Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer — Complete by Walter Scott (essential books to read .txt) 📖

‘and since you have wanted a father so long, I wish from my heart I could claim the paternity myself. But this affair of young Hazlewood--’

‘Was merely accidental,’ said Bertram. ‘I was travelling in Scotland for pleasure, and, after a week’s residence with my friend Mr. Dinmont, with whom I had the good fortune to form an accidental acquaintance--’

“It was my gude fortune that,” said Dinmont. “Odd, my brains wad hae been knockit out by twa black-guards if it hadna been for his four quarters.”

“Shortly after we parted at the town of----I lost my baggage by thieves, and it was while residing at Kippletringan I accidentally met the young gentleman. As I was approaching to pay my respects to Miss Mannering, whom I had known in India, Mr. Hazlewood, conceiving my appearance none of the most respectable, commanded me rather haughtily to stand back, and so gave occasion to the fray, in which I had the misfortune to be the accidental means of wounding him. And now, sir, that I have answered all your questions--”

“No, no, not quite all,” said Pleydell, winking sagaciously; “there are some interrogatories which I shall delay till to-morrow, for it is time, I believe, to close the sederunt for this night, or rather morning.”

“Well, then, sir,” said the young man, “to vary the phrase, since I have answered all the questions which you have chosen to ask to-night, will you be so good as to tell me who you are that take such interest in my affairs, and whom you take me to be, since my arrival has occasioned such commotion?”

“Why, sir, for myself,” replied the Counsellor, “I am Paulus Pleydell, an advocate at the Scottish bar; and for you, it is not easy to say distinctly who you are at present, but I trust in a short time to hail you by the title of Henry Bertram, Esq., representative of one of the oldest families in Scotland, and heir of Tailzie and provision to the estate of Ellangowan. Ay,” continued he, shutting his eyes and speaking to himself, “we must pass over his father, and serve him heir to his grandfather Lewis, the entailer; the only wise man of his family, that I ever heard of.”

They had now risen to retire to their apartments for the night, when Colonel Mannering walked up to Bertram, as he stood astonished at the Counsellor’s words. “I give you joy,” he said, “of the prospects which fate has opened before you. I was an early friend of your father, and chanced to be in the house of Ellangowan, as unexpectedly as you are now in mine, upon the very night in which you were born. I little knew this circumstance when--but I trust unkindness will be forgotten between us. Believe me, your appearance here as Mr. Brown, alive and well, has relieved me from most painful sensations; and your right to the name of an old friend renders your presence as Mr. Bertram doubly welcome.”

“And my parents?” said Bertram.

“Are both no more; and the family property has been sold, but I trust may be recovered. Whatever is wanted to make your right effectual I shall be most happy to supply.”

“Nay, you may leave all that to me,” said the Counsellor; “‘t is my vocation, Hal; I shall make money of it.”

“I’m sure it’s no for the like o’me,” observed Dinmont, “to speak to you gentlefolks; but if siller would help on the Captain’s plea, and they say nae plea gangs ain weel without it--”

“Except on Saturday night,” said Pleydell.

“Ay, but when your honour wadna take your fee ye wadna hae the cause neither, sae I’ll ne’er fash you on a Saturday at e’en again. But I was saying, there’s some siller in the spleuchan that’s like the Captain’s ain, for we’ve aye counted it such, baith Ailie and me.”

‘No, no, Liddesdale; no occasion, no occasion whatever. Keep thy cash to stock thy farm.’

‘To stock my farm? Mr. Pleydell, your honour kens mony things, but ye dinna ken the farm o’ Charlie’s Hope; it’s sae weel stockit already that we sell maybe sax hundred pounds off it ilka year, flesh and fell the gither; na, na.’

‘Can’t you take another then?’

‘I dinna ken; the Deuke’s no that fond o’ led farms, and he canna bide to put away the auld tenantry; and then I wadna like mysell to gang about whistling [Footnote: See Note 7.] and raising the rent on my neighbours.’

‘What, not upon thy neighbour at Dawston--Devilstone--how d ‘ye call the place?’

‘What, on Jock o’ Dawston? hout na. He’s a camsteary chield, and fasheous about marches, and we’ve had some bits o’ splores thegither; but deil o’meif I wad wrang Jock o’ Dawston neither.’

‘Thou’rt an honest fellow,’ said the Lawyer; ‘get thee to bed. Thou wilt sleep sounder, I warrant thee, than many a man that throws off an embroidered coat and puts on a laced nightcap. Colonel, I see you are busy with our enfant trouve. But Barnes must give me a summons of wakening at seven to-morrow morning, for my servant’s a sleepy-headed fellow; and I daresay my clerk Driver has had Clarence’s fate, and is drowned by this time in a butt of your ale; for Mrs. Allan promised to make him comfortable, and she’ll soon discover what he expects from that engagement. Good-night, Colonel; good-night, Dominie Sampson; good-night, Dinmont the Downright; good-night, last of all, to the new-found representative of the Bertrams, and the Mac-Dingawaies, the Knarths, the Arths, the Godfreys, the Dennises, and the Rolands, and, last and dearest title, heir of tailzie and provision of the lands and barony of Ellangowan, under the settlement of Lewis Bertram, Esq., whose representative you are.’

And so saying, the old gentleman took his candle and left the room; and the company dispersed, after the Dominie had once more hugged and embraced his ‘little Harry Bertram,’ as he continued to call the young soldier of six feet high.

CHAPTER XXII

My imagination Carries no favour in it but Bertram’s; I am undone, there is no living, none, If Bertram be away. --All’s Well that Ends Well.

At the hour which he had appointed the preceding evening the indefatigable lawyer was seated by a good fire and a pair of wax candles, with a velvet cap on his head and a quilted silk nightgown on his person, busy arranging his memoranda of proofs and indications concerning the murder of Frank Kennedy. An express had also been despatched to Mr. Mac-Morlan, requesting his attendance at Woodbourne as soon as possible on business of importance. Dinmont, fatigued with the events of the evening before, and finding the accommodations of Woodbourne much preferable to those of Mac-Guffog, was in no hurry to rise. The impatience of Bertram might have put him earlier in motion, but Colonel Mannering had intimated an intention to visit him in his apartment in the morning, and he did not