended to act openly as patron of theMacGregors, and appeared as such upon their trial. So at least the authorwas informed by the late Robert MacIntosh, Esq. , advocate. Thecircumstance may, however, have occurred later than 1736--the year inwhich this first trial took place. 

Robin Oig served for a time in the 42d regiment, and was present at thebattle of Fontenoy, where he was made prisoner and wounded. He wasexchanged, returned to Scotland, and obtained his discharge. Heafterwards appeared openly in the MacGregor's country; and, notwithstanding his outlawry, married a daughter of Graham of Drunkie, agentleman of some property. His wife died a few years afterwards. 

The insurrection of 1745 soon afterwards called the MacGregors to arms. Robert MacGregor of Glencarnoch, generally regarded as the chief of thewhole name, and grandfather of Sir John, whom the clan received in thatcharacter, raised a MacGregor regiment, with which he joined the standardof the Chevalier. The race of Ciar Mhor, however, affecting independence, and commanded by Glengyle and his cousin James Roy MacGregor, did notjoin this kindred corps, but united themselves to the levies of thetitular Duke of Perth, until William MacGregor Drummond of Bolhaldie, whom they regarded as head of their branch, of Clan Alpine, should comeover from France. To cement the union after the Highland fashion, Jameslaid down the name of Campbell, and assumed that of Drummond, incompliment to Lord Perth. He was also called James Roy, after his father, and James Mhor, or Big James, from his height. His corps, the relics ofhis father Rob's band, behaved with great activity; with only twelve menhe succeeded in surprising and burning, for the second time, the fort atInversnaid, constructed for the express purpose of bridling the countryof the MacGregors. 

What rank or command James MacGregor had, is uncertain. He calls himselfMajor; and Chevalier Johnstone calls him Captain. He must have held rankunder Ghlune Dhu, his kinsman, but his active and audacious characterplaced him above the rest of his brethren. Many of his followers wereunarmed; he supplied the want of guns and swords with scythe-blades setstraight upon their handles. 

At the battle of Prestonpans, James Roy distinguished himself. "Hiscompany, " says Chevalier Johnstone, "did great execution with theirscythes. " They cut the legs of the horses in two--the riders through themiddle of their bodies. MacGregor was brave and intrepid, but at the sametime, somewhat whimsical and singular. When advancing to the charge withhis company, he received five wounds, two of them from balls that piercedhis body through and through. Stretched on the ground, with his headresting on his hand, he called out loudly to the Highlanders of hiscompany, "My lads, I am not dead. By G--, I shall see if any of you doesnot do his duty. " The victory, as is well known, was instantly obtained. 

In some curious letters of James Roy, * it appears that his thigh-bone wasbroken on this occasion, and that he, nevertheless, rejoined the armywith six companies, and was present at the battle of Culloden. 

* Published in Blackwood's Magazine, vol. Ii. P. 228. 

After that defeat, the clan MacGregor kept together in a body, and didnot disperse till they had returned into their own country. They broughtJames Roy with them in a litter; and, without being particularlymolested, he was permitted to reside in the MacGregor's country alongwith his brothers. 

James MacGregor Drummond was attainted for high treason with persons ofmore importance. But it appears he had entered into some communicationwith Government, as, in the letters quoted, he mentions having obtained apass from the Lord Justice-Clerk in 1747, which was a sufficientprotection to him from the military. The circumstance is obscurely statedin one of the letters already quoted, but may perhaps, joined tosubsequent incidents, authorise the suspicion that James, like hisfather, could look at both sides of the cards. As the confusion of thecountry subsided, the MacGregors, like foxes which had baffled thehounds, drew back to their old haunts, and lived unmolested. But anatrocious outrage, in which the sons of Rob Roy were concerned, broughtat length on the family the full vengeance of the law. 

James Roy was a married man, and had fourteen children. But his brother, Robin Oig, was now a widower; and it was resolved, if possible, that heshould make his fortune by carrying off and marrying, by force ifnecessary, some woman of fortune from the Lowlands. 

The imagination of the half-civilised Highlanders was less shocked at theidea of this particular species of violence, than might be expected fromtheir general kindness to the weaker sex when they make part of their ownfamilies. But all their views were tinged with the idea that they livedin a state of war; and in such a state, from the time of the siege ofTroy to "the moment when Previsa fell, "* the female captives are, touncivilised victors, the most valuable part of the booty--

* Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Canto II. 

 "The wealthy are slaughtered, the lovely are spared. "

We need not refer to the rape of the Sabines, or to a similar instance inthe Book of Judges, for evidence that such deeds of violence have beencommitted upon a large scale. Indeed, this sort of enterprise was socommon along the Highland line as to give rise to a variety of songs andballads. *

* See Appendix, No. VI. 

The annals of Ireland, as well as those of Scotland, prove the crime tohave been common in the more lawless parts of both countries; and anywoman who happened to please a man of spirit who came of a good house, and possessed a few chosen friends, and a retreat in the mountains, wasnot permitted the alternative of saying him nay. What is more, it wouldseem that the women themselves, most interested in the immunities oftheir sex, were, among the lower classes, accustomed to regard suchmarriages as that which is presently to be detailed as "pretty Fanny'sway, " or rather, the way of Donald with pretty Fanny. It is not a greatmany years since a respectable woman, above the lower rank of life, expressed herself very warmly to the author on his taking the freedom tocensure the behaviour of the MacGregors on the occasion in question. Shesaid "that there was no use in giving a bride too much choice upon suchoccasions; that the marriages were the happiest long syne which had beendone offhand. " Finally, she averred that her "own mother had never seenher father till the night he brought her up from the Lennox, with tenhead of black cattle, and there had not been a happier couple in thecountry. "

James Drummond and his brethren having similar opinions with the author'sold acquaintance, and debating how they might raise the fallen fortunesof their clan, formed a resolution to settle their brother's fortune bystriking up an advantageous marriage betwixt Robin Oig and one Jean Key, or Wright, a young woman scarce twenty years old, and who had been leftabout two months a widow by the death of her husband. Her property wasestimated at only from 16, 000 to 18, 000 merks, but it seems to have beensufficient temptation to these men to join in the commission of a greatcrime. 

This poor young victim lived with her mother in her own house atEdinbilly, in the parish of Balfron and shire of Stirling. At this place, in the night of 3d December 1750, the sons of Rob Roy, and particularlyJames Mhor and Robin Oig, rushed into the house where the object of theirattack was resident, presented guns, swords, and pistols to the males ofthe family, and terrified the women by threatening to break open thedoors if Jean Key was not surrendered, as, said James Roy, "his brotherwas a young fellow determined to make his fortune. " Having, at length, dragged the object of their lawless purpose from her place ofconcealment, they tore her from her mother's arms, mounted her on a horsebefore one of the gang, and carried her off in spite, of her screams andcries, which were long heard after the terrified spectators of theoutrage could no longer see the party retreat through the darkness. Inher attempts to escape, the poor young woman threw herself from the horseon which they had placed her, and in so doing wrenched her side. Theythen laid her double over the pummel of the saddle, and transported herthrough the mosses and moors till the pain of the injury she had sufferedin her side, augmented by the uneasiness of her posture, made her consentto sit upright. In the execution of this crime they stopped at morehouses than one, but none of the inhabitants dared interrupt theirproceedings. Amongst others who saw them was that classical andaccomplished scholar the late Professor William Richardson of Glasgow, who used to describe as a terrible dream their violent and noisy entranceinto the house where he was then residing. The Highlanders filled thelittle kitchen, brandishing their arms, demanding what they pleased, andreceiving whatever they demanded. James Mhor, he said, was a tall, stern, and soldier-like man. Robin Oig looked more gentle; dark, but yet ruddyin complexion--a good-looking young savage. Their victim was sodishevelled in her dress, and forlorn in her appearance and demeanour, that he could hardly tell whether she was alive or dead. 

The gang carried the unfortunate woman to Rowardennan, where they had apriest unscrupulous enough to read the marriage service, while James Mhorforcibly held the bride up before him; and the priest declared the coupleman and wife, even while she protested against the infamy of his conduct. Under the same threats of violence, which had been all along used toenforce their scheme, the poor victim was compelled to reside with thepretended husband who was thus forced upon her. They even dared to carryher to the public church of Balquhidder, where the officiating clergyman(the same who had been Rob Roy's pensioner) only asked them if they weremarried persons. Robert MacGregor answered in the affirmative; theterrified female was silent. 

The country was now too effectually subjected to the law for this vileoutrage to be followed by the advantages proposed by the actors, Militaryparties were sent out in every direction to seize the MacGregors, whowere for two or three weeks compelled to shift from one place to anotherin the mountains, bearing the unfortunate Jean Key along with them. Inthe meanwhile, the Supreme Civil Court issued a warrant, sequestratingthe property of Jean Key, or Wright, which removed out of the reach ofthe actors in the violence the prize which they expected. They had, however, adopted a belief of the poor woman's spirit being so far brokenthat she would prefer submitting to her condition, and adhering to RobinOig as her husband, rather than incur the disgrace, of appearing in sucha cause in an open court. It was, indeed, a delicate experiment; buttheir kinsman Glengyle, chief of their immediate family, was of a temperaverse to lawless proceedings;* and the captive's friends having hadrecourse to his advice, they feared that he would withdraw his protectionif they refused to place the prisoner at liberty. 

* Such, at least, was his general character; for when James Mhor, whileperpetrating the violence at Edinbilly, called out, in order to overaweopposition, that Glengyle was lying in the moor with a hundred men topatronise his enterprise, Jean Key told him he lied, since she wasconfident Glengyle would never countenance so scoundrelly a business. 

The brethren resolved, therefore, to liberate the unhappy woman, butpreviously had recourse to every measure which should oblige her, eitherfrom fear or otherwise, to own her marriage with Robin Oig. Thecailliachs (old Highland hags) administered drugs, which were designed tohave the effect of philtres, but were probably deleterious. James Mhor atone time threatened, that if she did not acquiesce in the match she wouldfind that there were enough of men in the Highlands to bring the heads oftwo of her uncles who were pursuing the civil lawsuit. At another time hefell down on his knees, and confessed he had been accessory to wrongingher, but begged she would not ruin his innocent wife and large family. She was made to swear she would not prosecute the brethren for theoffence they had committed; and she was obliged by threats to subscribepapers which were tendered to her, intimating that she was carried off inconsequence of her own previous request. 

James Mhor Drummond accordingly brought his pretended sister-in-law toEdinburgh, where, for some little time, she was carried about from onehouse to another, watched by those with whom she was lodged, and neverpermitted to go out alone, or even to approach the window. The Court ofSession, considering the peculiarity of the case, and regarding Jean Keyas being still under some forcible restraint, took her person under theirown special charge, and appointed her to reside in the family of Mr. Wightman of Mauldsley, a gentleman of respectability, who was married toone of her near relatives. Two sentinels kept guard on the house day andnight--a precaution not deemed superfluous when the MacGregors were inquestion. She was allowed to go out whenever she chose, and to seewhomsoever she had a mind, as well as the men of law employed in thecivil suit on either side. When she first came to Mr. Wightman's houseshe seemed broken down with affright and suffering, so changed infeatures that her mother hardly knew her, and so shaken in mind that shescarce could recognise her parent. It was long before she could beassured that she was in perfect safely. But when she at length receivedconfidence in her situation, she made a judicial declaration, oraffidavit, telling the full history of her wrongs, imputing to fear herformer silence on the subject, and expressing her resolution not toprosecute those who had injured her, in respect of the oath she had beencompelled to take. From the possible breach of such an oath, though acompulsory one, she was relieved by the forms of Scottish jurisprudence, in that respect more equitable than those of England, prosecutions forcrimes being always conducted at the expense and charge of the King, without inconvenience or cost to the private party who has sustained thewrong. But the unhappy sufferer did not live to be either accuser orwitness against those who had so deeply injured her. 

James Mhor Drummond had left Edinburgh so soon as his half-dead prey hadbeen taken from his clutches. Mrs. Key, or Wright, was released from herspecies of confinement there, and removed to Glasgow, under the escort ofMr. Wightman. As they passed the Hill of Shotts, her escort chanced tosay, "this is a very wild spot; what if the MacGregors should come uponus?"--"God forbid!" was her immediate answer, "the very sight of themwould kill me. " She continued to reside at Glasgow, without venturing toreturn to her own house at Edinbilly. Her pretended husband made someattempts to obtain an interview with her, which she steadily rejected. She died on the 4th October 1751. The information for the Crown hintsthat her decease might be the consequence of the usage she received. Butthere is a general report that she died of the small-pox. In themeantime, James Mhor, or Drummond, fell into the hands of justice. He wasconsidered as the instigator of the whole affair. Nay, the deceased hadinformed her friends that on the night of her being carried off, RobinOig, moved by her cries and tears, had partly consented to let herreturn, when James came up with a pistol in his hand, and, asking whetherhe was such a coward as to relinquish an enterprise in which he hadrisked everything to procure him a fortune, in a manner compelled hisbrother to persevere. James's trial took place on 13th July 1752, and wasconducted with the utmost fairness and impartiality. Several witnesses, all of the MacGregor family, swore that the marriage was performed withevery appearance of acquiescence on the woman's part; and three or fourwitnesses, one of them sheriff-substitute of the county, swore she mighthave made her escape if she wished, and the magistrate stated that heoffered her assistance if she felt desirous to do so. But when asked whyhe, in his official capacity, did not arrest the MacGregors, he couldonly answer, that he had not force sufficient to make the attempt. 

The judicial declarations of Jean Key, or Wright, stated the violentmanner in which she had been carried off, and they were confirmed by manyof her friends, from her private communications with them, which theevent of her death rendered good evidence. Indeed, the fact of herabduction (to use a Scottish law term) was completely proved by impartialwitnesses. The unhappy woman admitted that she had pretended acquiescencein her fate on several occasions, because she dared not trust such asoffered to assist her to escape, not even the sheriff-substitute. 

The jury brought in a special verdict, finding that Jean Key, or Wright, had been forcibly carried off from her house, as charged in theindictment, and that the accused had failed to show that she was herselfprivy and consenting to this act of outrage. But they found the forciblemarriage, and subsequent violence, was not proved; and also found, inalleviation of the panel's guilt in the premises, that Jean Key didafterwards acquiesce in her condition. Eleven of the jury, using thenames of other four who were absent, subscribed a letter to the Court, stating it was their purpose and desire, by such special verdict, to takethe panel's case out of the class of capital crimes. 

Learned informations (written arguments) on the import of the verdict, which must be allowed a very mild one in the circumstances, were laidbefore the High Court of Justiciary. This point is very learnedly debatedin these pleadings by Mr. Grant, Solicitor for the Crown, and thecelebrated Mr. Lockhart, on the part of the prisoner; but James Mhor didnot wait the event of the Court's decision. 

He had been committed to the Castle of Edinburgh on some reports that anescape would be attempted. Yet he contrived to achieve his liberty evenfrom that fortress. His daughter had the address to enter the prison, disguised as a cobbler, bringing home work, as she pretended. In thiscobbler's dress her father quickly arrayed himself. The wife and daughterof the prisoner were heard by the sentinels scolding the supposed cobblerfor having done his work ill, and the man came out with his hat slouchedover his eyes, and grumbling, as if at the manner in which they hadtreated him. In this way the prisoner passed all the guards withoutsuspicion, and made his escape to France. He was afterwards outlawed bythe Court of Justiciary, which proceeded to the trial of DuncanMacGregor, or Drummond, his brother, 15th January 1753. The accused hadunquestionably been with the party which carried off Jean Key; but noevidence being brought which applied to him individually and directly, the jury found him not guilty--and nothing more is known of his fate. 

That of James MacGregor, who, from talent and activity, if not byseniority, may be considered as head of the family, has been longmisrepresented; as it has been generally averred in Law Reports, as wellas elsewhere, that his outlawry was reversed, and that he returned anddied in Scotland. But the curious letters published in Blackwood'sMagazine for December 1817, show this to be an error. The first of thesedocuments is a petition to Charles Edward. It is dated 20th September1753, and pleads his service to the cause of the Stuarts, ascribing hisexile to the persecution of the Hanoverian Government, without anyallusion to the affair of Jean Key, or the Court of Justiciary. It isstated to be forwarded by MacGregor Drummond of Bohaldie, whom, as beforementioned, James Mhor acknowledged as his chief. 

The effect which this petition produced does not appear. Some temporaryrelief was perhaps obtained. But, soon after, this daring adventurer wasengaged in a very dark intrigue against an exile of his own country, andplaced pretty nearly in his own circumstances. A remarkable Highlandstory must be here briefly alluded to. Mr. Campbell of Glenure, who hadbeen named factor for Government on the forfeited estates of Stewart ofArdshiel, was shot dead by an assassin as he passed through the wood ofLettermore, after crossing the ferry of Ballachulish. A gentleman, namedJames Stewart, a natural brother of Ardshiel, the forfeited person, wastried as being accessory to the murder, and condemned and executed uponvery doubtful evidence; the heaviest part of which only amounted to theaccused person having assisted a nephew of his own, called Allan BreckStewart, with money to escape after the deed was done. Not satisfied withthis vengeance, which was obtained in a manner little to the honour ofthe dispensation of justice at the time, the friends of the deceasedGlenure were equally desirous to obtain possession of the person of AllanBreck Stewart, supposed to be the actual homicide. James Mhor Drummondwas secretly applied to to trepan Stewart to the sea-coast, and bring himover to Britain, to almost certain death. Drummond MacGregor had kindredconnections with the slain Glenure; and, besides, the MacGregors andCampbells had been friends of late, while the former clan and theStewarts had, as we have seen, been recently at feud; lastly, Robert Oigwas now in custody at Edinburgh, and James was desirous to do someservice by which his brother might be saved. The joint force of thesemotives may, in James's estimation of right and wrong, have been somevindication for engaging in such an enterprise, although, as must benecessarily supposed, it could only be executed by treachery of a grossdescription. MacGregor stipulated for a license to return to England, promising to bring Allan Breck thither along with him. But the intendedvictim was put upon his guard by two countrymen, who suspected James'sintentions towards him. He escaped from his kidnapper, after, asMacGregor alleged, robbing his portmanteau of some clothes and foursnuff-boxes. Such a charge, it may be observed, could scarce have beenmade unless the parties had been living on a footing of intimacy, and hadaccess to each other's baggage. 

Although James Drummond had thus missed his blow in the matter of AllanBreck Stewart, he used his license to make a journey to London, and hadan interview, as he avers, with Lord Holdernesse. His Lordship, and theUnder-Secretary, put many puzzling questions to him; and, as he says, offered him a situation, which would bring him bread, in the Government'sservice. This office was advantageous as to emolument; but in the opinionof James Drummond, his acceptance of it would have been a disgrace to hisbirth, and have rendered him a scourge to his country. If such a temptingoffer and sturdy rejection had any foundation in fact, it probablyrelates to some plan of espionage on the Jacobites, which the Governmentmight hope to carry on by means of a man who, in the matter of AllanBreck Stewart, had shown no great nicety of feeling. Drummond MacGregorwas so far accommodating as to intimate his willingness to act in anystation in which other gentlemen of honour served, but not otherwise;--ananswer which, compared with some passages of his past life, may remindthe reader of Ancient Pistol standing upon his reputation. 

Having thus proved intractable, as he tells the story, to the proposalsof Lord Holdernesse, James Drummond was ordered instantly to quitEngland. 

On his return to France, his condition seems to have been utterlydisastrous. He was seized with fever and gravel--ill, consequently, inbody, and weakened and dispirited in mind. Allan Breck Stewart threatenedto put him to death in revenge of the designs he had harboured againsthim. *

* Note E. Allan Breck Stewart. 

The Stewart clan were in the highest degree unfriendly to him: and hislate expedition to London had been attended with many suspiciouscircumstances, amongst which it was not the slightest that he had kepthis purpose secret from his chief Bohaldie. His intercourse with LordHoldernesse was suspicious. The Jacobites were probably, like Don Bernardde Castel Blaze, in Gil Blas, little disposed to like those who keptcompany with Alguazils. Mac-Donnell of Lochgarry, a man of unquestionedhonour, lodged an information against James Drummond before the HighBailie of Dunkirk, accusing him of being a spy, so that he found himselfobliged to leave that town and come to Paris, with only the sum ofthirteen livres for his immediate subsistence, and with absolute beggarystaring him in the face. 

We do not offer the convicted common thief, the accomplice in MacLaren'sassassination, or the manager of the outrage against Jean Key, as anobject of sympathy; but it is melancholy to look on the dying struggleseven of a wolf or a tiger, creatures of a species directly hostile to ourown; and, in like manner, the utter distress of this man, whose faultsmay have sprung from a wild system of education, working on a haughtytemper, will not be perused without some pity. In his last letter toBohaldie, dated Paris, 25th September 1754, he describes his state ofdestitution as absolute, and expresses himself willing to exercise histalents in breaking or breeding horses, or as a hunter or fowler, if hecould only procure employment in such an inferior capacity till somethingbetter should occur. An Englishman may smile, but a Scotchman will sighat the postscript, in which the poor starving exile asks the loan of hispatron's bagpipes that he might play over some of the melancholy tunes ofhis own land. But the effect of music arises, in a great degree, fromassociation; and sounds which might jar the nerves of a Londoner orParisian, bring back to the Highlander his lofty mountain, wild lake, andthe deeds of his fathers of the glen. To prove MacGregor's claim to ourreader's compassion, we here insert the last part of the letter alludedto. 

"By all appearance I am born to suffer crosses, and it seems they're notat an end; for such is my wretched case at present, that I do not knowearthly where to go or what to do, as I have no subsistence to keep bodyand soul together. All that I have carried here is about 13 livres, andhave taken a room at my old quarters in Hotel St. Pierre, Rue de Cordier. I send you the bearer, begging of you to let me know if you are to be intown soon, that I may have the pleasure of seeing you, for I have none tomake application to but you alone; and all I want is, if it was possibleyou could contrive where I could be employed without going to entirebeggary. This probably is a difficult point, yet unless it's attendedwith some difficulty, you might think nothing of it, as your long headcan bring about matters of much more difficulty and consequence thanthis. If you'd disclose this matter to your friend Mr. Butler, it'spossible he might have some employ wherein I could be of use, as Ipretend to know as much of breeding and riding of horse as any in France, besides that I am a good hunter either on horseback or by footing. Youmay judge my reduction, as I propose the meanest things to lend a turntill better cast up. I am sorry that I am obliged to give you so muchtrouble, but I hope you are very well assured that I am grateful for whatyou have done for me, and I leave you to judge of my present wretchedcase. I am, and shall for ever continue, dear Chief, your own to command, Jas. MacGregor. 

"P. S. --If you'd send your pipes by the bearer, and all the other littletrinkims belonging to it, I would put them in order, and play somemelancholy tunes, which I may now with safety, and in real truth. Forgivemy not going directly to you, for if I could have borne the seeing ofyourself, I could not choose to be seen by my friends in my wretchedness, nor by any of my acquaintance. "

While MacGregor wrote in this disconsolate manner, Death, the sad butsure remedy for mortal evils, and decider of all doubts anduncertainties, was hovering near him. A memorandum on the back of theletter says the writer died about a week after, in October 1754. 

It now remains to mention the fate of Robin Oig--for the other sons ofRob Roy seem to have been no way distinguished. Robin was apprehended bya party of military from the fort of Inversnaid, at the foot of Gartmore, and was conveyed to Edinburgh 26th May 1753. After a delay, which mayhave been protracted by the negotiations of James for delivering up AllanBreck Stewart upon promise of his brother's life, Robin Oig, on the 24thof December 1753, was brought to the bar of the High Court of Justiciary, and indicted by the name of Robert MacGregor, alias Campbell, aliasDrummond, alias Robert Oig; and the evidence led against him resembledexactly that which was brought by the Crown on the former trial. Robert'scase was in some degree more favourable than his brother's;--for, thoughthe principal in the forcible marriage, he had yet to plead that he hadshown symptoms of relenting while they were carrying Jean Key off, whichwere silenced by the remonstrances and threats of his harder naturedbrother James. A considerable space of time had also elapsed since thepoor woman died, which is always a strong circumstance in favour of theaccused; for there is a sort of perspective in guilt, and crimes of anold date seem less odious than those of recent occurrence. Butnotwithstanding these considerations, the jury, in Robert's case, did notexpress any solicitude to save his life as they had done that of James. They found him guilty of being art and part in the forcible abduction ofJean Key from her own dwelling. *

* The Trials of the Sons of Rob Roy, with anecdotes of Himself and hisFamily, were published at Edinburgh, 1818, in 12mo. 

Robin Oig was condemned to death, and executed on the 14th February 1754. At the place of execution he behaved with great decency; and professinghimself a Catholic, imputed all his misfortunes to his swerving from thetrue church two or three years before. He confessed the violent methodshe had used to gain Mrs. Key, or Wright, and hoped his fate would stopfurther proceedings against his brother James. *

* James died near three months before, but his family might easily remaina long time without the news of that event. 

The newspapers observed that his body, after hanging the usual time, wasdelivered to his friends to be carried to the Highlands. To this therecollection of a venerable friend, recently taken from us in the fulnessof years, then a schoolboy at Linlithgow, enables the author to add, thata much larger body of MacGregors than had cared to advance to Edinburghreceived the corpse at that place with the coronach and other wildemblems of Highland mourning, and so escorted it to Balquhidder. Thus wemay conclude this long account of Rob Roy and his family with the classicphrase, Ite. Conclamatum est. 

I have only to add, that I have selected the above from many anecdotes ofRob Roy which were, and may still be, current among the mountains wherehe flourished; but I am far from warranting their exact authenticity. Clannish partialities were very apt to guide the tongue and pen, as wellas the pistol and claymore, and the features of an anecdote arewonderfully softened or exaggerated as the story is told by a MacGregoror a Campbell. 

APPENDIX TO INTRODUCTION. 

No. I. --ADVERTISEMENTFOR THE APPREHENSION OF ROB ROY. 

(From the Edinburgh Evening Courant, June 18 to June 21, A. D. 1732. No. 1058. )

"That Robert Campbell, commonly known by the name of Rob Roy MacGregor, being lately intrusted by several noblemen and gentlemen withconsiderable sums for buying cows for them in the Highlands, hastreacherously gone off with the money, to the value of L1000 sterling, which he carries along with him. All Magistrates and Officers of hisMajesty's forces are intreated to seize upon the said Rob Roy, and themoney which he carries with him, until the persons concerned in the moneybe heard against him; and that notice be given, when he is apprehended, to the keepers of the Exchange Coffee-house at Edinburgh, and the keeperof the Coffee-house at Glasgow, where the parties concerned will beadvertised, and the seizers shall be very reasonably rewarded for theirpains. "

It is unfortunate that this Hue and Cry, which is afterwards repeated inthe same paper, contains no description of Rob Roy's person, which, ofcourse, we must suppose to have been pretty generally known. As it isdirected against Rob Roy personally, it would seem to exclude the idea ofthe cattle being carried off by his partner, MacDonald, who wouldcertainly have been mentioned in the advertisement, if the creditorsconcerned had supposed him to be in possession of the money. 

No. II. --LETTERSFROM AND TO THE DUKE OF MONTROSERESPECTING ROB ROY'S ARREST OF MR. GRAHAME OF KILLEARN. 

_The Duke of Montrose to--_*

* It does not appear to whom this letter was addressed. Certainly, fromits style and tenor, It was designed for some person high in rank andoffice--perhaps the King's Advocate for the time. 

"Glasgow, the 21st November, 1716. 

"My Lord, --I was surprised last night with the account of a veryremarkable instance of the insolence of that very notorious rogue RobRoy, whom your lordship has often heard named. The honour of hisMajesty's Government being concerned in it, I thought it my duty toacquaint your lordship of the particulars by an express. 

"Mr. Grahame of Killearn (whom I have had occasion to mention frequentlyto you, for the good service he did last winter during the rebellion)having the charge of my Highland estate, went to Monteath, which is apart of it, on Monday last, to bring in my rents, it being usual for himto be there for two or three nights together at this time of the year, ina country house, for the conveniency of meeting the tenants, upon thataccount. The same night, about 9 of the clock, Rob Roy, with a party ofthose ruffians whom he has still kept about him since the late rebellion, surrounded the house where Mr. Grahame was with some of my tenants doinghis business, ordered his men to present their guns in att the windows ofthe room where he was sitting, while he himself at the same time withothers entered at the door, with cocked pistols, and made Mr. Grahameprisoner, carrying him away to the hills with the money he had got, hisbooks and papers, and my tenants' bonds for their fines, amounting toabove a thousand pounds sterling, whereof the one-half had been paid lastyear, and the other was to have been paid now; and att the same time hadthe insolence to cause him to write a letter to me (the copy of which isenclosed) offering me terms of a treaty. 

"That your Lordship may have the better view of this matter, it will benecessary that I should inform you, that this fellow has now, of a longtime, put himself at the head of the Clan M'Gregor, a race of people whoin all ages have distinguished themselves beyond others, by robberies, depredations, and murders, and have been the constant harbourers andentertainers of vagabonds and loose people. From the time of theRevolution he has taken every opportunity to appear against theGovernment, acting rather as a robber than doing any real service tothose whom he pretended to appear for, and has really done more mischiefto the countrie than all the other Highlanders have done. 

"Some three or four years before the last rebellion broke out, beingoverburdened with debts, he quitted his ordinary residence, and removedsome twelve or sixteen miles farther into the Highlands, putting himselfunder the protection of the Earl of Bredalbin. When my Lord Cadogan wasin the Highlands, he ordered his house att this place to be burnt, whichyour Lordship sees he now places to my account. 

"This obliges him to return to the same countrie he went from, being amost rugged inaccessible place, where he took up his residence anewamongst his own friends and relations; but well judging that it waspossible to surprise him, he, with about forty-five of his followers, went to Inverary, and made a sham surrender of their arms to Coll. Campbell of Finab, Commander of one of the Independent Companies, andreturned home with his men, each of them having the Coll. 's protection. This happened in the beginning of summer last; yet not long after heappeared with his men twice in arms, in opposition to the King's troops:and one of those times attackt them, rescued a prisoner from them, andall this while sent abroad his party through the countrie, plundering thecountrie people, and amongst the rest some of my tenants. 

"Being informed of these disorders after I came to Scotland, I applied toLieut. -Genll. Carpenter, who ordered three parties from Glasgow, Stirling, and Finlarig, to march in the night by different routes, inorder to surprise him and his men in their houses, which would have itseffect certainly, if the great rains that happened to fall that verienight had not retarded the march of the troops, so as some of the partiescame too late to the stations that they were ordered for. All that couldbe done upon the occasion was to burn a countrie house, where Rob Roythen resided, after some of his clan had, from the rocks, fired upon theking's troops, by which a grenadier was killed. 

"Mr. Grahame of Killearn, being my deputy-sheriff in that countrie, wentalong with the party that marched from Stirling; and doubtless will nowmeet with the worse treatment from that barbarous people on that account. Besides, that he is my relation, and that they know how active he hasbeen in the service of the Government--all which, your Lordship maybelieve, puts me under very great concern for the gentleman, while, atthe same time, I can foresee no manner of way how to relieve him, otherthan to leave him to chance and his own management. 

"I had my thoughts before of proposing to Government the building of somebarracks as the only expedient for suppressing these rebels, and securingthe peace of the countrie; and in that view I spoke to Genll. Carpenter, who has now a scheme of it in his hands; and I am persuaded that will bethe true method for restraining them effectually; but, in the meantime, it will be necessary to lodge some of the troops in those places, uponwhich I intend to write to the Generall. 

"I am sensible I have troubled your Lordship with a very long letter, which I should be ashamed of, were I myself singly concerned; but wherethe honour of the King's Government is touched, I need make no apologie, and I shall only beg leave to add, that I am, with great respect, andtruth, "My Lord, "yr. Lords. Most humble and obedient servant, "MONTROSE"

COPY OF GRAHAME OF KILLEARN'S LETTER, ENCLOSED IN THE PRECEDING. 

"Chappellarroch, Nov. 19th, 1716. 

"May it please your Grace, --I am obliged to give your Grace the troubleof this, by Robert Roy's commands, being so unfortunate at present as tobe his prisoner. I refer the way and manner I was apprehended, to thebearer, and shall only, in short, acquaint your Grace with the demands, which are, that your Grace shall discharge him of all soumes he owes yourGrace, and give him the soume of 3400 merks for his loss and damagessustained by him, both at Craigrostown and at his house, Auchinchisallen;and that your Grace shall give your word not to trouble or prosecute himafterwards; till which time he carries me, all the money I received thisday, my books and bonds for entress, not yet paid, along with him, withassurance of hard usage, if any party are sent after him. The soume Ireceived this day, conform to the nearest computation I can make beforeseveral of the gentlemen, is 3227L. 2sh. 8d. Scots, of which I gave themnotes. I shall wait your Grace's return, and ever am, "Your Grace's most obedient, faithful, "humble servant, _Sic subscribitur, _"John Grahame. "

THE DUKE OF MONTROSE TO ----

28_th Nov. _ 1716--_Killearn's Release. _

"Glasgow, 28th Nov. 1716. 

"Sir, --Having acquainted you by my last, of the 21st instant, of what hadhappened to my friend, Mr. Grahame of Killearn, I'm very glad now to tellyou, that last night I was very agreeably surprised with Mr. Grahame'scoming here himself, and giving me the first account I had had of himfrom the time of his being carried away. It seems Rob Roy, when he cameto consider a little better of it, found that, he could not mend hismatters by retaining Killearn his prisoner, which could only expose himstill the more to the justice of the Government; and therefore thoughtfit to dismiss him on Sunday evening last, having kept him from theMonday night before, under a very uneasy kind of restraint, being obligedto change continually from place to place. He gave him back the books, papers, and bonds, but kept the money. 

"I am, with great truth, Sir, "your most humble servant, "MONTROSE. "

[Some papers connected with Rob Roy Macgregor, signed "Ro. Campbell, " in1711, were lately presented to the Society of Antiquaries. One of theseis a kind of contract between the Duke of Montrose and Rob Roy, by whichthe latter undertakes to deliver within a given time "Sixtie good andsufficient Kintaill highland Cowes, betwixt the age of five and nineyears, at fourtene pounds Scotts per peice, with ane bull to the bargane, and that at the head dykes of Buchanan upon the twenty-eight day of Maynext. "--Dated December 1711. --See _Proceedings, _ vol. Vii. P. 253. ]

No. III. --CHALLENGE BY ROB ROY. 

"Rob Roy _to ain hie and mighty Prince, _ James Duke of Montrose. 

"In charity to your Grace's couradge and conduct, please know, the onlyway to retrive both is to treat Rob Roy like himself, in appointing tyme, place, and choice of arms, that at once you may extirpate your inveterateenemy, or put a period to your punny (puny?) life in falling gloriouslyby his hands. That impertinent criticks or flatterers may not brand mefor challenging a man that's repute of a poor dastardly soul, let suchknow that I admit of the two great supporters of his character and thecaptain of his bands to joyne with him in the combat. Then sure yourGrace wont have the impudence to clamour att court for multitudes to huntme like a fox, under pretence that I am not to be found above ground. This saves your Grace and the troops any further trouble of searching;that is, if your ambition of glory press you to embrace this unequaldventure offerd of Rob's head. But if your Grace's piety, prudence, andcowardice, forbids hazarding this gentlemanly expedient, then let yourdesire of peace restore what you have robed from me by the tyranny ofyour present cituation, otherwise your overthrow as a man is determined;and advertise your friends never more to look for the frequent civilitypayed them, of sending them home without their arms only. Even theirformer cravings wont purchase that favour; so your Grace by this haspeace in your offer, if the sound of wax be frightful, and chuse youwhilk, your good friend or mortal enemy. "

This singular rhodomontade is enclosed in a letter to a friend of RobRoy, probably a retainer of the Duke of Argyle in Isle, which is in thesewords:--

"Sir, --Receive the enclosd paper, qn you are takeing yor Botle it willdivert yorself and comrad's. I gote noe news since I seed you, only qtwee had before about the Spainyard's is like to continue. If I'll get anyfurther account about them I'll be sure to let you know of it, and tillthen I will not write any more till I'll have more sure account, and I am

"Sir, your most affectionate Cn [cousin], "and most humble servant, "Ro: Roy. "

"_Apryle_ 16_th, _ 1719. 

"To Mr. Patrick Anderson, at Hay--These. '

The seal, _a stag_--no bad emblem of a wild cateran. 

It appears from the envelope that Rob Roy still continued to act asIntelligencer to the Duke of Argyle, and his agents. The war he alludesto is probably some vague report of invasion from Spain. Such rumourswere likely enough to be afloat, in consequence of the disembarkation ofthe troops who were taken at Glensheal in the preceding year, 1718. 

No. IV. --LETTER

FROM ROBERT CAMPBELL, _alias_ M'GREGOR, COMMONLY CALLED ROB ROY, TO FIELD-MARSHAL WADE, Then receiving the submission of disaffected Chieftains and Clans. *

* This curious epistle is copied from an authentic narrative of MarshalWade's proceedings in the Highlands, communicated by the late eminentantiquary, George Chalmers, Esq. , to Mr. Robert Jamieson, of the RegisterHouse, Edinburgh, and published in the Appendix to an Edition of Burt'sLetters from the North of Scotland, 2 vols. 8vo, Edinburgh, 1818. 

Sir, --The great humanity with which you have constantly acted in thedischarge of the trust reposed in you, and your ever having made use ofthe great powers with which you were vested as the means of doing goodand charitable offices to such as ye found proper objects of compassion, will, I hope, excuse my importunity in endeavouring to approve myself notabsolutely unworthy of that mercy and favour which your Excellency has sogenerously procured from his Majesty for others in my unfortunatecircumstances. I am very sensible nothing can be alledged sufficient toexcuse so great a crime as I have been guilty of it, that of Rebellion. But I humbly beg leave to lay before your Excellency some particulars inthe circumstance of my guilt, which, I hope, will extenuate it in somemeasure. It was my misfortune, at the time the Rebellion broke out, to beliable to legal diligence and caption, at the Duke of Montrose'sinstance, for debt alledged due to him. To avoid being flung into prison, as I must certainly have been, had I followed my real inclinations injoining the King's troops at Stirling, I was forced to take party withthe adherents of the Pretender; for the country being all in arms, it wasneither safe nor indeed possible for me to stand neuter. I should not, however, plead my being forced into that unnatural rebellion against hisMajesty, King George, if I could not at the same time assure yourExcellency, that I not only avoided acting offensively against hisMajesty's forces upon all occasions, but on the contrary, sent his Gracethe Duke of Argyle all the intelligence I could from time to time, of thestrength and situation of the rebels; which I hope his Grace will do methe justice to acknowledge. As to the debt to the Duke of Montrose, Ihave discharged it to the utmost farthing. I beg your Excellency would bepersuaded that, had it been in my power, as it was in my inclination, Ishould always have acted for the service of his Majesty King George, andthat one reason of my begging the favour of your intercession with hisMajesty for the pardon of my life, is the earnest desire I have to employit in his service, whose goodness, justice, and humanity, are soconspicuous to all mankind. --I am, with all duty and respect, yourExcellency's most, &c. , "Robert Campbell. "

No. IVa. --LETTER. 

ESCAPE OF ROB ROY FROM THE DUKE OF ATHOLE. 

The following copy of a letter which passed from one clergyman of theChurch of Scotland to another, was communicated to me by John Gregorson, Esq. Of Ardtornish. The escape of Rob Roy is mentioned, like otherinteresting news of the time with which it is intermingled. Thedisagreement between the Dukes of Athole and Argyle seems to haveanimated the former against Rob Roy, as one of Argyle's partisans. 

"Rev. And dear Brother, Yrs of the 28th Jun I had by the bearer. Im pleased yo have got backagain yr Delinquent which may probably safe you of the trouble of herchild. I'm sory I've yet very little of certain news to give you fromCourt tho' I've seen all the last weekes prints, only I find in them apasage which is all the account I can give you of the Indemnity yt whenthe estates of forfaulted Rebells Comes to be sold all Just debtsDocumented are to be preferred to Officers of the Court of enquiry. TheBill in favours of that Court against the Lords of Session in Scotland inpast the house of Commons and Come before the Lords which is thought tobe considerably more ample yn formerly wt respect to the Disposeing ofestates Canvassing and paying of Debts. It's said yt the examinations ofCadugans accounts is droped but it wants Confirmations here as yet. Oxford's tryals should be entered upon Saturday last. We hear that theDuchess of Argyle is wt child. I doe not hear yt the Divisions at Courtare any thing abated or of any appearance of the Dukes having any thingof his Maj: favour. I heartily wish the present humours at Court may notprove an encouragmt to watchfull and restles enemies. 

My accounts of Rob Roy his escape are yt after severall Embassies betweenhis Grace (who I hear did Correspond wt some at Court about it) and Robhe at length upon promise of protectione Came to waite upon the Duke &being presently secured his Grace sent post to Edr to acquent the Courtof his being aprehended & call his friends at Edr and to desire a partyfrom Gen Carpinter to receive and bring him to Edr which party came thelength of Kenross in Fife, he was to be delivered to them by a party hisGrace had demanded from the Governour at Perth, who when upon their marchtowards Dunkell to receive him, were mete wt and returned by his Gracehaving resolved to deliver him by a party of his own men and left Rob atLogierate under a strong guard till yt party should be ready to receivehim. This space of time Rob had Imployed in taking the other dramheartily wt the Guard & qn all were pretty hearty, Rob is delivering aletter for his wife to a servant to whom he most needs deliver someprivate instructions at the Door (for his wife) where he's attended wt onthe Guard. When serious in this privat Conversations he is making somefew steps carelessly from the Door about the house till he comes close bythis horse which he soon mounted and made off. This is no smallmortifican to the guard because of the delay it give to there hopes of aConsiderable additionall charge agt John Roy. * my wife was upon Thursdaylast delivered of a Son after sore travell of which she still continuesvery weak. 

* _i. E. _ John the Red--John Duke of Argyle, so called from hiscomplexion, more commonly styled "Red John the Warriour. "

I give yl Lady hearty thanks for the Highland plaid. It's good cloath butit does not answer the sett I sent some time agae wt McArthur & tho ithad I told in my last yt my wife was obliged to provid herself to finishher bed before she was lighted but I know yt letr came not timely to yrhand--I'm sory I had not mony to send by the bearer having no thought ofit & being exposed to some little expenses last week but I expect somesure occasion when order by a letter to receive it excuse this freedomfrom &c. 

"_Manse of Comrie, July_ 2_d, _ 1717. "I salute yr lady I wish my ............ Her Daughter much Joy. "

No. V. --HIGHLAND WOOING. 

There are many productions of the Scottish Ballad Poets upon thelion-like mode of wooing practised by the ancient Highlanders when theyhad a fancy for the person (or property) of a Lowland damsel. One exampleis found in Mr. Robert Jamieson's Popular Scottish Songs:--

 Bonny Babby Livingstone Gaed out to see the kye, And she has met with Glenlyon, Who has stolen her away. 

 He took free her her sattin coat, But an her silken gown, Syne roud her in his tartan plaid, And happd her round and roun'. 

In another ballad we are told how--

 Four-and-twenty Hieland men, Came doun by Fiddoch Bide, And they have sworn a deadly aith, Jean Muir suld be a bride:

 And they have sworn a deadly aith, Ilke man upon his durke, That she should wed with Duncan Ger, Or they'd make bloody works. 

This last we have from tradition, but there are many others in thecollections of Scottish Ballads to the same purpose. 

The achievement of Robert Oig, or young Rob Roy, as the Lowlanders calledhim, was celebrated in a ballad, of which there are twenty different andvarious editions. The tune is lively and wild, and we select thefollowing words from memory:--

 Rob Roy is frae the Hielands come, Down to the Lowland border; And he has stolen that lady away, To haud his house in order. 

 He set her on a milk-white steed, Of none he stood in awe; Untill they reached the Hieland hills, Aboon the Balmaha'!*

* A pass on the eastern margin of Loch Lomond, and an entrance to theHighlands. 

 Saying, Be content, be content, Be content with me, lady; Where will ye find in Lennox land, Sae braw a man as me, lady?

 Rob Roy he was my father called, MacGregor was his name, lady; A' the country, far and near, Have heard MacGregor's fame, lady. 

 He was a hedge about his friends, A heckle to his foes, lady; If any man did him gainsay, He felt his deadly blows, lady. 

 I am as bold, I am as bold, I am as bold and more, lady; Any man that doubts my word, May try my gude claymore, lady. 

 Then be content, be content. Be content with me, lady; For now you are my wedded wife, Until the day you die, lady. 

No. VI--GHLUNE DHU. 

The following notices concerning this Chief fell under the Author's eyewhile the sheets were in the act of going through the press. They occurin manuscript memoirs, written by a person intimately acquainted with theincidents of 1745. 

This Chief had the important task intrusted to him of defending theCastle of Doune, in which the Chevalier placed a garrison to protect hiscommunication with the Highlands, and to repel any sallies which might bemade from Stirling Castle--Ghlune Dhu distinguished himself by his goodconduct in this charge. 

Ghlune Dhu is thus described:--"Glengyle is, in person, a tall handsomeman, and has more of the mien of the ancient heroes than our modern finegentlemen are possessed of. He is honest and disinterested to aproverb--extremely modest--brave and intrepid--and born one of the bestpartisans in Europe. In short, the whole people of that country declaredthat never did men live under so mild a government as Glengyle's, not aman having so much as lost a chicken while he continued there. "

It would appear from this curious passage, that Glengyle--not Stewart ofBalloch, as averred in a note on Waverley--commanded the garrison ofDoune. Balloch might, no doubt, succeed MacGregor in the situation. 

EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION TO ROB ROY

In the magnum opus, the author's final edition of the Waverley Novels, "Rob Roy" appears out of its chronological order, and comes next after"The Antiquary. " In this, as in other matters, the present editionfollows that of 1829. "The Antiquary, " as we said, contained in itspreface the author's farewell to his art. This valediction was meant asprelude to a fresh appearance in a new disguise. Constable, who hadbrought out the earlier works, did not publish the "Tales of my Landlord"("The Black Dwarf" and "Old Mortality "), which Scott had nearly finishedby November 12, 1816. The four volumes appeared from the houses of Mr. Murray and Mr. Blackwood, on December 1, 1816. Within less than a monthcame out "Harold the Dauntless, " by the author of "The Bridal ofTriermain. " Scott's work on the historical part of the "Annual Register"had also been unusually arduous. At Abbotsford, or at Ashiestiel, hismode of life was particularly healthy; in Edinburgh, between the claimsof the courts, of literature, and of society, he was scarcely ever in theopen air. Thus hard sedentary work caused, between the publicationof "Old Mortality" and that of "Rob Roy, " the first of those alarmingillnesses which overshadowed the last fifteen years of his life. Theearliest attack of cramp in the stomach occurred on March 5, 1817, whenhe "retired from the room with a scream of agony which electrified hisguests. "

Living on "parritch, " as he tells Miss Baillie (for his national spiritrejected arrowroot), Scott had yet energy enough to plan a dramatic piecefor Terry, "The Doom of Devorgoil. " But in April he announced to JohnBallantyne "a good subject" for a novel, and on May 6, John, after avisit to Abbotsford with Constable, proclaimed to James Ballantyne theadvent of "Rob Roy. "

The anecdote about the title is well known. Constable suggested it, andScott was at first wisely reluctant to "write up to a title. " Names likeRob Roy, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, Cleopatra, and so forth, tell thereader too much, and, Scott imagined, often excite hopes which cannot befulfilled. However, in the geniality of an after-dinner hour in thegardens of Abbotsford, Scott allowed Constable to be sponsor. Many thingshad lately brought Rob into his mind. In 1812 Scott had acquired RobRoy's gun--"a long Spanish-barrelled piece, with his initials R. M. C. , "C standing for Campbell, a name assumed in compliment to the Argyllfamily. 

Rob's spleuchan had also been presented by Mr. Train to Sir Walter, in1816, and may have directed his thoughts to this popular freebooter. Though Rob flourished in the '15, he was really a character very nearScott, whose friend Invernahyle had fought Rob with broadsword andtarget--a courteous combat like that between Ajax and Hector. 

At Tullibody Scott had met, in 1793, a gentleman who once visited Rob, and arranged to pay him blackmail. 

Mr. William Adam had mentioned to Scott in 1816 the use of the word"curlie-wurlies" for highly decorated architecture, and recognised thephrase, next year, in the mouth of Andrew Fairservice. 

In the meeting at Abbotsford (May 2, 1817) Scott was very communicative, sketched Bailie Nicol Jarvie, and improvised a dialogue between Rob andthe magistrate. A week later he quoted to Southey, Swift's lines--Too bad for a blessing, too good for a curse, --which probably suggestedAndrew Fairservice's final estimate of Scott's hero, --"over bad forblessing, and ower gude for banning. "

These are the trifles which show the bent of Scott's mind at this period. The summer of 1817 he spent in working at the "Annual Register" and atthe "Border Antiquities. " When the courts rose, he visited Rob's cave atthe head of Loch Lomond; and this visit seems to have been gossipedabout, as literary people, hearing of the new novel, expected the cave tobe a very prominent feature. He also went to Glasgow, and refreshed hismemory of the cathedral; nor did he neglect old books, such as "A Tourthrough Great Britain, by a Gentleman" (4th Edition, 1748). This yieldedhim the Bailie's account of Glasgow commerce "in Musselburgh stuffs andEdinburgh shalloons, " and the phrase "sortable cargoes. "

Hence, too, Scott took the description of the rise of Glasgow. Thus Scottwas taking pains with his preparations. The book was not written inpost-haste. Announced to Constable early in May, the last sheet was notcorrected till about December 21, when Scott wrote to Ballantyne:--

DEAR JAMES, --

 With great joy I send you Roy. 'T was a tough job, But we're done with Rob. 

"Rob Roy" was published on the last day of 1817. The toughness of the jobwas caused by constant pain, and by struggles with "the lassitude ofopium. " So seldom sentimental, so rarely given to expressing hismelancholy moods in verse, Scott, while composing "Rob Roy, " wrote thebeautiful poem "The sun upon the Weirdlaw Hill, " in which, for this once, "pity of self through all makes broken moan. "

Some stress may be laid on the state of Sir Walter's health at thismoment, because a living critic has tried to show that, in his case, "every pang of the stomach paralyses the brain;" that he "never had a fitof the cramp without spoiling a chapter. "--[Mr. Ruskin's "Fiction Fairand Foul, " "Nineteenth Century, " 1880, p. 955. ]--"Rob Roy" is asufficient answer to these theories. The mind of Scott was no slave tohis body. 

The success of the story is pleasantly proved by a sentence in a reviewof the day: "It is an event unprecedented in the annals either ofliterature or of the custom-house that the entire cargo of a packet, orsmack, bound from Leith to London, should be the impression of a novel, for which the public curiosity was so much upon the alert as to requirethis immense importation to satisfy. "

Ten thousand copies of a three-volume novel are certainly a ponderouscargo, and Constable printed no fewer in his first edition. Scott wasassured of his own triumph in February 1819, when a dramatised version ofhis novel was acted in Edinburgh by the company of Mr. William Murray, adescendant of the traitor Murray of Broughton. Mr. Charles Mackay made acapital Bailie, and the piece remains a favourite with Scotch audiences. It is plain, from the reviews, that in one respect "Rob Roy" ratherdisappointed the world. They had expected Rob to be a much more imposingand majestic cateran, and complained that his foot was set too late onhis native heather. They found too much of the drover and intriguer, toolittle of the traditional driver of the spoil. This was what Scottforesaw when he objected to "writing up to a title. " In fact, he did notwrite up to, it, and, as the "Scots Magazine" said, "shaped his story insuch a manner as to throw busybodies out in their chase, with a slightdegree of malicious finesse. " "All the expeditions to the wonderful cavehave been thrown away, for the said cave is not once, we think, mentionedfrom beginning to end. "

"Rob Roy" equals "Waverley" in its pictures of Highland and Lowlandsociety and character. Scott had clearly set himself to state hisopinions about the Highlands as they were under the patriarchal system ofgovernment. The Highlanders were then a people, not lawless, indeed, butall their law was the will of their chief. Bailie Nicol Jarvie makes astatement of their economic and military condition as accurate as it ishumorous. The modern "Highland Question" may be studied as well in theBailie's words as in volumes of history and wildernesses of blue-books. A people patriarchal and military as the Arabs of the desert weresuddenly dragged into modern commercial and industrial society. All oldbonds were snapped in a moment; emigration (at first opposed by some ofthe chiefs) and the French wars depleted the country of its "lang-leggitcallants, gaun wanting the breeks. " Cattle took the place of men, sheepof cattle, deer of sheep, and, in the long peace, a population grew upagain--a population destitute of employment even more than of old, because war and robbery had ceased to be outlets for its energy. Somechiefs, as Dr. Johnson said, treated their lands as an attorney treatshis row of cheap houses in a town. Hence the Highland Question, --aquestion in which Scott's sympathies were with the Highlanders. "Rob Roy, " naturally, is no mere "novel with a purpose, " no economictract in disguise. Among Scott's novels it stands alone as regards itspictures of passionate love. The love of Diana Vernon is no lesspassionate for its admirable restraint. Here Scott displays, withoutaffectation, a truly Greek reserve in his art. The deep and strongaffection of Diana Vernon would not have been otherwise handled by himwho drew the not more immortal picture of Antigone. Unlike modernnovelists, Sir Walter deals neither in analysis nor in rapturouseffusions. We can, unfortunately, imagine but too easily how some writerswould peep and pry into the concealed emotions of that maiden heart; howothers would revel in tears, kisses, and caresses. In place of all theseScott writes:--

 She extended her hand, but I clasped her to my bosom. She sighed as she extricated herself from the embrace which she permitted, escaped to the door which led to her own apartment, and I saw her no more. 

Months pass, in a mist of danger and intrigue, before the lovers meetagain in the dusk and the solitude. 

 "Mr. Francis Osbaldistone, " cries the girl's voice through the moonlight, "should not whistle his favourite airs when he wishes to remain undiscovered. "

 And Diana Vernon--for she, wrapped in a horseman's cloak, was the last speaker--whistled in playful mimicry the second part of the tune, which was on my lips when they came up. 

Surely there was never, in story or in song, a lady so loving and solight of heart, save Rosalind alone. Her face touches Frank's, as shesays goodbye for ever "It was a moment never to be forgotten, inexpressibly bitter, yet mixed with a sensation of pleasure so deeplysoothing and affecting as at once to unlock all the floodgates of theheart. "

She rides into the night, her lover knows the _hysterica passio_ of poorLear, but "I had scarce given vent to my feelings in this paroxysm ere Iwas ashamed of my weakness. "

These were men and women who knew how to love, and how to live. All men who read "Rob Roy" are innocent rivals of Frank Osbaldistone. Di Vernon holds her place in our hearts with Rosalind, and these airyaffections, like the actual emotions which they mimic, are not mattersfor words. This lady, so gay, so brave, so witty and fearless, so tenderand true, who "endured trials which might have dignified the history of amartyr, . . . Who spent the day in darkness and the night in vigil, andnever breathed a murmur of weakness or complaint, " is as immortal inmen's memories as the actual heroine of the White Rose, Flora Macdonald. Her place is with Helen and Antigone, with Rosalind and Imogen, thedeathless daughters of dreams. She brightens the world as she passes, andour own hearts tell us all the story when Osbaldistone says, "You knowhow I lamented her. "

In the central interest, which, for once, is the interest of love, "RobRoy" attains the nobility, the reserve, the grave dignity of the highestart. It is not easy to believe that Frank Osbaldistone is worthy of hislady; but here no man is a fair judge. In the four novels--"Waverley, ""Guy Mannering, " "The Antiquary, " and "Rob Roy"--which we have studied, the hero has always been a young poet. Waverley versified; so didMannering; Lovel "had attempted a few lyrical pieces;" and, inOsbaldistone's rhymes, Scott parodied his own

 blast of that dread horn On Fontarabian echoes borne. 

All the heroes, then, have been poets, and Osbaldistone's youth may havebeen suggested by Scott's memories of his own, and of the father who"feared that he would never be better than a gangrel scrapegut. " LikeHenry Morton, in "Old Mortality, " Frank Osbaldistone is on the politicalside taken by Scott's judgment, not by his emotions. To make Di Vernonconvert him to Jacobitism would have been to repeat the story ofWaverley. Still, he would have been more sympathetic if he had beenconverted. He certainly does not lack spirit, as a sportsman, or "on anoccasion, " as Sir William Hope says in "The Scots' Fencing Master, " whenhe encounters Rashleigh in the college gardens. Frank, in short, is allthat a hero should be, and is glorified by his affection. 

Of the other characters, perhaps Rob Roy is too sympathetically drawn. The materials for a judgment are afforded by Scott's own admirablehistorical introduction. The Rob Roy who so calmly "played booty, " andkept a foot in either camp, certainly falls below the heroic. Hislanguage has been criticised in late years, and it has been insisted thatthe Highlanders never talked Lowland Scotch. But Scott has anticipatedthese cavils in the eighteenth chapter of the second volume. Certainly noLowlander knew the Highlanders better than he did, and his ear fordialect was as keen as his musical ear was confessedly obtuse. Scott had the best means of knowing whether Helen MacGregor would belikely to soar into heroics as she is apt to do. In fact, here "we maytrust the artist. "

The novel is as rich as any in subordinate characters full of life andhumour. Morris is one of the few utter cowards in Scott. He has none ofthe passionate impulses towards courage of the hapless hero in "The FairMaid of Perth. " The various Osbaldistones are nicely discriminated byDiana Vernon, in one of those "Beatrix moods" which Scott did not alwaysadmire, when they were displayed by "Lady Anne" and other girls of fleshand blood. Rashleigh is of a nature unusual in Scott. He is, perhaps, SirWalter's nearest approach, for malignant egotism, to an Iago. Of BailieNicol Jarvie commendation were impertinent. All Scotland arose, calledhim hers, laughed at and applauded her civic child. Concerning AndrewFairservice, the first edition tells us what the final edition leaves usto guess--that Tresham "may recollect him as gardener at OsbaldistoneHall. " Andrew was not a friend who could be shaken off. Diana may haveruled the hall, but Andrew must have remained absolute in the gardens, with "something to maw that he would like to see mawn, or something tosaw that he would like to see sawn, or something to ripe that he wouldlike to see ripen, and sae he e'en daikered on wi' the family frae year'send to year's end, " and life's end. His master "needed some carefu' bodyto look after him. "

Only Shakspeare and Scott could have given us medicines to make us likethis cowardly, conceited "jimp honest" fellow, Andrew Fairservice, whojust escapes being a hypocrite by dint of some sincere old Covenantingleaven in his veins. We make bold to say that the creator of Parolles andLucie, and many another lax and lovable knave, would, had he been a Scot, have drawn Andrew Fairservice thus, and not otherwise. 

The critics of the hour censured, as they were certain to censure, theconstruction, and especially the conclusion, of "Rob Roy. " No doubt thecritics were right. In both Scott and Shakspeare there is often seen aperfect disregard of the denouement. Any moderately intelligent personcan remark on the huddled-up ends and hasty marriages in many ofShakspeare's comedies; Moliere has been charged with the same offence;and, if blame there be, Scott is almost always to blame. Thackeray islittle better. There must be some reason that explains why men of geniusgo wrong where every newspaper critic, every milliner's girl acquaintedwith circulating libraries, can detect the offence. 

In the closing remarks of "Old Mortality" Scott expresses himselfhumorously on this matter of the denouement. His schoolmaster authortakes his proofsheets to Miss Martha Buskbody, who was the literary setin Gandercleugh, having read through the whole stock of three circulatinglibraries. Miss Buskbody criticises the Dominic as Lady Louisa Stuarthabitually criticised Sir Walter. "Your plan of omitting a formalconclusion will never do!" The Dominie replies, "Really, madam, you mustbe aware that every volume of a narrative turns less and less interestingas the author draws to a conclusion, --just like your tea, which, thoughexcellent hyson, is necessarily weaker and more insipid in the last cup. "He compares the orthodox happy ending to "the luscious lump ofhalf-dissolved sugar" usually found at the bottom of the cup. This topicmight be discussed, and indeed has been discussed, endlessly. In ouractual lives it is probable that most of us have found ourselves livingfor a year, or a month, or a week, in a chapter or half a volume of anovel, and these have been our least happy experiences. But we have alsofound that the romance vanishes away like a ghost, dwindles out, closeswith ragged ends, has no denouement. Then the question presents itself, As art is imitation, should not novels, as a rule, close thus? Theexperiment has frequently been tried, especially by the modern geniuseswho do not conceal their belief that their art is altogether finer thanScott's, or, perhaps, than Shakspeare's. 

In his practice, and in his Dominie's critical remarks, Sir Walterappears inclined to agree with them. He was just as well aware as hisreviewers, or as Lady Louisa Stuart, that the conclusion of "Rob Roy" is"huddled up, " that the sudden demise of all the young Baldistones is ahigh-handed measure. He knew that, in real life, Frank and Di Vernonwould never have met again after that farewell on the moonlit road. Buthe yielded to Miss Buskbody's demand for "a glimpse of sunshine in thelast chapter;" he understood the human liking for the final lump ofsugar. After all, fiction is not, any more than any other art, a mereimitation of life: it is an arrangement, a selection. Scott was too kind, too humane, to disappoint us, the crowd of human beings who find much ofour happiness in dreams. He could not keep up his own interest in hischaracters after he had developed them; he could take pleasure in givingthem life, --he had little pleasure in ushering them into an earthlyparadise; so that part of his business he did carelessly, as his onlyrivals in literature have also done it. 

The critics censured, not unjustly, the "machinery" of the story, --thesemysterious "assets" of Osbaldistone and Tresham, whose absence was toprecipitate the Rising of 1715. The "Edinburgh Review" lost its heart(Jeffrey's heart was always being lost) to Di Vernon. But it pronouncesthat "a king with legs of marble, or a youth with an ivory shoulder, "heroes of the "Arabian Nights" and of Pindar, was probable, compared withthe wit and accomplishments of Diana. This is hypercriticism. Diana'seducation, under Rashleigh, had been elaborate; her acquaintance withShakspeare, her main strength, is unusual in women, but not beyond thelimits of belief. Here she is in agreeable contrast to Rose Bradwardine, who had never heard of "Romeo and Juliet. " In any case, Diana compelsbelief as well as wins affection, while we are fortunate enough to be inher delightful company. 

As long as we believe in her, it is not of moment to consider whether hercharms are incompatible with probability. 

"Rob Roy" was finished in spite of "a very bad touch of the cramp forabout three weeks in November, which, with its natural attendants ofdulness and, weakness, made me unable to get our matters forward tilllast week, " says Scott to Constable. "But, " adds the unconquerableauthor, "I am resting myself here a few days before commencing my newlabours, which will be untrodden ground, and, I think, pretty likely tosucceed. " The "new labours" were "The Heart of Mid-Lothian. "

ANDREW LANG. 

ROB ROY

CHAPTER FIRST. 

 How have I sinn'd, that this affliction Should light so heavy on me? I have no more sons, And this no more mine own. --My grand curse Hang o'er his head that thus transformed thee!-- Travel? I'll send my horse to travel next. Monsieur Thomas. 

You have requested me, my dear friend, to bestow some of that leisure, with which Providence has blessed the decline of my life, in registeringthe hazards and difficulties which attended its commencement. Therecollection of those adventures, as you are pleased to term them, hasindeed left upon my mind a chequered and varied feeling of pleasure andof pain, mingled, I trust, with no slight gratitude and veneration to theDisposer of human events, who guided my early course through much riskand labour, that the ease with which he has blessed my prolonged lifemight seem softer from remembrance and contrast. Neither is it possiblefor me to doubt, what you have often affirmed, that the incidents whichbefell me among a people singularly primitive in their government andmanners, have something interesting and attractive for those who love tohear an old man's stories of a past age. 

Still, however, you must remember, that the tale told by one friend, andlistened to by another, loses half its charms when committed to paper;and that the narratives to which you have attended with interest, asheard from the voice of him to whom they occurred, will appear lessdeserving of attention when perused in the seclusion of your study. Butyour greener age and robust constitution promise longer life than will, in all human probability, be the lot of your friend. Throw, then, thesesheets into some secret drawer of your escritoire till we are separatedfrom each other's society by an event which may happen at any moment, andwhich must happen within the course of a few--a very few years. When weare parted in this world, to meet, I hope, in a better, you will, I amwell aware, cherish more than it deserves the memory of your departedfriend, and will find in those details which I am now to commit to paper, matter for melancholy, but not unpleasing reflection. Others bequeath tothe confidants of their bosom portraits of their external features--I putinto your hands a faithful transcript of my thoughts and feelings, of myvirtues and of my failings, with the assured hope, that the follies andheadstrong impetuosity of my youth will meet the same kind constructionand forgiveness which have so often attended the faults of my maturedage. 

One advantage, among the many, of addressing my Memoirs (if I may givethese sheets a name so imposing) to a dear and intimate friend, is, thatI may spare some of the details, in this case unnecessary, with which Imust needs have detained a stranger from what I have to say of greaterinterest. Why should I bestow all my tediousness upon you, because I haveyou in my power, and have ink, paper, and time before me? At the sametime, I dare not promise that I may not abuse the opportunity sotemptingly offered me, to treat of myself and my own concerns, eventhough I speak of circumstances as well known to you as to myself. Theseductive love of narrative, when we ourselves are the heroes of theevents which we tell, often disregards the attention due to the time andpatience of the audience, and the best and wisest have yielded to itsfascination. I need only remind you of the singular instance evinced bythe form of that rare and original edition of Sully's Memoirs, which you(with the fond vanity of a book-collector) insist upon preferring to thatwhich is reduced to the useful and ordinary form of Memoirs, but which Ithink curious, solely as illustrating how far so great a man as theauthor was accessible to the foible of self-importance. If I recollectrightly, that venerable peer and great statesman had appointed no fewerthan four gentlemen of his household to draw up the events of his life, under the title of Memorials of the Sage and Royal Affairs of State, Domestic, Political, and Military, transacted by Henry IV. , and so forth. These grave recorders, having made their compilation, reduced the Memoirscontaining all the remarkable events of their master's life into anarrative, addressed to himself in _propria persona. _ And thus, insteadof telling his own story, in the third person, like Julius Caesar, or inthe first person, like most who, in the hall, or the study, undertake tobe the heroes of their own tale, Sully enjoyed the refined, thoughwhimsical pleasure, of having the events of his life told over to him byhis secretaries, being himself the auditor, as he was also the hero, andprobably the author, of the whole book. It must have been a great sightto have seen the ex-minister, as bolt upright as a starched ruff andlaced cassock could make him, seated in state beneath his canopy, andlistening to the recitation of his compilers, while, standing bare in hispresence, they informed him gravely, "Thus said the duke--so did the dukeinfer--such were your grace's sentiments upon this importantpoint--such were your secret counsels to the king on that otheremergency, "--circumstances, all of which must have been much betterknown to their hearer than to themselves, and most of which could onlybe derived from his own special communication. 

My situation is not quite so ludicrous as that of the great Sully, andyet there would be something whimsical in Frank Osbaldistone giving WillTresham a formal account of his birth, education, and connections in theworld. I will, therefore, wrestle with the tempting spirit of P. P. , Clerk of our Parish, as I best may, and endeavour to tell you nothingthat is familiar to you already. Some things, however, I must recall toyour memory, because, though formerly well known to you, they may havebeen forgotten through lapse of time, and they afford the ground-work ofmy destiny. 

You must remember my father well; for, as your own was a member of themercantile house, you knew him from infancy. Yet you hardly saw him inhis best days, before age and infirmity had quenched his ardent spirit ofenterprise and speculation. He would have been a poorer man, indeed, butperhaps as happy, had he devoted to the extension of science those activeenergies, and acute powers of observation, for which commercial pursuitsfound occupation. Yet, in the fluctuations of mercantile speculation, there is something captivating to the adventurer, even independent of thehope of gain. He who embarks on that fickle sea, requires to possess theskill of the pilot and the fortitude of the navigator, and after all maybe wrecked and lost, unless the gales of fortune breathe in his favour. This mixture of necessary attention and inevitable hazard, --the frequentand awful uncertainty whether prudence shall overcome fortune, or fortunebaffle the schemes of prudence, affords full occupation for the powers, as well as for the feelings of the mind, and trade has all thefascination of gambling without its moral guilt. 

Early in the 18th century, when I (Heaven help me) was a youth of sometwenty years old, I was summoned suddenly from Bourdeaux to attend myfather on business of importance. I shall never forget our firstinterview. You recollect the brief, abrupt, and somewhat stern mode inwhich he was wont to communicate his pleasure to those around him. Methinks I see him even now in my mind's eye;--the firm and uprightfigure, --the step, quick and determined, --the eye, which shot so keen andso penetrating a glance, --the features, on which care had already plantedwrinkles, --and hear his language, in which he never wasted word in vain, expressed in a voice which had sometimes an occasional harshness, farfrom the intention of the speaker. 

When I dismounted from my post-horse, I hastened to my father'sapartment. He was traversing it with an air of composed and steadydeliberation, which even my arrival, although an only son unseen for fouryears, was unable to discompose. I threw myself into his arms. He was akind, though not a fond father, and the tear twinkled in his dark eye, but it was only for a moment. 

"Dubourg writes to me that he is satisfied with you, Frank. "

"I am happy, sir"--

"But I have less reason to be so" he added, sitting down at his bureau. 

"I am sorry, sir"--

"Sorry and happy, Frank, are words that, on most occasions, signifylittle or nothing--Here is your last letter. "

He took it out from a number of others tied up in a parcel of red tape, and curiously labelled and filed. There lay my poor epistle, written onthe subject the nearest to my heart at the time, and couched in wordswhich I had thought would work compassion if not conviction, --there, Isay, it lay, squeezed up among the letters on miscellaneous business inwhich my father's daily affairs had engaged him. I cannot help smilinginternally when I recollect the mixture of hurt vanity, and woundedfeeling, with which I regarded my remonstrance, to the penning of whichthere had gone, I promise you, some trouble, as I beheld it extractedfrom amongst letters of advice, of credit, and all the commonplacelumber, as I then thought them, of a merchant's correspondence. Surely, thought I, a letter of such importance (I dared not say, even to myself, so well written) deserved a separate place, as well as more anxiousconsideration, than those on the ordinary business of the counting-house. 

But my father did not observe my dissatisfaction, and would not haveminded it if he had. He proceeded, with the letter in his hand. "This, Frank, is yours of the 21st ultimo, in which you advise me (reading frommy letter), that in the most important business of forming a plan, andadopting a profession for life, you trust my paternal goodness will holdyou entitled to at least a negative voice; that you have insuperable--ay, insuperable is the word--I wish, by the way, you would write a moredistinct current hand--draw a score through the tops of your t's, andopen the loops of your l's--insuperable objections to the arrangementswhich I have proposed to you. There is much more to the same effect, occupying four good pages of paper, which a little attention toperspicuity and distinctness of expression might have comprised within asmany lines. For, after all, Frank, it amounts but to this, that you willnot do as I would have you. "

"That I cannot, sir, in the present instance, not that I will not. "

"Words avail very little with me, young man, " said my father, whoseinflexibility always possessed the air of the most perfect calmness ofself-possession. "_Can not_ may be a more civil phrase than _will not, _but the expressions are synonymous where there is no moral impossibility. But I am not a friend to doing business hastily; we will talk this matterover after dinner. --Owen!"

Owen appeared, not with the silver locks which you were used to venerate, for he was then little more than fifty; but he had the same, or anexactly similar uniform suit of light-brown clothes, --the same pearl-greysilk stockings, --the same stock, with its silver buckle, --the sameplaited cambric ruffles, drawn down over his knuckles in the parlour, butin the counting-house carefully folded back under the sleeves, that theymight remain unstained by the ink which he daily consumed;--in a word, the same grave, formal, yet benevolent cast of features, which continuedto his death to distinguish the head clerk of the great house ofOsbaldistone and Tresham. 

"Owen, " said my father, as the kind old man shook me affectionately bythe hand, "you must dine with us to-day, and hear the news Frank hasbrought us from our friends in Bourdeaux. "

Owen made one of his stiff bows of respectful gratitude; for, in thosedays, when the distance between superiors and inferiors was enforced in amanner to which the present times are strangers, such an invitation was afavour of some little consequence. 

I shall long remember that dinner-party. Deeply affected by feelings ofanxiety, not unmingled with displeasure, I was unable to take that activeshare in the conversation which my father seemed to expect from me; and Itoo frequently gave unsatisfactory answers to the questions with which heassailed me. Owen, hovering betwixt his respect for his patron, and hislove for the youth he had dandled on his knee in childhood, like thetimorous, yet anxious ally of an invaded nation, endeavoured at everyblunder I made to explain my no-meaning, and to cover my retreat;manoeuvres which added to my father's pettish displeasure, and brought ashare of it upon my kind advocate, instead of protecting me. I had not, while residing in the house of Dubourg, absolutely conducted myself like

 A clerk condemn'd his father's soul to cross, Who penn'd a stanza when he should engross;--

but, to say truth, I had frequented the counting-house no more than I hadthought absolutely necessary to secure the good report of the Frenchman, long a correspondent of our firm, to whom my father had trusted forinitiating me into the mysteries of commerce. In fact, my principalattention had been dedicated to literature and manly exercises. My fatherdid not altogether discourage such acquirements, whether mental orpersonal. He had too much good sense not to perceive, that they sategracefully upon every man, and he was sensible that they relieved anddignified the character to which he wished me to aspire. But his chiefambition was, that I should succeed not merely to his fortune, but to theviews and plans by which he imagined he could extend and perpetuate thewealthy inheritance which he designed for me. 

Love of his profession was the motive which he chose should be mostostensible, when he urged me to tread the same path; but he had otherswith which I only became acquainted at a later period. Impetuous in hisschemes, as well as skilful and daring, each new adventure, whensuccessful, became at once the incentive, and furnished the means, forfarther speculation. It seemed to be necessary to him, as to an ambitiousconqueror, to push on from achievement to achievement, without stoppingto secure, far less to enjoy, the acquisitions which he made. Accustomedto see his whole fortune trembling in the scales of chance, and dexterousat adopting expedients for casting the balance in his favour, his healthand spirits and activity seemed ever to increase with the animatinghazards on which he staked his wealth; and he resembled a sailor, accustomed to brave the billows and the foe, whose confidence rises onthe eve of tempest or of battle. He was not, however, insensible to thechanges which increasing age or supervening malady might make in his ownconstitution; and was anxious in good time to secure in me an assistant, who might take the helm when his hand grew weary, and keep the vessel'sway according to his counsel and instruction. Paternal affection, as wellas the furtherance of his own plans, determined him to the sameconclusion. Your father, though his fortune was vested in the house, wasonly a sleeping partner, as the commercial phrase goes; and Owen, whoseprobity and skill in the details of arithmetic rendered his servicesinvaluable as a head clerk, was not possessed either of information ortalents sufficient to conduct the mysteries of the principal management. If my father were suddenly summoned from life, what would become of theworld of schemes which he had formed, unless his son were moulded into acommercial Hercules, fit to sustain the weight when relinquished by thefalling Atlas? and what would become of that son himself, if, a strangerto business of this description, he found himself at once involved in thelabyrinth of mercantile concerns, without the clew of knowledge necessaryfor his extraction? For all these reasons, avowed and secret, my fatherwas determined I should embrace his profession; and when he wasdetermined, the resolution of no man was more immovable. I, however, wasalso a party to be consulted, and, with something of his own pertinacity, I had formed a determination precisely contrary. It may, I hope, be somepalliative for the resistance which, on this occasion, I offered to myfather's wishes, that I did not fully understand upon what they werefounded, or how deeply his happiness was involved in them. Imaginingmyself certain of a large succession in future, and ample maintenance inthe meanwhile, it never occurred to me that it might be necessary, inorder to secure these blessings, to submit to labour and limitationsunpleasant to my taste and temper. I only saw in my father's proposal formy engaging in business, a desire that I should add to those heaps ofwealth which he had himself acquired; and imagining myself the best judgeof the path to my own happiness, I did not conceive that I shouldincrease that happiness by augmenting a fortune which I believed wasalready sufficient, and more than sufficient, for every use, comfort, andelegant enjoyment. 

Accordingly, I am compelled to repeat, that my time at Bourdeaux had notbeen spent as my father had proposed to himself. What he considered asthe chief end of my residence in that city, I had postponed for everyother, and would (had I dared) have neglected altogether. Dubourg, afavoured and benefited correspondent of our mercantile house, was toomuch of a shrewd politician to make such reports to the head of the firmconcerning his only child, as would excite the displeasure of both; andhe might also, as you will presently hear, have views of selfishadvantage in suffering me to neglect the purposes for which I was placedunder his charge. My conduct was regulated by the bounds of decency andgood order, and thus far he had no evil report to make, supposing him sodisposed; but, perhaps, the crafty Frenchman would have been equallycomplaisant, had I been in the habit of indulging worse feelings thanthose of indolence and aversion to mercantile business. As it was, whileI gave a decent portion of my time to the commercial studies herecommended, he was by no means envious of the hours which I dedicated toother and more classical attainments, nor did he ever find fault with mefor dwelling upon Corneille and Boileau, in preference to Postlethwayte(supposing his folio to have then existed, and Monsieur Dubourg able tohave pronounced his name), or Savary, or any other writer on commercialeconomy. He had picked up somewhere a convenient expression, with whichhe rounded off every letter to his correspondent, --"I was all, " he said, "that a father could wish. "

My father never quarrelled with a phrase, however frequently repeated, provided it seemed to him distinct and expressive; and Addison himselfcould not have found expressions so satisfactory to him as, "Yoursreceived, and duly honoured the bills enclosed, as per margin. "

Knowing, therefore, very well what he desired me to, be, Mr. Osbaldistonemade no doubt, from the frequent repetition of Dubourg's favouritephrase, that I was the very thing he wished to see me; when, in an evilhour, he received my letter, containing my eloquent and detailed apologyfor declining a place in the firm, and a desk and stool in the corner ofthe dark counting-house in Crane Alley, surmounting in height those ofOwen, and the other clerks, and only inferior to the tripod of my fatherhimself. All was wrong from that moment. Dubourg's reports became assuspicious as if his bills had been noted for dishonour. I was summonedhome in all haste, and received in the manner I have already communicatedto you. 

CHAPTER SECOND. 

 I begin shrewdly to suspect the young man of a terrible taint--Poetry; with which idle disease if he be infected, there's no hope of him in astate course. _Actum est_ of him for a commonwealth's man, if he goto't in rhyme once. Ben Jonson's _Bartholomew Fair. _

My father had, generally speaking, his temper under completeself-command, and his anger rarely indicated itself by words, except ina sort of dry testy manner, to those who had displeased him. He neverused threats, or expressions of loud resentment. All was arranged withhim on system, and it was his practice to do "the needful" on everyoccasion, without wasting words about it. It was, therefore, with abitter smile that he listened to my imperfect answers concerning thestate of commerce in France, and unmercifully permitted me to involvemyself deeper and deeper in the mysteries of agio, tariffs, tare andtret; nor can I charge my memory with his having looked positivelyangry, until he found me unable to explain the exact effect which thedepreciation of the louis d'or had produced on the negotiation of billsof exchange. "The most remarkable national occurrence in my time, " saidmy father (who nevertheless had seen the Revolution)--"and he knows nomore of it than a post on the quay!"

"Mr. Francis, " suggested Owen, in his timid and conciliatory manner, "cannot have forgotten, that by an _arret_ of the King of France, dated1st May 1700, it was provided that the _porteur, _ within ten days afterdue, must make demand"--

"Mr. Francis, " said my father, interrupting him, "will, I dare say, recollect for the moment anything you are so kind as hint to him. But, body o' me! how Dubourg could permit him! Hark ye, Owen, what sort of ayouth is Clement Dubourg, his nephew there, in the office, theblack-haired lad?"

"One of the cleverest clerks, sir, in the house; a prodigious young manfor his time, " answered Owen; for the gaiety and civility of the youngFrenchman had won his heart. 

"Ay, ay, I suppose _he_ knows something of the nature of exchange. Dubourg was determined I should have one youngster at least about my handwho understood business. But I see his drift, and he shall find that I doso when he looks at the balance-sheet. Owen, let Clement's salary be paidup to next quarter-day, and let him ship himself back to Bourdeaux in hisfather's ship, which is clearing out yonder. "

"Dismiss Clement Dubourg, sir?" said Owen, with a faltering voice. 

"Yes, sir, dismiss him instantly; it is enough to have a stupidEnglishman in the counting-house to make blunders, without keeping asharp Frenchman there to profit by them. "

I had lived long enough in the territories of the _Grand Monarque_ tocontract a hearty aversion to arbitrary exertion of authority, even if ithad not been instilled into me with my earliest breeding; and I could notrefrain from interposing, to prevent an innocent and meritorious youngman from paying the penalty of having acquired that proficiency which myfather had desired for me. 

"I beg pardon, sir, " when Mr. Osbaldistone had done speaking; "but Ithink it but just, that if I have been negligent of my studies, I shouldpay the forfeit myself. I have no reason to charge Monsieur Dubourg withhaving neglected to give me opportunities of improvement, however littleI may have profited by them; and with respect to Monsieur ClementDubourg"--

"With respect to him, and to you, I shall take the measures which I seeneedful, " replied my father; "but it is fair in you, Frank, to take yourown blame on your own shoulders--very fair, that cannot be denied. --Icannot acquit old Dubourg, " he said, looking to Owen, "for having merelyafforded Frank the means of useful knowledge, without either seeing thathe took advantage of them or reporting to me if he did not. You see, Owen, he has natural notions of equity becoming a British merchant. "

"Mr. Francis, " said the head-clerk, with his usual formal inclination ofthe head, and a slight elevation of his right hand, which he had acquiredby a habit of sticking his pen behind his ear before he spoke--"Mr. Francis seems to understand the fundamental principle of all moralaccounting, the great ethic rule of three. Let A do to B, as he wouldhave B do to him; the product will give the rule of conduct required. "

My father smiled at this reduction of the golden rule to arithmeticalform, but instantly proceeded. 

"All this signifies nothing, Frank; you have been throwing away your timelike a boy, and in future you must learn to live like a man. I shall putyou under Owen's care for a few months, to recover the lost ground. "

I was about to reply, but Owen looked at me with such a supplicatory andwarning gesture, that I was involuntarily silent. 

"We will then, " continued my father, "resume the subject of mine of the1st ultimo, to which you sent me an answer which was unadvised andunsatisfactory. So now, fill your glass, and push the bottle to Owen. "

Want of courage--of audacity if you will--was never my failing. Ianswered firmly, "I was sorry that my letter was unsatisfactory, unadvised it was not; for I had given the proposal his goodness had mademe, my instant and anxious attention, and it was with no small pain thatI found myself obliged to decline it. "

My father bent his keen eye for a moment on me, and instantly withdrewit. As he made no answer, I thought myself obliged to proceed, thoughwith some hesitation, and he only interrupted me by monosyllables. --"Itis impossible, sir, for me to have higher respect for any character thanI have for the commercial, even were it not yours. "

"Indeed!"

"It connects nation with nation, relieves the wants, and contributes tothe wealth of all; and is to the general commonwealth of the civilisedworld what the daily intercourse of ordinary life is to private society, or rather, what air and food are to our bodies. "

"Well, sir?"

"And yet, sir, I find myself compelled to persist in declining to adopt acharacter which I am so ill qualified to support. "

"I will take care that you acquire the qualifications necessary. You areno longer the guest and pupil of Dubourg. "

"But, my dear sir, it is no defect of teaching which I plead, but my owninability to profit by instruction. "

"Nonsense. --Have you kept your journal in the terms I desired?"

"Yes, sir. "

"Be pleased to bring it here. "

The volume thus required was a sort of commonplace book, kept by myfather's recommendation, in which I had been directed to enter notes ofthe miscellaneous information which I had acquired in the course of mystudies. Foreseeing that he would demand inspection of this record, I hadbeen attentive to transcribe such particulars of information as he wouldmost likely be pleased with, but too often the pen had discharged thetask without much correspondence with the head. And it had also happened, that, the book being the receptacle nearest to my hand, I hadoccasionally jotted down memoranda which had little regard to traffic. Inow put it into my father's hand, devoutly hoping he might light onnothing that would increase his displeasure against me. Owen's face, which had looked something blank when the question was put, cleared up atmy ready answer, and wore a smile of hope, when I brought from myapartment, and placed before my father, a commercial-looking volume, rather broader than it was long, having brazen clasps and a binding ofrough calf. This looked business-like, and was encouraging to mybenevolent well-wisher. But he actually smiled with pleasure as he heardmy father run over some part of the contents, muttering his criticalremarks as he went on. 

"_--Brandies--Barils and barricants, also tonneaux. --At Nantz 29--Vellesto the barique at Cognac and Rochelle 27--At Bourdeaux 32_--Very right, Frank--_Duties on tonnage and custom-house, see Saxby's Tables_--That'snot well; you should have transcribed the passage; it fixes the thing inthe memory--_Reports outward and inward--Corn debentures--Over-seaCockets--Linens--Isingham--Gentish--Stock-fish--Titling--Cropling--Lub-fish. _ You should have noted that they are all, nevertheless to beentered as titlings. --How many inches long is a titling?"

Owen, seeing me at fault, hazarded a whisper, of which I fortunatelycaught the import. 

"Eighteen inches, sir. "--

"And a lub-fish is twenty-four--very right. It is important to rememberthis, on account of the Portuguese trade--But what have we here?--_Bourdeaux founded in the year--Castle of the Trompette--Palace ofGallienus_--Well, well, that's very right too. --This is a kind ofwaste-book, Owen, in which all the transactions of the day, --emptions, orders, payments, receipts, acceptances, draughts, commissions, andadvices, --are entered miscellaneously. "

"That they may be regularly transferred to the day-book and ledger, "answered Owen: "I am glad Mr. Francis is so methodical. "

I perceived myself getting so fast into favour, that I began to fear theconsequence would be my father's more obstinate perseverance in hisresolution that I must become a merchant; and as I was determined on thecontrary, I began to wish I had not, to use my friend Mr. Owen's phrase, been so methodical. But I had no reason for apprehension on that score;for a blotted piece of paper dropped out of the book, and, being taken upby my father, he interrupted a hint from Owen, on the propriety ofsecuring loose memoranda with a little paste, by exclaiming, "To thememory of Edward the Black Prince--What's all this?--verses!--By Heaven, Frank, you are a greater blockhead than I supposed you!"

My father, you must recollect, as a man of business, looked upon thelabour of poets with contempt; and as a religious man, and of thedissenting persuasion, he considered all such pursuits as equally trivialand profane. Before you condemn him, you must recall to remembrance howtoo many of the poets in the end of the seventeenth century had led theirlives and employed their talents. The sect also to which my fatherbelonged, felt, or perhaps affected, a puritanical aversion to thelighter exertions of literature. So that many causes contributed toaugment the unpleasant surprise occasioned by the ill-timed discovery ofthis unfortunate copy of verses. As for poor Owen, could the bob-wigwhich he then wore have uncurled itself, and stood on end with horror, Iam convinced the morning's labour of the friseur would have been undone, merely by the excess of his astonishment at this enormity. An inroad onthe strong-box, or an erasure in the ledger, or a mis-summation in afitted account, could hardly have surprised him more disagreeably. Myfather read the lines sometimes with an affectation of not being able tounderstand the sense--sometimes in a mouthing tone of mock heroic--alwayswith an emphasis of the most bitter irony, most irritating to the nervesof an author. 

 "O for the voice of that wild horn, On Fontarabian echoes borne, The dying hero's call, That told imperial Charlemagne, How Paynim sons of swarthy Spain Had wrought his champion's fall. 

"_Fontarabian echoes!_" continued my father, interrupting himself; "theFontarabian Fair would have been more to the purpose--_Paynim!_--What'sPaynim?--Could you not say Pagan as well, and write English at least, ifyou must needs write nonsense?--

 "Sad over earth and ocean sounding. And England's distant cliffs astounding. Such are the notes should say How Britain's hope, and France's fear, Victor of Cressy and Poitier, In Bordeaux dying lay. "

"Poitiers, by the way, is always spelt with an _s, _ and I know no reasonwhy orthography should give place to rhyme. --

 "'Raise my faint head, my squires, ' he said, 'And let the casement be display'd, That I may see once more The splendour of the setting sun Gleam on thy mirrored wave, Garonne, And Blaye's empurpled shore. 

"_Garonne_ and _sun_ is a bad rhyme. Why, Frank, you do not evenunderstand the beggarly trade you have chosen. 

 "'Like me, he sinks to Glory's sleep, His fall the dews of evening steep, As if in sorrow shed, So soft shall fall the trickling tear, When England's maids and matrons hear Of their Black Edward dead. 

 "'And though my sun of glory set, Nor France, nor England, shall forget The terror of my name; And oft shall Britain's heroes rise, New planets in these southern skies, Through clouds of blood and flame. '

"A cloud of flame is something new--Good-morrow, my masters all, and amerry Christmas to you!--Why, the bellman writes better lines. " He thentossed the paper from him with an air of superlative contempt, andconcluded--"Upon my credit, Frank, you are a greater blockhead than Itook you for. "

What could I say, my dear Tresham? There I stood, swelling with indignantmortification, while my father regarded me with a calm but stern look ofscorn and pity; and poor Owen, with uplifted hands and eyes, looked asstriking a picture of horror as if he had just read his patron's name inthe Gazette. At length I took courage to speak, endeavouring that my toneof voice should betray my feelings as little as possible. 

"I am quite aware, sir, how ill qualified I am to play the conspicuouspart in society you have destined for me; and, luckily, I am notambitious of the wealth I might acquire. Mr. Owen would be a much moreeffective assistant. " I said this in some malice, for I considered Owenas having deserted my cause a little too soon. 

"Owen!" said my father--"The boy is mad--actually insane. And, pray, sir, if I may presume to inquire, having coolly turned me over to Mr. Owen(although I may expect more attention from any one than from my son), what may your own sage projects be?"

"I should wish, sir, " I replied, summoning up my courage, "to travel fortwo or three years, should that consist with your pleasure; otherwise, although late, I would willingly spend the same time at Oxford orCambridge. "

"In the name of common sense! was the like ever heard?--to put yourselfto school among pedants and Jacobites, when you might be pushing yourfortune in the world! Why not go to Westminster or Eton at once, man, andtake to Lilly's Grammar and Accidence, and to the birch, too, if you likeit?"

"Then, sir, if you think my plan of improvement too late, I wouldwillingly return to the Continent. "

"You have already spent too much time there to little purpose, Mr. Francis. "

"Then I would choose the army, sir, in preference to any other activeline of life. "

"Choose the d--l!" answered my father, hastily, and then checkinghimself--"I profess you make me as great a fool as you are yourself. Ishe not enough to drive one mad, Owen?"--Poor Owen shook his head, andlooked down. "Hark ye, Frank, " continued my father, "I will cut all thismatter very short. I was at your age when my father turned me out ofdoors, and settled my legal inheritance on my younger brother. I leftOsbaldistone Hall on the back of a broken-down hunter, with ten guineasin my purse. I have never crossed the threshold again, and I never will. I know not, and I care not, if my fox-hunting brother is alive, or hasbroken his neck; but he has children, Frank, and one of them shall be myson if you cross me farther in this matter. "

"You will do your pleasure, " I answered--rather, I fear, with more sullenindifference than respect, "with what is your own. "

"Yes, Frank, what I have _is_ my own, if labour in getting, and care inaugmenting, can make a right of property; and no drone shall feed on myhoneycomb. Think on it well: what I have said is not without reflection, and what I resolve upon I will execute. "

"Honoured sir!--dear sir!" exclaimed Owen, tears rushing into his eyes, "you are not wont to be in such a hurry in transacting business ofimportance. Let Mr. Francis run up the balance before you shut theaccount; he loves you, I am sure; and when he puts down his filialobedience to the _per contra, _ I am sure his objections will disappear. "

"Do you think I will ask him twice, " said my father, sternly, "to be myfriend, my assistant, and my confidant?--to be a partner of my cares andof my fortune?--Owen, I thought you had known me better. "

He looked at me as if he meant to add something more, but turnedinstantly away, and left the room abruptly. I was, I own, affected bythis view of the case, which had not occurred to me; and my father wouldprobably have had little reason to complain of me, had he commenced thediscussion with this argument. 

But it was too late. I had much of his own obduracy of resolution, andHeaven had decreed that my sin should be my punishment, though not to theextent which my transgression merited. Owen, when we were left alone, continued to look at me with eyes which tears from time to timemoistened, as if to discover, before attempting the task of intercessor, upon what point my obstinacy was most assailable. At length he began, with broken and disconcerted accents, --"O L--d, Mr. Francis!--GoodHeavens, sir!--My stars, Mr. Osbaldistone!--that I should ever have seenthis day--and you so young a gentleman, sir!--For the love of Heaven!look at both sides of the account--think what you are going to lose--anoble fortune, sir--one of the finest houses in the City, even under theold firm of Tresham and Trent, and now Osbaldistone and Tresham--Youmight roll in gold, Mr. Francis--And, my dear young Mr. Frank, if therewas any particular thing in the business of the house which you disliked, I would" (sinking his voice to a whisper) "put it in order for youtermly, or weekly, or daily, if you will--Do, my dear Mr. Francis, thinkof the honour due to your father, that your days may be long in theland. "

"I am much obliged to you, Mr. Owen, " said I--"very much obliged indeed;but my father is best judge how to bestow his money. He talks of one ofmy cousins: let him dispose of his wealth as he pleases--I will neversell my liberty for gold. "

"Gold, sir?--I wish you saw the balance-sheet of profits at last term--Itwas in five figures--five figures to each partner's sum total, Mr. Frank--And all this is to go to a Papist, and a north-country booby, anda disaffected person besides--It will break my heart, Mr. Francis, thathave been toiling more like a dog than a man, and all for love ofthe firm. Think how it will sound, Osbaldistone, Tresham, andOsbaldistone--or perhaps, who knows" (again lowering his voice), "Osbaldistone, Osbaldistone, and Tresham, for our Mr. Osbaldistone canbuy them all out. "

"But, Mr. Owen, my cousin's name being also Osbaldistone, the name of thecompany will sound every bit as well in your ears. "

"O fie upon you, Mr. Francis, when you know how well I love you--Yourcousin, indeed!--a Papist, no doubt, like his father, and a disaffectedperson to the Protestant succession--that's another item, doubtless. "

"There are many very good men Catholics, Mr. Owen, " rejoined I. 

As Owen was about to answer with unusual animation, my father re-enteredthe apartment. 

"You were right, " he said, "Owen, and I was wrong; we will take more timeto think over this matter. --Young man, you will prepare to give me ananswer on this important subject this day month. "

I bowed in silence, sufficiently glad of a reprieve, and trusting itmight indicate some relaxation in my father's determination. 

The time of probation passed slowly, unmarked by any accident whatever. Iwent and came, and disposed of my time as I pleased, without question orcriticism on the part of my father. Indeed, I rarely saw him, save atmeal-times, when he studiously avoided a discussion which you may wellsuppose I was in no hurry to press onward. Our conversation was of thenews of the day, or on such general topics as strangers discourse upon toeach other; nor could any one have guessed, from its tenor, that thereremained undecided betwixt us a dispute of such importance. It hauntedme, however, more than once, like the nightmare. Was it possible he wouldkeep his word, and disinherit his only son in favour of a nephew whosevery existence he was not perhaps quite certain of? My grandfather'sconduct, in similar circumstances, boded me no good, had I considered thematter rightly. But I had formed an erroneous idea of my father'scharacter, from the importance which I recollected I maintained with himand his whole family before I went to France. I was not aware that thereare men who indulge their children at an early age, because to do sointerests and amuses them, and who can yet be sufficiently severe whenthe same children cross their expectations at a more advanced period. Onthe contrary, I persuaded myself, that all I had to apprehend was sometemporary alienation of affection--perhaps a rustication of a few weeks, which I thought would rather please me than otherwise, since it wouldgive me an opportunity of setting about my unfinished version of OrlandoFurioso, a poem which I longed to render into English verse. I sufferedthis belief to get such absolute possession of my mind, that I hadresumed my blotted papers, and was busy in meditation on theoft-recurring rhymes of the Spenserian stanza, when I heard a low andcautious tap at the door of my apartment. "Come in, " I said, and Mr. Owenentered. So regular were the motions and habits of this worthy man, thatin all probability this was the first time he had ever been in the secondstory of his patron's house, however conversant with the first; and I amstill at a loss to know in what manner he discovered my apartment. 

"Mr. Francis, " he said, interrupting my expression of surprise andpleasure at seeing, him, "I do not know if I am doing well in what I amabout to say--it is not right to speak of what passes in thecompting-house out of doors--one should not tell, as they say, to thepost in the warehouse, how many lines there are in the ledger. But youngTwineall has been absent from the house for a fortnight and more, untiltwo days since. "

"Very well, my dear sir, and how does that concern us?"

"Stay, Mr. Francis;--your father gave him a private commission; and I amsure he did not go down to Falmouth about the pilchard affair; and theExeter business with Blackwell and Company has been settled; and themining people in Cornwall, Trevanion and Treguilliam, have paid all theyare likely to pay; and any other matter of business must have been putthrough my books:--in short, it's my faithful belief that Twineall hasbeen down in the north. "

"Do you really suppose?" so said I, somewhat startled. 

"He has spoken about nothing, sir, since he returned, but his new boots, and his Ripon spurs, and a cockfight at York--it's as true as themultiplication-table. Do, Heaven bless you, my dear child, make up yourmind to please your father, and to be a man and a merchant at once. "

I felt at that instant a strong inclination to submit, and to make Owenhappy by requesting him to tell my father that I resigned myself to hisdisposal. But pride--pride, the source of so much that is good and somuch that is evil in our course of life, prevented me. My acquiescencestuck in my throat; and while I was coughing to get it up, my father'svoice summoned Owen. He hastily left the room, and the opportunity waslost. 

My father was methodical in everything. At the very same time of the day, in the same apartment, and with the same tone and manner which he hademployed an exact month before, he recapitulated the proposal he had madefor taking me into partnership, and assigning me a department in thecounting-house, and requested to have my final decision. I thought at thetime there was something unkind in this; and I still think that myfather's conduct was injudicious. A more conciliatory treatment would, inall probability, have gained his purpose. As it was, I stood fast, and, as respectfully as I could, declined the proposal he made to me. Perhaps--for who can judge of their own heart?--I felt it unmanly toyield on the first summons, and expected farther solicitation, as atleast a pretext for changing my mind. If so, I was disappointed; for myfather turned coolly to Owen, and only said, "You see it is as I toldyou. --Well, Frank" (addressing me), "you are nearly of age, and as wellqualified to judge of what will constitute your own happiness as youever are like to be; therefore, I say no more. But as I am not bound togive in to your plans, any more than you are compelled to submit tomine, may I ask to know if you have formed any which depend on myassistance?"

I answered, not a little abashed, "That being bred to no profession, andhaving no funds of my own, it was obviously impossible for me to subsistwithout some allowance from my father; that my wishes were very moderate;and that I hoped my aversion for the profession to which he had designedme, would not occasion his altogether withdrawing his paternal supportand protection. "

"That is to say, you wish to lean on my arm, and yet to walk your ownway? That can hardly be, Frank;--however, I suppose you mean to obey mydirections, so far as they do not cross your own humour?"

I was about to speak--"Silence, if you please, " he continued. "Supposingthis to be the case, you will instantly set out for the north of England, to pay your uncle a visit, and see the state of his family. I have chosenfrom among his sons (he has six, I believe) one who, I understand, ismost worthy to fill the place I intended for you in the counting-house. But some farther arrangements may be necessary, and for these yourpresence may be requisite. You shall have farther instructions atOsbaldistone Hall, where you will please to remain until you hear fromme. Everything will be ready for your departure to-morrow morning. "

With these words my father left the apartment. 

"What does all this mean, Mr. Owen?" said I to my sympathetic friend, whose countenance wore a cast of the deepest dejection. 

"You have ruined yourself, Mr. Frank, that's all. When your father talksin that quiet determined manner, there will be no more change in him thanin a fitted account. "

And so it proved; for the next morning, at five o'clock, I found myselfon the road to York, mounted on a reasonably good horse, and with fiftyguineas in my pocket; travelling, as it would seem, for the purpose ofassisting in the adoption of a successor to myself in my father's houseand favour, and, for aught I knew, eventually in his fortune also. 

CHAPTER THIRD. 

 The slack sail shifts from side to side, The boat, untrimm'd, admits the tide, Borne down, adrift, at random tost, The oar breaks short, the rudder's lost. Gay's _Fables. _

I have tagged with rhyme and blank verse the subdivisions of thisimportant narrative, in order to seduce your continued attention bypowers of composition of stronger attraction than my own. The precedinglines refer to an unfortunate navigator, who daringly unloosed from itsmoorings a boat, which he was unable to manage, and thrust it off intothe full tide of a navigable river. No schoolboy, who, betwixt frolic anddefiance, has executed a similar rash attempt, could feel himself, whenadrift in a strong current, in a situation more awkward than mine, when Ifound myself driving, without a compass, on the ocean of human life. There had been such unexpected ease in the manner in which my fatherslipt a knot, usually esteemed the strongest which binds societytogether, and suffered me to depart as a sort of outcast from his family, that it strangely lessened the confidence in my own personalaccomplishments, which had hitherto sustained me. Prince Prettyman, now aprince, and now a fisher's son, had not a more awkward sense of hisdegradation. We are so apt, in our engrossing egotism, to consider allthose accessories which are drawn around us by prosperity, as pertainingand belonging to our own persons, that the discovery of our unimportance, when left to our own proper resources, becomes inexpressibly mortifying. As the hum of London died away on my ear, the distant peal of hersteeples more than once sounded to my ears the admonitory "Turn again, "erst heard by her future Lord Mayor; and when I looked back from Highgateon her dusky magnificence, I felt as if I were leaving behind me comfort, opulence, the charms of society, and all the pleasures of cultivatedlife. 

But the die was cast. It was, indeed, by no means probable that a lateand ungracious compliance with my father's wishes would have reinstatedme in the situation which I had lost. On the contrary, firm and strong ofpurpose as he himself was, he might rather have been disgusted thanconciliated by my tardy and compulsory acquiescence in his desire that Ishould engage in commerce. My constitutional obstinacy came also to myaid, and pride whispered how poor a figure I should make, when an airingof four miles from London had blown away resolutions formed during amonth's serious deliberation. Hope, too, that never forsakes the youngand hardy, lent her lustre to my future prospects. My father could not beserious in the sentence of foris-familiation, which he had sounhesitatingly pronounced. It must be but a trial of my disposition, which, endured with patience and steadiness on my part, would raise me inhis estimation, and lead to an amicable accommodation of the point indispute between us. I even settled in my own mind how far I would concedeto him, and on what articles of our supposed treaty I would make a firmstand; and the result was, according to my computation, that I was to bereinstated in my full rights of filiation, paying the easy penalty ofsome ostensible compliances to atone for my past rebellion. 

In the meanwhile, I was lord of my person, and experienced that feelingof independence which the youthful bosom receives with a thrillingmixture of pleasure and apprehension. My purse, though by no means amplyreplenished, was in a situation to supply all the wants and wishes of atraveller. I had been accustomed, while at Bourdeaux, to act as my ownvalet; my horse was fresh, young, and active, and the buoyancy of myspirits soon surmounted the melancholy reflections with which my journeycommenced. 

I should have been glad to have journeyed upon a line of road bettercalculated to afford reasonable objects of curiosity, or a moreinteresting country, to the traveller. But the north road was then, andperhaps still is, singularly deficient in these respects; nor do Ibelieve you can travel so far through Britain in any other directionwithout meeting more of what is worthy to engage the attention. My mentalruminations, notwithstanding my assumed confidence, were not always of anunchequered nature. The Muse too, --the very coquette who had led me intothis wilderness, --like others of her sex, deserted me in my utmost need, and I should have been reduced to rather an uncomfortable state ofdulness, had it not been for the occasional conversation of strangers whochanced to pass the same way. But the characters whom I met with were ofa uniform and uninteresting description. Country parsons, jogginghomewards after a visitation; farmers, or graziers, returning from adistant market; clerks of traders, travelling to collect what was due totheir masters, in provincial towns; with now and then an officer goingdown into the country upon the recruiting service, were, at this period, the persons by whom the turnpikes and tapsters were kept in exercise. Ourspeech, therefore, was of tithes and creeds, of beeves and grain, ofcommodities wet and dry, and the solvency of the retail dealers, occasionally varied by the description of a siege, or battle, inFlanders, which, perhaps, the narrator only gave me at second hand. Robbers, a fertile and alarming theme, filled up every vacancy; and thenames of the Golden Farmer, the Flying Highwayman, Jack Needham, andother Beggars' Opera heroes, were familiar in our mouths as householdwords. At such tales, like children closing their circle round the firewhen the ghost story draws to its climax, the riders drew near to eachother, looked before and behind them, examined the priming of theirpistols, and vowed to stand by each other in case of danger; anengagement which, like other offensive and defensive alliances, sometimesglided out of remembrance when there was an appearance of actual peril. 

Of all the fellows whom I ever saw haunted by terrors of this nature, onepoor man, with whom I travelled a day and a half, afforded me mostamusement. He had upon his pillion a very small, but apparently a veryweighty portmanteau, about the safety of which he seemed particularlysolicitous; never trusting it out of his own immediate care, anduniformly repressing the officious zeal of the waiters and ostlers, whooffered their services to carry it into the house. With the sameprecaution he laboured to conceal, not only the purpose of his journey, and his ultimate place of destination, but even the direction of eachday's route. Nothing embarrassed him more than to be asked by any one, whether he was travelling upwards or downwards, or at what stage heintended to bait. His place of rest for the night he scrutinised with themost anxious care, alike avoiding solitude, and what he considered as badneighbourhood; and at Grantham, I believe, he sate up all night to avoidsleeping in the next room to a thick-set squinting fellow, in a blackwig, and a tarnished gold-laced waistcoat. With all these cares on hismind, my fellow traveller, to judge by his thews and sinews, was a manwho might have set danger at defiance with as much impunity as most men. He was strong and well built; and, judging from his gold-laced hat andcockade, seemed to have served in the army, or, at least, to belong tothe military profession in one capacity or other. His conversation also, though always sufficiently vulgar, was that of a man of sense, when theterrible bugbears which haunted his imagination for a moment ceased tooccupy his attention. But every accidental association recalled them. Anopen heath, a close plantation, were alike subjects of apprehension; andthe whistle of a shepherd lad was instantly converted into the signal ofa depredator. Even the sight of a gibbet, if it assured him that onerobber was safely disposed of by justice, never failed to remind him howmany remained still unhanged. 

I should have wearied of this fellow's company, had I not been still moretired of my own thoughts. Some of the marvellous stories, however, whichhe related, had in themselves a cast of interest, and another whimsicalpoint of his peculiarities afforded me the occasional opportunity ofamusing myself at his expense. Among his tales, several of theunfortunate travellers who fell among thieves, incurred that calamityfrom associating themselves on the road with a well-dressed andentertaining stranger, in whose company they trusted to find protectionas well as amusement; who cheered their journey with tale and song, protected them against the evils of over-charges and false reckonings, until at length, under pretext of showing a near path over a desolatecommon, he seduced his unsuspicious victims from the public road intosome dismal glen, where, suddenly blowing his whistle, he assembled hiscomrades from their lurking-place, and displayed himself in his truecolours--the captain, namely, of the band of robbers to whom his unwaryfellow-travellers had forfeited their purses, and perhaps their lives. Towards the conclusion of such a tale, and when my companion had wroughthimself into a fever of apprehension by the progress of his ownnarrative, I observed that he usually eyed me with a glance of doubt andsuspicion, as if the possibility occurred to him, that he might, at thatvery moment, be in company with a character as dangerous as that whichhis tale described. And ever and anon, when such suggestions pressedthemselves on the mind of this ingenious self-tormentor, he drew off fromme to the opposite side of the high-road, looked before, behind, andaround him, examined his arms, and seemed to prepare himself for flightor defence, as circumstances might require. 

The suspicion implied on such occasions seemed to me only momentary, andtoo ludicrous to be offensive. There was, in fact, no particularreflection on my dress or address, although I was thus mistaken for arobber. A man in those days might have all the external appearance of agentleman, and yet turn out to be a highwayman. For the division oflabour in every department not having then taken place so fully as sincethat period, the profession of the polite and accomplished adventurer, who nicked you out of your money at White's, or bowled you out of it atMarylebone, was often united with that of the professed ruffian, who onBagshot Heath, or Finchley Common, commanded his brother beau to standand deliver. There was also a touch of coarseness and hardness about themanners of the times, which has since, in a great degree, been softenedand shaded away. It seems to me, on recollection, as if desperate men hadless reluctance then than now to embrace the most desperate means ofretrieving their fortune. The times were indeed past, when Anthony-a-Woodmourned over the execution of two men, goodly in person, and ofundisputed courage and honour, who were hanged without mercy at Oxford, merely because their distress had driven them to raise contributions onthe highway. We were still farther removed from the days of "the madPrince and Poins. " And yet, from the number of unenclosed and extensiveheaths in the vicinity of the metropolis, and from the less populousstate of remote districts, both were frequented by that species ofmounted highwaymen, that may possibly become one day unknown, who carriedon their trade with something like courtesy; and, like Gibbet in theBeaux Stratagem, piqued themselves on being the best behaved men on theroad, and on conducting themselves with all appropriate civility in theexercise of their vocation. A young man, therefore, in my circumstanceswas not entitled to be highly indignant at the mistake which confoundedhim with this worshipful class of depredators. 

Neither was I offended. On the contrary, I found amusement in alternatelyexciting, and lulling to sleep, the suspicions of my timorous companion, and in purposely so acting as still farther to puzzle a brain whichnature and apprehension had combined to render none of the clearest. Whenmy free conversation had lulled him into complete security, it requiredonly a passing inquiry concerning the direction of his journey, or thenature of the business which occasioned it, to put his suspicions oncemore in arms. For example, a conversation on the comparative strength andactivity of our horses, took such a turn as follows:--

"O sir, " said my companion, "for the gallop I grant you; but allow me tosay, your horse (although he is a very handsome gelding--that must beowned, ) has too little bone to be a good roadster. The trot, sir"(striking his Bucephalus with his spurs), --"the trot is the true pace fora hackney; and, were we near a town, I should like to try thatdaisy-cutter of yours upon a piece of level road (barring canter) for aquart of claret at the next inn. "

"Content, sir, " replied I; "and here is a stretch of ground veryfavourable. "

"Hem, ahem, " answered my friend with hesitation; "I make it a rule oftravelling never to blow my horse between stages; one never knows whatoccasion he may have to put him to his mettle: and besides, sir, when Isaid I would match you, I meant with even weight; you ride four stonelighter than I. "

"Very well; but I am content to carry weight. Pray, what may thatportmanteau of yours weigh?"

"My p-p-portmanteau?" replied he, hesitating--"O very little--afeather--just a few shirts and stockings. "

"I should think it heavier, from its appearance. I'll hold you the quartof claret it makes the odds betwixt our weight. "

"You're mistaken, sir, I assure you--quite mistaken, " replied my friend, edging off to the side of the road, as was his wont on these alarmingoccasions. 

"Well, I am willing to venture the wine; or, I will bet you ten pieces tofive, that I carry your portmanteau on my croupe, and out-trot you intothe bargain. "

This proposal raised my friend's alarm to the uttermost. His nose changedfrom the natural copper hue which it had acquired from many a comfortablecup of claret or sack, into a palish brassy tint, and his teeth chatteredwith apprehension at the unveiled audacity of my proposal, which seemedto place the barefaced plunderer before him in full atrocity. As hefaltered for an answer, I relieved him in some degree by a questionconcerning a steeple, which now became visible, and an observation thatwe were now so near the village as to run no risk from interruption onthe road. At this his countenance cleared up: but I easily perceived thatit was long ere he forgot a proposal which seemed to him so fraught withsuspicion as that which I had now hazarded. I trouble you with thisdetail of the man's disposition, and the manner in which I practised uponit, because, however trivial in themselves, these particulars wereattended by an important influence on future incidents which will occurin this narrative. At the time, this person's conduct only inspired mewith contempt, and confirmed me in an opinion which I alreadyentertained, that of all the propensities which teach mankind to tormentthemselves, that of causeless fear is the most irritating, busy, painful, and pitiable. 

CHAPTER FOURTH. 

 The Scots are poor, cries surly English pride. True is the charge; nor by themselves denied. Are they not, then, in strictest reason clear, Who wisely come to mend their fortunes here? Churchill. 

There was, in the days of which I write, an old-fashioned custom on theEnglish road, which I suspect is now obsolete, or practised only by thevulgar. Journeys of length being made on horseback, and, of course, bybrief stages, it was usual always to make a halt on the Sunday in sometown where the traveller might attend divine service, and his horse havethe benefit of the day of rest, the institution of which is as humane toour brute labourers as profitable to ourselves. A counterpart to thisdecent practice, and a remnant of old English hospitality, was, that thelandlord of a principal inn laid aside his character of a publican on theseventh day, and invited the guests who chanced to be within his walls totake a part of his family beef and pudding. This invitation was usuallycomplied with by all whose distinguished rank did not induce them tothink compliance a derogation; and the proposal of a bottle of wine afterdinner, to drink the landlord's health, was the only recompense everoffered or accepted. 

I was born a citizen of the world, and my inclination led me into allscenes where my knowledge of mankind could be enlarged; I had, besides, no pretensions to sequester myself on the score of superior dignity, andtherefore seldom failed to accept of the Sunday's hospitality of minehost, whether of the Garter, Lion, or Bear. The honest publican, dilatedinto additional consequence by a sense of his own importance, whilepresiding among the guests on whom it was his ordinary duty to attend, was in himself an entertaining, spectacle; and around his genial orbit, other planets of inferior consequence performed their revolutions. Thewits and humorists, the distinguished worthies of the town or village, the apothecary, the attorney, even the curate himself, did not disdain topartake of this hebdomadal festivity. The guests, assembled fromdifferent quarters, and following different professions, formed, inlanguage, manners, and sentiments, a curious contrast to each other, notindifferent to those who desired to possess a knowledge of mankind in itsvarieties. 

It was on such a day, and such an occasion, that my timorous acquaintanceand I were about to grace the board of the ruddy-faced host of the BlackBear, in the town of Darlington, and bishopric of Durham, when ourlandlord informed us, with a sort of apologetic tone, that there was aScotch gentleman to dine with us. 

"A gentleman!--what sort of a gentleman?" said my companion somewhathastily--his mind, I suppose, running on gentlemen of the pad, as theywere then termed. 

"Why, a Scotch sort of a gentleman, as I said before, " returned minehost; "they are all gentle, ye mun know, though they ha' narra shirt toback; but this is a decentish hallion--a canny North Briton as e'ercross'd Berwick Bridge--I trow he's a dealer in cattle. "

"Let us have his company, by all means, " answered my companion; and then, turning to me, he gave vent to the tenor of his own reflections. "Irespect the Scotch, sir; I love and honour the nation for their sense ofmorality. Men talk of their filth and their poverty: but commend me tosterling honesty, though clad in rags, as the poet saith. I have beencredibly assured, sir, by men on whom I can depend, that there was neverknown such a thing in Scotland as a highway robbery. "

"That's because they have nothing to lose, " said mine host, with thechuckle of a self-applauding wit. 

"No, no, landlord, " answered a strong deep voice behind him, "it's e'enbecause your English gaugers and supervisors, * that you have sent downbenorth the Tweed, have taen up the trade of thievery over the heads ofthe native professors. "

* The introduction of gaugers, supervisors, and examiners, was one of thegreat complaints of the Scottish nation, though a natural consequence ofthe Union. 

"Well said, Mr. Campbell, " answered the landlord; "I did not thinkthoud'st been sae near us, mon. But thou kens I'm an outspoken Yorkshiretyke. And how go markets in the south?"

"Even in the ordinar, " replied Mr. Campbell; "wise folks buy and sell, and fools are bought and sold. "

"But wise men and fools both eat their dinner, " answered our jollyentertainer; "and here a comes--as prime a buttock of beef as e'er hungrymen stuck fork in. "

So saying, he eagerly whetted his knife, assumed his seat of empire atthe head of the board, and loaded the plates of his sundry guests withhis good cheer. 

This was the first time I had heard the Scottish accent, or, indeed, thatI had familiarly met with an individual of the ancient nation by whom itwas spoken. Yet, from an early period, they had occupied and interestedmy imagination. My father, as is well known to you, was of an ancientfamily in Northumberland, from whose seat I was, while eating theaforesaid dinner, not very many miles distant. The quarrel betwixt himand his relatives was such, that he scarcely ever mentioned the race fromwhich he sprung, and held as the most contemptible species of vanity, theweakness which is commonly termed family pride. His ambition was only tobe distinguished as William Osbaldistone, the first, at least one of thefirst, merchants on Change; and to have proved him the linealrepresentative of William the Conqueror would have far less flattered hisvanity than the hum and bustle which his approach was wont to produceamong the bulls, bears, and brokers of Stock-alley. He wished, no doubt, that I should remain in such ignorance of my relatives and descent asmight insure a correspondence between my feelings and his own on thissubject. But his designs, as will happen occasionally to the wisest, were, in some degree at least, counteracted by a being whom his pridewould never have supposed of importance adequate to influence them in anyway. His nurse, an old Northumbrian woman, attached to him from hisinfancy, was the only person connected with his native province for whomhe retained any regard; and when fortune dawned upon him, one of thefirst uses which he made of her favours, was to give Mabel Rickets aplace of residence within his household. After the death of my mother, the care of nursing me during my childish illnesses, and of rendering allthose tender attentions which infancy exacts from female affection, devolved on old Mabel. Interdicted by her master from speaking to him onthe subject of the heaths, glades, and dales of her belovedNorthumberland, she poured herself forth to my infant ear in descriptionsof the scenes of her youth, and long narratives of the events whichtradition declared to have passed amongst them. To these I inclined myear much more seriously than to graver, but less animated instructors. Even yet, methinks I see old Mabel, her head slightly agitated by thepalsy of age, and shaded by a close cap, as white as the drivensnow, --her face wrinkled, but still retaining the healthy tinge which it hadacquired in rural labour--I think I see her look around on the brickwalls and narrow street which presented themselves before our windows, as she concluded with a sigh the favourite old ditty, which I thenpreferred, and--why should I not tell the truth?--which I still preferto all the opera airs ever minted by the capricious brain of an ItalianMus. D. --

 Oh, the oak, the ash, and the bonny ivy tree, They flourish best at home in the North Countrie!

Now, in the legends of Mabel, the Scottish nation was ever freshlyremembered, with all the embittered declamation of which the narrator wascapable. The inhabitants of the opposite frontier served in hernarratives to fill up the parts which ogres and giants with seven-leaguedboots occupy in the ordinary nursery tales. And how could it beotherwise? Was it not the Black Douglas who slew with his own hand theheir of the Osbaldistone family the day after he took possession of hisestate, surprising him and his vassals while solemnizing a feast suitedto the occasion? Was it not Wat the Devil, who drove all the year-oldhogs off the braes of Lanthorn-side, in the very recent days of mygrandfather's father? And had we not many a trophy, but, according to oldMabel's version of history, far more honourably gained, to mark ourrevenge of these wrongs? Did not Sir Henry Osbaldistone, fifth baron ofthe name, carry off the fair maid of Fairnington, as Achilles did hisChryseis and Briseis of old, and detain her in his fortress against allthe power of her friends, supported by the most mighty Scottish chiefs ofwarlike fame? And had not our swords shone foremost at most of thosefields in which England was victorious over her rival? All our familyrenown was acquired--all our family misfortunes were occasioned--by thenorthern wars. 

Warmed by such tales, I looked upon the Scottish people during mychildhood, as a race hostile by nature to the more southern inhabitantsof this realm; and this view of the matter was not much corrected by thelanguage which my father sometimes held with respect to them. He hadengaged in some large speculations concerning oak-woods, the property ofHighland proprietors, and alleged, that he found them much more ready tomake bargains, and extort earnest of the purchase-money, than punctual incomplying on their side with the terms of the engagements. The Scottishmercantile men, whom he was under the necessity of employing as a sort ofmiddle-men on these occasions, were also suspected by my father of havingsecured, by one means or other, more than their own share of the profitwhich ought to have accrued. In short, if Mabel complained of theScottish arms in ancient times, Mr. Osbaldistone inveighed no lessagainst the arts of these modern Sinons; and between them, though withoutany fixed purpose of doing so, they impressed my youthful mind with asincere aversion to the northern inhabitants of Britain, as a peoplebloodthirsty in time of war, treacherous during truce, interested, selfish, avaricious, and tricky in the business of peaceful life, andhaving few good qualities, unless there should be accounted such, aferocity which resembled courage in martial affairs, and a sort of wilycraft which supplied the place of wisdom in the ordinary commerce ofmankind. In justification, or apology, for those who entertained suchprejudices, I must remark, that the Scotch of that period were guilty ofsimilar injustice to the English, whom they branded universally as a raceof purse-proud arrogant epicures. Such seeds of national dislike remainedbetween the two countries, the natural consequences of their existence asseparate and rival states. We have seen recently the breath of ademagogue blow these sparks into a temporary flame, which I sincerelyhope is now extinguished in its own ashes. *

* This seems to have been written about the time of Wilkes and Liberty. 

It was, then, with an impression of dislike, that I contemplated thefirst Scotchman I chanced to meet in society. There was much about himthat coincided with my previous conceptions. He had the hard features andathletic form said to be peculiar to his country, together with thenational intonation and slow pedantic mode of expression, arising from adesire to avoid peculiarities of idiom or dialect. I could also observethe caution and shrewdness of his country in many of the observationswhich he made, and the answers which he returned. But I was not preparedfor the air of easy self-possession and superiority with which he seemedto predominate over the company into which he was thrown, as it were byaccident. His dress was as coarse as it could be, being still decent;and, at a time when great expense was lavished upon the wardrobe, even ofthe lowest who pretended to the character of gentleman, this indicatedmediocrity of circumstances, if not poverty. His conversation intimatedthat he was engaged in the cattle trade, no very dignified professionalpursuit. And yet, under these disadvantages, he seemed, as a matter ofcourse, to treat the rest of the company with the cool and condescendingpoliteness which implies a real, or imagined, superiority over thosetowards whom it is used. When he gave his opinion on any point, it waswith that easy tone of confidence used by those superior to their societyin rank or information, as if what he said could not be doubted, and wasnot to be questioned. Mine host and his Sunday guests, after an effort ortwo to support their consequence by noise and bold averment, sunkgradually under the authority of Mr. Campbell, who thus fairly possessedhimself of the lead in the conversation. I was tempted, from curiosity, to dispute the ground with him myself, confiding in my knowledge of theworld, extended as it was by my residence abroad, and in the stores withwhich a tolerable education had possessed my mind. In the latter respecthe offered no competition, and it was easy to see that his natural powershad never been cultivated by education. But I found him much betteracquainted than I was myself with the present state of France, thecharacter of the Duke of Orleans, who had just succeeded to the regencyof that kingdom, and that of the statesmen by whom he was surrounded; andhis shrewd, caustic, and somewhat satirical remarks, were those of a manwho had been a close observer of the affairs of that country. 

On the subject of politics, Campbell observed a silence and moderationwhich might arise from caution. The divisions of Whig and Tory then shookEngland to her very centre, and a powerful party, engaged in the Jacobiteinterest, menaced the dynasty of Hanover, which had been just establishedon the throne. Every alehouse resounded with the brawls of contendingpoliticians, and as mine host's politics were of that liberal descriptionwhich quarrelled with no good customer, his hebdomadal visitants wereoften divided in their opinion as irreconcilably as if he had feasted theCommon Council. The curate and the apothecary, with a little man, whomade no boast of his vocation, but who, from the flourish and snap of hisfingers, I believe to have been the barber, strongly espoused the causeof high church and the Stuart line. The excise-man, as in duty bound, andthe attorney, who looked to some petty office under the Crown, togetherwith my fellow-traveller, who seemed to enter keenly into the contest, staunchly supported the cause of King George and the Protestantsuccession. Dire was the screaming--deep the oaths! Each party appealedto Mr. Campbell, anxious, it seemed, to elicit his approbation. 

"You are a Scotchman, sir; a gentleman of your country must stand up forhereditary right, " cried one party. 

"You are a Presbyterian, " assumed the other class of disputants; "youcannot be a friend to arbitrary power. "

"Gentlemen, " said our Scotch oracle, after having gained, with somedifficulty, a moment's pause, "I havena much dubitation that King Georgeweel deserves the predilection of his friends; and if he can haud thegrip he has gotten, why, doubtless, he may made the gauger, here, acommissioner of the revenue, and confer on our friend, Mr. Quitam, thepreferment of solicitor-general; and he may also grant some good deed orreward to this honest gentleman who is sitting upon his portmanteau, which he prefers to a chair: And, questionless, King James is also agrateful person, and when he gets his hand in play, he may, if he be sominded, make this reverend gentleman archprelate of Canterbury, and Dr. Mixit chief physician to his household, and commit his royal beard to thecare of my friend Latherum. But as I doubt mickle whether any of thecompeting sovereigns would give Rob Campbell a tass of aquavitae, if helacked it, I give my vote and interest to Jonathan Brown, our landlord, to be the King and Prince of Skinkers, conditionally that he fetches usanother bottle as good as the last. "

This sally was received with general applause, in which the landlordcordially joined; and when he had given orders for fulfilling thecondition on which his preferment was to depend, he failed not toacquaint them, "that, for as peaceable a gentleman as Mr. Campbell was, he was, moreover, as bold as a lion--seven highwaymen had he defeatedwith his single arm, that beset him as he came from Whitson-Tryste. "

"Thou art deceived, friend Jonathan, " said Campbell, interrupting him;"they were but barely two, and two cowardly loons as man could wish tomeet withal. "

"And did you, sir, really, " said my fellow-traveller, edging his chair (Ishould have said his portmanteau) nearer to Mr. Campbell, "really andactually beat two highwaymen yourself alone?"

"In troth did I, sir, " replied Campbell; "and I think it nae great thingto make a sang about. "

"Upon my word, sir, " replied my acquaintance, "I should be happy to havethe pleasure of your company on my journey--I go northward, sir. "

This piece of gratuitous information concerning the route he proposed tohimself, the first I had heard my companion bestow upon any one, failedto excite the corresponding confidence of the Scotchman. 

"We can scarce travel together, " he replied, drily. "You, sir, doubtless, are well mounted, and I for the present travel on foot, or on a Highlandshelty, that does not help me much faster forward. "

So saying, he called for a reckoning for the wine, and throwing down theprice of the additional bottle which he had himself introduced, rose asif to take leave of us. My companion made up to him, and taking him bythe button, drew him aside into one of the windows. I could not helpoverhearing him pressing something--I supposed his company upon thejourney, which Mr. Campbell seemed to decline. 

"I will pay your charges, sir, " said the traveller, in a tone as if hethought the argument should bear down all opposition. 

"It is quite impossible, " said Campbell, somewhat contemptuously; "I havebusiness at Rothbury. "

"But I am in no great hurry; I can ride out of the way, and never miss aday or so for good company. "

"Upon my faith, sir, " said Campbell, "I cannot render you the service youseem to desiderate. I am, " he added, drawing himself up haughtily, "travelling on my own private affairs, and if ye will act by myadvisement, sir, ye will neither unite yourself with an absolute strangeron the road, nor communicate your line of journey to those who are askingye no questions about it. " He then extricated his button, not veryceremoniously, from the hold which detained him, and coming up to me asthe company were dispersing, observed, "Your friend, sir, is toocommunicative, considering the nature of his trust. "

"That gentleman, " I replied, looking towards the traveller, "is no friendof mine, but an acquaintance whom I picked up on the road. I know neitherhis name nor business, and you seem to be deeper in his confidence than Iam. "

"I only meant, " he replied hastily, "that he seems a thought rash inconferring the honour of his company on those who desire it not. "

"The gentleman, " replied I, "knows his own affairs best, and I should besorry to constitute myself a judge of them in any respect. "

Mr. Campbell made no farther observation, but merely wished me a goodjourney, and the party dispersed for the evening. 

Next day I parted company with my timid companion, as I left the greatnorthern road to turn more westerly in the direction of OsbaldistoneManor, my uncle's seat. I cannot tell whether he felt relieved orembarrassed by my departure, considering the dubious light in which heseemed to regard me. For my own part, his tremors ceased to amuse me, and, to say the truth, I was heartily glad to get rid of him. 

CHAPTER FIFTH. 

 How melts my beating heart as I behold Each lovely nymph, our island's boast and pride, Push on the generous steed, that sweeps along O'er rough, o'er smooth, nor heeds the steepy hill, Nor falters in the extended vale below! The Chase. 

I approached my native north, for such I esteemed it, with thatenthusiasm which romantic and wild scenery inspires in the lovers ofnature. No longer interrupted by the babble of my companion, I could nowremark the difference which the country exhibited from that through whichI had hitherto travelled. The streams now more properly deserved thename, for, instead of slumbering stagnant among reeds and willows, theybrawled along beneath the shade of natural copsewood; were now hurrieddown declivities, and now purled more leisurely, but still in activemotion, through little lonely valleys, which, opening on the road fromtime to time, seemed to invite the traveller to explore their recesses. The Cheviots rose before me in frowning majesty; not, indeed, with thesublime variety of rock and cliff which characterizes mountains of theprimary class but huge, round-headed, and clothed with a dark robe ofrusset, gaining, by their extent and desolate appearance, an influenceupon the imagination, as a desert district possessing a character of itsown. 

The abode of my fathers, which I was now approaching, was situated in aglen, or narrow valley, which ran up among those hills. Extensiveestates, which once belonged to the family of Osbaldistone, had been longdissipated by the misfortunes or misconduct of my ancestors; but enoughwas still attached to the old mansion, to give my uncle the title of aman of large property. This he employed (as I was given to understand bysome inquiries which I made on the road) in maintaining the prodigalhospitality of a northern squire of the period, which he deemed essentialto his family dignity. 

From the summit of an eminence I had already had a distant view ofOsbaldistone Hall, a large and antiquated edifice, peeping out from aDruidical grove of huge oaks; and I was directing my course towards it, as straightly and as speedily as the windings of a very indifferent roadwould permit, when my horse, tired as he was, pricked up his ears at theenlivening notes of a pack of hounds in full cry, cheered by theoccasional bursts of a French horn, which in those days was a constantaccompaniment to the chase. I made no doubt that the pack was my uncle's, and drew up my horse with the purpose of suffering the hunters to passwithout notice, aware that a hunting-field was not the proper scene tointroduce myself to a keen sportsman, and determined when they had passedon, to proceed to the mansion-house at my own pace, and there to awaitthe return of the proprietor from his sport. I paused, therefore, on arising ground, and, not unmoved by the sense of interest which thatspecies of silvan sport is so much calculated to inspire (although mymind was not at the moment very accessible to impressions of thisnature), I expected with some eagerness the appearance of the huntsmen. 

The fox, hard run, and nearly spent, first made his appearance from thecopse which clothed the right-hand side of the valley. His droopingbrush, his soiled appearance, and jaded trot, proclaimed his fateimpending; and the carrion crow, which hovered over him, alreadyconsidered poor Reynard as soon to be his prey. He crossed the streamwhich divides the little valley, and was dragging himself up a ravine onthe other side of its wild banks, when the headmost hounds, followed bythe rest of the pack in full cry, burst from the coppice, followed by thehuntsman and three or four riders. The dogs pursued the trace of Reynardwith unerring instinct; and the hunters followed with reckless haste, regardless of the broken and difficult nature of the ground. They weretall, stout young men, well mounted, and dressed in green and red, theuniform of a sporting association, formed under the auspices of old SirHildebrand Osbaldistone. --"My cousins!" thought I, as they swept past me. The next reflection was, what is my reception likely to be among theseworthy successors of Nimrod? and how improbable is it that I, knowinglittle or nothing of rural sports, shall find myself at ease, or happy, in my uncle's family. A vision that passed me interrupted thesereflections. 

It was a young lady, the loveliness of whose very striking features wasenhanced by the animation of the chase and the glow of the exercise, mounted on a beautiful horse, jet black, unless where he was flecked byspots of the snow-white foam which embossed his bridle. She wore, whatwas then somewhat unusual, a coat, vest, and hat, resembling those of aman, which fashion has since called a riding habit. The mode had beenintroduced while I was in France, and was perfectly new to me. Her longblack hair streamed on the breeze, having in the hurry of the chaseescaped from the ribbon which bound it. Some very broken ground, throughwhich she guided her horse with the most admirable address and presenceof mind, retarded her course, and brought her closer to me than any ofthe other riders had passed. I had, therefore, a full view of heruncommonly fine face and person, to which an inexpressible charm wasadded by the wild gaiety of the scene, and the romance of her singulardress and unexpected appearance. As she passed me, her horse made, in hisimpetuosity, an irregular movement, just while, coming once more uponopen ground, she was again putting him to his speed. It served as anapology for me to ride close up to her, as if to her assistance. Therewas, however, no cause for alarm; it was not a stumble, nor a false step;and, if it had, the fair Amazon had too much self-possession to have beenderanged by it. She thanked my good intentions, however, by a smile, andI felt encouraged to put my horse to the same pace, and to keep in herimmediate neighbourhood. The clamour of "Whoop! dead! dead!"--and thecorresponding flourish of the French horn, soon announced to us thatthere was no more occasion for haste, since the chase was at a close. Oneof the young men whom we had seen approached us, waving the brush of thefox in triumph, as if to upbraid my fair companion, "I see, " she replied, --"I see; but make no noise about it: if Phoebe, "she said, patting the neck of the beautiful animal on which she rode, "had not got among the cliffs, you would have had little cause forboasting. "

They met as she spoke, and I observed them both look at me, and conversea moment in an under-tone, the young lady apparently pressing thesportsman to do something which he declined shyly, and with a sort ofsheepish sullenness. She instantly turned her horse's head towards me, saying, --"Well, well, Thornie, if you won't, I must, that's all. --Sir, "she continued, addressing me, "I have been endeavouring to persuade thiscultivated young gentleman to make inquiry of you whether, in the courseof your travels in these parts, you have heard anything of a friend ofours, one Mr. Francis Osbaldistone, who has been for some days expectedat Osbaldistone Hall?"

I was too happy to acknowledge myself to be the party inquired after, andto express my thanks for the obliging inquiries of the young lady. 

"In that case, sir, " she rejoined, "as my kinsman's politeness seems tobe still slumbering, you will permit me (though I suppose it is highlyimproper) to stand mistress of ceremonies, and to present to you youngSquire Thorncliff Osbaldistone, your cousin, and Die Vernon, who has alsothe honour to be your accomplished cousin's poor kinswoman. "

There was a mixture of boldness, satire, and simplicity in the manner inwhich Miss Vernon pronounced these words. My knowledge of life wassufficient to enable me to take up a corresponding tone as I expressed mygratitude to her for her condescension, and my extreme pleasure at havingmet with them. To say the truth, the compliment was so expressed, thatthe lady might easily appropriate the greater share of it, for Thorncliffseemed an arrant country bumpkin, awkward, shy, and somewhat sulkywithal. He shook hands with me, however, and then intimated his intentionof leaving me that he might help the huntsman and his brothers to coupleup the hounds, --a purpose which he rather communicated by way ofinformation to Miss Vernon than as apology to me. 

"There he goes, " said the young lady, following him with eyes in whichdisdain was admirably painted--"the prince of grooms and cock-fighters, and blackguard horse-coursers. But there is not one of them to mendanother. --Have you read Markham?" said Miss Vernon. 

"Read whom, ma'am?--I do not even remember the author's name. "

"O lud! on what a strand are you wrecked!" replied the young lady. "Apoor forlorn and ignorant stranger, unacquainted with the very Alcoran ofthe savage tribe whom you are come to reside among--Never to have heardof Markham, the most celebrated author on farriery! then I fear you areequally a stranger to the more modern names of Gibson and Bartlett?"

"I am, indeed, Miss Vernon. "

"And do you not blush to own it?" said Miss Vernon. "Why, we mustforswear your alliance. Then, I suppose, you can neither give a ball, nora mash, nor a horn!"

"I confess I trust all these matters to an ostler, or to my groom. "

"Incredible carelessness!--And you cannot shoe a horse, or cut his maneand tail; or worm a dog, or crop his ears, or cut his dew-claws; orreclaim a hawk, or give him his casting-stones, or direct his diet whenhe is sealed; or"--

"To sum up my insignificance in one word, " replied I, "I am profoundlyignorant in all these rural accomplishments. "

"Then, in the name of Heaven, Mr. Francis Osbaldistone, what _can_ youdo?"

"Very little to the purpose, Miss Vernon; something, however, I canpretend to--When my groom has dressed my horse I can ride him, and whenmy hawk is in the field, I can fly him. "

"Can you do this?" said the young lady, putting her horse to a canter. 

There was a sort of rude overgrown fence crossed the path before us, witha gate composed of pieces of wood rough from the forest; I was about tomove forward to open it, when Miss Vernon cleared the obstruction at aflying leap. I was bound in point of honour to follow, and was in amoment again at her side. "There are hopes of you yet, " she said. "I wasafraid you had been a very degenerate Osbaldistone. But what on earthbrings you to Cub-Castle?--for so the neighbours have christened thishunting-hall of ours. You might have stayed away, I suppose, if youwould?"

I felt I was by this time on a very intimate footing with my beautifulapparition, and therefore replied, in a confidential under-tone--"Indeed, my dear Miss Vernon, I might have considered it as a sacrifice to be atemporary resident in Osbaldistone Hall, the inmates being such as youdescribe them; but I am convinced there is one exception that will makeamends for all deficiencies. "

"O, you mean Rashleigh?" said Miss Vernon. 

"Indeed I do not; I was thinking--forgive me--of some person much nearerme. "

"I suppose it would be proper not to understand your civility?--But thatis not my way--I don't make a courtesy for it because I am sitting onhorseback. But, seriously, I deserve your exception, for I am the onlyconversable being about the Hall, except the old priest and Rashleigh. "

"And who is Rashleigh, for Heaven's sake?"

"Rashleigh is one who would fain have every one like him for his ownsake. He is Sir Hildebrand's youngest son--about your own age, but notso--not well looking, in short. But nature has given him a mouthful ofcommon sense, and the priest has added a bushelful of learning; he iswhat we call a very clever man in this country, where clever men arescarce. Bred to the church, but in no hurry to take orders. "

"To the Catholic Church?"

"The Catholic Church? what Church else?" said the young lady. "But Iforgot--they told me you are a heretic. Is that true, Mr. Osbaldistone?"

"I must not deny the charge. "

"And yet you have been abroad, and in Catholic countries?"

"For nearly four years. "

"You have seen convents?"

"Often; but I have not seen much in them which recommended the Catholicreligion. "

"Are not the inhabitants happy?"

"Some are unquestionably so, whom either a profound sense of devotion, oran experience of the persecutions and misfortunes of the world, or anatural apathy of temper, has led into retirement. Those who have adopteda life of seclusion from sudden and overstrained enthusiasm, or in hastyresentment of some disappointment or mortification, are very miserable. The quickness of sensation soon returns, and like the wilder animals in amenagerie, they are restless under confinement, while others muse orfatten in cells of no larger dimensions than theirs. "

"And what, " continued Miss Vernon, "becomes of those victims who arecondemned to a convent by the will of others? what do they resemble?especially, what do they resemble, if they are born to enjoy life, andfeel its blessings?"

"They are like imprisoned singing-birds, " replied I, "condemned to wearout their lives in confinement, which they try to beguile by the exerciseof accomplishments which would have adorned society had they been left atlarge. "

"I shall be, " returned Miss Vernon--"that is, " said she, correctingherself--"I should be rather like the wild hawk, who, barred the freeexercise of his soar through heaven, will dash himself to pieces againstthe bars of his cage. But to return to Rashleigh, " said she, in a morelively tone, "you will think him the pleasantest man you ever saw in yourlife, Mr. Osbaldistone, --that is, for a week at least. If he could findout a blind mistress, never man would be so secure of conquest; but theeye breaks the spell that enchants the ear. --But here we are in the courtof the old hall, which looks as wild and old-fashioned as any of itsinmates. There is no great toilette kept at Osbaldistone Hall, you mustknow; but I must take off these things, they are so unpleasantlywarm, --and the hat hurts my forehead, too, " continued the lively girl, taking it off, and shaking down a profusion of sable ringlets, which, half laughing, half blushing, she separated with her white slenderfingers, in order to clear them away from her beautiful face andpiercing hazel eyes. If there was any coquetry in the action, it waswell disguised by the careless indifference of her manner. I could nothelp saying, "that, judging of the family from what I saw, I shouldsuppose the toilette a very unnecessary care. "

"That's very politely said--though, perhaps, I ought not to understand inwhat sense it was meant, " replied Miss Vernon; "but you will see a betterapology for a little negligence when you meet the Orsons you are to liveamongst, whose forms no toilette could improve. But, as I said before, the old dinner-bell will clang, or rather clank, in a few minutes--itcracked of its own accord on the day of the landing of King Willie, andmy uncle, respecting its prophetic talent, would never permit it to bemended. So do you hold my palfrey, like a duteous knight, until I sendsome more humble squire to relieve you of the charge. "

She threw me the rein as if we had been acquainted from our childhood, jumped from her saddle, tripped across the courtyard, and entered at aside-door, leaving me in admiration of her beauty, and astonished withthe over-frankness of her manners, which seemed the more extraordinary ata time when the dictates of politeness, flowing from the court of theGrand Monarque Louis XIV. , prescribed to the fair sex an unusual severityof decorum. I was left awkwardly enough stationed in the centre of thecourt of the old hall, mounted on one horse, and holding another in myhand. 

The building afforded little to interest a stranger, had I been disposedto consider it attentively; the sides of the quadrangle were of variousarchitecture, and with their stone-shafted latticed windows, projectingturrets, and massive architraves, resembled the inside of a convent, orof one of the older and less splendid colleges of Oxford. I called for adomestic, but was for some time totally unattended to; which was the moreprovoking, as I could perceive I was the object of curiosity to severalservants, both male and female, from different parts of the building, whopopped out their heads and withdrew them, like rabbits in a warren, before I could make a direct appeal to the attention of any individual. The return of the huntsmen and hounds relieved me from my embarrassment, and with some difficulty I got one down to relieve me of the charge ofthe horses, and another stupid boor to guide me to the presence of SirHildebrand. This service he performed with much such grace and good-will, as a peasant who is compelled to act as guide to a hostile patrol; and inthe same manner I was obliged to guard against his deserting me in thelabyrinth of low vaulted passages which conducted to "Stun Hall, " as hecalled it, where I was to be introduced to the gracious presence of myuncle. 

We did, however, at length reach a long vaulted room, floored with stone, where a range of oaken tables, of a weight and size too massive ever tobe moved aside, were already covered for dinner. This venerableapartment, which had witnessed the feasts of several generations of theOsbaldistone family, bore also evidence of their success in field sports. Huge antlers of deer, which might have been trophies of the hunting ofChevy Chace, were ranged around the walls, interspersed with the stuffedskins of badgers, otters, martins, and other animals of the chase. Amidstsome remnants of old armour, which had, perhaps, served against theScotch, hung the more valued weapons of silvan war, cross-bows, guns ofvarious device and construction, nets, fishing-rods, otter-spears, hunting-poles, with many other singular devices, and engines for takingor killing game. A few old pictures, dimmed with smoke, and stained withMarch beer, hung on the walls, representing knights and ladies, honoured, doubtless, and renowned in their day; those frowning fearfully from hugebushes of wig and of beard; and these looking delightfully with all theirmight at the roses which they brandished in their hands. 

I had just time to give a glance at these matters, when about twelveblue-coated servants burst into the hall with much tumult and talk, eachrather employed in directing his comrades than in discharging his ownduty. Some brought blocks and billets to the fire, which roared, blazed, and ascended, half in smoke, half in flame, up a huge tunnel, with anopening wide enough to accommodate a stone seat within its ample vault, and which was fronted, by way of chimney-piece, with a huge piece ofheavy architecture, where the monsters of heraldry, embodied by the artof some Northumbrian chisel, grinned and ramped in red free-stone, nowjapanned by the smoke of centuries. Others of these old-fashionedserving-men bore huge smoking dishes, loaded with substantial fare;others brought in cups, flagons, bottles, yea barrels of liquor. Alltramped, kicked, plunged, shouldered, and jostled, doing as littleservice with as much tumult as could well be imagined. At length, whilethe dinner was, after various efforts, in the act of being arranged uponthe board, "the clamour much of men and dogs, " the cracking of whips, calculated for the intimidation of the latter, voices loud and high, steps which, impressed by the heavy-heeled boots of the period, clatteredlike those in the statue of the _Festin de Pierre, _* announced thearrival of those for whose benefit the preparations were made. 

* Now called Don Juan. 

The hubbub among the servants rather increased than diminished as thiscrisis approached. Some called to make haste, --others to taketime, --some exhorted to stand out of the way, and make room for SirHildebrand and the young squires, --some to close round the table and be_in_ the way, --some bawled to open, some to shut, a pair offolding-doors which divided the hall from a sort of gallery, as Iafterwards learned, or withdrawing-room, fitted up with black wainscot. Opened the doors were at length, and in rushed curs and men, --eightdogs, the domestic chaplain, the village doctor, my six cousins, and myuncle. 

CHAPTER SIXTH. 

 The rude hall rocks--they come, they come, -- The din of voices shakes the dome;-- In stalk the various forms, and, drest In varying morion, varying vest, All march with haughty step--all proudly shake the crest. Penrose. 

If Sir Hildebrand Osbaldistone was in no hurry to greet his nephew, ofwhose arrival he must have been informed for some time, he had importantavocations to allege in excuse. "Had seen thee sooner, lad, " heexclaimed, after a rough shake of the hand, and a hearty welcome toOsbaldistone Hall, "but had to see the hounds kennelled first. Thou artwelcome to the Hall, lad--here is thy cousin Percie, thy cousin Thornie, and thy cousin John--your cousin Dick, your cousin Wilfred, and--stay, where's Rashleigh?--ay, here's Rashleigh--take thy long body asideThornie, and let's see thy brother a bit--your cousin Rashleigh. So, thyfather has thought on the old Hall, and old Sir Hildebrand atlast--better late than never--Thou art welcome, lad, and there's enough. Where's my little Die?--ay, here she comes--this is my niece Die, mywife's brother's daughter--the prettiest girl in our dales, be the otherwho she may--and so now let's to the sirloin. "--

To gain some idea of the person who held this language, you must suppose, my dear Tresham, a man aged about sixty, in a hunting suit which had oncebeen richly laced, but whose splendour had been tarnished by many aNovember and December storm. Sir Hildebrand, notwithstanding theabruptness of his present manner, had, at one period of his life, knowncourts and camps; had held a commission in the army which encamped onHounslow Heath previous to the Revolution--and, recommended perhaps byhis religion, had been knighted about the same period by the unfortunateand ill-advised James II. But the Knight's dreams of further preferment, if he ever entertained any, had died away at the crisis which drove hispatron from the throne, and since that period he had spent a sequesteredlife upon his native domains. Notwithstanding his rusticity, however, SirHildebrand retained much of the exterior of a gentleman, and appearedamong his sons as the remains of a Corinthian pillar, defaced andovergrown with moss and lichen, might have looked, if contrasted with therough unhewn masses of upright stones in Stonhenge, or any otherDruidical temple. The sons were, indeed, heavy unadorned blocks as theeye would desire to look upon. Tall, stout, and comely, all and each ofthe five eldest seemed to want alike the Promethean fire of intellect, and the exterior grace and manner, which, in the polished world, sometimes supply mental deficiency. Their most valuable moral qualityseemed to be the good-humour and content which was expressed in theirheavy features, and their only pretence to accomplishment was theirdexterity in field sports, for which alone they lived. The strong Gyas, and the strong Cloanthus, are not less distinguished by the poet, thanthe strong Percival, the strong Thorncliff, the strong John, Richard, andWilfred Osbaldistones, were by outward appearance. 

But, as if to indemnify herself for a uniformity so uncommon in herproductions, Dame Nature had rendered Rashleigh Osbaldistone a strikingcontrast in person and manner, and, as I afterwards learned, in temperand talents, not only to his brothers, but to most men whom I hadhitherto met with. When Percie, Thornie, and Co. Had respectively nodded, grinned, and presented their shoulder rather than their hand, as theirfather named them to their new kinsman, Rashleigh stepped forward, andwelcomed me to Osbaldistone Hall, with the air and manner of a man of theworld. His appearance was not in itself prepossessing. He was of lowstature, whereas all his brethren seemed to be descendants of Anak; andwhile they were handsomely formed, Rashleigh, though strong in person, was bull-necked and cross-made, and from some early injury in his youthhad an imperfection in his gait, so much resembling an absolute halt, that many alleged that it formed the obstacle to his taking orders; theChurch of Rome, as is well known, admitting none to the clericalprofession who labours under any personal deformity. Others, however, ascribed this unsightly defect to a mere awkward habit, and contendedthat it did not amount to a personal disqualification from holy orders. 

The features of Rashleigh were such, as, having looked upon, we in vainwish to banish from our memory, to which they recur as objects of painfulcuriosity, although we dwell upon them with a feeling of dislike, andeven of disgust. It was not the actual plainness of his face, takenseparately from the meaning, which made this strong impression. Hisfeatures were, indeed, irregular, but they were by no means vulgar; andhis keen dark eyes, and shaggy eyebrows, redeemed his face from thecharge of commonplace ugliness. But there was in these eyes an expressionof art and design, and, on provocation, a ferocity tempered by caution, which nature had made obvious to the most ordinary physiognomist, perhapswith the same intention that she has given the rattle to the poisonoussnake. As if to compensate him for these disadvantages of exterior, Rashleigh Osbaldistone was possessed of a voice the most soft, mellow, and rich in its tones that I ever heard, and was at no loss for languageof every sort suited to so fine an organ. His first sentence of welcomewas hardly ended, ere I internally agreed with Miss Vernon, that my newkinsman would make an instant conquest of a mistress whose ears alonewere to judge his cause. He was about to place himself beside me atdinner, but Miss Vernon, who, as the only female in the family, arrangedall such matters according to her own pleasure, contrived that I shouldsit betwixt Thorncliff and herself; and it can scarce be doubted that Ifavoured this more advantageous arrangement. 

"I want to speak with you, " she said, "and I have placed honest Thorniebetwixt Rashleigh and you on purpose. He will be like--

 Feather-bed 'twixt castle wall And heavy brunt of cannon ball, while I, your earliest acquaintance in this intellectual family, ask ofyou how you like us all?"

"A very comprehensive question, Miss Vernon, considering how short whileI have been at Osbaldistone Hall. "

"Oh, the philosophy of our family lies on the surface--there are minuteshades distinguishing the individuals, which require the eye of anintelligent observer; but the species, as naturalists I believe call it, may be distinguished and characterized at once. "

"My five elder cousins, then, are I presume of pretty nearly the samecharacter. "

"Yes, they form a happy compound of sot, gamekeeper, bully, horse-jockey, and fool; but as they say there cannot be found two leaves on the sametree exactly alike, so these happy ingredients, being mingled in somewhatvarious proportions in each individual, make an agreeable variety forthose who like to study character. "

"Give me a sketch, if you please, Miss Vernon. "

"You shall have them all in a family-piece, at full length--the favour istoo easily granted to be refused. Percie, the son and heir, has more ofthe sot than of the gamekeeper, bully, horse-jockey, or fool--My preciousThornie is more of the bully than the sot, gamekeeper, jockey, orfool--John, who sleeps whole weeks amongst the hills, has most of thegamekeeper--The jockey is powerful with Dickon, who rides two hundredmiles by day and night to be bought and sold at a horse-race--And thefool predominates so much over Wilfred's other qualities, that he may betermed a fool positive. "

"A goodly collection, Miss Vernon, and the individual varieties belong toa most interesting species. But is there no room on the canvas for SirHildebrand?"

"I love my uncle, " was her reply: "I owe him some kindness (such it wasmeant for at least), and I will leave you to draw his picture yourself, when you know him better. "

"Come, " thought I to myself, "I am glad there is some forbearance. Afterall, who would have looked for such bitter satire from a creature soyoung, and so exquisitely beautiful?"

"You are thinking of me, " she said, bending her dark eyes on me, as ifshe meant to pierce through my very soul. 

"I certainly was, " I replied, with some embarrassment at the determinedsuddenness of the question, and then, endeavouring to give acomplimentary turn to my frank avowal--"How is it possible I should thinkof anything else, seated as I have the happiness to be?"

She smiled with such an expression of concentrated haughtiness as shealone could have thrown into her countenance. "I must inform you at once, Mr. Osbaldistone, that compliments are entirely lost upon me; do not, therefore, throw away your pretty sayings--they serve fine gentlemen whotravel in the country, instead of the toys, beads, and bracelets, whichnavigators carry to propitiate the savage inhabitants of newly-discoveredlands. Do not exhaust your stock in trade;--you will find natives inNorthumberland to whom your fine things will recommend you--on me theywould be utterly thrown away, for I happen to know their real value. "

I was silenced and confounded. 

"You remind me at this moment, " said the young lady, resuming her livelyand indifferent manner, "of the fairy tale, where the man finds all themoney which he had carried to market suddenly changed into pieces ofslate. I have cried down and ruined your whole stock of complimentarydiscourse by one unlucky observation. But come, never mind it--You arebelied, Mr. Osbaldistone, unless you have much better conversation thanthese _fadeurs, _ which every gentleman with a toupet thinks himselfobliged to recite to an unfortunate girl, merely because she is dressedin silk and gauze, while he wears superfine cloth with embroidery. Yournatural paces, as any of my five cousins might say, are far preferable toyour complimentary amble. Endeavour to forget my unlucky sex; call me TomVernon, if you have a mind, but speak to me as you would to a friend andcompanion; you have no idea how much I shall like you. "

"That would be a bribe indeed, " returned I. 

"Again!" replied Miss Vernon, holding up her finger; "I told you I wouldnot bear the shadow of a compliment. And now, when you have pledged myuncle, who threatens you with what he calls a brimmer, I will tell youwhat you think of me. "

The bumper being pledged by me, as a dutiful nephew, and some othergeneral intercourse of the table having taken place, the continued andbusiness-like clang of knives and forks, and the devotion of cousinThorncliff on my right hand, and cousin Dickon, who sate on Miss Vernon'sleft, to the huge quantities of meat with which they heaped their plates, made them serve as two occasional partitions, separating us from the restof the company, and leaving us to our _tete-a-tete. _ "And now, " saidI, "give me leave to ask you frankly, Miss Vernon, what you suppose I amthinking of you!--I could tell you what I really _do_ think, but you haveinterdicted praise. "

"I do not want your assistance. I am conjuror enough to tell yourthoughts without it. You need not open the casement of your bosom; I seethrough it. You think me a strange bold girl, half coquette, half romp;desirous of attracting attention by the freedom of her manners andloudness of her conversation, because she is ignorant of what theSpectator calls the softer graces of the sex; and perhaps you think Ihave some particular plan of storming you into admiration. I should besorry to shock your self-opinion, but you were never more mistaken. Allthe confidence I have reposed in you, I would have given as readily toyour father, if I thought he could have understood me. I am in this happyfamily as much secluded from intelligent listeners as Sancho in theSierra Morena, and when opportunity offers, I must speak or die. I assureyou I would not have told you a word of all this curious intelligence, had I cared a pin who knew it or knew it not. "

"It is very cruel in you, Miss Vernon, to take away all particular marksof favour from your communications, but I must receive them on your ownterms. --You have not included Mr. Rashleigh Osbaldistone in your domesticsketches. "

She shrunk, I thought, at this remark, and hastily answered, in a muchlower tone, "Not a word of Rashleigh! His ears are so acute when hisselfishness is interested, that the sounds would reach him even throughthe mass of Thorncliff's person, stuffed as it is with beef, venison-pasty, and pudding. "

"Yes, " I replied; "but peeping past the living screen which divides us, before I put the question, I perceived that Mr. Rashleigh's chair wasempty--he has left the table. "

"I would not have you be too sure of that, " Miss Vernon replied. "Take myadvice, and when you speak of Rashleigh, get up to the top ofOtterscope-hill, where you can see for twenty miles round you in everydirection--stand on the very peak, and speak in whispers; and, after all, don't be too sure that the bird of the air will not carry the matter, Rashleigh has been my tutor for four years; we are mutually tired of eachother, and we shall heartily rejoice at our approaching separation. "

"Mr. Rashleigh leaves Osbaldistone Hall, then?"

"Yes, in a few days;--did you not know that?--your father must keep hisresolutions much more secret than Sir Hildebrand. Why, when my uncle wasinformed that you were to be his guest for some time, and that yourfather desired to have one of his hopeful sons to fill up the lucrativesituation in his counting-house which was vacant by your obstinacy, Mr. Francis, the good knight held a _cour ple'nie're_ of all his family, including the butler, housekeeper, and gamekeeper. This reverend assemblyof the peers and household officers of Osbaldistone Hall was notconvoked, as you may suppose, to elect your substitute, because, asRashleigh alone possessed more arithmetic than was necessary to calculatethe odds on a fighting cock, none but he could be supposed qualified forthe situation. But some solemn sanction was necessary for transformingRashleigh's destination from starving as a Catholic priest to thriving asa wealthy banker; and it was not without some reluctance that theacquiescence of the assembly was obtained to such an act of degradation. "

"I can conceive the scruples--but how were they got over?"

"By the general wish, I believe, to get Rashleigh out of the house, "replied Miss Vernon. "Although youngest of the family, he has somehow orother got the entire management of all the others; and every one issensible of the subjection, though they cannot shake it off. If any oneopposes him, he is sure to rue having done so before the year goes about;and if you do him a very important service, you may rue it still more. "

"At that rate, " answered I, smiling, "I should look about me; for I havebeen the cause, however unintentionally, of his change of situation. "

"Yes; and whether he regards it as an advantage or disadvantage, he willowe you a grudge for it--But here comes cheese, radishes, and a bumper tochurch and king, the hint for chaplains and ladies to disappear; and I, the sole representative of womanhood at Osbaldistone Hall, retreat, as induty bound. "

She vanished as she spoke, leaving me in astonishment at the mingledcharacter of shrewdness, audacity, and frankness, which her conversationdisplayed. I despair conveying to you the least idea of her manner, although I have, as nearly as I can remember, imitated her language. Infact, there was a mixture of untaught simplicity, as well as nativeshrewdness and haughty boldness, in her manner, and all were modified andrecommended by the play of the most beautiful features I had ever beheld. It is not to be thought that, however strange and uncommon I might thinkher liberal and unreserved communications, a young man of two-and-twentywas likely to be severely critical on a beautiful girl of eighteen, fornot observing a proper distance towards him. On the contrary, I wasequally diverted and flattered by Miss Vernon's confidence, and thatnotwithstanding her declaration of its being conferred on me solelybecause I was the first auditor who occurred, of intelligence enough tocomprehend it. With the presumption of my age, certainly not diminishedby my residence in France, I imagined that well-formed features, and ahandsome person, both which I conceived myself to possess, were notunsuitable qualifications for the confidant of a young beauty. My vanitythus enlisted in Miss Vernon's behalf, I was far from judging her withseverity, merely for a frankness which I supposed was in some degreejustified by my own personal merit; and the feelings of partiality, whichher beauty, and the singularity of her situation, were of themselvescalculated to excite, were enhanced by my opinion of her penetration andjudgment in her choice of a friend. 

After Miss Vernon quitted the apartment, the bottle circulated, or ratherflew, around the table in unceasing revolution. My foreign education hadgiven me a distaste to intemperance, then and yet too common a vice amongmy countrymen. The conversation which seasoned such orgies was as littleto my taste, and if anything could render it more disgusting, it was therelationship of the company. I therefore seized a lucky opportunity, andmade my escape through a side door, leading I knew not whither, ratherthan endure any longer the sight of father and sons practising the samedegrading intemperance, and holding the same coarse and disgustingconversation. I was pursued, of course, as I had expected, to bereclaimed by force, as a deserter from the shrine of Bacchus. When Iheard the whoop and hollo, and the tramp of the heavy boots of mypursuers on the winding stair which I was descending, I plainly foresaw Ishould be overtaken unless I could get into the open air. I thereforethrew open a casement in the staircase, which looked into anold-fashioned garden, and as the height did not exceed six feet, I jumpedout without hesitation, and soon heard far behind the "hey whoop! stoleaway! stole away!" of my baffled pursuers. I ran down one alley, walkedfast up another; and then, conceiving myself out of all danger ofpursuit, I slackened my pace into a quiet stroll, enjoying the cool airwhich the heat of the wine I had been obliged to swallow, as well as thatof my rapid retreat, rendered doubly grateful. 

As I sauntered on, I found the gardener hard at his evening employment, and saluted him, as I paused to look at his work. 

"Good even, my friend. "

"Gude e'en--gude e'en t'ye, " answered the man, without looking up, and ina tone which at once indicated his northern extraction. 

"Fine weather for your work, my friend. "

"It's no that muckle to be compleened o', " answered the man, with thatlimited degree of praise which gardeners and farmers usually bestow onthe very best weather. Then raising his head, as if to see who spoke tohim, he touched his Scotch bonnet with an air of respect, as he observed, "Eh, gude safe us!--it's a sight for sair een, to see a gold-lacedjeistiecor in the Ha'garden sae late at e'en. "

"A gold-laced what, my good friend?"

"Ou, a jeistiecor*--that's a jacket like your ain, there. They

* Perhaps from the French _Juste-au-corps. _

hae other things to do wi' them up yonder--unbuttoning them to make roomfor the beef and the bag-puddings, and the claret-wine, nae doubt--that'sthe ordinary for evening lecture on this side the border. "

"There's no such plenty of good cheer in your country, my good friend, " Ireplied, "as to tempt you to sit so late at it. "

"Hout, sir, ye ken little about Scotland; it's no for want of gudevivers--the best of fish, flesh, and fowl hae we, by sybos, ingans, turneeps, and other garden fruit. But we hae mense and discretion, andare moderate of our mouths;--but here, frae the kitchen to the ha', it'sfill and fetch mair, frae the tae end of the four-and-twenty till thetother. Even their fast days--they ca' it fasting when they hae the besto' sea-fish frae Hartlepool and Sunderland by land carriage, forbyetrouts, grilses, salmon, and a' the lave o't, and so they make their veryfasting a kind of luxury and abomination; and then the awfu' masses andmatins of the puir deceived souls--But I shouldna speak about them, foryour honour will be a Roman, I'se warrant, like the lave. "

"Not I, my friend; I was bred an English presbyterian, or dissenter. "

"The right hand of fellowship to your honour, then, " quoth the gardener, with as much alacrity as his hard features were capable of expressing, and, as if to show that his good-will did not rest on words, he pluckedforth a huge horn snuff-box, or mull, as he called it, and proffered apinch with a most fraternal grin. 

Having accepted his courtesy, I asked him if he had been long a domesticat Osbaldistone Hall. 

"I have been fighting with wild beasts at Ephesus, " said he, lookingtowards the building, "for the best part of these four-and-twenty years, as sure as my name's Andrew Fairservice. "

"But, my excellent friend, Andrew Fairservice, if your religion and yourtemperance are so much offended by Roman rituals and southernhospitality, it seems to me that you must have been putting yourself toan unnecessary penance all this while, and that you might have found aservice where they eat less, and are more orthodox in their worship. Idare say it cannot be want of skill which prevented your being placedmore to your satisfaction. "

"It disna become me to speak to the point of my qualifications, " saidAndrew, looking round him with great complacency; "but nae doubt I shouldunderstand my trade of horticulture, seeing I was bred in the parish ofDreepdaily, where they raise lang-kale under glass, and force the earlynettles for their spring kale. And, to speak truth, I hae been flittingevery term these four-and-twenty years; but when the time comes, there'saye something to saw that I would like to see sawn, --or something to mawthat I would like to see mawn, --or something to ripe that I would like tosee ripen, --and sae I e'en daiker on wi' the family frae year's end toyear's end. And I wad say for certain, that I am gaun to quit atCannlemas, only I was just as positive on it twenty years syne, and Ifind mysell still turning up the mouls here, for a' that. Forbye that, totell your honour the evendown truth, there's nae better place everoffered to Andrew. But if your honour wad wush me to ony place where Iwad hear pure doctrine, and hae a free cow's grass, and a cot, and ayard, and mair than ten punds of annual fee, and where there's nae leddyabout the town to count the apples, I'se hold mysell muckle indebtedt'ye. "

"Bravo, Andrew! I perceive you'll lose no preferment for want of askingpatronage. "

"I canna see what for I should, " replied Andrew; "it's no a generation towait till ane's worth's discovered, I trow. "

"But you are no friend, I observe, to the ladies. "

"Na, by my troth, I keep up the first gardener's quarrel to them. They'refasheous bargains--aye crying for apricocks, pears, plums, and apples, summer and winter, without distinction o' seasons; but we hae nae sliceso' the spare rib here, be praised for't! except auld Martha, and she'sweel eneugh pleased wi' the freedom o' the berry-bushes to her sister'sweans, when they come to drink tea in a holiday in the housekeeper'sroom, and wi' a wheen codlings now and then for her ain private supper. "

"You forget your young mistress. "

"What mistress do I forget?--whae's that?"

"Your young mistress, Miss Vernon. "

"What! the lassie Vernon?--She's nae mistress o' mine, man. I wish shewas her ain mistress; and I wish she mayna be some other body's mistressor it's lang--She's a wild slip that. "

"Indeed!" said I, more interested than I cared to own to myself, or toshow to the fellow--"why, Andrew, you know all the secrets of thisfamily. "

"If I ken them, I can keep them, " said Andrew; "they winna work in mywame like harm in a barrel, I'se warrant ye. Miss Die is--but it'sneither beef nor brose o' mine. "

And he began to dig with a great semblance of assiduity. 

"What is Miss Vernon, Andrew? I am a friend of the family, and shouldlike to know. "

"Other than a gude ane, I'm fearing, " said Andrew, closing one eye hard, and shaking his head with a grave and mysterious look--"somethingglee'd--your honour understands me?"

"I cannot say I do, " said I, "Andrew; but I should like to hear youexplain yourself;" and therewithal I slipped a crown-piece into Andrew'shorn-hard hand. The touch of the silver made him grin a ghastly smile, ashe nodded slowly, and thrust it into his breeches pocket; and then, likea man who well understood that there was value to be returned, stood up, and rested his arms on his spade, with his features composed into themost important gravity, as for some serious communication. 

"Ye maun ken, then, young gentleman, since it imports you to know, thatMiss Vernon is"--

Here breaking off, he sucked in both his cheeks, till his lantern jawsand long chin assumed the appearance of a pair of nut-crackers; winkedhard once more, frowned, shook his head, and seemed to think hisphysiognomy had completed the information which his tongue had not fullytold. 

"Good God!" said I--"so young, so beautiful, so early lost!"

"Troth ye may say sae--she's in a manner lost, body and saul; forby beinga Papist, I'se uphaud her for"--and his northern caution prevailed, andhe was again silent. 

"For what, sir?" said I sternly. "I insist on knowing the plain meaningof all this. "

"On, just for the bitterest Jacobite in the haill shire. "

"Pshaw! a Jacobite?--is that all?"

Andrew looked at me with some astonishment, at hearing his informationtreated so lightly; and then muttering, "Aweel, it's the warst thing Iken aboot the lassie, howsoe'er, " he resumed his spade, like the king ofthe Vandals, in Marmontel's late novel. 

CHAPTER SEVENTH. 

 _Bardolph. _--The sheriff, with a monstrous watch, is at the door. Henry IV. _First Part. _

I found out with some difficulty the apartment which was destined for myaccommodation; and having secured myself the necessary good-will andattention from my uncle's domestics, by using the means they were mostcapable of comprehending, I secluded myself there for the remainder ofthe evening, conjecturing, from the fair way in which I had left my newrelatives, as well as from the distant noise which continued to echo fromthe stone-hall (as their banqueting-room was called), that they were notlikely to be fitting company for a sober man. 

"What could my father mean by sending me to be an inmate in this strangefamily?" was my first and most natural reflection. My uncle, it wasplain, received me as one who was to make some stay with him, and hisrude hospitality rendered him as indifferent as King Hal to the number ofthose who fed at his cost. But it was plain my presence or absence wouldbe of as little importance in his eyes as that of one of his blue-coatedserving-men. My cousins were mere cubs, in whose company I might, if Iliked it, unlearn whatever decent manners, or elegant accomplishments, Ihad acquired, but where I could attain no information beyond whatregarded worming dogs, rowelling horses, and following foxes. I couldonly imagine one reason, which was probably the true one. My fatherconsidered the life which was led at Osbaldistone Hall as the natural andinevitable pursuits of all country gentlemen, and he was desirous, bygiving me an opportunity of seeing that with which he knew I should bedisgusted, to reconcile me, if possible, to take an active share in hisown business. In the meantime, he would take Rashleigh Osbaldistone intothe counting-house. But he had an hundred modes of providing for him, andthat advantageously, whenever he chose to get rid of him. So that, although I did feel a certain qualm of conscience at having been themeans of introducing Rashleigh, being such as he was described by MissVernon, into my father's business--perhaps into his confidence--I subduedit by the reflection that my father was complete master of his ownaffairs--a man not to be imposed upon, or influenced by any one--and thatall I knew to the young gentleman's prejudice was through the medium of asingular and giddy girl, whose communications were made with aninjudicious frankness, which might warrant me in supposing herconclusions had been hastily or inaccurately formed. Then my mindnaturally turned to Miss Vernon herself; her extreme beauty; her verypeculiar situation, relying solely upon her reflections, and her ownspirit, for guidance and protection; and her whole character offeringthat variety and spirit which piques our curiosity, and engages ourattention in spite of ourselves. I had sense enough to consider theneighbourhood of this singular young lady, and the chance of our beingthrown into very close and frequent intercourse, as adding to thedangers, while it relieved the dulness, of Osbaldistone Hall; but I couldnot, with the fullest exertion of my prudence, prevail upon myself toregret excessively this new and particular hazard to which I was to beexposed. This scruple I also settled as young men settle mostdifficulties of the kind--I would be very cautious, always on my guard, consider Miss Vernon rather as a companion than an intimate; and allwould do well enough. With these reflections I fell asleep, Miss Vernon, of course, forming the last subject of my contemplation. 

Whether I dreamed of her or not, I cannot satisfy you, for I was tiredand slept soundly. But she was the first person I thought of in themorning, when waked at dawn by the cheerful notes of the hunting horn. Tostart up, and direct my horse to be saddled, was my first movement; andin a few minutes I was in the court-yard, where men, dogs, and horses, were in full preparation. My uncle, who, perhaps, was not entitled toexpect a very alert sportsman in his nephew, bred as he had been inforeign parts, seemed rather surprised to see me, and I thought hismorning salutation wanted something of the hearty and hospitable tonewhich distinguished his first welcome. "Art there, lad?--ay, youth's ayerathe--but look to thysell--mind the old song, lad--

 He that gallops his horse on Blackstone edge May chance to catch a fall. "

I believe there are few young men, and those very sturdy moralists, whowould not rather be taxed with some moral peccadillo than with want ofknowledge in horsemanship. As I was by no means deficient either in skillor courage, I resented my uncle's insinuation accordingly, and assuredhim he would find me up with the hounds. 

"I doubtna, lad, " was his reply; "thou'rt a rank rider, I'se warrantthee--but take heed. Thy father sent thee here to me to be bitted, and Idoubt I must ride thee on the curb, or we'll hae some one to ride thee onthe halter, if I takena the better heed. "

As this speech was totally unintelligible to me--as, besides, it did notseem to be delivered for my use, or benefit, but was spoken as it wereaside, and as if expressing aloud something which was passing through themind of my much-honoured uncle, I concluded it must either refer to mydesertion of the bottle on the preceding evening, or that my uncle'smorning hours being a little discomposed by the revels of the nightbefore, his temper had suffered in proportion. I only made the passingreflection, that if he played the ungracious landlord, I would remain theshorter while his guest, and then hastened to salute Miss Vernon, whoadvanced cordially to meet me. Some show of greeting also passed betweenmy cousins and me; but as I saw them maliciously bent upon criticising mydress and accoutrements, from the cap to the stirrup-irons, and sneeringat whatever had a new or foreign appearance, I exempted myself from thetask of paying them much attention; and assuming, in requital of theirgrins and whispers, an air of the utmost indifference and contempt, Iattached myself to Miss Vernon, as the only person in the party whom Icould regard as a suitable companion. By her side, therefore, we salliedforth to the destined cover, which was a dingle or copse on the side ofan extensive common. As we rode thither, I observed to Diana, "that I didnot see my cousin Rashleigh in the field;" to which she replied, --"Ono--he's a mighty hunter, but it's after the fashion of Nimrod, and hisgame is man. "

The dogs now brushed into the cover, with the appropriate encouragementfrom the hunters--all was business, bustle, and activity. My cousins weresoon too much interested in the business of the morning to take anyfurther notice of me, unless that I overheard Dickon the horse-jockeywhisper to Wilfred the fool--"Look thou, an our French cousin be nat offa' first burst. "

To which Wilfred answered, "Like enow, for he has a queer outlandishbinding on's castor. "

Thorncliff, however, who in his rude way seemed not absolutely insensibleto the beauty of his kinswoman, appeared determined to keep us companymore closely than his brothers, --perhaps to watch what passed betwixtMiss Vernon and me--perhaps to enjoy my expected mishaps in the chase. Inthe last particular he was disappointed. After beating in vain for thegreater part of the morning, a fox was at length found, who led us achase of two hours, in the course of which, notwithstanding theill-omened French binding upon my hat, I sustained my character as ahorseman to the admiration of my uncle and Miss Vernon, and the secretdisappointment of those who expected me to disgrace it. Reynard, however, proved too wily for his pursuers, and the hounds were at fault. I couldat this time observe in Miss Vernon's manner an impatience of the closeattendance which we received from Thorncliff Osbaldistone; and, as thatactive-spirited young lady never hesitated at taking the readiest meansto gratify any wish of the moment, she said to him, in a tone ofreproach--"I wonder, Thornie, what keeps you dangling at my horse'scrupper all this morning, when you know the earths above Woolverton-millare not stopt. "

"I know no such an thing then, Miss Die, for the miller swore himself asblack as night, that he stopt them at twelve o'clock midnight that was. "

"O fie upon you, Thornie! would you trust to a miller's word?--and theseearths, too, where we lost the fox three times this season! and you onyour grey mare, that can gallop there and back in ten minutes!"

"Well, Miss Die, I'se go to Woolverton then, and if the earths are notstopt, I'se raddle Dick the miller's bones for him. "

"Do, my dear Thornie; horsewhip the rascal to purpose--via--fly away, andabout it;"--Thorncliff went off at the gallop--"or get horsewhiptyourself, which will serve my purpose just as well. --I must teach themall discipline and obedience to the word of command. I am raising aregiment, you must know. Thornie shall be my sergeant-major, Dickon myriding-master, and Wilfred, with his deep dub-a-dub tones, that speak butthree syllables at a time, my kettle-drummer. "

"And Rashleigh?"

"Rashleigh shall be my scout-master. " "And will you find no employmentfor me, most lovely colonel?"

"You shall have the choice of being pay-master, or plunder-master, to thecorps. But see how the dogs puzzle about there. Come, Mr. Frank, thescent's cold; they won't recover it there this while; follow me, I have aview to show you. "

And in fact, she cantered up to the top of a gentle hill, commanding anextensive prospect. Casting her eyes around, to see that no one was nearus, she drew up her horse beneath a few birch-trees, which screened usfrom the rest of the hunting-field--"Do you see yon peaked, brown, heathyhill, having something like a whitish speck upon the side?"

"Terminating that long ridge of broken moorish uplands?--I see itdistinctly. "

"That whitish speck is a rock called Hawkesmore-crag, and Hawkesmore-cragis in Scotland. "

"Indeed! I did not think we had been so near Scotland. "

"It is so, I assure you, and your horse will carry you there in twohours. "

"I shall hardly give him the trouble; why, the distance must be eighteenmiles as the crow flies. "

"You may have my mare, if you think her less blown--I say, that in twohours you may be in Scotland. "

"And I say, that I have so little desire to be there, that if my horse'shead were over the Border, I would not give his tail the trouble offollowing. What should I do in Scotland?"

"Provide for your safety, if I must speak plainly. Do you understand menow, Mr. Frank?"

"Not a whit; you are more and more oracular. "

"Then, on my word, you either mistrust me most unjustly, and are a betterdissembler than Rashleigh Osbaldistone himself, or you know nothing ofwhat is imputed to you; and then no wonder you stare at me in that gravemanner, which I can scarce see without laughing. "

"Upon my word of honour, Miss Vernon, " said I, with an impatient feelingof her childish disposition to mirth, "I have not the most distantconception of what you mean. I am happy to afford you any subject ofamusement, but I am quite ignorant in what it consists. "

"Nay, there's no sound jest after all, " said the young lady, composingherself; "only one looks so very ridiculous when he is fairly perplexed. But the matter is serious enough. Do you know one Moray, or Morris, orsome such name?"

"Not that I can at present recollect. "

"Think a moment. Did you not lately travel with somebody of such a name?"

"The only man with whom I travelled for any length of time was a fellowwhose soul seemed to lie in his portmanteau. "

"Then it was like the soul of the licentiate Pedro Garcias, which layamong the ducats in his leathern purse. That man has been robbed, and hehas lodged an information against you, as connected with the violencedone to him. "

"You jest, Miss Vernon!"

"I do not, I assure you--the thing is an absolute fact. "

"And do you, " said I, with strong indignation, which I did not attempt tosuppress, "do you suppose me capable of meriting such a charge?"

"You would call me out for it, I suppose, had I the advantage of being aman--You may do so as it is, if you like it--I can shoot flying, as wellas leap a five-barred gate. "

"And are colonel of a regiment of horse besides, " replied I, reflectinghow idle it was to be angry with her--"But do explain the present jest tome. "

"There's no jest whatever, " said Diana; "you are accused of robbing thisman, and my uncle believes it as well as I did. "

"Upon my honour, I am greatly obliged to my friends for their goodopinion!"

"Now do not, if you can help it, snort, and stare, and snuff the wind, and look so exceedingly like a startled horse--There's no such offence asyou suppose--you are not charged with any petty larceny or vulgarfelony--by no means. This fellow was carrying money from Government, bothspecie and bills, to pay the troops in the north; and it is said he hasbeen also robbed of some despatches of great consequence. "

"And so it is high treason, then, and not simple robbery, of which I amaccused!"

"Certainly--which, you know, has been in all ages accounted the crime ofa gentleman. You will find plenty in this country, and one not far fromyour elbow, who think it a merit to distress the Hanoverian government byevery means possible. "

"Neither my politics nor my morals, Miss Vernon, are of a description soaccommodating. "

"I really begin to believe that you are a Presbyterian and Hanoverian ingood earnest. But what do you propose to do?"

"Instantly to refute this atrocious calumny. --Before whom, " I asked, "wasthis extraordinary accusation laid. "

"Before old Squire Inglewood, who had sufficient unwillingness to receiveit. He sent tidings to my uncle, I suppose, that he might smuggle youaway into Scotland, out of reach of the warrant. But my uncle is sensiblethat his religion and old predilections render him obnoxious toGovernment, and that, were he caught playing booty, he would be disarmed, and probably dismounted (which would be the worse evil of the two), as aJacobite, papist, and suspected person. "*

* On occasions of public alarm, in the beginning of the eighteenthcentury, the horses of the Catholics were often seized upon, as they werealways supposed to be on the eve of rising in rebellion. 

"I can conceive that, sooner than lose his hunters, he would give up hisnephew. "

"His nephew, nieces, sons--daughters, if he had them, and wholegeneration, " said Diana;--"therefore trust not to him, even for a singlemoment, but make the best of your way before they can serve the warrant. "

"That I shall certainly do; but it shall be to the house of this SquireInglewood--Which way does it lie?"

"About five miles off, in the low ground, behind yonder plantations--youmay see the tower of the clock-house. "

"I will be there in a few minutes, " said I, putting my horse in motion. 

"And I will go with you, and show you the way, " said Diana, putting herpalfrey also to the trot. 

"Do not think of it, Miss Vernon, " I replied. "It is not--permit me thefreedom of a friend--it is not proper, scarcely even delicate, in you togo with me on such an errand as I am now upon. "

"I understand your meaning, " said Miss Vernon, a slight blush crossingher haughty brow;--"it is plainly spoken;" and after a moment's pause sheadded, "and I believe kindly meant. "

"It is indeed, Miss Vernon. Can you think me insensible of the interestyou show me, or ungrateful for it?" said I, with even more earnestnessthan I could have wished to express. "Yours is meant for true kindness, shown best at the hour of need. But I must not, for your own sake--forthe chance of misconstruction--suffer you to pursue the dictates of yourgenerosity; this is so public an occasion--it is almost like venturinginto an open court of justice. "

"And if it were not almost, but altogether entering into an open court ofjustice, do you think I would not go there if I thought it right, andwished to protect a friend? You have no one to stand by you--you are astranger; and here, in the outskirts of the kingdom, country justices doodd things. My uncle has no desire to embroil himself in your affair;Rashleigh is absent, and were he here, there is no knowing which side hemight take; the rest are all more stupid and brutal one than another. Iwill go with you, and I do not fear being able to serve you. I am no finelady, to be terrified to death with law-books, hard words, or big wigs. "

"But my dear Miss Vernon"--

"But my dear Mr. Francis, be patient and quiet, and let me take my ownway; for when I take the bit between my teeth, there is no bridle willstop me. "

Flattered with the interest so lovely a creature seemed to take in myfate, yet vexed at the ridiculous appearance I should make, by carrying agirl of eighteen along with me as an advocate, and seriously concernedfor the misconstruction to which her motives might be exposed, Iendeavoured to combat her resolution to accompany me to SquireInglewood's. The self-willed girl told me roundly, that my dissuasionswere absolutely in vain; that she was a true Vernon, whom noconsideration, not even that of being able to do but little to assisthim, should induce to abandon a friend in distress; and that all I couldsay on the subject might be very well for pretty, well-educated, well-behaved misses from a town boarding-school, but did not apply toher, who was accustomed to mind nobody's opinion but her own. 

While she spoke thus, we were advancing hastily towards Inglewood Place, while, as if to divert me from the task of further remonstrance, she drewa ludicrous picture of the magistrate and his clerk. --Inglewoodwas--according to her description--a white-washed Jacobite; that is, onewho, having been long a non-juror, like most of the other gentlemen of thecountry, had lately qualified himself to act as a justice, by taking theoaths to Government. "He had done so, " she said, "in compliance with theurgent request of most of his brother squires, who saw, with regret, thatthe palladium of silvan sport, the game-laws, were likely to fall intodisuse for want of a magistrate who would enforce them; the nearestacting justice being the Mayor of Newcastle, and he, as being ratherinclined to the consumption of the game when properly dressed, than toits preservation when alive, was more partial, of course, to the cause ofthe poacher than of the sportsman. Resolving, therefore, that it wasexpedient some one of their number should sacrifice the scruples ofJacobitical loyalty to the good of the community, the Northumbriancountry gentlemen imposed the duty on Inglewood, who, being very inert inmost of his feelings and sentiments, might, they thought, comply with anypolitical creed without much repugnance. Having thus procured the body ofjustice, they proceeded, " continued Miss Vernon, "to attach to it aclerk, by way of soul, to direct and animate its movements. Accordinglythey got a sharp Newcastle attorney, called Jobson, who, to vary mymetaphor, finds it a good thing enough to retail justice at the sign ofSquire Inglewood, and, as his own emoluments depend on the quantity ofbusiness which he transacts, he hooks in his principal for a great dealmore employment in the justice line than the honest squire had everbargained for; so that no apple-wife within the circuit of ten miles cansettle her account with a costermonger without an audience of thereluctant Justice and his alert clerk, Mr. Joseph Jobson. But the mostridiculous scenes occur when affairs come before him, like our businessof to-day, having any colouring of politics. Mr. Joseph Jobson (forwhich, no doubt, he has his own very sufficient reasons) is a prodigiouszealot for the Protestant religion, and a great friend to the presentestablishment in church and state. Now, his principal, retaining a sortof instinctive attachment to the opinions which he professed openly untilhe relaxed his political creed with the patriotic view of enforcing thelaw against unauthorized destroyers of black-game, grouse, partridges, and hares, is peculiarly embarrassed when the zeal of his assistantinvolves him in judicial proceedings connected with his earlier faith;and, instead of seconding his zeal, he seldom fails to oppose to it adouble dose of indolence and lack of exertion. And this inactivity doesnot by any means arise from actual stupidity. On the contrary, for onewhose principal delight is in eating and drinking, he is an alert, joyous, and lively old soul, which makes his assumed dulness the morediverting. So you may see Jobson on such occasions, like a bit of abroken down blood-tit condemned to drag an overloaded cart, puffing, strutting, and spluttering, to get the Justice put in motion, while, though the wheels groan, creak, and revolve slowly, the great andpreponderating weight of the vehicle fairly frustrates the efforts of thewilling quadruped, and prevents its being brought into a state of actualprogression. Nay more, the unfortunate pony, I understand, has been heardto complain that this same car of justice, which he finds it so hard toput in motion on some occasions, can on others run fast enough down hillof its own accord, dragging his reluctant self backwards along with it, when anything can be done of service to Squire Inglewood's quondamfriends. And then Mr. Jobson talks big about reporting his principal tothe Secretary of State for the Home Department, if it were not for hisparticular regard and friendship for Mr. Inglewood and his family. "

As Miss Vernon concluded this whimsical description, we found ourselvesin front of Inglewood Place, a handsome, though old-fashioned building. Which showed the consequence of the family. 

CHAPTER EIGHTH. 

 "Sir, " quoth the Lawyer, "not to flatter ye, You have as good and fair a battery As heart could wish, and need not shame The proudest man alive to claim. " Butler. 

Our horses were taken by a servant in Sir Hildebrand's livery, whom wefound in the court-yard, and we entered the house. In the entrance-hall Iwas somewhat surprised, and my fair companion still more so, when we metRashleigh Osbaldistone, who could not help showing equal wonder at ourrencontre. 

"Rashleigh, " said Miss Vernon, without giving him time to ask anyquestion, "you have heard of Mr. Francis Osbaldistone's affair, and youhave been talking to the Justice about it?"

"Certainly, " said Rashleigh, composedly--"it has been my business here. --I have been endeavouring, " he said, with a bow to me, "to render mycousin what service I can. But I am sorry to meet him here. "

"As a friend and relation, Mr. Osbaldistone, you ought to have been sorryto have met me anywhere else, at a time when the charge of my reputationrequired me to be on this spot as soon as possible. "

"True; but judging from what my father said, I should have supposed ashort retreat into Scotland--just till matters should be smoothed over ina quiet way"--

I answered with warmth, "That I had no prudential measures to observe, and desired to have nothing smoothed over;--on the contrary, I was cometo inquire into a rascally calumny, which I was determined to probe tothe bottom. "

"Mr. Francis Osbaldistone is an innocent man, Rashleigh, " said MissVernon, "and he demands an investigation of the charge against him, and Iintend to support him in it. "

"You do, my pretty cousin?--I should think, now, Mr. Francis Osbaldistonewas likely to be as effectually, and rather more delicately, supported bymy presence than by yours. "

"Oh, certainly; but two heads are better than one, you know. "

"Especially such a head as yours, my pretty Die, " advancing and takingher hand with a familiar fondness, which made me think him fifty timesuglier than nature had made him. She led him, however, a few steps aside;they conversed in an under voice, and she appeared to insist upon somerequest which he was unwilling or unable to comply with. I never saw sostrong a contrast betwixt the expression of two faces. Miss Vernon's, from being earnest, became angry; her eyes and cheeks became moreanimated, her colour mounted, she clenched her little hand, and stampingon the ground with her tiny foot, seemed to listen with a mixture ofcontempt and indignation to the apologies, which, from his look of civildeference, his composed and respectful smile, his body rather drawingback than advanced, and other signs of look and person, I concluded himto be pouring out at her feet. At length she flung away from him, with "I_will_ have it so. "

"It is not in my power--there is no possibility of it. --Would you thinkit, Mr. Osbaldistone?" said he, addressing me--

"You are not mad?" said she, interrupting him. 

"Would you think it?" said he, without attending to her hint--"MissVernon insists, not only that I know your innocence (of which, indeed, itis impossible for any one to be more convinced), but that I must also beacquainted with the real perpetrators of the outrage on this fellow--ifindeed such an outrage has been committed. Is this reasonable, Mr. Osbaldistone?"

"I will not allow any appeal to Mr. Osbaldistone, Rashleigh, " said theyoung lady; "he does not know, as I do, the incredible extent andaccuracy of your information on all points. "

"As I am a gentleman, you do me more honour than I deserve. "

"Justice, Rashleigh--only justice:--and it is only justice which I expectat your hands. "

"You are a tyrant, Diana, " he answered, with a sort of sigh--"acapricious tyrant, and rule your friends with a rod of iron. Still, however, it shall be as you desire. But you ought not to be here--youknow you ought not;--you must return with me. "

Then turning from Diana, who seemed to stand undecided, he came up to mein the most friendly manner, and said, "Do not doubt my interest in whatregards you, Mr. Osbaldistone. If I leave you just at this moment, it isonly to act for your advantage. But you must use your influence with yourcousin to return; her presence cannot serve you, and must prejudiceherself. "

"I assure you, sir, " I replied, "you cannot be more convinced of thisthan I; I have urged Miss Vernon's return as anxiously as she wouldpermit me to do. "

 "I have thought on it, " said Miss Vernon after a pause, "and I will notgo till I see you safe out of the hands of the Philistines. CousinRashleigh, I dare say, means well; but he and I know each other well. Rashleigh, I will not go;--I know, " she added, in a more soothing tone, "my being here will give you more motive for speed and exertion. "

"Stay then, rash, obstinate girl, " said Rashleigh; "you know but too wellto whom you trust;" and hastening out of the hall, we heard his horse'sfeet a minute afterwards in rapid motion. 

"Thank Heaven he is gone!" said Diana. "And now let us seek out theJustice. "

"Had we not better call a servant?"

"Oh, by no means; I know the way to his den--we must burst on himsuddenly--follow me. "

I did follow her accordingly, as she tripped up a few gloomy steps, traversed a twilight passage, and entered a sort of ante-room, hung roundwith old maps, architectural elevations, and genealogical trees. A pairof folding-doors opened from this into Mr. Inglewood's sitting apartment, from which was heard the fag-end of an old ditty, chanted by a voicewhich had been in its day fit for a jolly bottle-song. 

 "O, in Skipton-in-Craven Is never a haven, But many a day foul weather; And he that would say A pretty girl nay, I wish for his cravat a tether. "

"Heyday!" said Miss Vernon, "the genial Justice must have dinedalready--I did not think it had been so late. "

It was even so. Mr. Inglewood's appetite having been sharpened by hisofficial investigations, he had antedated his meridian repast, havingdined at twelve instead of one o'clock, then the general dining hour inEngland. The various occurrences of the morning occasioned our arrivingsome time after this hour, to the Justice the most important of thefour-and-twenty, and he had not neglected the interval. 

"Stay you here, " said Diana. "I know the house, and I will call aservant; your sudden appearance might startle the old gentleman even tochoking;" and she escaped from me, leaving me uncertain whether I oughtto advance or retreat. It was impossible for me not to hear some part ofwhat passed within the dinner apartment, and particularly severalapologies for declining to sing, expressed in a dejected croaking voice, the tones of which, I conceived, were not entirely new to me. 

"Not sing, sir? by our Lady! but you must--What! you have cracked mysilver-mounted cocoa-nut of sack, and tell me that you cannot sing!--Sir, sack will make a cat sing, and speak too; so up with a merry stave, ortrundle yourself out of my doors!--Do you think you are to take up all myvaluable time with your d-d declarations, and then tell me you cannotsing?"

"Your worship is perfectly in rule, " said another voice, which, from itspert conceited accent, might be that of the cleric, "and the party mustbe conformable; he hath _canet_ written on his face in court hand. "

"Up with it then, " said the Justice, "or by St. Christopher, you shallcrack the cocoa-nut full of salt-and-water, according to the statute forsuch effect made and provided. "

Thus exhorted and threatened, my quondam fellow-traveller, for I could nolonger doubt that he was the recusant in question, uplifted, with a voicesimilar to that of a criminal singing his last psalm on the scaffold, amost doleful stave to the following effect:--

 "Good people all, I pray give ear, A woeful story you shall hear, 'Tis of a robber as stout as ever Bade a true man stand and deliver. With his foodle doo fa loodle loo. 

 "This knave, most worthy of a cord, Being armed with pistol and with sword, 'Twixt Kensington and Brentford then Did boldly stop six honest men. With his foodle doo, etc. 

 "These honest men did at Brentford dine, Having drank each man his pint of wine, When this bold thief, with many curses, Did say, You dogs, your lives or purses. With his foodle doo, " etc. 

I question if the honest men, whose misfortune is commemorated in thispathetic ditty, were more startled at the appearance of the bold thiefthan the songster was at mine; for, tired of waiting for some one toannounce me, and finding my situation as a listener rather awkward, Ipresented myself to the company just as my friend Mr. Morris, for such, it seems, was his name, was uplifting the fifth stave of his dolefulballad. The high tone with which the tune started died away in a quaverof consternation on finding himself so near one whose character hesupposed to be little less suspicious than that of the hero of hismadrigal, and he remained silent, with a mouth gaping as if I had broughtthe Gorgon's head in my hand. 

The Justice, whose eyes had closed under the influence of the somniferouslullaby of the song, started up in his chair as it suddenly ceased, andstared with wonder at the unexpected addition which the company hadreceived while his organs of sight were in abeyance. The clerk, as Iconjectured him to be from his appearance, was also commoved; for, sitting opposite to Mr. Morris, that honest gentleman's terrorcommunicated itself to him, though he wotted not why. 

[Illustration: Frank at Judge Inglewood's--104]

I broke the silence of surprise occasioned by my abrupt entrance. --"Myname, Mr. Inglewood, is Francis Osbaldistone; I understand that somescoundrel has brought a complaint before you, charging me with beingconcerned in a loss which he says he has sustained. "

"Sir, " said the Justice, somewhat peevishly, "these are matters I neverenter upon after dinner;--there is a time for everything, and a justiceof peace must eat as well as other folks. "

The goodly person of Mr. Inglewood, by the way, seemed by no means tohave suffered by any fasts, whether in the service of the law or ofreligion. 

"I beg pardon for an ill-timed visit, sir; but as my reputation isconcerned, and as the dinner appears to be concluded"--

"It is not concluded, sir, " replied the magistrate; "man requiresdigestion as well as food, and I protest I cannot have benefit from myvictuals unless I am allowed two hours of quiet leisure, intermixed withharmless mirth, and a moderate circulation of the bottle. "

"If your honour will forgive me, " said Mr. Jobson, who had produced andarranged his writing implements in the brief space that our conversationafforded; "as this is a case of felony, and the gentleman seems somethingimpatient, the charge is _contra pacem domini regis_"--

"D--n _dominie regis!_" said the impatient Justice--"I hope it's notreason to say so; but it's enough to made one mad to be worried in thisway. Have I a moment of my life quiet for warrants, orders, directions, acts, bails, bonds, and recognisances?--I pronounce to you, Mr. Jobson, that I shall send you and the justiceship to the devil one of thesedays. "

"Your honour will consider the dignity of the office one of the quorumand custos rotulorum, an office of which Sir Edward Coke wisely saith, The whole Christian world hath not the like of it, so it be dulyexecuted. "

"Well, " said the Justice, partly reconciled by this eulogium on thedignity of his situation, and gulping down the rest of hisdissatisfaction in a huge bumper of claret, "let us to this gear then, and get rid of it as fast as we can. --Here you, sir--you, Morris--you, knight of the sorrowful countenance--is this Mr. Francis Osbaldistone thegentleman whom you charge with being art and part of felony?"

"I, sir?" replied Morris, whose scattered wits had hardly yet reassembledthemselves; "I charge nothing--I say nothing against the gentleman, "

"Then we dismiss your complaint, sir, that's all, and a good riddance--Push about the bottle--Mr. Osbaldistone, help yourself. "

Jobson, however, was determined that Morris should not back out of thescrape so easily. "What do you mean, Mr. Morris?--Here is your owndeclaration--the ink scarce dried--and you would retract it in thisscandalous manner!"

"How do I know, " whispered the other in a tremulous tone, "how manyrogues are in the house to back him? I have read of such things inJohnson's Lives of the Highwaymen. I protest the door opens"--

And it did open, and Diana Vernon entered--"You keep fine order here, Justice--not a servant to be seen or heard of. "

"Ah!" said the Justice, starting up with an alacrity which showed that hewas not so engrossed by his devotions to Themis or Comus, as to forgetwhat was due to beauty--"Ah, ha! Die Vernon, the heath-bell of Cheviot, and the blossom of the Border, come to see how the old bachelor keepshouse? Art welcome, girl, as flowers in May. "

"A fine, open, hospitable house you do keep, Justice, that must beallowed--not a soul to answer a visitor. "

"Ah, the knaves! they reckoned themselves secure of me for a couple ofhours--But why did you not come earlier?--Your cousin Rashleigh dinedhere, and ran away like a poltroon after the first bottle was out--Butyou have not dined--we'll have something nice and ladylike--sweet andpretty like yourself, tossed up in a trice. "

"I may eat a crust in the ante-room before I set out, " answered MissVernon--"I have had a long ride this morning; but I can't stay long, Justice--I came with my cousin, Frank Osbaldistone, there, and I mustshow him the way back again to the Hall, or he'll lose himself in thewolds. "

"Whew! sits the wind in that quarter?" inquired the Justice--

 "She showed him the way, she showed him the way, She showed him the way to woo. 

What! no luck for old fellows, then, my sweet bud of the wilderness?"

"None whatever, Squire Inglewood; but if you will be a good kind Justice, and despatch young Frank's business, and let us canter home again, I'llbring my uncle to dine with you next week, and we'll expect merrydoings. "

"And you shall find them, my pearl of the Tyne--Zookers, lass, I neverenvy these young fellows their rides and scampers, unless when you comeacross me. But I must not keep you just now, I suppose?--I am quitesatisfied with Mr. Francis Osbaldistone's explanation--here has been somemistake, which can be cleared at greater leisure. "

"Pardon me, sir, " said I; "but I have not heard the nature of theaccusation yet. "

"Yes, sir, " said the clerk, who, at the appearance of Miss Vernon, hadgiven up the matter in despair, but who picked up courage to pressfarther investigation on finding himself supported from a quarter whenceassuredly he expected no backing--"Yes, sir, and Dalton saith, That hewho is apprehended as a felon shall not be discharged upon any man'sdiscretion, but shall be held either to bail or commitment, paying to theclerk of the peace the usual fees for recognisance or commitment. "

The Justice, thus goaded on, gave me at length a few words ofexplanation. 

It seems the tricks which I had played to this man Morris had made astrong impression on his imagination; for I found they had been arrayedagainst me in his evidence, with all the exaggerations which a timorousand heated imagination could suggest. It appeared also, that on the dayhe parted from me, he had been stopped on a solitary spot and eased ofhis beloved travelling-companion, the portmanteau, by two men, wellmounted and armed, having their faces covered with vizards. 

One of them, he conceived, had much of my shape and air, and in awhispering conversation which took place betwixt the freebooters, heheard the other apply to him the name of Osbaldistone. The declarationfarther set forth, that upon inquiring into the principles of the familyso named, he, the said declarant, was informed that they were of theworst description, the family, in all its members, having been Papistsand Jacobites, as he was given to understand by the dissenting clergymanat whose house he stopped after his rencontre, since the days of Williamthe Conqueror. 

Upon all and each of these weighty reasons, he charged me with beingaccessory to the felony committed upon his person; he, the saiddeclarant, then travelling in the special employment of Government, andhaving charge of certain important papers, and also a large sum inspecie, to be paid over, according to his instructions, to certainpersons of official trust and importance in Scotland. 

Having heard this extraordinary accusation, I replied to it, that thecircumstances on which it was founded were such as could warrant nojustice, or magistrate, in any attempt on my personal liberty. I admittedthat I had practised a little upon the terrors of Mr. Morris, while wetravelled together, but in such trifling particulars as could haveexcited apprehension in no one who was one whit less timorous and jealousthan himself. But I added, that I had never seen him since we parted, andif that which he feared had really come upon him, I was in nowiseaccessory to an action so unworthy of my character and station in life. That one of the robbers was called Osbaldistone, or that such a name wasmentioned in the course of the conversation betwixt them, was a triflingcircumstance, to which no weight was due. And concerning the disaffectionalleged against me, I was willing to prove, to the satisfaction of theJustice, the clerk, and even the witness himself, that I was of the samepersuasion as his friend the dissenting clergyman; had been educated as agood subject in the principles of the Revolution, and as such nowdemanded the personal protection of the laws which had been assured bythat great event. 

The Justice fidgeted, took snuff, and seemed considerably embarrassed, while Mr. Attorney Jobson, with all the volubility of his profession, ranover the statute of the 34 Edward III. , by which justices of the peaceare allowed to arrest all those whom they find by indictment orsuspicion, and to put them into prison. The rogue even turned my ownadmissions against me, alleging, "that since I had confessedly, upon myown showing, assumed the bearing or deportment of a robber or malefactor, I had voluntarily subjected myself to the suspicions of which Icomplained, and brought myself within the compass of the act, havingwilfully clothed my conduct with all the colour and livery of guilt. "

I combated both his arguments and his jargon with much indignation andscorn, and observed, "That I should, if necessary, produce the bail of myrelations, which I conceived could not be refused, without subjecting themagistrate in a misdemeanour. "

"Pardon me, my good sir--pardon me, " said the insatiable clerk; "this isa case in which neither bail nor mainprize can be received, the felon whois liable to be committed on heavy grounds of suspicion, not beingreplevisable under the statute of the 3d of King Edward, there being inthat act an express exception of such as be charged of commandment, orforce, and aid of felony done;" and he hinted that his worship would dowell to remember that such were no way replevisable by common writ, norwithout writ. 

At this period of the conversation a servant entered, and delivered aletter to Mr. Jobson. He had no sooner run it hastily over, than heexclaimed, with the air of one who wished to appear much vexed at theinterruption, and felt the consequence attached to a man of multifariousavocations--"Good God!--why, at this rate, I shall have neither time toattend to the public concerns nor my own--no rest--no quiet--I wish toHeaven another gentleman in our line would settle here!"

"God forbid!" said the Justice in a tone of _sotto-voce_ deprecation;"some of us have enough of one of the tribe. "

"This is a matter of life and death, if your worship pleases. "

"In God's name! no more justice business, I hope, " said the alarmedmagistrate. 

"No--no, " replied Mr. Jobson, very consequentially; "old Gaffer Rutledgeof Grime's-hill is subpoenaed for the next world; he has sent an expressfor Dr. Kill-down to put in bail--another for me to arrange his worldlyaffairs. "

"Away with you, then, " said Mr. Inglewood, hastily; "his may not be areplevisable case under the statute, you know, or Mr. Justice Death maynot like the doctor for a _main pernor, _ or bailsman. "

"And yet, " said Jobson, lingering as he moved towards the door, "if mypresence here be necessary--I could make out the warrant for committal ina moment, and the constable is below--And you have heard, " he said, lowering his voice, "Mr. Rashleigh's opinion"--the rest was lost in awhisper. 

The Justice replied aloud, "I tell thee no, man, no--we'll do nought tillthou return, man; 'tis but a four-mile ride--Come, push the bottle, Mr. Morris--Don't be cast down, Mr. Osbaldistone--And you, my rose of thewilderness--one cup of claret to refresh the bloom of your cheeks. "

Diana started, as if from a reverie, in which she appeared to have beenplunged while we held this discussion. "No, Justice--I should be afraidof transferring the bloom to a part of my face where it would show tolittle advantage; but I will pledge you in a cooler beverage;" andfilling a glass with water, she drank it hastily, while her hurriedmanner belied her assumed gaiety. 

I had not much leisure to make remarks upon her demeanour, however, beingfull of vexation at the interference of fresh obstacles to an instantexamination of the disgraceful and impertinent charge which was broughtagainst me. But there was no moving the Justice to take the matter up inabsence of his clerk, an incident which gave him apparently as muchpleasure as a holiday to a schoolboy. He persisted in his endeavours toinspire jollity into a company, the individuals of which, whetherconsidered with reference to each other, or to their respectivesituations, were by no means inclined to mirth. "Come, Master Morris, you're not the first man that's been robbed, I trow--grieving ne'erbrought back loss, man. And you, Mr. Frank Osbaldistone, are not thefirst bully-boy that has said stand to a true man. There was JackWinterfield, in my young days, kept the best company in the land--athorse-races and cock-fights who but he--hand and glove was I with Jack. Push the bottle, Mr. Morris, it's dry talking--Many quart bumpers have Icracked, and thrown many a merry main with poor Jack--good family--readywit--quick eye--as honest a fellow, barring the deed he died for--we'lldrink to his memory, gentlemen--Poor Jack Winterfield--And since we talkof him, and of those sort of things, and since that d--d clerk of minehas taken his gibberish elsewhere, and since we're snug among ourselves, Mr. Osbaldistone, if you will have my best advice, I would take up thismatter--the law's hard--very severe--hanged poor Jack Winterfield atYork, despite family connections and great interest, all for easing a fatwest-country grazier of the price of a few beasts--Now, here is honestMr. Morris, has been frightened, and so forth--D--n it, man, let the poorfellow have back his portmanteau, and end the frolic at once. "

Morris's eyes brightened up at this suggestion, and he began to hesitateforth an assurance that he thirsted for no man's blood, when I cut theproposed accommodation short, by resenting the Justice's suggestion as aninsult, that went directly to suppose me guilty of the very crime which Ihad come to his house with the express intention of disavowing. We werein this awkward predicament when a servant, opening the door, announced, "A strange gentleman to wait upon his honour;" and the party whom he thusdescribed entered the room without farther ceremony. 

[Illustration: Die Vernon at Judge Inglewood's--112]

CHAPTER NINTH. 

 One of the thieves come back again! I'll stand close, He dares not wrong me now, so near the house, And call in vain 'tis, till I see him offer it. The Widow. 

"A stranger!" echoed the Justice--"not upon business, I trust, for I'llbe"--

His protestation was cut short by the answer of the man himself. "Mybusiness is of a nature somewhat onerous and particular, " said myacquaintance, Mr. Campbell--for it was he, the very Scotchman whom I hadseen at Northallerton--"and I must solicit your honour to give instantand heedful consideration to it. --I believe, Mr. Morris, " he added, fixing his eye on that person with a look of peculiar firmness and almostferocity--"I believe ye ken brawly what I am--I believe ye cannot haveforgotten what passed at our last meeting on the road?" Morris's jawdropped--his countenance became the colour of tallow--his teethchattered, and he gave visible signs of the utmost consternation. "Takeheart of grace, man, " said Campbell, "and dinna sit clattering your jawsthere like a pair of castanets! I think there can be nae difficulty inyour telling Mr. Justice, that ye have seen me of yore, and ken me to bea cavalier of fortune, and a man of honour. Ye ken fu' weel ye will besome time resident in my vicinity, when I may have the power, as I willpossess the inclination, to do you as good a turn. "

"Sir--sir--I believe you to be a man of honour, and, as you say, a man offortune. Yes, Mr. Inglewood, " he added, clearing his voice, "I reallybelieve this gentleman to be so. "

"And what are this gentleman's commands with me?" said the Justice, somewhat peevishly. "One man introduces another, like the rhymes in the'house that Jack built, ' and I get company without either peace orconversation!"

"Both shall be yours, sir, " answered Campbell, "in a brief period oftime. I come to release your mind from a piece of troublesome duty, notto make increment to it. "

"Body o' me! then you are welcome as ever Scot was to England, and that'snot saying much. But get on, man--let's hear what you have got to say atonce. "

"I presume, this gentleman, " continued the North Briton, "told you therewas a person of the name of Campbell with him, when he had the mischanceto lose his valise?"

"He has not mentioned such a name, from beginning to end of the matter, "said the Justice. 

"Ah! I conceive--I conceive, " replied Mr. Campbell;--"Mr. Morris waskindly afeared of committing a stranger into collision wi' the judicialforms of the country; but as I understand my evidence is necessary to thecompurgation of one honest gentleman here, Mr. Francis Osbaldistone, whahas been most unjustly suspected, I will dispense with the precaution. Yewill therefore" (he added addressing Morris with the same determined lookand accent) "please tell Mr. Justice Inglewood, whether we did not travelseveral miles together on the road, in consequence of your own anxiousrequest and suggestion, reiterated ance and again, baith on the eveningthat we were at Northallerton, and there declined by me, but afterwardsaccepted, when I overtook ye on the road near Cloberry Allers, and wasprevailed on by you to resign my ain intentions of proceeding toRothbury; and, for my misfortune, to accompany you on your proposedroute. "

"It's a melancholy truth, " answered Morris, holding down his head, as hegave this general assent to the long and leading question which Campbellput to him, and seemed to acquiesce in the statement it contained withrueful docility. 

"And I presume you can also asseverate to his worship, that no man isbetter qualified than I am to bear testimony in this case, seeing that Iwas by you, and near you, constantly during the whole occurrence. "

"No man better qualified, certainly, " said Morris, with a deep andembarrassed sigh. 

"And why the devil did you not assist him, then, " said the Justice, "since, by Mr. Morris's account, there were but two robbers; so you weretwo to two, and you are both stout likely men?"

"Sir, if it please your worship, " said Campbell, "I have been all my lifea man of peace and quietness, noways given to broils or batteries. Mr. Morris, who belongs, as I understand, or hath belonged, to his Majesty'sarmy, might have used his pleasure in resistance, he travelling, as Ialso understand, with a great charge of treasure; but, for me, who hadbut my own small peculiar to defend, and who am, moreover, a man of apacific occupation, I was unwilling to commit myself to hazard in thematter. "

I looked at Campbell as he muttered these words, and never recollect tohave seen a more singular contrast than that between the strong daringsternness expressed in his harsh features, and the air of composedmeekness and simplicity which his language assumed. There was even aslight ironical smile lurking about the corners of his mouth, whichseemed, involuntarily as it were, to intimate his disdain of the quietand peaceful character which he thought proper to assume, and which ledme to entertain strange suspicions that his concern in the violence doneto Morris had been something very different from that of afellow-sufferer, or even of a mere spectator. 

Perhaps some suspicious crossed the Justice's mind at the moment, for heexclaimed, as if by way of ejaculation, "Body o' me! but this is astrange story. "

The North Briton seemed to guess at what was passing in his mind; for hewent on, with a change of manner and tone, dismissing from hiscountenance some part of the hypocritical affectation of humility whichhad made him obnoxious to suspicion, and saying, with a more frank andunconstrained air, "To say the truth, I am just ane o' those canny folkswha care not to fight but when they hae gotten something to fight for, which did not chance to be my predicament when I fell in wi' these loons. But that your worship may know that I am a person of good fame andcharacter, please to cast your eye over that billet. "

Mr. Inglewood took the paper from his hand, and read, half aloud, "Theseare to certify, that the bearer, Robert Campbell of--of some place whichI cannot pronounce, " interjected the Justice--"is a person of goodlineage, and peaceable demeanour, travelling towards England on his ownproper affairs, &c. &c. &c. Given under our hand, at our Castle ofInver--Invera--rara--Argyle. "

"A slight testimonial, sir, which I thought fit to impetrate from thatworthy nobleman" (here he raised his hand to his head, as if to touch hishat), "MacCallum More. "

"MacCallum who, sir?" said the Justice. 

"Whom the Southern call the Duke of Argyle. "

"I know the Duke of Argyle very well to be a nobleman of great worth anddistinction, and a true lover of his country. I was one of those thatstood by him in 1714, when he unhorsed the Duke of Marlborough out of hiscommand. I wish we had more noblemen like him. He was an honest Tory inthose days, and hand and glove with Ormond. And he has acceded to thepresent Government, as I have done myself, for the peace and quiet of hiscountry; for I cannot presume that great man to have been actuated, asviolent folks pretend, with the fear of losing his places and regiment. His testimonial, as you call it, Mr. Campbell, is perfectly satisfactory;and now, what have you got to say to this matter of the robbery?"

"Briefly this, if it please your worship, --that Mr. Morris might as weelcharge it against the babe yet to be born, or against myself even, asagainst this young gentleman, Mr. Osbaldistone; for I am not only free todepone that the person whom he took for him was a shorter man, and athicker man, but also, for I chanced to obtain a glisk of his visage, ashis fause-face slipped aside, that he was a man of other features andcomplexion than those of this young gentleman, Mr. Osbaldistone. And Ibelieve, " he added, turning round with a natural, yet somewhat sternerair, to Mr. Morris, "that the gentleman will allow I had betteropportunity to take cognisance wha were present on that occasion than he, being, I believe, much the cooler o' the twa. "

"I agree to it, sir--I agree to it perfectly, " said Morris, shrinkingback as Campbell moved his chair towards him to fortify his appeal--"AndI incline, sir, " he added, addressing Mr. Inglewood, "to retract myinformation as to Mr. Osbaldistone; and I request, sir, you will permithim, sir, to go about his business, and me to go about mine also; yourworship may have business to settle with Mr. Campbell, and I am rather inhaste to be gone. "

"Then, there go the declarations, " said the Justice, throwing them intothe fire--"And now you are at perfect liberty, Mr Osbaldistone. And you, Mr. Morris, are set quite at your ease. "

"Ay, " said Campbell, eyeing Morris as he assented with a rueful grin tothe Justice's observations, "much like the ease of a tod under a pair ofharrows--But fear nothing, Mr. Morris; you and I maun leave the housethegither. I will see you safe--I hope you will not doubt my honour, whenI say sae--to the next highway, and then we part company; and if we donot meet as friends in Scotland, it will be your ain fault. "

With such a lingering look of terror as the condemned criminal throws, when he is informed that the cart awaits him, Morris arose; but when onhis legs, appeared to hesitate. "I tell thee, man, fear nothing, "reiterated Campbell; "I will keep my word with you--Why, thou sheep'sheart, how do ye ken but we may can pick up some speerings of yourvalise, if ye will be amenable to gude counsel?--Our horses are ready. Bid the Justice fareweel, man, and show your Southern breeding. "

Morris, thus exhorted and encouraged, took his leave, under the escort ofMr. Campbell; but, apparently, new scruples and terrors had struck himbefore they left the house, for I heard Campbell reiterating assurancesof safety and protection as they left the ante-room--"By the soul of mybody, man, thou'rt as safe as in thy father's kailyard--Zounds! that achield wi' sic a black beard should hae nae mair heart than ahen-partridge!--Come on wi' ye, like a frank fallow, anes and for aye. "

The voices died away, and the subsequent trampling of their horsesannounced to us that they had left the mansion of Justice Inglewood. 

The joy which that worthy magistrate received at this easy conclusion ofa matter which threatened him with some trouble in his judicial capacity, was somewhat damped by reflection on what his clerk's views of thetransaction might be at his return. "Now, I shall have Jobson on myshoulders about these d--d papers--I doubt I should not have destroyedthem, after all--But hang it! it is only paying his fees, and that willmake all smooth--And now, Miss Die Vernon, though I have liberated allthe others, I intend to sign a writ for committing you to the custody ofMother Blakes, my old housekeeper, for the evening, and we will send formy neighbour Mrs. Musgrave, and the Miss Dawkins, and your cousins, andhave old Cobs the fiddler, and be as merry as the maids; and FrankOsbaldistone and I will have a carouse that will make us fit company foryou in half-an-hour. "

"Thanks, most worshipful, " returned Miss Vernon; "but, as matters stand, we must return instantly to Osbaldistone Hall, where they do not knowwhat has become of us, and relieve my uncle of his anxiety on my cousin'saccount, which is just the same as if one of his own sons wereconcerned. "

"I believe it truly, " said the Justice; "for when his eldest son, Archie, came to a bad end, in that unlucky affair of Sir John Fenwick's, oldHildebrand used to hollo out his name as readily as any of the remainingsix, and then complain that he could not recollect which of his sons hadbeen hanged. So, pray hasten home, and relieve his paternal solicitude, since go you must. But hark thee hither, heath-blossom, " he said, pullingher towards him by the hand, and in a good-humoured tone of admonition, "another time let the law take its course, without putting your prettyfinger into her old musty pie, all full of fragments of lawgibberish--French and dog-Latin--And, Die, my beauty, let young fellowsshow each other the way through the moors, in case you should lose yourown road, while you are pointing out theirs, my pretty Will o' theWisp. "

With this admonition, he saluted and dismissed Miss Vernon, and took anequally kind farewell of me. 

"Thou seems to be a good tight lad, Mr. Frank, and I remember thy fathertoo--he was my playfellow at school. Hark thee, lad, --ride early atnight, and don't swagger with chance passengers on the king's highway. What, man! all the king's liege subjects are not bound to understandjoking, and it's ill cracking jests on matters of felony. And here's poorDie Vernon too--in a manner alone and deserted on the face of this wideearth, and left to ride, and run, and scamper, at her own silly pleasure. Thou must be careful of Die, or, egad, I will turn a young fellow againon purpose, and fight thee myself, although I must own it would be agreat deal of trouble. And now, get ye both gone, and leave me to my pipeof tobacco, and my meditations; for what says the song--

 The Indian leaf doth briefly burn; So doth man's strength to weakness turn The fire of youth extinguished quite, Comes age, like embers, dry and white. Think of this as you take tobacco. "*

* [The lines here quoted belong to or were altered from a set of versesat one time very popular in England, beginning, _Tobacco that is witheredquite. _ In Scotland, the celebrated Ralph Erskine, author of the _GospelSonnets, _ published what he called "_Smoking Spiritualized, _ in twoparts. The first part being an Old Meditation upon Smoking Tobacco. " Itbegins--*

 This Indian weed now withered quite, Tho' green at noon, cut down at night, Shows thy decay; All flesh is hay. Thus thank, and smoke tobacco. ]

I was much pleased with the gleams of sense and feeling which escapedfrom the Justice through the vapours of sloth and self-indulgence, assured him of my respect to his admonitions, and took a friendlyfarewell of the honest magistrate and his hospitable mansion. 

We found a repast prepared for us in the ante-room, which we partook ofslightly, and rejoined the same servant of Sir Hildebrand who had takenour horses at our entrance, and who had been directed, as he informedMiss Vernon, by Mr. Rashleigh, to wait and attend upon us home. We rode alittle way in silence, for, to say truth, my mind was too much bewilderedwith the events of the morning, to permit me to be the first to break it. At length Miss Vernon exclaimed, as if giving vent to her ownreflections, "Well, Rashleigh is a man to be feared and wondered at, andall but loved; he does whatever he pleases, and makes all others hispuppets--has a player ready to perform every part which he imagines, andan invention and readiness which supply expedients for every emergency. "

"You think, then, " said I, answering rather to her meaning, than to theexpress words she made use of, "that this Mr. Campbell, whose appearancewas so opportune, and who trussed up and carried off my accuser as afalcon trusses a partridge, was an agent of Mr. RashleighOsbaldistone's?"

"I do guess as much, " replied Diana; "and shrewdly suspect, moreover, that he would hardly have appeared so very much in the nick of time, if Ihad not happened to meet Rashleigh in the hall at the Justice's. "

"In that case, my thanks are chiefly due to you, my fair preserver. "

"To be sure they are, " returned Diana; "and pray, suppose them paid, andaccepted with a gracious smile, for I do not care to be troubled withhearing them in good earnest, and am much more likely to yawn than tobehave becoming. In short, Mr. Frank, I wished to serve you, and I havefortunately been able to do so, and have only one favour to ask inreturn, and that is, that you will say no more about it. --But who comeshere to meet us, 'bloody with spurring, fiery-red with haste?' It is thesubordinate man of law, I think--no less than Mr. Joseph Jobson. "

And Mr. Joseph Jobson it proved to be, in great haste, and, as itspeedily appeared, in most extreme bad humour. He came up to us, andstopped his horse, as we were about to pass with a slight salutation. 

"So, sir--so, Miss Vernon--ay, I see well enough how it is--bail put induring my absence, I suppose--I should like to know who drew therecognisance, that's all. If his worship uses this form of procedureoften, I advise him to get another clerk, that's all, for I shallcertainly demit. "

"Or suppose he get this present clerk stitched to his sleeve, Mr. Jobson, " said Diana; "would not that do as well? And pray, how doesFarmer Rutledge, Mr. Jobson? I hope you found him able to sign, seal, anddeliver?"

This question seemed greatly to increase the wrath of the man of law. Helooked at Miss Vernon with such an air of spite and resentment, as laidme under a strong temptation to knock him off his horse with the butt-endof my whip, which I only suppressed in consideration of hisinsignificance. 

"Farmer Rutledge, ma'am?" said the clerk, as soon as his indignationpermitted him to articulate, "Farmer Rutledge is in as handsome enjoymentof his health as you are--it's all a bam, ma'am--all a bamboozle and abite, that affair of his illness; and if you did not know as much before, you know it now, ma'am. "

"La you there now!" replied Miss Vernon, with an affectation of extremeand simple wonder, "sure you don't say so, Mr. Jobson?"

"But I _do_ say so, ma'am, " rejoined the incensed scribe; "andmoreover I say, that the old miserly clod-breaker called mepettifogger--pettifogger, ma'am--and said I came to hunt for a job, ma'am--which I have no more right to have said to me than any othergentleman of my profession, ma'am--especially as I am clerk to thepeace, having and holding said office under _Trigesimo Septimo HenriciOctavi_ and _Primo Gulielmi, _ the first of King William, ma'am, ofglorious and immortal memory--our immortal deliverer from papists andpretenders, and wooden shoes and warming pans, Miss Vernon. "

"Sad things, these wooden shoes and warming pans, " retorted the younglady, who seemed to take pleasure in augmenting his wrath;--"and it is acomfort you don't seem to want a warming pan at present, Mr. Jobson. I amafraid Gaffer Rutledge has not confined his incivility to language--Areyou sure he did not give you a beating?"

"Beating, ma'am!--no"--(very shortly)--"no man alive shall beat me, Ipromise you, ma'am. "

"That is according as you happen to merit, sir, " said I: "for your modeof speaking to this young lady is so unbecoming, that, if you do notchange your tone, I shall think it worth while to chastise you myself. "

"Chastise, sir? and--me, sir?--Do you know whom you speak to, sir?"

"Yes, sir, " I replied; "you say yourself you are clerk of peace to thecounty; and Gaffer Rutledge says you are a pettifogger; and in neithercapacity are you entitled to be impertinent to a young lady of fashion. "

Miss Vernon laid her hand on my arm, and exclaimed, "Come, Mr. Osbaldistone, I will have no assaults and battery on Mr. Jobson; I amnot in sufficient charity with him to permit a single touch of yourwhip--why, he would live on it for a term at least. Besides, you havealready hurt his feelings sufficiently--you have called himimpertinent. "

"I don't value his language, Miss, " said the clerk, somewhat crestfallen:"besides, impertinent is not an actionable word; but pettifogger isslander in the highest degree, and that I will make Gaffer Rutledge knowto his cost, and all who maliciously repeat the same, to the breach ofthe public peace, and the taking away of my private good name. "

"Never mind that, Mr. Jobson, " said Miss Vernon; "you know, where thereis nothing, your own law allows that the king himself must lose hisrights; and for the taking away of your good name, I pity the poor fellowwho gets it, and wish you joy of losing it with all my heart. "

"Very well, ma'am--good evening, ma'am--I have no more to say--only thereare laws against papists, which it would be well for the land were theybetter executed. There's third and fourth Edward VI. , of antiphoners, missals, grailes, professionals, manuals, legends, pies, portuasses, andthose that have such trinkets in their possession, Miss Vernon--andthere's summoning of papists to take the oaths--and there are popishrecusant convicts under the first of his present Majesty--ay, and thereare penalties for hearing mass--See twenty-third of Queen Elizabeth, andthird James First, chapter twenty-fifth. And there are estates to beregistered, and deeds and wills to be enrolled, and double taxes to bemade, according to the acts in that case made and provided"--

"See the new edition of the Statutes at Large, published under thecareful revision of Joseph Jobson, Gent. , Clerk of the Peace, " said MissVernon. 

"Also, and above all, " continued Jobson, --"for I speak to yourwarning--you, Diana Vernon, spinstress, not being a _femme couverte, _and being a convict popish recusant, are bound to repair to your owndwelling, and that by the nearest way, under penalty of being held felonto the king--and diligently to seek for passage at common ferries, andto tarry there but one ebb and flood; and unless you can have it in suchplaces, to walk every day into the water up to the knees, assaying topass over. "

"A sort of Protestant penance for my Catholic errors, I suppose, " saidMiss Vernon, laughing. --"Well, I thank you for the information, Mr. Jobson, and will hie me home as fast as I can, and be a betterhousekeeper in time coming. Good-night, my dear Mr. Jobson, thou mirrorof clerical courtesy. "

"Good-night, ma'am, and remember the law is not to be trifled with. "

And we rode on our separate ways. 

"There he goes for a troublesome mischief-making tool, " said Miss Vernon, as she gave a glance after him; it is hard that persons of birth and rankand estate should be subjected to the official impertinence of such apaltry pickthank as that, merely for believing as the whole worldbelieved not much above a hundred years ago--for certainly our CatholicFaith has the advantage of antiquity at least. "

"I was much tempted to have broken the rascal's head, " I replied. 

"You would have acted very like a hasty young man, " said Miss Vernon;"and yet, had my own hand been an ounce heavier than it is, I think Ishould have laid its weight upon him. Well, it does not signifycomplaining, but there are three things for which I am much to be pitied, if any one thought it worth while to waste any compassion upon me. "

"And what are these three things, Miss Vernon, may I ask?"

"Will you promise me your deepest sympathy, if I tell you?"

"Certainly;--can you doubt it?" I replied, closing my horse nearer tohers as I spoke, with an expression of interest which I did not attemptto disguise. 

"Well, it is very seducing to be pitied, after all; so here are my threegrievances: In the first place, I am a girl, and not a young fellow, andwould be shut up in a mad-house if I did half the things that I have amind to;--and that, if I had your happy prerogative of acting as youlist, would make all the world mad with imitating and applauding me. "

"I can't quite afford you the sympathy you expect upon this score, " Ireplied; "the misfortune is so general, that it belongs to one half ofthe species; and the other half"--

"Are so much better cared for, that they are jealous of theirprerogatives, " interrupted Miss Vernon--"I forgot you were a partyinterested. Nay, " she said, as I was going to speak, "that soft smile isintended to be the preface of a very pretty compliment respecting thepeculiar advantages which Die Vernon's friends and kinsmen enjoy, by herbeing born one of their Helots; but spare me the utterance, my goodfriend, and let us try whether we shall agree better on the second countof my indictment against fortune, as that quill-driving puppy would callit. I belong to an oppressed sect and antiquated religion, and, insteadof getting credit for my devotion, as is due to all good girls beside, mykind friend, Justice Inglewood, may send me to the house of correction, merely for worshipping God in the way of my ancestors, and say, as oldPembroke did to the Abbess of Wilton, * when he usurped her convent andestablishment, 'Go spin, you jade, --Go spin. '"

* Note F. The Abbess of Wilton. 

"This is not a cureless evil, " said I gravely. "Consult some of ourlearned divines, or consult your own excellent understanding, MissVernon; and surely the particulars in which our religious creed differsfrom that in which you have been educated"--

"Hush!" said Diana, placing her fore-finger on her mouth, --"Hush! no moreof that. Forsake the faith of my gallant fathers! I would as soon, were Ia man, forsake their banner when the tide of battle pressed hardestagainst it, and turn, like a hireling recreant, to join the victoriousenemy. "

"I honour your spirit, Miss Vernon; and as to the inconveniences to whichit exposes you, I can only say, that wounds sustained for the sake ofconscience carry their own balsam with the blow. "

"Ay; but they are fretful and irritating, for all that. But I see, hardof heart as you are, my chance of beating hemp, or drawing out flax intomarvellous coarse thread, affects you as little as my condemnation tocoif and pinners, instead of beaver and cockade; so I will spare myselfthe fruitless pains of telling my third cause of vexation. "

"Nay, my dear Miss Vernon, do not withdraw your confidence, and I willpromise you, that the threefold sympathy due to your very unusual causesof distress shall be all duly and truly paid to account of the third, providing you assure me, that it is one which you neither share with allwomankind, nor even with every Catholic in England, who, God bless you, are still a sect more numerous than we Protestants, in our zeal forchurch and state, would desire them to be. "

"It is indeed, " said Diana, with a manner greatly altered, and moreserious than I had yet seen her assume, "a misfortune that well meritscompassion. I am by nature, as you may easily observe, of a frank andunreserved disposition--a plain true-hearted girl, who would willinglyact openly and honestly by the whole world, and yet fate has involved mein such a series of nets and toils, and entanglements, that I dare hardlyspeak a word for fear of consequences--not to myself, but to others. "

"That is indeed a misfortune, Miss Vernon, which I do most sincerelycompassionate, but which I should hardly have anticipated. "

"O, Mr. Osbaldistone, if you but knew--if any one knew, what difficulty Isometimes find in hiding an aching heart with a smooth brow, you wouldindeed pity me. I do wrong, perhaps, in speaking to you even thus far onmy own situation; but you are a young man of sense and penetration--youcannot but long to ask me a hundred questions on the events of thisday--on the share which Rashleigh has in your deliverance from this pettyscrape--upon many other points which cannot but excite your attention;and I cannot bring myself to answer with the necessary falsehood andfinesse--I should do it awkwardly, and lose your good opinion, if I haveany share of it, as well as my own. It is best to say at once, Ask me noquestions, --I have it not in my power to reply to them. "

Miss Vernon spoke these words with a tone of feeling which could not butmake a corresponding impression upon me. I assured her she had neither tofear my urging her with impertinent questions, nor my misconstruing herdeclining to answer those which might in themselves be reasonable, or atleast natural. 

"I was too much obliged, " I said, "by the interest she had taken in myaffairs, to misuse the opportunity her goodness had afforded me of pryinginto hers--I only trusted and entreated, that if my services could at anytime be useful, she would command them without doubt or hesitation. "

"Thank you--thank you, " she replied; "your voice does not ring the cuckoochime of compliment, but speaks like that of one who knows to what hepledges himself. If--but it is impossible--but yet, if an opportunityshould occur, I will ask you if you remember this promise; and I assureyou, I shall not be angry if I find you have forgotten it, for it isenough that you are sincere in your intentions just now--much may occurto alter them ere I call upon you, should that moment ever come, toassist Die Vernon, as if you were Die Vernon's brother. "

"And if I were Die Vernon's brother, " said I, "there could not be lesschance that I should refuse my assistance--And now I am afraid I must notask whether Rashleigh was willingly accessory to my deliverance?"

"Not of me; but you may ask it of himself, and depend upon it, he willsay _yes;_ for rather than any good action should walk through the worldlike an unappropriated adjective in an ill-arranged sentence, he isalways willing to stand noun substantive to it himself. "

"And I must not ask whether this Campbell be himself the party who easedMr. Morris of his portmanteau, --or whether the letter, which our friendthe attorney received, was not a finesse to withdraw him from the sceneof action, lest he should have marred the happy event of my deliverance?And I must not ask"--

"You must ask nothing of me, " said Miss Vernon; "so it is quite in vainto go on putting cases. You are to think just as well of me as if I hadanswered all these queries, and twenty others besides, as glibly asRashleigh could have done; and observe, whenever I touch my chin just so, it is a sign that I cannot speak upon the topic which happens to occupyyour attention. I must settle signals of correspondence with you, becauseyou are to be my confidant and my counsellor, only you are to knownothing whatever of my affairs. "

"Nothing can be more reasonable, " I replied, laughing; "and the extent ofyour confidence will, you may rely upon it, only be equalled by thesagacity of my counsels. "

This sort of conversation brought us, in the highest good-humour witheach other, to Osbaldistone Hall, where we found the family far advancedin the revels of the evening. 

"Get some dinner for Mr. Osbaldistone and me in the library, " said MissVernon to a servant. --"I must have some compassion upon you, " she added, turning to me, "and provide against your starving in this mansion ofbrutal abundance; otherwise I am not sure that I should show you myprivate haunts. This same library is my den--the only corner of theHall-house where I am safe from the Ourang-Outangs, my cousins. Theynever venture there, I suppose for fear the folios should fall down andcrack their skulls; for they will never affect their heads in any otherway--So follow me. "

And I followed through hall and bower, vaulted passage and winding stair, until we reached the room where she had ordered our refreshments. 

CHAPTER TENTH. 

 In the wide pile, by others heeded not, Hers was one sacred solitary spot, Whose gloomy aisles and bending shelves contain For moral hunger food, and cures for moral pain. Anonymous. 

The library at Osbaldistone Hall was a gloomy room, whose antique oakenshelves bent beneath the weight of the ponderous folios so dear to theseventeenth century, from which, under favour be it spoken, we havedistilled matter for our quartos and octavos, and which, once moresubjected to the alembic, may, should our sons be yet more frivolous thanourselves, be still farther reduced into duodecimos and pamphlets. Thecollection was chiefly of the classics, as well foreign as ancienthistory, and, above all, divinity. It was in wretched order. The priests, who in succession had acted as chaplains at the Hall, were, for manyyears, the only persons who entered its precincts, until Rashleigh'sthirst for reading had led him to disturb the venerable spiders, who hadmuffled the fronts of the presses with their tapestry. His destinationfor the church rendered his conduct less absurd in his father's eyes, than if any of his other descendants had betrayed so strange apropensity, and Sir Hildebrand acquiesced in the library receiving somerepairs, so as to fit it for a sitting-room. Still an air ofdilapidation, as obvious as it was uncomfortable, pervaded the largeapartment, and announced the neglect from which the knowledge which itswalls contained had not been able to exempt it. The tattered tapestry, the worm-eaten shelves, the huge and clumsy, yet tottering, tables, desks, and chairs, the rusty grate, seldom gladdened by either sea-coalor faggots, intimated the contempt of the lords of Osbaldistone Hall forlearning, and for the volumes which record its treasures. 

"You think this place somewhat disconsolate, I suppose?" said Diana, as Iglanced my eye round the forlorn apartment; "but to me it seems like alittle paradise, for I call it my own, and fear no intrusion. Rashleighwas joint proprietor with me, while we were friends. "

"And are you no longer so?" was my natural question. Her fore-fingerimmediately touched her dimpled chin, with an arch look of prohibition. 

"We are still _allies, _" she continued, "bound, like other confederatepowers, by circumstances of mutual interest; but I am afraid, as willhappen in other cases, the treaty of alliance has survived the amicabledispositions in which it had its origin. At any rate, we live lesstogether; and when he comes through that door there, I vanish throughthis door here; and so, having made the discovery that we two were onetoo many for this apartment, as large as it seems, Rashleigh, whoseoccasions frequently call him elsewhere, has generously made a cession ofhis rights in my favour; so that I now endeavour to prosecute alone thestudies in which he used formerly to be my guide. "

"And what are those studies, if I may presume to ask?"

"Indeed you may, without the least fear of seeing my fore-finger raisedto my chin. Science and history are my principal favourites; but I alsostudy poetry and the classics. "

"And the classics? Do you read them in the original?"

"Unquestionably. Rashleigh, who is no contemptible scholar, taught meGreek and Latin, as well as most of the languages of modern Europe. Iassure you there has been some pains taken in my education, although Ican neither sew a tucker, nor work cross-stitch, nor make a pudding, nor--as the vicar's fat wife, with as much truth as elegance, good-will, and politeness, was pleased to say in my behalf--do any other usefulthing in the varsal world. "

"And was this selection of studies Rashleigh's choice, or your own, MissVernon?" I asked. 

"Um!" said she, as if hesitating to answer my question, --"It's not worthwhile lifting my finger about, after all. Why, partly his and partlymine. As I learned out of doors to ride a horse, and bridle and saddlehim in cue of necessity, and to clear a five-barred gate, and fire a gunwithout winking, and all other of those masculine accomplishments that mybrute cousins run mad after, I wanted, like my rational cousin, to readGreek and Latin within doors, and make my complete approach to the treeof knowledge, which you men-scholars would engross to yourselves, inrevenge, I suppose, for our common mother's share in the great originaltransgression. "

"And Rashleigh indulged your propensity to learning?"

"Why, he wished to have me for his scholar, and he could but teach methat which he knew himself--he was not likely to instruct me in themysteries of washing lace-ruffles, or hemming cambric handkerchiefs, Isuppose. "

"I admit the temptation of getting such a scholar, and have no doubt thatit made a weighty consideration on the tutor's part. "

"Oh, if you begin to investigate Rashleigh's motives, my finger touchesmy chin once more. I can only be frank where my own are inquired into. But to resume--he has resigned the library in my favour, and never enterswithout leave had and obtained; and so I have taken the liberty to makeit the place of deposit for some of my own goods and chattels, as you maysee by looking round you. "

"I beg pardon, Miss Vernon, but I really see nothing around these wallswhich I can distinguish as likely to claim you as mistress. "

"That is, I suppose, because you neither see a shepherd or shepherdesswrought in worsted, and handsomely framed in black ebony, or a stuffedparrot, --or a breeding-cage, full of canary birds, --or a housewife-case, broidered with tarnished silver, --or a toilet-table with a nest ofjapanned boxes, with as many angles as Christmas minced-pies, --or abroken-backed spinet, --or a lute with three strings, --or rock-work, --orshell-work, --or needle-work, or work of any kind, --or a lap-dog with alitter of blind puppies--None of these treasures do I possess, " shecontinued, after a pause, in order to recover the breath she had lost inenumerating them--"But there stands the sword of my ancestor Sir RichardVernon, slain at Shrewsbury, and sorely slandered by a sad fellow calledWill Shakspeare, whose Lancastrian partialities, and a certain knack atembodying them, has turned history upside down, or rather insideout;--and by that redoubted weapon hangs the mail of the still olderVernon, squire to the Black Prince, whose fate is the reverse of hisdescendant's, since he is more indebted to the bard who took the troubleto celebrate him, for good-will than for talents, --

 Amiddes the route you may discern one Brave knight, with pipes on shield, ycleped Vernon Like a borne fiend along the plain he thundered, Prest to be carving throtes, while others plundered. 

"Then there is a model of a new martingale, which I invented myself--agreat improvement on the Duke of Newcastle's; and there are the hood andbells of my falcon Cheviot, who spitted himself on a heron's bill atHorsely-moss--poor Cheviot, there is not a bird on the perches below, butare kites and riflers compared to him; and there is my own lightfowling-piece, with an improved firelock; with twenty other treasures, each more valuable than another--And there, that speaks for itself. "

She pointed to the carved oak frame of a full-length portrait by Vandyke, on which were inscribed, in Gothic letters, the words _Vernon semperviret. _ I looked at her for explanation. "Do you not know, " said she, with some surprise, "our motto--the Vernon motto, where, Like the solemn vice iniquity, We moralise two meanings in one word

And do you not know our cognisance, the pipes?" pointing to the armorialbearings sculptured on the oaken scutcheon, around which the legend wasdisplayed. 

"Pipes!--they look more like penny-whistles--But, pray, do not be angrywith my ignorance, " I continued, observing the colour mount to hercheeks, "I can mean no affront to your armorial bearings, for I do noteven know my own. "

"You an Osbaldistone, and confess so much!" she exclaimed. "Why, Percie, Thornie, John, Dickon--Wilfred himself, might be your instructor. Evenignorance itself is a plummet over you. "

"With shame I confess it, my dear Miss Vernon, the mysteries couchedunder the grim hieroglyphics of heraldry are to me as unintelligible asthose of the pyramids of Egypt. "

"What! is it possible?--Why, even my uncle reads Gwillym sometimes of awinter night--Not know the figures of heraldry!--of what could yourfather be thinking?"

"Of the figures of arithmetic, " I answered; "the most insignificant unitof which he holds more highly than all the blazonry of chivalry. But, though I am ignorant to this inexpressible degree, I have knowledge andtaste enough to admire that splendid picture, in which I think I candiscover a family likeness to you. What ease and dignity in theattitude!--what richness of colouring--what breadth and depth of shade!"

"Is it really a fine painting?" she asked. 

"I have seen many works of the renowned artist, " I replied, "but neverbeheld one more to my liking!"

"Well, I know as little of pictures as you do of heraldry, " replied MissVernon; "yet I have the advantage of you, because I have always admiredthe painting without understanding its value. "

"While I have neglected pipes and tabors, and all the whimsicalcombinations of chivalry, still I am informed that they floated in thefields of ancient fame. But you will allow their exterior appearance isnot so peculiarly interesting to the uninformed spectator as that of afine painting. --Who is the person here represented?"

"My grandfather. He shared the misfortunes of Charles I. , and, I am sorryto add, the excesses of his son. Our patrimonial estate was greatlyimpaired by his prodigality, and was altogether lost by his successor, myunfortunate father. But peace be with them who have got it!--it was lostin the cause of loyalty. "

"Your father, I presume, suffered in the political dissensions of theperiod?"

"He did indeed;--he lost his all. And hence is his child a dependentorphan--eating the bread of others--subjected to their caprices, andcompelled to study their inclinations; yet prouder of having had such afather, than if, playing a more prudent but less upright part, he hadleft me possessor of all the rich and fair baronies which his family oncepossessed. "

As she thus spoke, the entrance of the servants with dinner cut off allconversation but that of a general nature. 

When our hasty meal was concluded, and the wine placed on the table, thedomestic informed us, "that Mr. Rashleigh had desired to be told when ourdinner was removed. "

"Tell him, " said Miss Vernon, "we shall be happy to see him if he willstep this way--place another wineglass and chair, and leave the room. --You must retire with him when he goes away, " she continued, addressingherself to me; "even _my_ liberality cannot spare a gentleman above eighthours out of the twenty-four; and I think we have been together for atleast that length of time. "

"The old scythe-man has moved so rapidly, " I answered, "that I could notcount his strides. "

"Hush!" said Miss Vernon, "here comes Rashleigh;" and she drew off herchair, to which I had approached mine rather closely, so as to place agreater distance between us. A modest tap at the door, --a gentle mannerof opening when invited to enter, --a studied softness and humility ofstep and deportment, announced that the education of RashleighOsbaldistone at the College of St. Omers accorded well with the ideas Ientertained of the manners of an accomplished Jesuit. I need not add, that, as a sound Protestant, these ideas were not the most favourable. "Why should you use the ceremony of knocking, " said Miss Vernon, "whenyou knew that I was not alone?"

This was spoken with a burst of impatience, as if she had felt thatRashleigh's air of caution and reserve covered some insinuation ofimpertinent suspicion. "You have taught me the form of knocking at thisdoor so perfectly, my fair cousin, " answered Rashleigh, without change ofvoice or manner, "that habit has become a second nature. "

"I prize sincerity more than courtesy, sir, and you know I do, " was MissVernon's reply. 

"Courtesy is a gallant gay, a courtier by name and by profession, "replied Rashleigh, "and therefore most fit for a lady's bower. "

"But Sincerity is the true knight, " retorted Miss Vernon, "and thereforemuch more welcome, cousin. But to end a debate not over amusing to yourstranger kinsman, sit down, Rashleigh, and give Mr. Francis Osbaldistoneyour countenance to his glass of wine. I have done the honours of thedinner, for the credit of Osbaldistone Hall. "

Rashleigh sate down, and filled his glass, glancing his eye from Diana tome, with an embarrassment which his utmost efforts could not entirelydisguise. I thought he appeared to be uncertain concerning the extent ofconfidence she might have reposed in me, and hastened to lead theconversation into a channel which should sweep away his suspicion thatDiana might have betrayed any secrets which rested between them. "MissVernon, " I said, "Mr. Rashleigh, has recommended me to return my thanksto you for my speedy disengagement from the ridiculous accusation ofMorris; and, unjustly fearing my gratitude might not be warm enough toremind me of this duty, she has put my curiosity on its side, byreferring me to you for an account, or rather explanation, of the eventsof the day. "

"Indeed?" answered Rashleigh; "I should have thought" (looking keenly atMiss Vernon) "that the lady herself might have stood interpreter;" andhis eye, reverting from her face, sought mine, as if to search, from theexpression of my features, whether Diana's communication had been asnarrowly limited as my words had intimated. Miss Vernon retorted hisinquisitorial glance with one of decided scorn; while I, uncertainwhether to deprecate or resent his obvious suspicion, replied, "If it isyour pleasure, Mr. Rashleigh, as it has been Miss Vernon's, to leave mein ignorance, I must necessarily submit; but, pray, do not withhold yourinformation from me on the ground of imagining that I have alreadyobtained any on the subject. For I tell you, as a man of honour, I am asignorant as that picture of anything relating to the events I havewitnessed to-day, excepting that I understand from Miss Vernon, that youhave been kindly active in my favour. "

"Miss Vernon has overrated my humble efforts, " said Rashleigh, "though Iclaim full credit for my zeal. The truth is, that as I galloped back toget some one of our family to join me in becoming your bail, which wasthe most obvious, or, indeed, I may say, the only way of serving youwhich occurred to my stupidity, I met the man Cawmil--Colville--Campbell, or whatsoever they call him. I had understood from Morris that he waspresent when the robbery took place, and had the good fortune to prevailon him (with some difficulty, I confess) to tender his evidence in yourexculpation--which I presume was the means of your being released from anunpleasant situation. "

"Indeed?--I am much your debtor for procuring such a seasonable evidencein my behalf. But I cannot see why (having been, as he said, afellow-sufferer with Morris) it should have required much trouble topersuade him to step forth and bear evidence, whether to convict theactual robber, or free an innocent person. "

"You do not know the genius of that man's country, sir, " answeredRashleigh;--"discretion, prudence, and foresight, are their leadingqualities; these are only modified by a narrow-spirited, but yet ardentpatriotism, which forms as it were the outmost of the concentric bulwarkswith which a Scotchman fortifies himself against all the attacks of agenerous philanthropical principle. Surmount this mound, you find aninner and still dearer barrier--the love of his province, his village, or, most probably, his clan; storm this second obstacle, you have athird--his attachment to his own family--his father, mother, sons, daughters, uncles, aunts, and cousins, to the ninth generation. It iswithin these limits that a Scotchman's social affection expands itself, never reaching those which are outermost, till all means of dischargingitself in the interior circles have been exhausted. It is within thesecircles that his heart throbs, each pulsation being fainter and fainter, till, beyond the widest boundary, it is almost unfelt. And what is worstof all, could you surmount all these concentric outworks, you have aninner citadel, deeper, higher, and more efficient than them all--aScotchman's love for himself. "

"All this is extremely eloquent and metaphorical, Rashleigh, " said MissVernon, who listened with unrepressed impatience; "there are only twoobjections to it: first, it is _not_ true; secondly, if true, it isnothing to the purpose. "

"It _is_ true, my fairest Diana, " returned Rashleigh; "and moreover, itis most instantly to the purpose. It is true, because you cannot denythat I know the country and people intimately, and the character is drawnfrom deep and accurate consideration--and it is to the purpose, becauseit answers Mr. Francis Osbaldistone's question, and shows why this samewary Scotchman, considering our kinsman to be neither his countryman, nora Campbell, nor his cousin in any of the inextricable combinations bywhich they extend their pedigree; and, above all, seeing no prospect ofpersonal advantage, but, on the contrary, much hazard of loss of time anddelay of business"--

"With other inconveniences, perhaps, of a nature yet more formidable, "interrupted Miss Vernon. 

"Of which, doubtless, there might be many, " said Rashleigh, continuing inthe same tone--"In short, my theory shows why this man, hoping for noadvantage, and afraid of some inconvenience, might require a degree ofpersuasion ere he could be prevailed on to give his testimony in favourof Mr. Osbaldistone. "

"It seems surprising to me, " I observed, "that during the glance I castover the declaration, or whatever it is termed, of Mr. Morris, he shouldnever have mentioned that Campbell was in his company when he met themarauders. "

"I understood from Campbell, that he had taken his solemn promise not tomention that circumstance, " replied Rashleigh: "his reason for exactingsuch an engagement you may guess from what I have hinted--he wished toget back to his own country, undelayed and unembarrassed by any of thejudicial inquiries which he would have been under the necessity ofattending, had the fact of his being present at the robbery taken airwhile he was on this side of the Border. But let him once be as distantas the Forth, Morris will, I warrant you, come forth with all he knowsabout him, and, it may be, a good deal more. Besides, Campbell is a veryextensive dealer in cattle, and has often occasion to send great drovesinto Northumberland; and, when driving such a trade, he would be a greatfool to embroil himself with our Northumbrian thieves, than whom no menwho live are more vindictive. "

"I dare be sworn of that, " said Miss Vernon, with a tone which impliedsomething more than a simple acquiescence in the proposition. 

"Still, " said I, resuming the subject, "allowing the force of the reasonswhich Campbell might have for desiring that Morris should be silent withregard to his promise when the robbery was committed, I cannot yet seehow he could attain such an influence over the man, as to make himsuppress his evidence in that particular, at the manifest risk ofsubjecting his story to discredit. "

Rashleigh agreed with me, that it was very extraordinary, and seemed toregret that he had not questioned the Scotchman more closely on thatsubject, which he allowed looked extremely mysterious. "But, " he asked, immediately after this acquiescence, "are you very sure the circumstanceof Morris's being accompanied by Campbell is really not alluded to in hisexamination?"

"I read the paper over hastily, " said I; "but it is my strong impressionthat no such circumstance is mentioned;--at least, it must have beentouched on very slightly, since it failed to catch my attention. "

"True, true, " answered Rashleigh, forming his own inference while headopted my words; "I incline to think with you, that the circumstancemust in reality have been mentioned, but so slightly that it failed toattract your attention. And then, as to Campbell's interest with Morris, I incline to suppose that it must have been gained by playing upon hisfears. This chicken-hearted fellow, Morris, is bound, I understand, forScotland, destined for some little employment under Government; and, possessing the courage of the wrathful dove, or most magnanimous mouse, he may have been afraid to encounter the ill-will of such a kill-cow asCampbell, whose very appearance would be enough to fright him out of hislittle wits. You observed that Mr. Campbell has at times a keen andanimated manner--something of a martial cast in his tone and bearing. "

"I own, " I replied, "that his expression struck me as being occasionallyfierce and sinister, and little adapted to his peaceable professions. Hashe served in the army?"

"Yes--no--not, strictly speaking, _served;_ but he has been, I believe, like most of his countrymen, trained to arms. Indeed, among the hills, they carry them from boyhood to the grave. So, if you know anything ofyour fellow-traveller, you will easily judge, that, going to such acountry, he will take cue to avoid a quarrel, if he can help it, with anyof the natives. But, come, I see you decline your wine--and I too am adegenerate Osbaldistone, so far as respects the circulation of thebottle. If you will go to my room, I will hold you a hand at piquet. "

We rose to take leave of Miss Vernon, who had from time to timesuppressed, apparently with difficulty, a strong temptation to break inupon Rashleigh's details. As we were about to leave the room, thesmothered fire broke forth. 

"Mr. Osbaldistone, " she said, "your own observation will enable you toverify the justice, or injustice, of Rashleigh's suggestions concerningsuch individuals as Mr. Campbell and Mr. Morris. But, in slanderingScotland, he has borne false witness against a whole country; and Irequest you will allow no weight to his evidence. "

"Perhaps, " I answered, "I may find it somewhat difficult to obey yourinjunction, Miss Vernon; for I must own I was bred up with no veryfavourable idea of our northern neighbours. "

"Distrust that part of your education, sir, " she replied, "and let thedaughter of a Scotchwoman pray you to respect the land which gave herparent birth, until your own observation has proved them to be unworthyof your good opinion. Preserve your hatred and contempt fordissimulation, baseness, and falsehood, wheresoever they are to be metwith. You will find enough of all without leaving England. --Adieu, gentlemen, I wish you good evening. "

And she signed to the door, with the manner of a princess dismissing hertrain. 

We retired to Rashleigh's apartment, where a servant brought us coffeeand cards. I had formed my resolution to press Rashleigh no farther onthe events of the day. A mystery, and, as I thought, not of a favourablecomplexion, appeared to hang over his conduct; but to ascertain if mysuspicions were just, it was necessary to throw him off his guard. We cutfor the deal, and were soon earnestly engaged in our play. I thought Iperceived in this trifling for amusement (for the stake which Rashleighproposed was a mere trifle) something of a fierce and ambitious temper. He seemed perfectly to understand the beautiful game at which he played, but preferred, as it were on principle, the risking bold and precariousstrokes to the ordinary rules of play; and neglecting the minor andbetter-balanced chances of the game, he hazarded everything for thechance of piqueing, repiqueing, or capoting his adversary. So soon as theintervention of a game or two at piquet, like the music between the actsof a drama, had completely interrupted our previous course ofconversation, Rashleigh appeared to tire of the game, and the cards weresuperseded by discourse, in which he assumed the lead. 

More learned than soundly wise--better acquainted with men's minds thanwith the moral principles that ought to regulate them, he had stillpowers of conversation which I have rarely seen equalled, never excelled. Of this his manner implied some consciousness; at least, it appeared tome that he had studied hard to improve his natural advantages of amelodious voice, fluent and happy expression, apt language, and fervidimagination. He was never loud, never overbearing, never so much occupiedwith his own thoughts as to outrun either the patience or thecomprehension of those he conversed with. His ideas succeeded each otherwith the gentle but unintermitting flow of a plentiful and bounteousspring; while I have heard those of others, who aimed at distinction inconversation, rush along like the turbid gush from the sluice of amill-pond, as hurried, and as easily exhausted. It was late at night ereI could part from a companion so fascinating; and, when I gained my ownapartment, it cost me no small effort to recall to my mind the characterof Rashleigh, such as I had pictured him previous to this_tete-a-tete. _

So effectual, my dear Tresham, does the sense of being pleased and amusedblunt our faculties of perception and discrimination of character, that Ican only compare it to the taste of certain fruits, at once luscious andpoignant, which renders our palate totally unfit for relishing ordistinguishing the viands which are subsequently subjected to itscriticism. 

CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 

 What gars ye gaunt, my merrymen a'? What gars ye look sae dreary? What gars ye hing your head sae sair In the castle of Balwearie? Old Scotch Ballad. 

The next morning chanced to be Sunday, a day peculiarly hard to be gotrid of at Osbaldistone Hall; for after the formal religious service ofthe morning had been performed, at which all the family regularlyattended, it was hard to say upon which individual, Rashleigh and MissVernon excepted, the fiend of ennui descended with the most abundantoutpouring of his spirit. To speak of my yesterday's embarrassment amusedSir Hildebrand for several minutes, and he congratulated me on mydeliverance from Morpeth or Hexham jail, as he would have done if I hadfallen in attempting to clear a five-barred gate, and got up withouthurting myself. 

"Hast had a lucky turn, lad; but do na be over venturous again. What, man! the king's road is free to all men, be they Whigs, be they Tories. "

"On my word, sir, I am innocent of interrupting it; and it is the mostprovoking thing on earth, that every person will take it for granted thatI am accessory to a crime which I despise and detest, and which would, moreover, deservedly forfeit my life to the laws of my country. "

"Well, well, lad; even so be it; I ask no questions--no man bound to tellon himsell--that's fair play, or the devil's in't. "

Rashleigh here came to my assistance; but I could not help thinking thathis arguments were calculated rather as hints to his father to put on ashow of acquiescence in my declaration of innocence, than fully toestablish it. 

"In your own house, my dear sir--and your own nephew--you will not surelypersist in hurting his feelings by seeming to discredit what he is sostrongly interested in affirming. No doubt, you are fully deserving ofall his confidence, and I am sure, were there anything you could do toassist him in this strange affair, he would have recourse to yourgoodness. But my cousin Frank has been dismissed as an innocent man, andno one is entitled to suppose him otherwise. For my part, I have not theleast doubt of his innocence; and our family honour, I conceive, requiresthat we should maintain it with tongue and sword against the wholecountry. "

"Rashleigh, " said his father, looking fixedly at him, "thou art a slyloon--thou hast ever been too cunning for me, and too cunning for mostfolks. Have a care thou provena too cunning for thysell--two faces underone hood is no true heraldry. And since we talk of heraldry, I'll go andread Gwillym. "

This resolution he intimated with a yawn, resistless as that of theGoddess in the Dunciad, which was responsively echoed by his giant sons, as they dispersed in quest of the pastimes to which their minds severallyinclined them--Percie to discuss a pot of March beer with the steward inthe buttery, --Thorncliff to cut a pair of cudgels, and fix them in theirwicker hilts, --John to dress May-flies, --Dickon to play at pitch and tossby himself, his right hand against his left, --and Wilfred to bite histhumbs and hum himself into a slumber which should last till dinner-time, if possible. Miss Vernon had retired to the library. 

Rashleigh and I were left alone in the old hall, from which the servants, with their usual bustle and awkwardness, had at length contrived to hurrythe remains of our substantial breakfast. I took the opportunity toupbraid him with the manner in which he had spoken of my affair to hisfather, which I frankly stated was highly offensive to me, as it seemedrather to exhort Sir Hildebrand to conceal his suspicions, than to rootthem out. 

"Why, what can I do, my dear friend?" replied Rashleigh "my father'sdisposition is so tenacious of suspicions of all kinds, when once theytake root (which, to do him justice, does not easily happen), that I havealways found it the best way to silence him upon such subjects, insteadof arguing with him. Thus I get the better of the weeds which I cannoteradicate, by cutting them over as often as they appear, until at lengththey die away of themselves. There is neither wisdom nor profit indisputing with such a mind as Sir Hildebrand's, which hardens itselfagainst conviction, and believes in its own inspirations as firmly as wegood Catholics do in those of the Holy Father of Rome. "

"It is very hard, though, that I should live in the house of a man, andhe a near relation too, who will persist in believing me guilty of ahighway robbery. "

"My father's foolish opinion, if one may give that epithet to any opinionof a father's, does not affect your real innocence; and as to thedisgrace of the fact, depend on it, that, considered in all its bearings, political as well as moral, Sir Hildebrand regards it as a meritoriousaction--a weakening of the enemy--a spoiling of the Amalekites; and youwill stand the higher in his regard for your supposed accession to it. "

"I desire no man's regard, Mr. Rashleigh, on such terms as must sink mein my own; and I think these injurious suspicions will afford a very goodreason for quitting Osbaldistone Hall, which I shall do whenever I cancommunicate on the subject with my father. "

The dark countenance of Rashleigh, though little accustomed to betray itsmaster's feelings, exhibited a suppressed smile, which he instantlychastened by a sigh. "You are a happy man, Frank--you go and come, as thewind bloweth where it listeth. With your address, taste, and talents, youwill soon find circles where they will be more valued, than amid the dullinmates of this mansion; while I--" he paused. 

"And what is there in your lot that can make you or any one envymine, --an outcast, as I may almost term myself, from my father's houseand favour?"

"Ay, but, " answered Rashleigh, "consider the gratified sense ofindependence which you must have attained by a very temporarysacrifice, --for such I am sure yours will prove to be; consider thepower of acting as a free agent, of cultivating your own talents in theway to which your taste determines you, and in which you are wellqualified to distinguish yourself. Fame and freedom are cheaplypurchased by a few weeks' residence in the North, even though your placeof exile be Osbaldistone Hall. A second Ovid in Thrace, you have not hisreasons for writing Tristia. "

"I do not know, " said I, blushing as became a young scribbler, "how youshould be so well acquainted with my truant studies. "

"There was an emissary of your father's here some time since, a youngcoxcomb, one Twineall, who informed me concerning your secret sacrificesto the muses, and added, that some of your verses had been greatlyadmired by the best judges. "

Tresham, I believe you are guiltless of having ever essayed to build thelofty rhyme; but you must have known in your day many an apprentice andfellow-craft, if not some of the master-masons, in the temple of Apollo. Vanity is their universal foible, from him who decorated the shades ofTwickenham, to the veriest scribbler whom he has lashed in his Dunciad. Ihad my own share of this common failing, and without considering howlittle likely this young fellow Twineall was, by taste and habits, eitherto be acquainted with one or two little pieces of poetry, which I had attimes insinuated into Button's coffee-house, or to report the opinion ofthe critics who frequented that resort of wit and literature, I almostinstantly gorged the bait; which Rashleigh perceiving, improved hisopportunity by a diffident, yet apparently very anxious request to bepermitted to see some of my manuscript productions. 

"You shall give me an evening in my own apartment, " he continued; "for Imust soon lose the charms of literary society for the drudgery ofcommerce, and the coarse every-day avocations of the world. I repeat it, that my compliance with my father's wishes for the advantage of myfamily, is indeed a sacrifice, especially considering the calm andpeaceful profession to which my education destined me. "

I was vain, but not a fool, and this hypocrisy was too strong for me toswallow. "You would not persuade me, " I replied, "that you really regretto exchange the situation of an obscure Catholic priest, with all itsprivations, for wealth and society, and the pleasures of the world?"

Rashleigh saw that he had coloured his affectation of moderation toohighly, and, after a second's pause, during which, I suppose, hecalculated the degree of candour which it was necessary to use with me(that being a quality of which he was never needlessly profuse), heanswered, with a smile--"At my age, to be condemned, as you say, towealth and the world, does not, indeed, sound so alarming as perhaps itought to do. But, with pardon be it spoken, you have mistaken mydestination--a Catholic priest, if you will, but not an obscure one. No, sir, --Rashleigh Osbaldistone will be more obscure, should he rise to bethe richest citizen in London, than he might have been as a member of achurch, whose ministers, as some one says, 'set their sandall'd feet onprinces. ' My family interest at a certain exiled court is high, and theweight which that court ought to possess, and does possess, at Rome isyet higher--my talents not altogether inferior to the education I havereceived. In sober judgment, I might have looked forward to high eminencein the church--in the dream of fancy, to the very highest. Why mightnot"--(he added, laughing, for it was part of his manner to keep much ofhis discourse apparently betwixt jest and earnest)--"why might notCardinal Osbaldistone have swayed the fortunes of empires, well-born andwell-connected, as well as the low-born Mazarin, or Alberoni, the son ofan Italian gardener?"

"Nay, I can give you no reason to the contrary; but in your place Ishould not much regret losing the chance of such precarious and invidiouselevation. "

"Neither would I, " he replied, "were I sure that my present establishmentwas more certain; but that must depend upon circumstances which I canonly learn by experience--the disposition of your father, for example. "

"Confess the truth without finesse, Rashleigh; you would willingly knowsomething of him from me?"

"Since, like Die Vernon, you make a point of following the banner of thegood knight Sincerity, I reply--certainly. "

"Well, then, you will find in my father a man who has followed the pathsof thriving more for the exercise they afforded to his talents, than forthe love of the gold with which they are strewed. His active mind wouldhave been happy in any situation which gave it scope for exertion, thoughthat exertion had been its sole reward. But his wealth has accumulated, because, moderate and frugal in his habits, no new sources of expensehave occurred to dispose of his increasing income. He is a man who hatesdissimulation in others; never practises it himself; and is peculiarlyalert in discovering motives through the colouring of language. Himselfsilent by habit, he is readily disgusted by great talkers; the rather, that the circumstances by which he is most interested, afford no greatscope for conversation. He is severely strict in the duties of religion;but you have no reason to fear his interference with yours, for heregards toleration as a sacred principle of political economy. But if youhave any Jacobitical partialities, as is naturally to be supposed, youwill do well to suppress them in his presence, as well as the leasttendency to the highflying or Tory principles; for he holds both in utterdetestation. For the rest, his word is his own bond, and must be the lawof all who act under him. He will fail in his duty to no one, and willpermit no one to fail towards him; to cultivate his favour, you mustexecute his commands, instead of echoing his sentiments. His greatestfailings arise out of prejudices connected with his own profession, orrather his exclusive devotion to it, which makes him see little worthy ofpraise or attention, unless it be in some measure connected withcommerce. "

"O rare-painted portrait!" exclaimed Rashleigh, when I wassilent--"Vandyke was a dauber to you, Frank. I see thy sire before me inall his strength and weakness; loving and honouring the King as a sortof lord mayor of the empire, or chief of the board of trade--veneratingthe Commons, for the acts regulating the export trade--and respectingthe Peers, because the Lord Chancellor sits on a woolsack. "

"Mine was a likeness, Rashleigh; yours is a caricature. But in return forthe _carte du pays_ which I have unfolded to you, give me some lights onthe geography of the unknown lands"--

"On which you are wrecked, " said Rashleigh. "It is not worth while; it isno Isle of Calypso, umbrageous with shade and intricate with silvanlabyrinth--but a bare ragged Northumbrian moor, with as little tointerest curiosity as to delight the eye; you may descry it in all itsnakedness in half an hour's survey, as well as if I were to lay it downbefore you by line and compass. "

"O, but something there is, worthy a more attentive survey--What say youto Miss Vernon? Does not she form an interesting object in the landscape, were all round as rude as Iceland's coast?"

I could plainly perceive that Rashleigh disliked the topic now presentedto him; but my frank communication had given me the advantageous title tomake inquiries in my turn. Rashleigh felt this, and found himself obligedto follow my lead, however difficult he might find it to play his cardssuccessfully. "I have known less of Miss Vernon, " he said, "for sometime, than I was wont to do formerly. In early age I was her tutor; butas she advanced towards womanhood, my various avocations, --the gravity ofthe profession to which I was destined, --the peculiar nature of herengagements, --our mutual situation, in short, rendered a close andconstant intimacy dangerous and improper. I believe Miss Vernon mightconsider my reserve as unkindness, but it was my duty; I felt as much asshe seemed to do, when compelled to give way to prudence. But where wasthe safety in cultivating an intimacy with a beautiful and susceptiblegirl, whose heart, you are aware, must be given either to the cloister orto a betrothed husband?"

"The cloister or a betrothed husband?" I echoed--"Is that the alternativedestined for Miss Vernon?"

"It is indeed, " said Rashleigh, with a sigh. "I need not, I suppose, caution you against the danger of cultivating too closely the friendshipof Miss Vernon;--you are a man of the world, and know how far you canindulge yourself in her society with safety to yourself, and justice toher. But I warn you, that, considering her ardent temper, you must letyour experience keep guard over her as well as yourself, for the specimenof yesterday may serve to show her extreme thoughtlessness and neglect ofdecorum. "

There was something, I was sensible, of truth, as well as good sense, inall this; it seemed to be given as a friendly warning, and I had no rightto take it amiss; yet I felt I could with pleasure have run RashleighOsbaldistone through the body all the time he was speaking. 

"The deuce take his insolence!" was my internal meditation. "Would hewish me to infer that Miss Vernon had fallen in love with thathatchet-face of his, and become degraded so low as to require his shynessto cure her of an imprudent passion? I will have his meaning from him, "was my resolution, "if I should drag it out with cart-ropes. "

For this purpose, I placed my temper under as accurate a guard as Icould, and observed, "That, for a lady of her good sense and acquiredaccomplishments, it was to be regretted that Miss Vernon's manners wererather blunt and rustic. "

"Frank and unreserved, at least, to the extreme, " replied Rashleigh:"yet, trust me, she has an excellent heart. To tell you the truth, shouldshe continue her extreme aversion to the cloister, and to her destinedhusband, and should my own labours in the mine of Plutus promise tosecure me a decent independence, I shall think of reviewing ouracquaintance and sharing it with Miss Vernon. "

"With all his fine voice, and well-turned periods, " thought I, "this sameRashleigh Osbaldistone is the ugliest and most conceited coxcomb I evermet with!"

"But, " continued Rashleigh, as if thinking aloud, "I should not like tosupplant Thorncliff. "

"Supplant Thorncliff!--Is your brother Thorncliff, " I inquired, withgreat surprise, "the destined husband of Diana Vernon?"

"Why, ay, her father's commands, and a certain family-contract, destinedher to marry one of Sir Hildebrand's sons. A dispensation has beenobtained from Rome to Diana Vernon to marry _Blank_ Osbaldistone, Esq. , son of Sir Hildebrand Osbaldistone, of Osbaldistone Hall, Bart. , and soforth; and it only remains to pitch upon the happy man whose name shallfill the gap in the manuscript. Now, as Percie is seldom sober, my fatherpitched on Thorncliff, as the second prop of the family, and thereforemost proper to carry on the line of the Osbaldistones. "

"The young lady, " said I, forcing myself to assume an air of pleasantry, which, I believe, became me extremely ill, "would perhaps have beeninclined to look a little lower on the family-tree, for the branch towhich she was desirous of clinging. "

"I cannot say, " he replied. "There is room for little choice in ourfamily; Dick is a gambler, John a boor, and Wilfred an ass. I believe myfather really made the best selection for poor Die, after all. "

"The present company, " said I, "being always excepted. "

"Oh, my destination to the church placed me out of the question;otherwise I will not affect to say, that, qualified by my education bothto instruct and guide Miss Vernon, I might not have been a morecreditable choice than any of my elders. "

"And so thought the young lady, doubtless?"

"You are not to suppose so, " answered Rashleigh, with an affectation ofdenial which was contrived to convey the strongest affirmation the caseadmitted of: "friendship--only friendship--formed the tie betwixt us, andthe tender affection of an opening mind to its only instructor--Love camenot near us--I told you I was wise in time. "

I felt little inclination to pursue this conversation any farther, andshaking myself clear of Rashleigh, withdrew to my own apartment, which Irecollect I traversed with much vehemence of agitation, repeating aloudthe expressions which had most offended me. --"Susceptible--ardent--tenderaffection--Love--Diana Vernon, the most beautiful creature I ever beheld, in love with him, the bandy-legged, bull-necked, limping scoundrel!Richard the Third in all but his hump-back!--And yet the opportunities hemust have had during his cursed course of lectures; and the fellow'sflowing and easy strain of sentiment; and her extreme seclusion fromevery one who spoke and acted with common sense; ay, and her obviouspique at him, mixed with admiration of his talents, which looked as likethe result of neglected attachment as anything else--Well, and what is itto me, that I should storm and rage at it? Is Diana Vernon the firstpretty girl that has loved and married an ugly fellow? And if she werefree of every Osbaldistone of them, what concern is it of mine?--aCatholic--a Jacobite--a termagant into the boot--for me to look that waywere utter madness. "

By throwing such reflections on the flame of my displeasure, I subdued itinto a sort of smouldering heart-burning, and appeared at thedinner-table in as sulky a humour as could well be imagined. 

CHAPTER TWELFTH. 

 Drunk?--and speak parrot?--and squabble?--swagger?-- Swear?--and discourse fustian with one's own shadow? Othello. 

I have already told you, my dear Tresham, what probably was no news toyou, that my principal fault was an unconquerable pitch of pride, whichexposed me to frequent mortification. I had not even whispered to myselfthat I loved Diana Vernon; yet no sooner did I hear Rashleigh talk of heras a prize which he might stoop to carry off, or neglect, at hispleasure, than every step which the poor girl had taken, in the innocenceand openness of her heart, to form a sort of friendship with me, seemedin my eyes the most insulting coquetry. --"Soh! she would secure me as a_pis aller, _ I suppose, in case Mr. Rashleigh Osbaldistone should nottake compassion upon her! But I will satisfy her that I am not a personto be trepanned in that manner--I will make her sensible that I seethrough her arts, and that I scorn them. "

I did not reflect for a moment, that all this indignation, which I had noright whatever to entertain, proved that I was anything but indifferentto Miss Vernon's charms; and I sate down to table in high ill-humour withher and all the daughters of Eve. 

Miss Vernon heard me, with surprise, return ungracious answers to one ortwo playful strokes of satire which she threw out with her usual freedomof speech; but, having no suspicion that offence was meant, she onlyreplied to my rude repartees with jests somewhat similar, but polished byher good temper, though pointed by her wit. At length she perceived I wasreally out of humour, and answered one of my rude speeches thus:--

"They say, Mr. Frank, that one may gather sense from fools--I heardcousin Wilfred refuse to play any longer at cudgels the other day withcousin Thornie, because cousin Thornie got angry, and struck harder thanthe rules of amicable combat, it seems, permitted. 'Were I to break yourhead in good earnest, ' quoth honest Wilfred, 'I care not how angry youare, for I should do it so much the more easily but it's hard I shouldget raps over the costard, and only pay you back in make-believes'--Doyou understand the moral of this, Frank?"

"I have never felt myself under the necessity, madam, of studying how toextract the slender portion of sense with which this family season theirconversation. "

"Necessity! and madam!--You surprise me, Mr. Osbaldistone. "

"I am unfortunate in doing so. "

"Am I to suppose that this capricious tone is serious? or is it onlyassumed, to make your good-humour more valuable?"

"You have a right to the attention of so many gentlemen in this family, Miss Vernon, that it cannot be worth your while to inquire into the causeof my stupidity and bad spirits. "

"What!" she said, "am I to understand, then, that you have deserted myfaction, and gone over to the enemy?"

Then, looking across the table, and observing that Rashleigh, who wasseated opposite, was watching us with a singular expression of intereston his harsh features, she continued--

 "Horrible thought!--Ay, now I see 'tis true, For the grim-visaged Rashleigh smiles on me, And points at thee for his!--

Well, thank Heaven, and the unprotected state which has taught meendurance, I do not take offence easily; and that I may not be forced toquarrel, whether I like it or no, I have the honour, earlier than usual, to wish you a happy digestion of your dinner and your bad humour. "

And she left the table accordingly. 

Upon Miss Vernon's departure, I found myself very little satisfied withmy own conduct. I had hurled back offered kindness, of whichcircumstances had but lately pointed out the honest sincerity, and I hadbut just stopped short of insulting the beautiful, and, as she had saidwith some emphasis, the unprotected being by whom it was proffered. Myconduct seemed brutal in my own eyes. To combat or drown these painfulreflections, I applied myself more frequently than usual to the winewhich circulated on the table. 

The agitated state of my feelings combined with my habits of temperanceto give rapid effect to the beverage. Habitual topers, I believe, acquirethe power of soaking themselves with a quantity of liquor that doeslittle more than muddy those intellects which in their sober state arenone of the clearest; but men who are strangers to the vice ofdrunkenness as a habit, are more powerfully acted upon by intoxicatingliquors. My spirits, once aroused, became extravagant; I talked a greatdeal, argued upon what I knew nothing of, told stories of which I forgotthe point, then laughed immoderately at my own forgetfulness; I acceptedseveral bets without having the least judgment; I challenged the giantJohn to wrestle with me, although he had kept the ring at Hexham for ayear, and I never tried so much as a single fall. 

My uncle had the goodness to interpose and prevent this consummation ofdrunken folly, which, I suppose, would have otherwise ended in my neckbeing broken. 

It has even been reported by maligners, that I sung a song while underthis vinous influence; but, as I remember nothing of it, and neverattempted to turn a tune in all my life before or since, I wouldwillingly hope there is no actual foundation for the calumny. I wasabsurd enough without this exaggeration. Without positively losing mysenses, I speedily lost all command of my temper, and my impetuouspassions whirled me onward at their pleasure. I had sate down sulky anddiscontented, and disposed to be silent--the wine rendered me loquacious, disputatious, and quarrelsome. I contradicted whatever was asserted, andattacked, without any respect to my uncle's table, both his politics andhis religion. The affected moderation of Rashleigh, which he well knewhow to qualify with irritating ingredients, was even more provoking to methan the noisy and bullying language of his obstreperous brothers. Myuncle, to do him justice, endeavoured to bring us to order; but hisauthority was lost amidst the tumult of wine and passion. At length, frantic at some real or supposed injurious insinuation, I actually struckRashleigh with my fist. No Stoic philosopher, superior to his own passionand that of others, could have received an insult with a higher degree ofscorn. What he himself did not think it apparently worth while to resent, Thorncliff resented for him. Swords were drawn, and we exchanged one ortwo passes, when the other brothers separated us by main force; and Ishall never forget the diabolical sneer which writhed Rashleigh's waywardfeatures, as I was forced from the apartment by the main strength of twoof these youthful Titans. They secured me in my apartment by locking thedoor, and I heard them, to my inexpressible rage, laugh heartily as theydescended the stairs. I essayed in my fury to break out; but thewindow-grates, and the strength of a door clenched with iron, resisted myefforts. At length I threw myself on my bed, and fell asleep amidst vowsof dire revenge to be taken in the ensuing day. 

But with the morning cool repentance came. I felt, in the keenest manner, the violence and absurdity of my conduct, and was obliged to confess thatwine and passion had lowered my intellects even below those of WilfredOsbaldistone, whom I held in so much contempt. My uncomfortablereflections were by no means soothed by meditating the necessity of anapology for my improper behaviour, and recollecting that Miss Vernon mustbe a witness of my submission. The impropriety and unkindness of myconduct to her personally, added not a little to these gallingconsiderations, and for this I could not even plead the miserable excuseof intoxication. 

Under all these aggravating feelings of shame and degradation, Idescended to the breakfast hall, like a criminal to receive sentence. Itchanced that a hard frost had rendered it impossible to take out thehounds, so that I had the additional mortification to meet the family, excepting only Rashleigh and Miss Vernon, in full divan, surrounding thecold venison pasty and chine of beef. They were in high glee as Ientered, and I could easily imagine that the jests were furnished at myexpense. In fact, what I was disposed to consider with serious pain, wasregarded as an excellent good joke by my uncle, and the greater part ofmy cousins. Sir Hildebrand, while he rallied me on the exploits of thepreceding evening, swore he thought a young fellow had better be thricedrunk in one day, than sneak sober to bed like a Presbyterian, and leavea batch of honest fellows, and a double quart of claret. And to back thisconsolatory speech, he poured out a large bumper of brandy, exhorting meto swallow "a hair of the dog that had bit me. "

"Never mind these lads laughing, nevoy, " he continued; "they would havebeen all as great milksops as yourself, had I not nursed them, as one maysay, on the toast and tankard. "

Ill-nature was not the fault of my cousins in general; they saw I wasvexed and hurt at the recollections of the preceding evening, andendeavoured, with clumsy kindness, to remove the painful impression theyhad made on me. Thorncliff alone looked sullen and unreconciled. Thisyoung man had never liked me from the beginning; and in the marks ofattention occasionally shown me by his brothers, awkward as they were, healone had never joined. If it was true, of which, however, I began tohave my doubts, that he was considered by the family, or regardedhimself, as the destined husband of Miss Vernon, a sentiment of jealousymight have sprung up in his mind from the marked predilection which itwas that young lady's pleasure to show for one whom Thorncliff might, perhaps, think likely to become a dangerous rival. 

Rashleigh at last entered, his visage as dark as mourning weed--brooding, I could not but doubt, over the unjustifiable and disgraceful insult Ihad offered to him. I had already settled in my own mind how I was tobehave on the occasion, and had schooled myself to believe, that truehonour consisted not in defending, but in apologising for, an injury somuch disproportioned to any provocation I might have to allege. 

I therefore hastened to meet Rashleigh, and to express myself in thehighest degree sorry for the violence with which I had acted on thepreceding evening. "No circumstances, " I said, "could have wrung from mea single word of apology, save my own consciousness of the impropriety ofmy behaviour. I hoped my cousin would accept of my regrets so sincerelyoffered, and consider how much of my misconduct was owing to theexcessive hospitality of Osbaldistone Hall. "

"He shall be friends with thee, lad, " cried the honest knight, in thefull effusion of his heart; "or d--n me, if I call him son more!--Why, Rashie, dost stand there like a log? _Sorry for it_ is all a gentlemancan say, if he happens to do anything awry, especially over his claret. Iserved in Hounslow, and should know something, I think, of affairs ofhonour. Let me hear no more of this, and we'll go in a body and rummageout the badger in Birkenwood-bank. "

Rashleigh's face resembled, as I have already noticed, no othercountenance that I ever saw. But this singularity lay not only in thefeatures, but in the mode of changing their expression. Othercountenances, in altering from grief to joy, or from anger tosatisfaction, pass through some brief interval, ere the expression of thepredominant passion supersedes entirely that of its predecessor. There isa sort of twilight, like that between the clearing up of the darkness andthe rising of the sun, while the swollen muscles subside, the dark eyeclears, the forehead relaxes and expands itself, and the wholecountenance loses its sterner shades, and becomes serene and placid. Rashleigh's face exhibited none of these gradations, but changed almostinstantaneously from the expression of one passion to that of thecontrary. I can compare it to nothing but the sudden shifting of a scenein the theatre, where, at the whistle of the prompter, a caverndisappears, and a grove arises. 

My attention was strongly arrested by this peculiarity on the presentoccasion. At Rashleigh's first entrance, "black he stood as night!" Withthe same inflexible countenance he heard my excuse and his father'sexhortation; and it was not until Sir Hildebrand had done speaking, thatthe cloud cleared away at once, and he expressed, in the kindest and mostcivil terms, his perfect satisfaction with the very handsome apology Ihad offered. 

"Indeed, " he said, "I have so poor a brain myself, when I impose on itthe least burden beyond my usual three glasses, that I have only, likehonest Cassio, a very vague recollection of the confusion of lastnight--remember a mass of things, but nothing distinctly--a quarrel, butnothing wherefore--So, my dear Cousin, " he continued, shaking me kindlyby the hand, "conceive how much I am relieved by finding that I have toreceive an apology, instead of having to make one--I will not have aword said upon the subject more; I should be very foolish to instituteany scrutiny into an account, when the balance, which I expected to beagainst me, has been so unexpectedly and agreeably struck in my favour. You see, Mr. Osbaldistone, I am practising the language of LombardStreet, and qualifying myself for my new calling. "

As I was about to answer, and raised my eyes for the purpose, theyencountered those of Miss Vernon, who, having entered the room unobservedduring the conversation, had given it her close attention. Abashed andconfounded, I fixed my eyes on the ground, and made my escape to thebreakfast-table, where I herded among my busy cousins. 

My uncle, that the events of the preceding day might not pass out of ourmemory without a practical moral lesson, took occasion to give Rashleighand me his serious advice to correct our milksop habits, as he termedthem, and gradually to inure our brains to bear a gentlemanlike quantityof liquor, without brawls or breaking of heads. He recommended that weshould begin piddling with a regular quart of claret per day, which, withthe aid of March beer and brandy, made a handsome competence for abeginner in the art of toping. And for our encouragement, he assured usthat he had known many a man who had lived to our years without havingdrunk a pint of wine at a sitting, who yet, by falling into honestcompany, and following hearty example, had afterwards been numbered amongthe best good fellows of the time, and could carry off their six bottlesunder their belt quietly and comfortably, without brawling or babbling, and be neither sick nor sorry the next morning. 

Sage as this advice was, and comfortable as was the prospect it held outto me, I profited but little by the exhortation--partly, perhaps, because, as often as I raised my eyes from the table, I observed MissVernon's looks fixed on me, in which I thought I could read gravecompassion blended with regret and displeasure. I began to consider how Ishould seek a scene of explanation and apology with her also, when shegave me to understand she was determined to save me the trouble ofsoliciting an interview. "Cousin Francis, " she said, addressing me by thesame title she used to give to the other Osbaldistones, although I had, properly speaking, no title to be called her kinsman, "I have encounteredthis morning a difficult passage in the Divina Comme'dia of Dante; willyou have the goodness to step to the library and give me your assistance?and when you have unearthed for me the meaning of the obscure Florentine, we will join the rest at Birkenwood-bank, and see their luck atunearthing the badger. "

I signified, of course, my readiness to wait upon her. Rashleigh made anoffer to accompany us. "I am something better skilled, " he said, "attracking the sense of Dante through the metaphors and elisions of hiswild and gloomy poem, than at hunting the poor inoffensive hermit yonderout of his cave. "

"Pardon me, Rashleigh, " said Miss Vernon, "but as you are to occupy Mr. Francis's place in the counting-house, you must surrender to him thecharge of your pupil's education at Osbaldistone Hall. We shall call youin, however, if there is any occasion; so pray do not look so grave uponit. Besides, it is a shame to you not to understand field-sports--Whatwill you do should our uncle in Crane-Alley ask you the signs by whichyou track a badger?"

"Ay, true, Die, --true, " said Sir Hildebrand, with a sigh, "I misdoubtRashleigh will be found short at the leap when he is put to the trial. Anhe would ha' learned useful knowledge like his brothers, he was bred upwhere it grew, I wuss; but French antics, and book-learning, with the newturnips, and the rats, and the Hanoverians, ha' changed the world that Iha' known in Old England--But come along with us, Rashie, and carry myhunting-staff, man; thy cousin lacks none of thy company as now, and Iwonna ha' Die crossed--It's ne'er be said there was but one woman inOsbaldistone Hall, and she died for lack of her will. "

Rashleigh followed his father, as he commanded, not, however, ere he hadwhispered to Diana, "I suppose I must in discretion bring the courtier, Ceremony, in my company, and knock when I approach the door of thelibrary?"

"No, no, Rashleigh, " said Miss Vernon; "dismiss from your company thefalse archimage Dissimulation, and it will better ensure your free accessto our classical consultations. "

So saying, she led the way to the library, and I followed--like acriminal, I was going to say, to execution; but, as I bethink me, I haveused the simile once, if not twice before. Without any simile at all, then, I followed, with a sense of awkward and conscious embarrassment, which I would have given a great deal to shake off. I thought it adegrading and unworthy feeling to attend one on such an occasion, havingbreathed the air of the Continent long enough to have imbibed the notionthat lightness, gallantry, and something approaching to well-bredself-assurance, should distinguish the gentleman whom a fair lady selectsfor her companion in a _tete-a-tete. _

My English feelings, however, were too many for my French education, andI made, I believe, a very pitiful figure, when Miss Vernon, seatingherself majestically in a huge elbow-chair in the library, like a judgeabout to hear a cause of importance, signed to me to take a chairopposite to her (which I did, much like the poor fellow who is going tobe tried), and entered upon conversation in a tone of bitter irony. 

CHAPTER THIRTEENTH. 

 Dire was his thought, who first in poison steeped The weapon formed for slaughter--direr his, And worthier of damnation, who instilled The mortal venom in the social cup, To fill the veins with death instead of life. Anonymous. 

"Upon my Word, Mr. Francis Osbaldistone, " said Miss Vernon, with the airof one who thought herself fully entitled to assume the privilege ofironical reproach, which she was pleased to exert, "your characterimproves upon us, sir--I could not have thought that it was in you. Yesterday might be considered as your assay-piece, to prove yourselfentitled to be free of the corporation of Osbaldistone Hall. But it was amasterpiece. "

"I am quite sensible of my ill-breeding, Miss Vernon, and I can only sayfor myself that I had received some communications by which my spiritswere unusually agitated. I am conscious I was impertinent and absurd. "

"You do yourself great injustice, " said the merciless monitor--"you havecontrived, by what I saw and have since heard, to exhibit in the courseof one evening a happy display of all the various masterly qualificationswhich distinguish your several cousins;--the gentle and generous temperof the benevolent Rashleigh, --the temperance of Percie, --the cool courageof Thorncliff, --John's skill in dog-breaking, --Dickon's aptitude tobetting, --all exhibited by the single individual, Mr. Francis, and thatwith a selection of time, place, and circumstance, worthy the taste andsagacity of the sapient Wilfred. "

"Have a little mercy, Miss Vernon, " said I; for I confess I thought theschooling as severe as the case merited, especially considering from whatquarter it came, "and forgive me if I suggest, as an excuse for follies Iam not usually guilty of, the custom of this house and country. I am farfrom approving of it; but we have Shakspeare's authority for saying, thatgood wine is a good familiar creature, and that any man living may beovertaken at some time. "

"Ay, Mr. Francis, but he places the panegyric and the apology in themouth of the greatest villain his pencil has drawn. I will not, however, abuse the advantage your quotation has given me, by overwhelming you withthe refutation with which the victim Cassio replies to the tempter Iago. I only wish you to know, that there is one person at least sorry to see ayouth of talents and expectations sink into the slough in which theinhabitants of this house are nightly wallowing. "

"I have but wet my shoe, I assure you, Miss Vernon, and am too sensibleof the filth of the puddle to step farther in. "

"If such be your resolution, " she replied, "it is a wise one. But I wasso much vexed at what I heard, that your concerns have pressed before myown, --You behaved to me yesterday, during dinner, as if something hadbeen told you which lessened or lowered me in your opinion--I beg leaveto ask you what it was?"

I was stupified. The direct bluntness of the demand was much in the styleone gentleman uses to another, when requesting explanation of any part ofhis conduct in a good-humoured yet determined manner, and was totallydevoid of the circumlocutions, shadings, softenings, and periphrasis, which usually accompany explanations betwixt persons of different sexesin the higher orders of society. 

I remained completely embarrassed; for it pressed on my recollection, that Rashleigh's communications, supposing them to be correct, ought tohave rendered Miss Vernon rather an object of my compassion than of mypettish resentment; and had they furnished the best apology possible formy own conduct, still I must have had the utmost difficulty in detailingwhat inferred such necessary and natural offence to Miss Vernon'sfeelings. She observed my hesitation, and proceeded, in a tone somewhatmore peremptory, but still temperate and civil--"I hope Mr. Osbaldistonedoes not dispute my title to request this explanation. I have no relativewho can protect me; it is, therefore, just that I be permitted to protectmyself. "

I endeavoured with hesitation to throw the blame of my rude behaviourupon indisposition--upon disagreeable letters from London. She sufferedme to exhaust my apologies, and fairly to run myself aground, listeningall the while with a smile of absolute incredulity. 

"And now, Mr. Francis, having gone through your prologue of excuses, withthe same bad grace with which all prologues are delivered, please to drawthe curtain, and show me that which I desire to see. In a word, let meknow what Rashleigh says of me; for he is the grand engineer and firstmover of all the machinery of Osbaldistone Hall. "

"But, supposing there was anything to tell, Miss Vernon, what does hedeserve that betrays the secrets of one ally to another?--Rashleigh, youyourself told me, remained your ally, though no longer your friend. "

"I have neither patience for evasion, nor inclination for jesting, on thepresent subject. Rashleigh cannot--ought not--dare not, hold any languagerespecting me, Diana Vernon, but what I may demand to hear repeated. Thatthere are subjects of secrecy and confidence between us, is most certain;but to such, his communications to you could have no relation; and withsuch, I, as an individual, have no concern. "

I had by this time recovered my presence of mind, and hastily determinedto avoid making any disclosure of what Rashleigh had told me in a sort ofconfidence. There was something unworthy in retailing privateconversation; it could, I thought, do no good, and must necessarily giveMiss Vernon great pain. I therefore replied, gravely, "that nothing butfrivolous talk had passed between Mr. Rashleigh Osbaldistone and me onthe state of the family at the Hall; and I protested, that nothing hadbeen said which left a serious impression to her disadvantage. As agentleman, " I said, "I could not be more explicit in reporting privateconversation. "

She started up with the animation of a Camilla about to advance intobattle. "This shall not serve your turn, sir, --I must have another answerfrom you. " Her features kindled--her brow became flushed--her eye glancedwild-fire as she proceeded--"I demand such an explanation, as a womanbasely slandered has a right to demand from every man who calls himself agentleman--as a creature, motherless, friendless, alone in the world, left to her own guidance and protection, has a right to require fromevery being having a happier lot, in the name of that God who sent _them_into the world to enjoy, and _her_ to suffer. You shall not deny me--or, "she added, looking solemnly upwards, "you will rue your denial, if thereis justice for wrong either on earth or in heaven. "

I was utterly astonished at her vehemence, but felt, thus conjured, thatit became my duty to lay aside scrupulous delicacy, and gave her briefly, but distinctly, the heads of the information which Rashleigh had conveyedto me. 

She sate down and resumed her composure, as soon as I entered upon thesubject, and when I stopped to seek for the most delicate turn ofexpression, she repeatedly interrupted me with "Go on--pray, go on; thefirst word which occurs to you is the plainest, and must be the best. Donot think of my feelings, but speak as you would to an unconcerned thirdparty. "

Thus urged and encouraged, I stammered through all the account whichRashleigh had given of her early contract to marry an Osbaldistone, andof the uncertainty and difficulty of her choice; and there I wouldwillingly have paused. But her penetration discovered that there wasstill something behind, and even guessed to what it related. 

"Well, it was ill-natured of Rashleigh to tell this tale on me. I am likethe poor girl in the fairy tale, who was betrothed in her cradle to theBlack Bear of Norway, but complained chiefly of being called Bruin'sbride by her companions at school. But besides all this, Rashleigh saidsomething of himself with relation to me--Did he not?"

"He certainly hinted, that were it not for the idea of supplanting hisbrother, he would now, in consequence of his change of profession, bedesirous that the word Rashleigh should fill up the blank in thedispensation, instead of the word Thorncliff. "

"Ay? indeed?" she replied--"was he so very condescending?--Too muchhonour for his humble handmaid, Diana Vernon--And she, I suppose, was tobe enraptured with joy could such a substitute be effected?"

"To confess the truth, he intimated as much, and even fartherinsinuated"--

"What?--Let me hear it all!" she exclaimed, hastily. 

"That he had broken off your mutual intimacy, lest it should have givenrise to an affection by which his destination to the church would notpermit him to profit. "

"I am obliged to him for his consideration, " replied Miss Vernon, everyfeature of her fine countenance taxed to express the most supreme degreeof scorn and contempt. She paused a moment, and then said, with her usualcomposure, "There is but little I have heard from you which I did notexpect to hear, and which I ought not to have expected; because, batingone circumstance, it is all very true. But as there are some poisons soactive, that a few drops, it is said, will infect a whole fountain, sothere is one falsehood in Rashleigh's communication, powerful enough tocorrupt the whole well in which Truth herself is said to have dwelt. Itis the leading and foul falsehood, that, knowing Rashleigh as I havereason too well to know him, any circumstance on earth could make methink of sharing my lot with him. No, " she continued with a sort ofinward shuddering that seemed to express involuntary horror, "any lotrather than that--the sot, the gambler, the bully, the jockey, theinsensate fool, were a thousand times preferable to Rashleigh:--theconvent--the jail--the grave, shall be welcome before them all. "

There was a sad and melancholy cadence in her voice, corresponding withthe strange and interesting romance of her situation. So young, sobeautiful, so untaught, so much abandoned to herself, and deprived of allthe support which her sex derives from the countenance and protection offemale friends, and even of that degree of defence which arises from theforms with which the sex are approached in civilised life, --it is scarcemetaphorical to say, that my heart bled for her. Yet there was anexpression of dignity in her contempt of ceremony--of upright feeling inher disdain of falsehood--of firm resolution in the manner in which shecontemplated the dangers by which she was surrounded, which blended mypity with the warmest admiration. She seemed a princess deserted by hersubjects, and deprived of her power, yet still scorning those formalregulations of society which are created for persons of an inferior rank;and, amid her difficulties, relying boldly and confidently on the justiceof Heaven, and the unshaken constancy of her own mind. 

I offered to express the mingled feelings of sympathy and admiration withwhich her unfortunate situation and her high spirit combined to impressme, but she imposed silence on me at once. 

"I told you in jest, " she said, "that I disliked compliments--I now tellyou in earnest, that I do not ask sympathy, and that I despiseconsolation. What I have borne, I have borne--What I am to bear I willsustain as I may; no word of commiseration can make a burden feel onefeather's weight lighter to the slave who must carry it. There is onlyone human being who could have assisted me, and that is he who has ratherchosen to add to my embarrassment--Rashleigh Osbaldistone. --Yes! the timeonce was that I might have learned to love that man--But, great God! thepurpose for which he insinuated himself into the confidence of onealready so forlorn--the undeviating and continued assiduity with which hepursued that purpose from year to year, without one single momentarypause of remorse or compassion--the purpose for which he would haveconverted into poison the food he administered to my mind--GraciousProvidence! what should I have been in this world, and the next, in bodyand soul, had I fallen under the arts of this accomplished villain!"

I was so much struck with the scene of perfidious treachery which thesewords disclosed, that I rose from my chair hardly knowing what I did, laid my hand on the hilt of my sword, and was about to leave theapartment in search of him on whom I might discharge my just indignation. Almost breathless, and with eyes and looks in which scorn and indignationhad given way to the most lively alarm, Miss Vernon threw herself betweenme and the door of the apartment. 

"Stay!" she said--"stay!--however just your resentment, you do not knowhalf the secrets of this fearful prison-house. " She then glanced her eyesanxiously round the room, and sunk her voice almost to a whisper--"Hebears a charmed life; you cannot assail him without endangering otherlives, and wider destruction. Had it been otherwise, in some hour ofjustice he had hardly been safe, even from this weak hand. I told you, "she said, motioning me back to my seat, "that I needed no comforter. Inow tell you I need no avenger. "

I resumed my seat mechanically, musing on what she said, and recollectingalso, what had escaped me in my first glow of resentment, that I had notitle whatever to constitute myself Miss Vernon's champion. She paused tolet her own emotions and mine subside, and then addressed me with morecomposure. 

"I have already said that there is a mystery connected with Rashleigh, ofa dangerous and fatal nature. Villain as he is, and as he knows he standsconvicted in my eyes, I cannot--dare not, openly break with or defy him. You also, Mr. Osbaldistone, must bear with him with patience, foil hisartifices by opposing to them prudence, not violence; and, above all, youmust avoid such scenes as that of last night, which cannot but give himperilous advantages over you. This caution I designed to give you, and itwas the object with which I desired this interview; but I have extendedmy confidence farther than I proposed. "

I assured her it was not misplaced. 

"I do not believe that it is, " she replied. "You have that in your faceand manners which authorises trust. Let us continue to be friends. Youneed not fear, " she said, laughing, while she blushed a little, yetspeaking with a free and unembarrassed voice, "that friendship with usshould prove only a specious name, as the poet says, for another feeling. I belong, in habits of thinking and acting, rather to your sex, withwhich I have always been brought up, than to my own. Besides, the fatalveil was wrapt round me in my cradle; for you may easily believe I havenever thought of the detestable condition under which I may remove it. The time, " she added, "for expressing my final determination is notarrived, and I would fain have the freedom of wild heath and open airwith the other commoners of nature, as long as I can be permitted toenjoy them. And now that the passage in Dante is made so clear, pray goand see what has become of the badger-baiters. My head aches so much thatI cannot join the party. "

I left the library, but not to join the hunters. I felt that a solitarywalk was necessary to compose my spirits before I again trusted myself inRashleigh's company, whose depth of calculating villany had been sostrikingly exposed to me. In Dubourg's family (as he was of the reformedpersuasion) I had heard many a tale of Romish priests who gratified, atthe expense of friendship, hospitality, and the most sacred ties ofsocial life, those passions, the blameless indulgence of which is deniedby the rules of their order. But the deliberate system of undertaking theeducation of a deserted orphan of noble birth, and so intimately alliedto his own family, with the perfidious purpose of ultimately seducingher, detailed as it was by the intended victim with all the glow ofvirtuous resentment, seemed more atrocious to me than the worst of thetales I had heard at Bourdeaux, and I felt it would be extremelydifficult for me to meet Rashleigh, and yet to suppress the abhorrencewith which he impressed me. Yet this was absolutely necessary, not onlyon account of the mysterious charge which Diana had given me, but becauseI had, in reality, no ostensible ground for quarrelling with him. 

I therefore resolved, as far as possible, to meet Rashleigh'sdissimulation with equal caution on my part during our residence in thesame family; and when he should depart for London, I resolved to giveOwen at least such a hint of his character as might keep him on his guardover my father's interests. Avarice or ambition, I thought, might have asgreat, or greater charms, for a mind constituted like Rashleigh's, thanunlawful pleasure; the energy of his character, and his power of assumingall seeming good qualities, were likely to procure him a high degree ofconfidence, and it was not to be hoped that either good faith orgratitude would prevent him from abusing it. The task was somewhatdifficult, especially in my circumstances, since the caution which Ithrew out might be imputed to jealousy of my rival, or rather mysuccessor, in my father's favour. Yet I thought it absolutely necessaryto frame such a letter, leaving it to Owen, who, in his own line, waswary, prudent, and circumspect, to make the necessary use of hisknowledge of Rashleigh's true character. Such a letter, therefore, Iindited, and despatched to the post-house by the first opportunity. 

At my meeting with Rashleigh, he, as well as I, appeared to have taken updistant ground, and to be disposed to avoid all pretext for collision. Hewas probably conscious that Miss Vernon's communications had beenunfavourable to him, though he could not know that they extended todiscovering his meditated villany towards her. Our intercourse, therefore, was reserved on both sides, and turned on subjects of littleinterest. Indeed, his stay at Osbaldistone Hall did not exceed a few daysafter this period, during which I only remarked two circumstancesrespecting him. The first was the rapid and almost intuitive manner inwhich his powerful and active mind seized upon and arranged theelementary principles necessary to his new profession, which he nowstudied hard, and occasionally made parade of his progress, as if to showme how light it was for him to lift the burden which I had flung downfrom very weariness and inability to carry it. The other remarkablecircumstance was, that, notwithstanding the injuries with which MissVernon charged Rashleigh, they had several private interviews together ofconsiderable length, although their bearing towards each other in publicdid not seem more cordial than usual. 

When the day of Rashleigh's departure arrived, his father bade himfarewell with indifference; his brothers with the ill-concealed glee ofschool-boys who see their task-master depart for a season, and feel a joywhich they dare not express; and I myself with cold politeness. When heapproached Miss Vernon, and would have saluted her she drew back with alook of haughty disdain; but said, as she extended her hand to him, "Farewell, Rashleigh; God reward you for the good you have done, andforgive you for the evil you have meditated. "

"Amen, my fair cousin, " he replied, with an air of sanctity, whichbelonged, I thought, to the seminary of Saint Omers; "happy is he whosegood intentions have borne fruit in deeds, and whose evil thoughts haveperished in the blossom. "

These were his parting words. "Accomplished hypocrite!" said Miss Vernonto me, as the door closed behind him--"how nearly can what we mostdespise and hate, approach in outward manner to that which we mostvenerate!"

I had written to my father by Rashleigh, and also a few lines to Owen, besides the confidential letter which I have already mentioned, and whichI thought it more proper and prudent to despatch by another conveyance. In these epistles, it would have been natural for me to have pointed outto my father and my friend, that I was at present in a situation where Icould improve myself in no respect, unless in the mysteries of huntingand hawking; and where I was not unlikely to forget, in the company ofrude grooms and horse-boys, any useful knowledge or elegantaccomplishments which I had hitherto acquired. It would also have beennatural that I should have expressed the disgust and tedium which I waslikely to feel among beings whose whole souls were centred infield-sports or more degrading pastimes--that I should have complained ofthe habitual intemperance of the family in which I was a guest, and thedifficulty and almost resentment with which my uncle, Sir Hildebrand, received any apology for deserting the bottle. This last, indeed, was atopic on which my father, himself a man of severe temperance, was likelyto be easily alarmed, and to have touched upon this spring would to acertainty have opened the doors of my prison-house, and would either havebeen the means of abridging my exile, or at least would have procured mea change of residence during my rustication. 

I say, my dear Tresham, that, considering how very unpleasant a prolongedresidence at Osbaldistone Hall must have been to a young man of my age, and with my habits, it might have seemed very natural that I should havepointed out all these disadvantages to my father, in order to obtain hisconsent for leaving my uncle's mansion. Nothing, however, is morecertain, than that I did not say a single word to this purpose in myletters to my father and Owen. If Osbaldistone Hall had been Athens inall its pristine glory of learning, and inhabited by sages, heroes, andpoets, I could not have expressed less inclination to leave it. 

If thou hast any of the salt of youth left in thee, Tresham, thou wilt beat no loss to account for my silence on a topic seemingly so obvious. Miss Vernon's extreme beauty, of which she herself seemed so littleconscious--her romantic and mysterious situation--the evils to which shewas exposed--the courage with which she seemed to face them--her manners, more frank than belonged to her sex, yet, as it seemed to me, exceeding in frankness only from the dauntless consciousness of herinnocence, --above all, the obvious and flattering distinction which shemade in my favour over all other persons, were at once calculated tointerest my best feelings, to excite my curiosity, awaken myimagination, and gratify my vanity. I dared not, indeed, confess tomyself the depth of the interest with which Miss Vernon inspired me, orthe large share which she occupied in my thoughts. We read together, walked together, rode together, and sate together. The studies which shehad broken off upon her quarrel with Rashleigh, she now resumed, underthe auspices of a tutor whose views were more sincere, though hiscapacity was far more limited. 

In truth, I was by no means qualified to assist her in the prosecution ofseveral profound studies which she had commenced with Rashleigh, andwhich appeared to me more fitted for a churchman than for a beautifulfemale. Neither can I conceive with what view he should have engagedDiana in the gloomy maze of casuistry which schoolmen called philosophy, or in the equally abstruse though more certain sciences of mathematicsand astronomy; unless it were to break down and confound in her mind thedifference and distinction between the sexes, and to habituate her totrains of subtle reasoning, by which he might at his own time invest thatwhich is wrong with the colour of that which is right. It was in the samespirit, though in the latter case the evil purpose was more obvious, thatthe lessons of Rashleigh had encouraged Miss Vernon in setting at noughtand despising the forms and ceremonial limits which are drawn roundfemales in modern society. It is true, she was sequestrated from allfemale company, and could not learn the usual rules of decorum, eitherfrom example or precept; yet such was her innate modesty, and accuratesense of what was right and wrong, that she would not of herself haveadopted the bold uncompromising manner which struck me with so muchsurprise on our first acquaintance, had she not been led to conceive thata contempt of ceremony indicated at once superiority of understanding andthe confidence of conscious innocence. Her wily instructor had, no doubt, his own views in levelling those outworks which reserve and caution erectaround virtue. But for these, and for his other crimes, he has long sinceanswered at a higher tribunal. 

Besides the progress which Miss Vernon, whose powerful mind readilyadopted every means of information offered to it, had made in moreabstract science, I found her no contemptible linguist, and wellacquainted both with ancient and modern literature. Were it not thatstrong talents will often go farthest when they seem to have leastassistance, it would be almost incredible to tell the rapidity of MissVernon's progress in knowledge; and it was still more extraordinary, whenher stock of mental acquisitions from books was compared with her totalignorance of actual life. It seemed as if she saw and knew everything, except what passed in the world around her;--and I believe it was thisvery ignorance and simplicity of thinking upon ordinary subjects, sostrikingly contrasted with her fund of general knowledge and information, which rendered her conversation so irresistibly fascinating, and rivettedthe attention to whatever she said or did; since it was absolutelyimpossible to anticipate whether her next word or action was to displaythe most acute perception, or the most profound simplicity. The degree ofdanger which necessarily attended a youth of my age and keen feelingsfrom remaining in close and constant intimacy with an object so amiable, and so peculiarly interesting, all who remember their own sentiments atmy age may easily estimate. 

CHAPTER FOURTEENTH. 

 Yon lamp its line of quivering light Shoots from my lady's bower; But why should Beauty's lamp be bright At midnight's lonely hour? OLD BALLAD. 

The mode of life at Osbaldistone Hall was too uniform to admit ofdescription. Diana Vernon and I enjoyed much of our time in our mutualstudies; the rest of the family killed theirs in such sports and pastimesas suited the seasons, in which we also took a share. My uncle was a manof habits, and by habit became so much accustomed to my presence and modeof life, that, upon the whole, he was rather fond of me than otherwise. Imight probably have risen yet higher in his good graces, had I employedthe same arts for that purpose which were used by Rashleigh, who, availing himself of his father's disinclination to business, hadgradually insinuated himself into the management of his property. Butalthough I readily gave my uncle the advantage of my pen and myarithmetic so often as he desired to correspond with a neighbour, orsettle with a tenant, and was, in so far, a more useful inmate in hisfamily than any of his sons, yet I was not willing to oblige SirHildebrand by relieving him entirely from the management of his ownaffairs; so that, while the good knight admitted that nevoy Frank was asteady, handy lad, he seldom failed to remark in the same breath, that hedid not think he should ha' missed Rashleigh so much as he was like todo. 

As it is particularly unpleasant to reside in a family where we are atvariance with any part of it, I made some efforts to overcome theill-will which my cousins entertained against me. I exchanged my lacedhat for a jockey-cap, and made some progress in their opinion; I broke ayoung colt in a manner which carried me further into their good graces. Abet or two opportunely lost to Dickon, and an extra health pledged withPercie, placed me on an easy and familiar footing with all the youngsquires, except Thorncliff. 

I have already noticed the dislike entertained against me by this youngfellow, who, as he had rather more sense, had also a much worse temper, than any of his brethren. Sullen, dogged, and quarrelsome, he regarded myresidence at Osbaldistone Hall as an intrusion, and viewed with enviousand jealous eyes my intimacy with Diana Vernon, whom the effect proposedto be given to a certain family-compact assigned to him as an intendedspouse. That he loved her, could scarcely be said, at least without muchmisapplication of the word; but he regarded her as something appropriatedto himself, and resented internally the interference which he knew nothow to prevent or interrupt. I attempted a tone of conciliation towardsThorncliff on several occasions; but he rejected my advances with amanner about as gracious as that of a growling mastiff, when the animalshuns and resents a stranger's attempts to caress him. I thereforeabandoned him to his ill-humour, and gave myself no further trouble aboutthe matter. 

Such was the footing upon which I stood with the family at OsbaldistoneHall; but I ought to mention another of its inmates with whom Ioccasionally held some discourse. This was Andrew Fairservice, thegardener who (since he had discovered that I was a Protestant) rarelysuffered me to pass him without proffering his Scotch mull for a socialpinch. There were several advantages attending this courtesy. In thefirst place, it was made at no expense, for I never took snuff; andsecondly, it afforded an excellent apology to Andrew (who was notparticularly fond of hard labour) for laying aside his spade for severalminutes. But, above all, these brief interviews gave Andrew anopportunity of venting the news he had collected, or the satiricalremarks which his shrewd northern humour suggested. 

"I am saying, sir, " he said to me one evening, with a face obviouslycharged with intelligence, "I hae been down at the Trinlay-knowe. "

"Well, Andrew, and I suppose you heard some news at the alehouse?"

"Na, sir; I never gang to the yillhouse--that is unless ony neighbour wasto gie me a pint, or the like o' that; but to gang there on ane's aincoat-tail, is a waste o' precious time and hard-won siller. --But I wasdoun at the Trinlay-knowe, as I was saying, about a wee bit business o'my ain wi' Mattie Simpson, that wants a forpit or twa o' peers that willnever be missed in the Ha'-house--and when we were at the thrangest o'our bargain, wha suld come in but Pate Macready the travelling merchant?"

"Pedlar, I suppose you mean?"

"E'en as your honour likes to ca' him; but it's a creditable calling anda gainfu', and has been lang in use wi' our folk. Pate's a far-awa cousino' mine, and we were blythe to meet wi' ane anither. "

"And you went and had a jug of ale together, I suppose, Andrew?--ForHeaven's sake, cut short your story. "

"Bide a wee--bide a wee; you southrons are aye in sic a hurry, andthis is something concerns yourself, an ye wad tak patience tohear't--Yill?--deil a drap o' yill did Pate offer me; but Mattie gae usbaith a drap skimmed milk, and ane o' her thick ait jannocks, that wasas wat and raw as a divot. O for the bonnie girdle cakes o' thenorth!--and sae we sat doun and took out our clavers. "

"I wish you would take them out just now. Pray, tell me the news, if youhave got any worth telling, for I can't stop here all night. "

"Than, if ye maun hae't, the folk in Lunnun are a' clean wud about thisbit job in the north here. "

"Clean wood! what's that?"

"Ou, just real daft--neither to haud nor to bind--a' hirdy-girdy--cleanthrough ither--the deil's ower Jock Wabster. "

[Illustration: Frank and Andrew Fairservice--194]

"But what does all this mean? or what business have I with the devil orJack Webster?"

"Umph!" said Andrew, looking extremely knowing, "it's just because--justthat the dirdum's a' about yon man's pokmanty. "

"Whose portmanteau? or what do you mean?"

"Ou, just the man Morris's, that he said he lost yonder: but if it's noyour honour's affair, as little is it mine; and I mauna lose thisgracious evening. "

And, as if suddenly seized with a violent fit of industry, Andrew beganto labour most diligently. 

My attention, as the crafty knave had foreseen, was now arrested, andunwilling, at the same time, to acknowledge any particular interest inthat affair, by asking direct questions, I stood waiting till the spiritof voluntary communication should again prompt him to resume his story. Andrew dug on manfully, and spoke at intervals, but nothing to thepurpose of Mr. Macready's news; and I stood and listened, cursing him inmy heart, and desirous at the same time to see how long his humour ofcontradiction would prevail over his desire of speaking upon the subjectwhich was obviously uppermost in his mind. 

"Am trenching up the sparry-grass, and am gaun to saw some Misegun beans;they winna want them to their swine's flesh, I'se warrant--muckle gudemay it do them. And siclike dung as the grieve has gien me!--it should bewheat-strae, or aiten at the warst o't, and it's pease dirt, asfizzenless as chuckie-stanes. But the huntsman guides a' as he likesabout the stable-yard, and he's selled the best o' the litter, I'sewarrant. But, howsoever, we mauna lose a turn o' this Saturday at e'en, for the wather's sair broken, and if there's a fair day in seven, Sunday's sure to come and lick it up--Howsomever, I'm no denying that itmay settle, if it be Heaven's will, till Monday morning, --and what's theuse o' my breaking my back at this rate?--I think, I'll e'en awa' hame, for yon's the curfew, as they ca' their jowing-in bell. "

Accordingly, applying both his hands to his spade, he pitched it uprightin the trench which he had been digging and, looking at me with the airof superiority of one who knows himself possessed of importantinformation, which he may communicate or refuse at his pleasure, pulleddown the sleeves of his shirt, and walked slowly towards his coat, whichlay carefully folded up upon a neighbouring garden-seat. 

"I must pay the penalty of having interrupted the tiresome rascal, "thought I to myself, "and even gratify Mr. Fairservice by taking hiscommunication on his own terms. " Then raising my voice, I addressedhim, --"And after all, Andrew, what are these London news you had from yourkinsman, the travelling merchant?"

"The pedlar, your honour means?" retorted Andrew--"but ca' him what yewull, they're a great convenience in a country-side that's scant o'borough-towns like this Northumberland--That's no the case, now, inScotland;--there's the kingdom of Fife, frae Culross to the East Nuik, it's just like a great combined city--sae mony royal boroughs yoked onend to end, like ropes of ingans, with their hie-streets and theirbooths, nae doubt, and their kraemes, and houses of stane and lime andfore-stairs--Kirkcaldy, the sell o't, is langer than ony town inEngland. "

"I daresay it is all very splendid and very fine--but you were talking ofthe London news a little while ago, Andrew. "

"Ay, " replied Andrew; "but I dinna think your honour cared to hear aboutthem--Howsoever" (he continued, grinning a ghastly smile), "Pate Macreadydoes say, that they are sair mistrysted yonder in their Parliament Houseabout this rubbery o' Mr. Morris, or whatever they ca' the chiel. "

"In the House of Parliament, Andrew!--how came they to mention it there?"

"Ou, that's just what I said to Pate; if it like your honour, I'll tellyou the very words; it's no worth making a lie for the matter--'Pate, 'said I, 'what ado had the lords and lairds and gentles at Lunnun wi' thecarle and his walise?--When we had a Scotch Parliament, Pate, ' says I(and deil rax their thrapples that reft us o't!) 'they sate dousely downand made laws for a haill country and kinrick, and never fashed theirbeards about things that were competent to the judge ordinar o' thebounds; but I think, ' said I, 'that if ae kailwife pou'd aff herneighbour's mutch they wad hae the twasome o' them into the ParliamentHouse o' Lunnun. It's just, ' said I, 'amaist as silly as our auld daftlaird here and his gomerils o' sons, wi' his huntsmen and his hounds, andhis hunting cattle and horns, riding haill days after a bit beast thatwinna weigh sax punds when they hae catched it. '"

"You argued most admirably, Andrew, " said I, willing to encourage him toget into the marrow of his intelligence; "and what said Pate?"

"Ou, " he said, "what better could be expected of a wheen pock-puddingEnglish folk?--But as to the robbery, it's like that when they're a' atthe thrang o' their Whig and Tory wark, and ca'ing ane anither, likeunhanged blackguards--up gets ae lang-tongued chield, and he says, thata' the north of England were rank Jacobites (and, quietly, he wasna farwrang maybe), and that they had levied amaist open war, and a king'smessenger had been stoppit and rubbit on the highway, and that the bestbluid o' Northumberland had been at the doing o't--and mickle gowd ta'enaff him, and mony valuable papers; and that there was nae redress to begotten by remeed of law for the first justice o' the peace that therubbit man gaed to, he had fund the twa loons that did the deed birlingand drinking wi' him, wha but they; and the justice took the word o' thetane for the compearance o' the tither; and that they e'en gae himleg-bail, and the honest man that had lost his siller was fain to leavethe country for fear that waur had come of it. "

"Can this be really true?" said I. 

"Pate swears it's as true as that his ellwand is a yard lang--(and so itis, just bating an inch, that it may meet the English measure)--And whenthe chield had said his warst, there was a terrible cry for names, andout comes he wi' this man Morris's name, and your uncle's, and SquireInglewood's, and other folk's beside" (looking sly at me)--"And thenanother dragon o' a chield got up on the other side, and said, wad theyaccuse the best gentleman in the land on the oath of a brokencoward?--for it's like that Morris had been drummed out o' the army forrinning awa in Flanders; and he said, it was like the story had beenmade up between the minister and him or ever he had left Lunnun; andthat, if there was to be a search-warrant granted, he thought the sillerwad be fund some gate near to St. James's Palace. Aweel, they trailed upMorris to their bar, as they ca't, to see what he could say to the job;but the folk that were again him, gae him sic an awfu' throughgaun abouthis rinnin' awa, and about a' the ill he had ever dune or said for a'the forepart o' his life, that Patie says he looked mair like ane deadthan living; and they cou'dna get a word o' sense out o' him, fordownright fright at their growling and routing. He maun be a saft sap, wi' a head nae better than a fozy frosted turnip--it wad hae ta'en ahantle o' them to scaur Andrew Fairservice out o' his tale. "

"And how did it all end, Andrew? did your friend happen to learn?"

"Ou, ay; for as his walk is in this country, Pate put aff his journey forthe space of a week or thereby, because it wad be acceptable to hiscustomers to bring down the news. It's just a' gaed aft like moonshine inwater. The fallow that began it drew in his horns, and said, that thoughhe believed the man had been rubbit, yet he acknowledged he might haebeen mista'en about the particulars. And then the other chield got up, and said, he caredna whether Morris was rubbed or no, provided it wasnato become a stain on ony gentleman's honour and reputation, especially inthe north of England; for, said he before them, I come frae the northmysell, and I carena a boddle wha kens it. And this is what they ca'explaining--the tane gies up a bit, and the tither gies up a bit, and a'friends again. Aweel, after the Commons' Parliament had tuggit, andrived, and rugged at Morris and his rubbery till they were tired o't, theLords' Parliament they behoved to hae their spell o't. In puir auldScotland's Parliament they a' sate thegither, cheek by choul, and thanthey didna need to hae the same blethers twice ower again. But till'ttheir lordships went wi' as muckle teeth and gude-will, as if the matterhad been a' speck and span new. Forbye, there was something said aboutane Campbell, that suld hae been concerned in the rubbery, mair or less, and that he suld hae had a warrant frae the Duke of Argyle, as atestimonial o' his character. And this put MacCallum More's beard in ableize, as gude reason there was; and he gat up wi' an unco bang, andgarr'd them a' look about them, and wad ram it even doun their throats, there was never ane o' the Campbells but was as wight, wise, warlike, andworthy trust, as auld Sir John the Graeme. Now, if your honour's sure yearena a drap's bluid a-kin to a Campbell, as I am nane mysell, sae far asI can count my kin, or hae had it counted to me, I'll gie ye my mind onthat matter. "

"You may be assured I have no connection whatever with any gentleman ofthe name. "

"Ou, than we may speak it quietly amang oursells. There's baith gude andbad o' the Campbells, like other names, But this MacCallum More has anunco sway and say baith, amang the grit folk at Lunnun even now; for hecanna preceesely be said to belang to ony o' the twa sides o' them, saedeil any o' them likes to quarrel wi' him; sae they e'en voted Morris'stale a fause calumnious libel, as they ca't, and if he hadna gien themleg-bail, he was likely to hae ta'en the air on the pillory forleasing-making. "

So speaking, honest Andrew collected his dibbles, spades, and hoes, andthrew them into a wheel-barrow, --leisurely, however, and allowing me fulltime to put any further questions which might occur to me before hetrundled them off to the tool-house, there to repose during the ensuingday. I thought it best to speak out at once, lest this meddling fellowshould suppose there were more weighty reasons for my silence thanactually existed. 

"I should like to see this countryman of yours, Andrew and to hear hisnews from himself directly. You have probably heard that I had sometrouble from the impertinent folly of this man Morris" (Andrew grinned amost significant grin), "and I should wish to see your cousin themerchant, to ask him the particulars of what he heard in London, if itcould be done without much trouble. "

"Naething mair easy, " Andrew observed; "he had but to hint to his cousinthat I wanted a pair or twa o' hose, and he wad be wi' me as fast as hecould lay leg to the grund. "

"O yes, assure him I shall be a customer; and as the night is, as yousay, settled and fair, I shall walk in the garden until he comes; themoon will soon rise over the fells. You may bring him to the littleback-gate; and I shall have pleasure, in the meanwhile, in looking on thebushes and evergreens by the bright frosty moonlight. "

"Vara right, vara right--that's what I hae aften said; a kail-blade, or acolliflour, glances sae glegly by moonlight, it's like a leddy in herdiamonds. "

So saying, off went Andrew Fairservice with great glee. He had to walkabout two miles, a labour he undertook with the greatest pleasure, inorder to secure to his kinsman the sale of some articles of his trade, though it is probable he would not have given him sixpence to treat himto a quart of ale. "The good will of an Englishman would have displayeditself in a manner exactly the reverse of Andrew's, " thought I, as Ipaced along the smooth-cut velvet walks, which, embowered with high, hedges of yew and of holly, intersected the ancient garden ofOsbaldistone Hall. 

As I turned to retrace my steps, it was natural that I should lift up myeyes to the windows of the old library; which, small in size, but severalin number, stretched along the second story of that side of the housewhich now faced me. Light glanced from their casements. I was notsurprised at this, for I knew Miss Vernon often sat there of an evening, though from motives of delicacy I put a strong restraint upon myself, andnever sought to join her at a time when I knew, all the rest of thefamily being engaged for the evening, our interviews must necessarilyhave been strictly _tete-a'-tete. _ In the mornings we usually readtogether in the same room; but then it often happened that one or otherof our cousins entered to seek some parchment duodecimo that could beconverted into a fishing-book, despite its gildings and illumination, orto tell us of some "sport toward, " or from mere want of knowing whereelse to dispose of themselves. In short, in the mornings the library wasa sort of public room, where man and woman might meet as on neutralground. In the evening it was very different and bred in a country wheremuch attention is paid, or was at least then paid, to _biense'ance, _ Iwas desirous to think for Miss Vernon concerning those points ofpropriety where her experience did not afford her the means of thinkingfor herself. I made her therefore comprehend, as delicately as I could, that when we had evening lessons, the presence of a third party wasproper. 

Miss Vernon first laughed, then blushed, and was disposed to bedispleased; and then, suddenly checking herself, said, "I believe you arevery right; and when I feel inclined to be a very busy scholar, I willbribe old Martha with a cup of tea to sit by me and be my screen. "

Martha, the old housekeeper, partook of the taste of the family at theHall. A toast and tankard would have pleased her better than all the teain China. However, as the use of this beverage was then confined to thehigher ranks, Martha felt some vanity in being asked to partake of it;and by dint of a great deal of sugar, many words scarce less sweet, andabundance of toast and butter, she was sometimes prevailed upon to giveus her countenance. On other occasions, the servants almost unanimouslyshunned the library after nightfall, because it was their foolishpleasure to believe that it lay on the haunted side of the house. Themore timorous had seen sights and heard sounds there when all the rest ofthe house was quiet; and even the young squires were far from having anywish to enter these formidable precincts after nightfall withoutnecessity. 

That the library had at one time been a favourite resource ofRashleigh--that a private door out of one side of it communicated withthe sequestered and remote apartment which he chose for himself, ratherincreased than disarmed the terrors which the household had for thedreaded library of Osbaldistone Hall. His extensive information as towhat passed in the world--his profound knowledge of science of everykind--a few physical experiments which he occasionally showed off, were, in a house of so much ignorance and bigotry, esteemed good reasons forsupposing him endowed with powers over the spiritual world. He understoodGreek, Latin, and Hebrew; and, therefore, according to the apprehension, and in the phrase of his brother Wilfred, needed not to care "for ghaistor bar-ghaist, devil or dobbie. " Yea, the servants persisted that theyhad heard him hold conversations in the library, when every varsal soulin the family were gone to bed; and that he spent the night in watchingfor bogles, and the morning in sleeping in his bed, when he should havebeen heading the hounds like a true Osbaldistone. 

All these absurd rumours I had heard in broken hints and imperfectsentences, from which I was left to draw the inference; and, as easilymay be supposed, I laughed them to scorn. But the extreme solitude towhich this chamber of evil fame was committed every night after curfewtime, was an additional reason why I should not intrude on Miss Vernonwhen she chose to sit there in the evening. 

To resume what I was saying, --I was not surprised to see a glimmering oflight from the library windows: but I was a little struck when Idistinctly perceived the shadows of two persons pass along and interceptthe light from the first of the windows, throwing the casement for amoment into shade. "It must be old Martha, " thought I, "whom Diana hasengaged to be her companion for the evening; or I must have beenmistaken, and taken Diana's shadow for a second person. No, by Heaven! itappears on the second window, --two figures distinctly traced; and now itis lost again--it is seen on the third--on the fourth--the darkened formsof two persons distinctly seen in each window as they pass along theroom, betwixt the windows and the lights. Whom can Diana have got for acompanion?"--The passage of the shadows between the lights and thecasements was twice repeated, as if to satisfy me that my observationserved me truly; after which the lights were extinguished, and theshades, of course, were seen no more. 

Trifling as this circumstance was, it occupied my mind for a considerabletime. I did not allow myself to suppose that my friendship for MissVernon had any directly selfish view; yet it is incredible thedispleasure I felt at the idea of her admitting any one to privateinterviews, at a time, and in a place, where, for her own sake, I hadbeen at some trouble to show her that it was improper for me to meet withher. 

"Silly, romping, incorrigible girl!" said I to myself, "on whom all goodadvice and delicacy are thrown away! I have been cheated by thesimplicity of her manner, which I suppose she can assume just as shecould a straw bonnet, were it the fashion, for the mere sake ofcelebrity. I suppose, notwithstanding the excellence of herunderstanding, the society of half a dozen of clowns to play at whisk andswabbers would give her more pleasure than if Ariosto himself were toawake from the dead. "

This reflection came the more powerfully across my mind, because, havingmustered up courage to show to Diana my version of the first books ofAriosto, I had requested her to invite Martha to a tea-party in thelibrary that evening, to which arrangement Miss Vernon had refused herconsent, alleging some apology which I thought frivolous at the time. Ihad not long speculated on this disagreeable subject, when theback garden-door opened, and the figures of Andrew and hiscountry-man--bending under his pack--crossed the moonlight alley, and called my attention elsewhere. 

I found Mr. Macready, as I expected, a tough, sagacious, long-headedScotchman, and a collector of news both from choice and profession. Hewas able to give me a distinct account of what had passed in the House ofCommons and House of Lords on the affair of Morris, which, it appears, had been made by both parties a touchstone to ascertain the temper of theParliament. It appeared also, that, as I had learned from Andrew, bysecond hand, the ministry had proved too weak to support a storyinvolving the character of men of rank and importance, and resting uponthe credit of a person of such indifferent fame as Morris, who was, moreover, confused and contradictory in his mode of telling the story. Macready was even able to supply me with a copy of a printed journal, orNews-Letter, seldom extending beyond the capital, in which the substanceof the debate was mentioned; and with a copy of the Duke of Argyle'sspeech, printed upon a broadside, of which he had purchased several fromthe hawkers, because, he said, it would be a saleable article on thenorth of the Tweed. The first was a meagre statement, full of blanks andasterisks, and which added little or nothing to the information I hadfrom the Scotchman; and the Duke's speech, though spirited and eloquent, contained chiefly a panegyric on his country, his family, and his clan, with a few compliments, equally sincere, perhaps, though less glowing, which he took so favourable an opportunity of paying to himself. I couldnot learn whether my own reputation had been directly implicated, although I perceived that the honour of my uncle's family had beenimpeached, and that this person Campbell, stated by Morris to have beenthe most active robber of the two by whom he was assailed, was said byhim to have appeared in the behalf of a Mr. Osbaldistone, and by theconnivance of the Justice procured his liberation. In this particular, Morris's story jumped with my own suspicions, which had attached toCampbell from the moment I saw him appear at Justice Inglewood's. Vexedupon the whole, as well as perplexed, with this extraordinary story, Idismissed the two Scotchmen, after making some purchases from Macready, and a small compliment to Fairservice, and retired to my own apartment toconsider what I ought to do in defence of my character thus publiclyattacked. 

CHAPTER FIFTEENTH. 

 Whence, and what art you? Milton. 

After exhausting a sleepless night in meditating on the intelligence Ihad received, I was at first inclined to think that I ought, as speedilyas possible, to return to London, and by my open appearance repel thecalumny which had been spread against me. But I hesitated to take thiscourse on recollection of my father's disposition, singularly absolute inhis decisions as to all that concerned his family. He was most able, certainly, from experience, to direct what I ought to do, and from hisacquaintance with the most distinguished Whigs then in power, hadinfluence enough to obtain a hearing for my cause. So, upon the whole, Ijudged it most safe to state my whole story in the shape of a narrative, addressed to my father; and as the ordinary opportunities of intercoursebetween the Hall and the post-town recurred rarely, I determined to rideto the town, which was about ten miles' distance, and deposit my letterin the post-office with my own hands. 

Indeed I began to think it strange that though several weeks had elapsedsince my departure from home, I had received no letter, either from myfather or Owen, although Rashleigh had written to Sir Hildebrand of hissafe arrival in London, and of the kind reception he had met with fromhis uncle. Admitting that I might have been to blame, I did not deserve, in my own opinion at least, to be so totally forgotten by my father; andI thought my present excursion might have the effect of bringing a letterfrom him to hand more early than it would otherwise have reached me. Butbefore concluding my letter concerning the affair of Morris, I failed notto express my earnest hope and wish that my father would honour me with afew lines, were it but to express his advice and commands in an affair ofsome difficulty, and where my knowledge of life could not be supposedadequate to my own guidance. I found it impossible to prevail on myselfto urge my actual return to London as a place of residence, and Idisguised my unwillingness to do so under apparent submission to myfather's will, which, as I imposed it on myself as a sufficient reasonfor not urging my final departure from Osbaldistone Hall, would, Idoubted not, be received as such by my parent. But I begged permission tocome to London, for a short time at least, to meet and refute theinfamous calumnies which had been circulated concerning me in so public amanner. Having made up my packet, in which my earnest desire to vindicatemy character was strangely blended with reluctance to quit my presentplace of residence, I rode over to the post-town, and deposited my letterin the office. By doing so, I obtained possession, somewhat earlier thanI should otherwise have done, of the following letter from my friend Mr. Owen:--

"Dear Mr. Francis, "Yours received per favour of Mr. R. Osbaldistone, and note the contents. Shall do Mr. R. O. Such civilities as are in my power, and have taken himto see the Bank and Custom-house. He seems a sober, steady younggentleman, and takes to business; so will be of service to the firm. Could have wished another person had turned his mind that way; but God'swill be done. As cash may be scarce in those parts, have to trust youwill excuse my enclosing a goldsmith's bill at six days' sight, onMessrs. Hooper and Girder of Newcastle, for L100, which I doubt not willbe duly honoured. --I remain, as in duty bound, dear Mr. Frank, your veryrespectful and obedient servant, "Joseph Owen. 

"_Postscriptum. _--Hope you will advise the above coming safe to hand. Amsorry we have so few of yours. Your father says he is as usual, but lookspoorly. "

From this epistle, written in old Owen's formal style, I was rathersurprised to observe that he made no acknowledgment of that privateletter which I had written to him, with a view to possess him ofRashleigh's real character, although, from the course of post, it seemedcertain that he ought to have received it. Yet I had sent it by the usualconveyance from the Hall, and had no reason to suspect that it couldmiscarry upon the road. As it comprised matters of great importance bothto my father and to myself, I sat down in the post-office and again wroteto Owen, recapitulating the heads of my former letter, and requesting toknow, in course of post, if it had reached him in safety. I alsoacknowledged the receipt of the bill, and promised to make use of thecontents if I should have any occasion for money. I thought, indeed, itwas odd that my father should leave the care of supplying my necessitiesto his clerk; but I concluded it was a matter arranged between them. Atany rate, Owen was a bachelor, rich in his way, and passionately attachedto me, so that I had no hesitation in being obliged to him for a smallsum, which I resolved to consider as a loan, to be returned with myearliest ability, in case it was not previously repaid by my father; andI expressed myself to this purpose to Mr. Owen. A shopkeeper in a littletown, to whom the post-master directed me, readily gave me in gold theamount of my bill on Messrs. Hooper and Girder, so that I returned toOsbaldistone Hall a good deal richer than I had set forth. This recruitto my finances was not a matter of indifference to me, as I wasnecessarily involved in some expenses at Osbaldistone Hall; and I hadseen, with some uneasy impatience, that the sum which my travellingexpenses had left unexhausted at my arrival there was imperceptiblydiminishing. This source of anxiety was for the present removed. On myarrival at the Hall I found that Sir Hildebrand and all his offspring hadgone down to the little hamlet, called Trinlay-knowes, "to see, " asAndrew Fairservice expressed it, "a wheen midden cocks pike ilk ither'sbarns out. "

"It is indeed a brutal amusement, Andrew; I suppose you have none such inScotland?"

"Na, na, " answered Andrew boldly; then shaded away his negative with, "unless it be on Fastern's-e'en, or the like o' that--But indeed it's nomuckle matter what the folk do to the midden pootry, for they had siccana skarting and scraping in the yard, that there's nae getting a bean orpea keepit for them. --But I am wondering what it is that leaves thatturret-door open;--now that Mr. Rashleigh's away, it canna be him, Itrow. "

The turret-door to which he alluded opened to the garden at the bottom ofa winding stair, leading down from Mr. Rashleigh's apartment. This, as Ihave already mentioned, was situated in a sequestered part of the house, communicating with the library by a private entrance, and by anotherintricate and dark vaulted passage with the rest of the house. A longnarrow turf walk led, between two high holly hedges, from the turret-doorto a little postern in the wall of the garden. By means of thesecommunications Rashleigh, whose movements were very independent of thoseof the rest of his family, could leave the Hall or return to it atpleasure, without his absence or presence attracting any observation. Butduring his absence the stair and the turret-door were entirely disused, and this made Andrew's observation somewhat remarkable. 

"Have you often observed that door open?" was my question. 

"No just that often neither; but I hae noticed it ance or twice. I'mthinking it maun hae been the priest, Father Vaughan, as they ca' him. Ye'll no catch ane o' the servants gauging up that stair, puir frightenedheathens that they are, for fear of bogles and brownies, and lang-nebbitthings frae the neist warld. But Father Vaughan thinks himself aprivileged person--set him up and lay him down!--I'se be caution thewarst stibbler that ever stickit a sermon out ower the Tweed yonder, wadlay a ghaist twice as fast as him, wi' his holy water and his idolatroustrinkets. I dinna believe he speaks gude Latin neither; at least he disnatake me up when I tell him the learned names o' the plants. "

Of Father Vaughan, who divided his time and his ghostly care betweenOsbaldistone Hall and about half a dozen mansions of Catholic gentlemenin the neighbourhood, I have as yet said nothing, for I had seen butlittle. He was aged about sixty--of a good family, as I was given tounderstand, in the north--of a striking and imposing presence, grave inhis exterior, and much respected among the Catholics of Northumberland asa worthy and upright man. Yet Father Vaughan did not altogether lackthose peculiarities which distinguish his order. There hung about him anair of mystery, which, in Protestant eyes, savoured of priestcraft. Thenatives (such they might be well termed) of Osbaldistone Hall looked upto him with much more fear, or at least more awe, than affection. Hiscondemnation of their revels was evident, from their being discontinuedin some measure when the priest was a resident at the Hall. Even SirHildebrand himself put some restraint upon his conduct at such times, which, perhaps, rendered Father Vaughan's presence rather irksome thanotherwise. He had the well-bred, insinuating, and almost flatteringaddress peculiar to the clergy of his persuasion, especially in England, where the lay Catholic, hemmed in by penal laws, and by the restrictionsof his sect and recommendation of his pastor, often exhibits a reserved, and almost a timid manner in the society of Protestants; while thepriest, privileged by his order to mingle with persons of all creeds, isopen, alert, and liberal in his intercourse with them, desirous ofpopularity, and usually skilful in the mode of obtaining it. 

Father Vaughan was a particular acquaintance of Rashleigh's, otherwise, in all probability, he would scarce have been able to maintain hisfooting at Osbaldistone Hall. This gave me no desire to cultivate hisintimacy, nor did he seem to make any advances towards mine; so ouroccasional intercourse was confined to the exchange of mere civility. Iconsidered it as extremely probable that Mr. Vaughan might occupyRashleigh's apartment during his occasional residence at the Hall; andhis profession rendered it likely that he should occasionally be a tenantof the library. Nothing was more probable than that it might have beenhis candle which had excited my attention on a preceding evening. Thisled me involuntarily to recollect that the intercourse between MissVernon and the priest was marked with something like the same mysterywhich characterised her communications with Rashleigh. I had never heardher mention Vaughan's name, or even allude to him, excepting on theoccasion of our first meeting, when she mentioned the old priest andRashleigh as the only conversable beings, besides herself, inOsbaldistone Hall. Yet although silent with respect to Father Vaughan, his arrival at the Hall never failed to impress Miss Vernon with ananxious and fluttering tremor, which lasted until they had exchanged oneor two significant glances. 

Whatever the mystery might be which overclouded the destinies of thisbeautiful and interesting female, it was clear that Father Vaughan wasimplicated in it; unless, indeed, I could suppose that he was the agentemployed to procure her settlement in the cloister, in the event of herrejecting a union with either of my cousins, --an office which wouldsufficiently account for her obvious emotion at his appearance. As to therest, they did not seem to converse much together, or even to seek eachother's society. Their league, if any subsisted between them, was of atacit and understood nature, operating on their actions without anynecessity of speech. I recollected, however, on reflection, that I hadonce or twice discovered signs pass betwixt them, which I had at the timesupposed to bear reference to some hint concerning Miss Vernon'sreligious observances, knowing how artfully the Catholic clergy maintain, at all times and seasons, their influence over the minds of theirfollowers. But now I was disposed to assign to these communications adeeper and more mysterious import. Did he hold private meetings with MissVernon in the library? was a question which occupied my thoughts; and ifso, for what purpose? And why should she have admitted an intimate of thedeceitful Rashleigh to such close confidence?

These questions and difficulties pressed on my mind with an interestwhich was greatly increased by the impossibility of resolving them. I hadalready begun to suspect that my friendship for Diana Vernon was notaltogether so disinterested as in wisdom it ought to have been. I hadalready felt myself becoming jealous of the contemptible lout Thorncliff, and taking more notice, than in prudence or dignity of feeling I ought tohave done, of his silly attempts to provoke me. And now I wasscrutinising the conduct of Miss Vernon with the most close and eagerobservation, which I in vain endeavoured to palm on myself as theoffspring of idle curiosity. All these, like Benedick's brushing his hatof a morning, were signs that the sweet youth was in love; and while myjudgment still denied that I had been guilty of forming an attachment soimprudent, she resembled those ignorant guides, who, when they have ledthe traveller and themselves into irretrievable error, persist inobstinately affirming it to be impossible that they can have missed theway. 

CHAPTER SIXTEENTH. 

 It happened one day about noon, going to my boat, I was exceedingly surprised with the print of a man's naked foot on the shore, which was very plain to be seen on the sand. Robinson Crusoe. 

With the blended feelings of interest and jealousy which were engenderedby Miss Vernon's singular situation, my observations of her looks andactions became acutely sharpened, and that to a degree which, notwithstanding my efforts to conceal it, could not escape herpenetration. The sense that she was observed, or, more properly speaking, that she was watched by my looks, seemed to give Diana a mixture ofembarrassment, pain, and pettishness. At times it seemed that she soughtan opportunity of resenting a conduct which she could not but feel asoffensive, considering the frankness with which she had mentioned thedifficulties that surrounded her. At other times she seemed prepared toexpostulate upon the subject. But either her courage failed, or someother sentiment impeded her seeking an _e'claircissement. _ Herdispleasure evaporated in repartee, and her expostulations died on herlips. We stood in a singular relation to each other, --spending, and bymutual choice, much of our time in close society with each other, yetdisguising our mutual sentiments, and jealous of, or offended by, eachother's actions. There was betwixt us intimacy without confidence;--onone side, love without hope or purpose, and curiosity without anyrational or justifiable motive; and on the other, embarrassment anddoubt, occasionally mingled with displeasure. Yet I believe that thisagitation of the passions (such is the nature of the human bosom), as itcontinued by a thousand irritating and interesting, though pettycircumstances, to render Miss Vernon and me the constant objects of eachother's thoughts, tended, upon the whole, to increase the attachment withwhich we were naturally disposed to regard each other. But although myvanity early discovered that my presence at Osbaldistone Hall had givenDiana some additional reason for disliking the cloister, I could by nomeans confide in an affection which seemed completely subordinate to themysteries of her singular situation. Miss Vernon was of a character fartoo formed and determined, to permit her love for me to overpower eitherher sense of duty or of prudence, and she gave me a proof of this in aconversation which we had together about this period. 

We were sitting together in the library. Miss Vernon, in turning over acopy of the Orlando Furioso, which belonged to me, shook a piece ofwriting paper from between the leaves. I hastened to lift it, but sheprevented me. --"It is verse, " she said, on glancing at the paper; andthen unfolding it, but as if to wait my answer before proceeding--"May Itake the liberty?--Nay, nay, if you blush and stammer, I must do violenceto your modesty, and suppose that permission is granted. "

"It is not worthy your perusal--a scrap of a translation--My dear MissVernon, it would be too severe a trial, that you, who understand theoriginal so well, should sit in judgment. "

"Mine honest friend, " replied Diana, "do not, if you will be guided by myadvice, bait your hook with too much humility; for, ten to one, it willnot catch a single compliment. You know I belong to the unpopular familyof Tell-truths, and would not flatter Apollo for his lyre. "

She proceeded to read the first stanza, which was nearly to the followingpurpose:--

 "Ladies, and knights, and arms, and love's fair flame, Deeds of emprize and courtesy, I sing; What time the Moors from sultry Africk came, Led on by Agramant, their youthful king-- He whom revenge and hasty ire did bring O'er the broad wave, in France to waste and war; Such ills from old Trojano's death did spring, Which to avenge he came from realms afar, And menaced Christian Charles, the Roman Emperor. Of dauntless Roland, too, my strain shall sound, In import never known in prose or rhyme, How He, the chief, of judgment deemed profound, For luckless love was crazed upon a time"--

"There is a great deal of it, " said she, glancing along the paper, andinterrupting the sweetest sounds which mortal ears can drink in, --thoseof a youthful poet's verses, namely, read by the lips which are dearestto him. 

"Much more than ought to engage your attention, Miss Vernon, " I replied, something mortified; and I took the verses from her unreluctant hand--"And yet, " I continued, "shut up as I am in this retired situation, Ihave felt sometimes I could not amuse myself better than by carryingon--merely for my own amusement, you will of course understand--theversion of this fascinating author, which I began some months since whenI was on the banks of the Garonne. "

"The question would only be, " said Diana, gravely, "whether you could notspend your time to better purpose?"

"You mean in original composition?" said I, greatly flattered--"But, tosay truth, my genius rather lies in finding words and rhymes than ideas;and therefore I am happy to use those which Ariosto has prepared to myhand. However, Miss Vernon, with the encouragement you give"--

"Pardon me, Frank--it is encouragement not of my giving, but of yourtaking. I meant neither original composition nor translation, since Ithink you might employ your time to far better purpose than in either. You are mortified, " she continued, "and I am sorry to be the cause. "

"Not mortified, --certainly not mortified, " said I, with the best grace Icould muster, and it was but indifferently assumed; "I am too muchobliged by the interest you take in me. "

"Nay, but, " resumed the relentless Diana, "there is both mortificationand a little grain of anger in that constrained tone of voice; do not beangry if I probe your feelings to the bottom--perhaps what I am about tosay will affect them still more. "

I felt the childishness of my own conduct, and the superior manliness ofMiss Vernon's, and assured her, that she need not fear my wincing undercriticism which I knew to be kindly meant. 

"That was honestly meant and said, " she replied; "I knew full well thatthe fiend of poetical irritability flew away with the little preludingcough which ushered in the declaration. And now I must be serious--Haveyou heard from your father lately?"

"Not a word, " I replied; "he has not honoured me with a single lineduring the several months of my residence here. "

"That is strange!--you are a singular race, you bold Osbaldistones. Thenyou are not aware that he has gone to Holland, to arrange some pressingaffairs which required his own immediate presence?"

"I never heard a word of it until this moment. "

"And farther, it must be news to you, and I presume scarcely the mostagreeable, that he has left Rashleigh in the almost uncontrolledmanagement of his affairs until his return. "

I started, and could not suppress my surprise and apprehension. 

"You have reason for alarm, " said Miss Vernon, very gravely; "and were Iyou, I would endeavour to meet and obviate the dangers which arise fromso undesirable an arrangement. "

"And how is it possible for me to do so?"

"Everything is possible for him who possesses courage and activity, " shesaid, with a look resembling one of those heroines of the age ofchivalry, whose encouragement was wont to give champions double valour atthe hour of need; "and to the timid and hesitating, everything isimpossible, because it seems so. "

"And what would you advise, Miss Vernon?" I replied, wishing, yetdreading, to hear her answer. 

She paused a moment, then answered firmly--"That you instantly leaveOsbaldistone Hall, and return to London. You have perhaps already, " shecontinued, in a softer tone, "been here too long; that fault was notyours. Every succeeding moment you waste here will be a crime. Yes, acrime: for I tell you plainly, that if Rashleigh long manages yourfather's affairs, you may consider his ruin as consummated. "

"How is this possible?"

"Ask no questions, " she said; "but believe me, Rashleigh's views extendfar beyond the possession or increase of commercial wealth: he will onlymake the command of Mr. Osbaldistone's revenues and property the means ofputting in motion his own ambitious and extensive schemes. While yourfather was in Britain this was impossible; during his absence, Rashleighwill possess many opportunities, and he will not neglect to use them. "

"But how can I, in disgrace with my father, and divested of all controlover his affairs, prevent this danger by my mere presence in London?"

"That presence alone will do much. Your claim to interfere is a part ofyour birthright, and it is inalienable. You will have the countenance, doubtless, of your father's head-clerk, and confidential friends andpartners. Above all, Rashleigh's schemes are of a nature that"--(shestopped abruptly, as if fearful of saying too much)--"are, in short, " sheresumed, "of the nature of all selfish and unconscientious plans, whichare speedily abandoned as soon as those who frame them perceive theirarts are discovered and watched. Therefore, in the language of yourfavourite poet--

 To horse! to horse! Urge doubts to those that fear. "

A feeling, irresistible in its impulse, induced me to reply--"Ah! Diana, can _you_ give me advice to leave Osbaldistone Hall?--then indeed I havealready been a resident here too long!"

Miss Vernon coloured, but proceeded with great firmness--"Indeed, I dogive you this advice--not only to quit Osbaldistone Hall, but never toreturn to it more. You have only one friend to regret here, " shecontinued, forcing a smile, "and she has been long accustomed tosacrifice her friendships and her comforts to the welfare of others. In the world you will meet a hundred whose friendship will beas disinterested--more useful--less encumbered by untowardcircumstances--less influenced by evil tongues and evil times. "

"Never!" I exclaimed, "never!--the world can afford me nothing to repaywhat I must leave behind me. " Here I took her hand, and pressed it to mylips. 

"This is folly!" she exclaimed--"this is madness!" and she struggled towithdraw her hand from my grasp, but not so stubbornly as actually tosucceed until I had held it for nearly a minute. "Hear me, sir!" shesaid, "and curb this unmanly burst of passion. I am, by a solemncontract, the bride of Heaven, unless I could prefer being wedded tovillany in the person of Rashleigh Osbaldistone, or brutality in that ofhis brother. I am, therefore, the bride of Heaven, --betrothed to theconvent from the cradle. To me, therefore, these raptures aremisapplied--they only serve to prove a farther necessity for yourdeparture, and that without delay. " At these words she broke suddenlyoff, and said, but in a suppressed tone of voice, "Leave meinstantly--we will meet here again, but it must be for the last time. "

My eyes followed the direction of hers as she spoke, and I thought I sawthe tapestry shake, which covered the door of the secret passage fromRashleigh's room to the library. I conceived we were observed, and turnedan inquiring glance on Miss Vernon. 

"It is nothing, " said she, faintly; "a rat behind the arras. "

"Dead for a ducat, " would have been my reply, had I dared to give way tothe feelings which rose indignant at the idea of being subjected to aneaves-dropper on such an occasion. Prudence, and the necessity ofsuppressing my passion, and obeying Diana's reiterated command of "Leaveme! leave me!" came in time to prevent my rash action. I left theapartment in a wild whirl and giddiness of mind, which I in vainattempted to compose when I returned to my own. 

A chaos of thoughts intruded themselves on me at once, passing hastilythrough my brain, intercepting and overshadowing each other, andresembling those fogs which in mountainous countries are wont to descendin obscure volumes, and disfigure or obliterate the usual marks by whichthe traveller steers his course through the wilds. The dark and undefinedidea of danger arising to my father from the machinations of such a manas Rashleigh Osbaldistone--the half declaration of love that I hadoffered to Miss Vernon's acceptance--the acknowledged difficulties of hersituation, bound by a previous contract to sacrifice herself to acloister or to an ill-assorted marriage, --all pressed themselves at onceupon my recollection, while my judgment was unable deliberately toconsider any of them in their just light and bearings. But chiefly andabove all the rest, I was perplexed by the manner in which Miss Vernonhad received my tender of affection, and by her manner, which, fluctuating betwixt sympathy and firmness, seemed to intimate that Ipossessed an interest in her bosom, but not of force sufficient tocounterbalance the obstacles to her avowing a mutual affection. Theglance of fear, rather than surprise, with which she had watched themotion of the tapestry over the concealed door, implied an apprehensionof danger which I could not but suppose well grounded; for Diana Vernonwas little subject to the nervous emotions of her sex, and totally unaptto fear without actual and rational cause. Of what nature could thosemysteries be, with which she was surrounded as with an enchanter's spell, and which seemed continually to exert an active influence over herthoughts and actions, though their agents were never visible? On thissubject of doubt my mind finally rested, as if glad to shake itself freefrom investigating the propriety or prudence of my own conduct, bytransferring the inquiry to what concerned Miss Vernon. I will beresolved, I concluded, ere I leave Osbaldistone Hall, concerning thelight in which I must in future regard this fascinating being, over whoselife frankness and mystery seem to have divided their reign, --the formerinspiring her words and sentiments--the latter spreading in mistyinfluence over all her actions. 

Joined to the obvious interests which arose from curiosity and anxiouspassion, there mingled in my feelings a strong, though unavowed andundefined, infusion of jealousy. This sentiment, which springs up withlove as naturally as the tares with the wheat, was excited by the degreeof influence which Diana appeared to concede to those unseen beings bywhom her actions were limited. The more I reflected upon her character, the more I was internally though unwillingly convinced, that she wasformed to set at defiance all control, excepting that which arose fromaffection; and I felt a strong, bitter, and gnawing suspicion, that suchwas the foundation of that influence by which she was overawed. 

These tormenting doubts strengthened my desire to penetrate into thesecret of Miss Vernon's conduct, and in the prosecution of this sageadventure, I formed a resolution, of which, if you are not weary of thesedetails, you will find the result in the next chapter. 

CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH. 

 I hear a voice you cannot hear, Which says, I must not stay; I see a hand you cannot see, Which beckons me awry. Tickell. 

I have already told you, Tresham, if you deign to bear it in remembrance, that my evening visits to the library had seldom been made except byappointment, and under the sanction of old Dame Martha's presence. This, however, was entirely a tacit conventional arrangement of my owninstituting. Of late, as the embarrassments of our relative situation hadincreased, Miss Vernon and I had never met in the evening at all. She hadtherefore no reason to suppose that I was likely to seek a renewal ofthese interviews, and especially without some previous notice orappointment betwixt us, that Martha might, as usual, be placed upon duty;but, on the other hand, this cautionary provision was a matter ofunderstanding, not of express enactment. The library was open to me, asto the other members of the family, at all hours of the day and night, and I could not be accused of intrusion, however suddenly andunexpectedly I might made my appearance in it. My belief was strong, thatin this apartment Miss Vernon occasionally received Vaughan, or someother person, by whose opinion she was accustomed to regulate herconduct, and that at the times when she could do so with least chance ofinterruption. The lights which gleamed in the library at unusualhours--the passing shadows which I had myself remarked--the footstepswhich might be traced in the morning-dew from the turret-door to thepostern-gate in the garden--sounds and sights which some of the servants, and Andrew Fairservice in particular, had observed, and accounted for intheir own way, --all tended to show that the place was visited by some onedifferent from the ordinary inmates of the hall. Connected as thisvisitant probably must be with the fates of Diana Vernon, I did nothesitate to form a plan of discovering who or what he was, --how far hisinfluence was likely to produce good or evil consequences to her on whomhe acted;--above all, though I endeavoured to persuade myself that thiswas a mere subordinate consideration, I desired to know by what meansthis person had acquired or maintained his influence over Diana, andwhether he ruled over her by fear or by affection. The proof that thisjealous curiosity was uppermost in my mind, arose from my imaginationalways ascribing Miss Vernon's conduct to the influence of some oneindividual agent, although, for aught I knew about the matter, heradvisers might be as numerous am Legion. I remarked this over and over tomyself; but I found that my mind still settled back in my originalconviction, that one single individual, of the masculine sex, and in allprobability young and handsome, was at the bottom of Miss Vernon'sconduct; and it was with a burning desire of discovering, or rather ofdetecting, such a rival, that I stationed myself in the garden to watchthe moment when the lights should appear in the library windows. 

So eager, however, was my impatience, that I commenced my watch for aphenomenon, which could not appear until darkness, a full hour before thedaylight disappeared, on a July evening. It was Sabbath, and all thewalks were still and solitary. I walked up and down for some time, enjoying the refreshing coolness of a summer evening, and meditating onthe probable consequences of my enterprise. The fresh and balmy air ofthe garden, impregnated with fragrance, produced its usual sedativeeffects on my over-heated and feverish blood. As these took place, theturmoil of my mind began proportionally to abate, and I was led toquestion the right I had to interfere with Miss Vernon's secrets, or withthose of my uncle's family. What was it to me whom my uncle might chooseto conceal in his house, where I was myself a guest only by tolerance?And what title had I to pry into the affairs of Miss Vernon, fraught, asshe had avowed them to be, with mystery, into which she desired noscrutiny?

Passion and self-will were ready with their answers to these questions. In detecting this secret, I was in all probability about to do service toSir Hildebrand, who was probably ignorant of the intrigues carried on inhis family--and a still more important service to Miss Vernon, whosefrank simplicity of character exposed her to so many risks in maintaininga private correspondence, perhaps with a person of doubtful or dangerouscharacter. If I seemed to intrude myself on her confidence, it was withthe generous and disinterested (yes, I even ventured to call it the_disinterested_) intention of guiding, defending, and protecting heragainst craft--against malice, --above all, against the secret counsellorwhom she had chosen for her confidant. Such were the arguments which mywill boldly preferred to my conscience, as coin which ought to becurrent, and which conscience, like a grumbling shopkeeper, was contentedto accept, rather than come to an open breach with a customer, thoughmore than doubting that the tender was spurious. 

While I paced the green alleys, debating these things _pro_ and _con, _ Isuddenly alighted upon Andrew Fairservice, perched up like a statue by arange of bee-hives, in an attitude of devout contemplation--one eye, however, watching the motions of the little irritable citizens, who weresettling in their straw-thatched mansion for the evening, and the otherfixed on a book of devotion, which much attrition had deprived of itscorners, and worn into an oval shape; a circumstance which, with theclose print and dingy colour of the volume in question, gave it an air ofmost respectable antiquity. 

"I was e'en taking a spell o' worthy Mess John Quackleben's Flower of aSweet Savour sawn on the Middenstead of this World, " said Andrew, closinghis book at my appearance, and putting his horn spectacles, by way ofmark, at the place where he had been reading. 

"And the bees, I observe, were dividing your attention, Andrew, with thelearned author?"

"They are a contumacious generation, " replied the gardener; "they hae saxdays in the week to hive on, and yet it's a common observe that they willaye swarm on the Sabbath-day, and keep folk at hame frae hearing theword--But there's nae preaching at Graneagain chapel the e'en--that's ayeae mercy. "

"You might have gone to the parish church as I did, Andrew, and heard anexcellent discourse. "

"Clauts o' cauld parritch--clauts o' cauld parritch, " replied Andrew, with a most supercilious sneer, --"gude aneueh for dogs, begging yourhonour's pardon--Ay! I might nae doubt hae heard the curate linking awaat it in his white sark yonder, and the musicians playing on whistles, mair like a penny-wedding than a sermon--and to the boot of that, I mighthae gaen to even-song, and heard Daddie Docharty mumbling hismass--muckle the better I wad hae been o' that!"

"Docharty!" said I (this was the name of an old priest, an Irishman, Ithink, who sometimes officiated at Osbaldistone Hall)--"I thought FatherVaughan had been at the Hall. He was here yesterday. "

"Ay, " replied Andrew; "but he left it yestreen, to gang to Greystock, orsome o' thae west-country haulds. There's an unco stir among them a'e'enow. They are as busy as my bees are--God sain them! that I suld eventhe puir things to the like o' papists. Ye see this is the second swarm, and whiles they will swarm off in the afternoon. The first swarm set offsune in the morning. --But I am thinking they are settled in their skepsfor the night; sae I wuss your honour good-night, and grace, and muckleo't. "

So saying, Andrew retreated, but often cast a parting glance upon the_skeps, _ as he called the bee-hives. 

I had indirectly gained from him an important piece of information, thatFather Vaughan, namely, was not supposed to be at the Hall. If, therefore, there appeared light in the windows of the library thisevening, it either could not be his, or he was observing a very secretand suspicious line of conduct. I waited with impatience the time ofsunset and of twilight. It had hardly arrived, ere a gleam from thewindows of the library was seen, dimly distinguishable amidst the stillenduring light of the evening. I marked its first glimpse, however, asspeedily as the benighted sailor descries the first distant twinkle ofthe lighthouse which marks his course. The feelings of doubt andpropriety, which had hitherto contended with my curiosity and jealousy, vanished when an opportunity of gratifying the former was presented tome. I re-entered the house, and avoiding the more frequented apartmentswith the consciousness of one who wishes to keep his purpose secret, Ireached the door of the library--hesitated for a moment as my hand wasupon the latch--heard a suppressed step within--opened the door--andfound Miss Vernon alone. 

Diana appeared surprised, --whether at my sudden entrance, or from someother cause, I could not guess; but there was in her appearance a degreeof flutter, which I had never before remarked, and which I knew couldonly be produced by unusual emotion. Yet she was calm in a moment; andsuch is the force of conscience, that I, who studied to surprise her, seemed myself the surprised, and was certainly the embarrassed person. 

"Has anything happened?" said Miss Vernon--"has any one arrived at theHall?"

"No one that I know of, " I answered, in some confusion; "I only soughtthe Orlando. "

"It lies there, " said Miss Vernon, pointing to the table. In removing oneor two books to get at that which I pretended to seek, I was, in truth, meditating to make a handsome retreat from an investigation to which Ifelt my assurance inadequate, when I perceived a man's glove lying uponthe table. My eyes encountered those of Miss Vernon, who blushed deeply. 

"It is one of my relics, " she said with hesitation, replying not to mywords but to my looks; "it is one of the gloves of my grandfather, theoriginal of the superb Vandyke which you admire. "

As if she thought something more than her bare assertion was necessary toprove her statement true, she opened a drawer of the large oaken table, and taking out another glove, threw it towards me. --When a tempernaturally ingenuous stoops to equivocate, or to dissemble, the anxiouspain with which the unwonted task is laboured, often induces the hearerto doubt the authenticity of the tale. I cast a hasty glance on bothgloves, and then replied gravely--"The gloves resemble each other, doubtless, in form and embroidery; but they cannot form a pair, sincethey both belong to the right hand. "

She bit her lip with anger, and again coloured deeply. 

"You do right to expose me, " she replied, with bitterness: "some friendswould have only judged from what I said, that I chose to give noparticular explanation of a circumstance which calls for none--at leastto a stranger. You have judged better, and have made me feel, not onlythe meanness of duplicity, but my own inadequacy to sustain the task of adissembler. I now tell you distinctly, that that glove is not the fellow, as you have acutely discerned, to the one which I just now produced;--itbelongs to a friend yet dearer to me than the original of Vandyke'spicture--a friend by whose counsels I have been, and will be, guided--whom I honour--whom I"--she paused. 

I was irritated at her manner, and filled up the blank in my own way--"Whom she _loves_, Miss Vernon would say. "

"And if I do say so, " she replied haughtily, "by whom shall my affectionbe called to account?"

[Illustration: Die Vernon and Frank in Library--234]

"Not by me, Miss Vernon, assuredly--I entreat you to hold me acquitted ofsuch presumption. --_But, _" I continued, with some emphasis, for I was nowpiqued in return, "I hope Miss Vernon will pardon a friend, from whom sheseems disposed to withdraw the title, for observing"--

"Observe nothing, sir, " she interrupted with some vehemence, except thatI will neither be doubted nor questioned. There does not exist one bywhom I will be either interrogated or judged; and if you sought thisunusual time of presenting yourself in order to spy upon my privacy, thefriendship or interest with which you pretend to regard me, is a poorexcuse for your uncivil curiosity. "

"I relieve you of my presence, " said I, with pride equal to her own; formy temper has ever been a stranger to stooping, even in cases where myfeelings were most deeply interested--"I relieve you of my presence. Iawake from a pleasant, but a most delusive dream; and--but we understandeach other. "

I had reached the door of the apartment, when Miss Vernon, whosemovements were sometimes so rapid as to seem almost instinctive, overtookme, and, catching hold of my arm, stopped me with that air of authoritywhich she could so whimsically assume, and which, from the _naivete_ andsimplicity of her manner, had an effect so peculiarly interesting. 

"Stop, Mr. Frank, " she said, "you are not to leave me in that wayneither; I am not so amply provided with friends, that I can afford tothrow away even the ungrateful and the selfish. Mark what I say, Mr. Francis Osbaldistone. You shall know nothing of this mysterious glove, "and she held it up as she spoke--"nothing--no, not a single iota morethan you know already; and yet I will not permit it to be a gauntlet ofstrife and defiance betwixt us. My time here, " she said, sinking into atone somewhat softer, "must necessarily be very short; yours must bestill shorter: we are soon to part never to meet again; do not let usquarrel, or make any mysterious miseries the pretext for fartherembittering the few hours we shall ever pass together on this side ofeternity. "

I do not know, Tresham, by what witchery this fascinating creatureobtained such complete management over a temper which I cannot at alltimes manage myself. I had determined on entering the library, to seek acomplete explanation with Miss Vernon. I had found that she refused itwith indignant defiance, and avowed to my face the preference of a rival;for what other construction could I put on her declared preference of hermysterious confidant? And yet, while I was on the point of leaving theapartment, and breaking with her for ever, it cost her but a change oflook and tone, from that of real and haughty resentment to that of kindand playful despotism, again shaded off into melancholy and seriousfeeling, to lead me back to my seat, her willing subject, on her own hardterms. 

"What does this avail?" said I, as I sate down. "What can this avail, Miss Vernon? Why should I witness embarrassments which I cannot relieve, and mysteries which I offend you even by attempting to penetrate?Inexperienced as you are in the world, you must still be aware that abeautiful young woman can have but one male friend. Even in a male friendI will be jealous of a confidence shared with a third party unknown andconcealed; but with _you, _ Miss Vernon"--

"You are, of course, jealous, in all the tenses and moods of that amiablepassion? But, my good friend, you have all this time spoke nothing butthe paltry gossip which simpletons repeat from play-books and romances, till they give mere cant a real and powerful influence over their minds. Boys and girls prate themselves into love; and when their love is like tofall asleep, they prate and tease themselves into jealousy. But you andI, Frank, are rational beings, and neither silly nor idle enough to talkourselves into any other relation than that of plain honest disinterestedfriendship. Any other union is as far out of our reach as if I were man, or you woman--To speak truth, " she added, after a moment's hesitation, "even though I am so complaisant to the decorum of my sex as to blush alittle at my own plain dealing, we cannot marry if we would; and we oughtnot if we could. "

And certainly, Tresham, she did blush most angelically, as she made thiscruel declaration. I was about to attack both her positions, entirelyforgetting those very suspicions which had been confirmed in the courseof the evening, but she proceeded with a cold firmness which approachedto severity--"What I say is sober and indisputable truth, on which I willneither hear question nor explanation. We are therefore friends, Mr. Osbaldistone--are we not?" She held out her hand, and taking mine, added--"And nothing to each other now, or henceforward, except asfriends. "

She let go my hand. I sunk it and my head at once, fairly _overcrowed, _as Spenser would have termed it, by the mingled kindness and firmness ofher manner. She hastened to change the subject. 

"Here is a letter, " she said, "directed for you, Mr. Osbaldistone, veryduly and distinctly; but which, notwithstanding the caution of the personwho wrote and addressed it, might perhaps never have reached your hands, had it not fallen into the possession of a certain Pacolet, or enchanteddwarf of mine, whom, like all distressed damsels of romance, I retain inmy secret service. "

I opened the letter and glanced over the contents. The unfolded sheet ofpaper dropped from my hands, with the involuntary exclamation of"Gracious Heaven! my folly and disobedience have ruined my father!"

Miss Vernon rose with looks of real and affectionate alarm--"You growpale--you are ill--shall I bring you a glass of water? Be a man, Mr. Osbaldistone, and a firm one. Is your father--is he no more?"

"He lives, " said I, "thank God! but to what distress and difficulty"--

"If that be all, despair not, May I read this letter?" she said, takingit up. 

I assented, hardly knowing what I said. She read it with great attention. 

"Who is this Mr. Tresham, who signs the letter?"

"My father's partner"--(your own good father, Will)--"but he is little inthe habit of acting personally in the business of the house. "

"He writes here, " said Miss Vernon, "of various letters sent to youpreviously. "

"I have received none of them, " I replied. 

"And it appears, " she continued, "that Rashleigh, who has taken the fullmanagement of affairs during your father's absence in Holland, has sometime since left London for Scotland, with effects and remittances to takeup large bills granted by your father to persons in that country, andthat he has not since been heard of. "

"It is but too true. "

"And here has been, " she added, looking at the letter, "a head-clerk, orsome such person, --Owenson--Owen--despatched to Glasgow, to find outRashleigh, if possible, and you are entreated to repair to the sameplace, and assist him in his researches. "

"It is even so, and I must depart instantly. "

"Stay but one moment, " said Miss Vernon. "It seems to me that the worstwhich can come of this matter, will be the loss of a certain sum ofmoney;--and can that bring tears into your eyes? For shame, Mr. Osbaldistone!"

"You do me injustice, Miss Vernon, " I answered. "I grieve not for theloss of the money, but for the effect which I know it will produce on thespirits and health of my father, to whom mercantile credit is as honour;and who, if declared insolvent, would sink into the grave, oppressed by asense of grief, remorse, and despair, like that of a soldier convicted ofcowardice or a man of honour who had lost his rank and character insociety. All this I might have prevented by a trifling sacrifice of thefoolish pride and indolence which recoiled from sharing the labours ofhis honourable and useful profession. Good Heaven! how shall I redeem theconsequences of my error?"

"By instantly repairing to Glasgow, as you are conjured to do by thefriend who writes this letter. "

"But if Rashleigh, " said I, "has really formed this base andunconscientious scheme of plundering his benefactor, what prospect isthere that I can find means of frustrating a plan so deeply laid?'

"The prospect, " she replied, "indeed, may be uncertain; but, on the otherhand, there is no possibility of your doing any service to your father byremaining here. Remember, had you been on the post destined for you, thisdisaster could not have happened: hasten to that which is now pointedout, and it may possibly be retrieved. --Yet stay--do not leave this roomuntil I return. "

 She left me in confusion and amazement; amid which, however, I couldfind a lucid interval to admire the firmness, composure, and presence ofmind which Miss Vernon seemed to possess on every crisis, however sudden. 

In a few minutes she returned with a sheet of paper in her hand, foldedand sealed like a letter, but without address. "I trust you, " she said, "with this proof of my friendship, because I have the most perfectconfidence in your honour. If I understand the nature of your distressrightly, the funds in Rashleigh's possession must be recovered by acertain day--the 12th of September, I think is named--in order that theymay be applied to pay the bills in question; and, consequently, that ifadequate funds be provided before that period, your father's credit issafe from the apprehended calamity. "

"Certainly--I so understand Mr. Tresham"--I looked at your father'sletter again, and added, "There cannot be a doubt of it. "

"Well, " said Diana, "in that case my little Pacolet may be of use to you. You have heard of a spell contained in a letter. Take this packet; do notopen it until other and ordinary means have failed. If you succeed byyour own exertions, I trust to your honour for destroying it withoutopening or suffering it to be opened;--but if not, you may break the sealwithin ten days of the fated day, and you will find directions which maypossibly be of service to you. Adieu, Frank; we never meet more--butsometimes think of your friend Die Vernon. "

She extended her hand, but I clasped her to my bosom. She sighed as sheextricated herself from the embrace which she permitted--escaped to thedoor which led to her own apartment--and I saw her no more.