lay morals-第53章
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When it came the length of Bothwell Brig; he stood his trial before the Secret Council; and was convicted of talking with some insurgents by the wayside; the subject of the conversation not very clearly appearing; and of the reset and maintenance of one Gale; a gardener man; who was seen before Bothwell with a musket; and afterwards; for a continuance of months; delved the garden at Montroymont。 Matters went very ill with Ninian at the Council; some of the lords were clear for treason; and even the boot was talked of。 But he was spared that torture; and at last; having pretty good friendship among great men; he came off with a fine of seven thousand marks; that caused the estate to groan。 In this case; as in so many others; it was the wife that made the trouble。 She was a great keeper of conventicles; would ride ten miles to one; and when she was fined; rejoiced greatly to suffer for the Kirk; but it was rather her husband that suffered。 She had their only son; Francis; baptized privately by the hands of Mr。 Kidd; there was that much the more to pay for! She could neither be driven nor wiled into the parish kirk; as for taking the sacrament at the hands of any Episcopalian curate; and tenfold more at those of Curate Haddo; there was nothing further from her purposes; and Montroymont had to put his hand in his pocket month by month and year by year。 Once; indeed; the little lady was cast in prison; and the laird; worthy; heavy; uninterested man; had to ride up and take her place; from which he was not discharged under nine months and a sharp fine。 It scarce seemed she had any gratitude to him; she came out of gaol herself; and plunged immediately deeper in conventicles; resetting recusants; and all her old; expensive folly; only with greater vigour and openness; because Montroymont was safe in the Tolbooth and she had no witness to consider。 When he was liberated and came back; with his fingers singed; in December 1680; and late in the black night; my lady was from home。 He came into the house at his alighting; with a riding…rod yet in his hand; and; on the servant…maid telling him; caught her by the scruff of the neck; beat her violently; flung her down in the passageway; and went upstairs to his bed fasting and without a light。 It was three in the morning when my lady returned from that conventicle; and; hearing of the assault (because the maid had sat up for her; weeping); went to their common chamber with a lantern in hand and stamping with her shoes so as to wake the dead; it was supposed; by those that heard her; from a design to have it out with the good man at once。 The house…servants gathered on the stair; because it was a main interest with them to know which of these two was the better horse; and for the space of two hours they were heard to go at the matter; hammer and tongs。 Montroymont alleged he was at the end of possibilities; it was no longer within his power to pay the annual rents; she had served him basely by keeping conventicles while he lay in prison for her sake; his friends were weary; and there was nothing else before him but the entire loss of the family lands; and to begin life again by the wayside as a common beggar。 She took him up very sharp and high: called upon him; if he were a Christian? and which he most considered; the loss of a few dirty; miry glebes; or of his soul? Presently he was heard to weep; and my lady's voice to go on continually like a running burn; only the words indistinguishable; whereupon it was supposed a victory for her ladyship; and the domestics took themselves to bed。 The next day Traquair appeared like a man who had gone under the harrows; and his lady wife thenceforward continued in her old course without the least deflection。
Thenceforward Ninian went on his way without complaint; and suffered his wife to go on hers without remonstrance。 He still minded his estate; of which it might be said he took daily a fresh farewell; and counted it already lost; looking ruefully on the acres and the graves of his fathers; on the moorlands where the wild…fowl consorted; the low; gurgling pool of the trout; and the high; windy place of the calling curlews … things that were yet his for the day and would be another's to…morrow; coming back again; and sitting ciphering till the dusk at his approaching ruin; which no device of arithmetic could postpone beyond a year or two。 He was essentially the simple ancient man; the farmer and landholder; he would have been content to watch the seasons come and go; and his cattle increase; until the limit of age; he would have been content at any time to die; if he could have left the estates undiminished to an heir…male of his ancestors; that duty standing first in his instinctive calendar。 And now he saw everywhere the image of the new proprietor come to meet him; and go sowing and reaping; or fowling for his pleasure on the red moors; or eating the very gooseberries in the Place garden; and saw always; on the other hand; the figure of Francis go forth; a beggar; into the broad world。
It was in vain the poor gentleman sought to moderate; took every test and took advantage of every indulgence; went and drank with the dragoons in Balweary; attended the communion and came regularly to the church to Curate Haddo; with his son beside him。 The mad; raging; Presbyterian zealot of a wife at home made all of no avail; and indeed the house must have fallen years before if it had not been for the secret indulgence of the curate; who had a great sympathy with the laird; and winked hard at the doings in Montroymont。 This curate was a man very ill reputed in the countryside; and indeed in all Scotland。 'Infamous Haddo' is Shield's expression。 But Patrick Walker is more copious。 'Curate Hall Haddo;' says he; SUB VOCE Peden; 'or HELL Haddo; as he was more justly to be called; a pokeful of old condemned errors and the filthy vile lusts of the flesh; a published whore…monger; a common gross drunkard; continually and godlessly scraping and skirling on a fiddle; continually breathing flames against the remnant of Israel。 But the Lord put an end to his piping; and all these offences were composed into one bloody grave。' No doubt this was written to excuse his slaughter; and I have never heard it claimed for Walker that he was either a just witness or an indulgent judge。 At least; in a merely human character; Haddo comes off not wholly amiss in the matter of these Traquairs: not that he showed any graces of the Christian; but had a sort of Pagan decency; which might almost tempt one to be concerned about his sudden; violent; and unprepared fate。
HEATHERCAT CHAPTER II … FRANCIE
FRANCIE was eleven years old; shy; secret; and rather childish of his age; though not backward in schooling; which had been pushed on far by a private governor; one M'Brair; a forfeited minister harboured in that capacity at Montroymont。 The boy; already much employed in secret by his mother; was the most apt hand conceivable to run upon a message; to carry food to lurking fugitives; or to stand sentry on the skyline above a conventicle。 It seemed no place on the moorlands was so naked but what he would find cover there; and as he knew every hag; boulder; and heather…bush in a circuit of seven miles about Montroymont; there was scarce any spot but what he could leave or approach it unseen。 This dexterity had won him a reputation in that part of the country; and among the many children employed in these dangerous affairs; he passed under the by…name of Heathercat。
How much his father knew of this employment might be doubted。 He took much forethought for the boy's future; seeing he was like to be left so poorly; and would sometimes assist at his lessons; sighing heavily; yawning deep; and now and again patting Francie on the shoulder if he seemed to be doing ill; by way of a private; kind encouragement。 But a great part of the day was passed in aimless wanderings with his eyes sealed; or in his cabinet sitting bemused over the particulars of the coming bankruptcy; and the boy would be absent a dozen times for once tha