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第55章

lay morals-第55章

小说: lay morals 字数: 每页4000字

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'I'm very sorry; ma'am;' said Francie。  'I humbly beg the  Lord's pardon; and yours; for my wickedness。'

'H'm;' grunted the lady。  'Did ye see nobody else?'

'No; ma'am;' said Francie; with the face of an angel; 'except  Jock Crozer; that gied me the billet。'

'Jock Crozer!' cried the lady。  'I'll Crozer them!  Crozers  indeed!  What next?  Are we to repose the lives of a  suffering remnant in Crozers?  The whole clan of them wants  hanging; and if I had my way of it; they wouldna want it  long。  Are you aware; sir; that these Crozers killed your  forebear at the kirk…door?'

'You see; he was bigger 'n me;' said Francie。

'Jock Crozer!' continued the lady。  'That'll be Clement's  son; the biggest thief and reiver in the country…side。  To  trust a note to him!  But I'll give the benefit of my  opinions to Lady Whitecross when we two forgather。  Let her  look to herself!  I have no patience with half…hearted  carlines; that complies on the Lord's day morning with the  kirk; and comes taigling the same night to the conventicle。   The one or the other! is what I say: hell or heaven …  Haddie's abominations or the pure word of God dreeping from  the lips of Mr。 Arnot;


'〃Like honey from the honeycomb That dreepeth; sweeter far。〃'


My lady was now fairly launched; and that upon two congenial  subjects: the deficiencies of the Lady Whitecross and the  turpitudes of the whole Crozer race … which; indeed; had  never been conspicuous for respectability。  She pursued the  pair of them for twenty minutes on the clock with wonderful  animation and detail; something of the pulpit manner; and the  spirit of one possessed。  'O hellish compliance!' she  exclaimed。  'I would not suffer a complier to break bread  with Christian folk。  Of all the sins of this day there is  not one so God…defying; so Christ…humiliating; as damnable  compliance': the boy standing before her meanwhile; and  brokenly pursuing other thoughts; mainly of Haddo and Janet;  and Jock Crozer stripping off his jacket。  And yet; with all  his distraction; it might be argued that he heard too much:  his father and himself being 'compliers' … that is to say;  attending the church of the parish as the law required。

Presently; the lady's passion beginning to decline; or her  flux of ill words to be exhausted; she dismissed her  audience。  Francie bowed low; left the room; closed the door  behind him: and then turned him about in the passage…way; and  with a low voice; but a prodigious deal of sentiment;  repeated the name of the evil one twenty times over; to the  end of which; for the greater efficacy; he tacked on  'damnable' and 'hellish。'  FAS EST AB HOSTE DOCERI …  disrespect is made more pungent by quotation; and there is no  doubt but he felt relieved; and went upstairs into his  tutor's chamber with a quiet mind。  M'Brair sat by the cheek  of the peat…fire and shivered; for he had a quartan ague and  this was his day。  The great night…cap and plaid; the dark  unshaven cheeks of the man; and the white; thin hands that  held the plaid about his chittering body; made a sorrowful  picture。  But Francie knew and loved him; came straight in;  nestled close to the refugee; and told his story。  M'Brair  had been at the College with Haddo; the Presbytery had  licensed both on the same day; and at this tale; told with so  much innocency by the boy; the heart of the tutor was  commoved。

'Woe upon him!  Woe upon that man!' he cried。  'O the  unfaithful shepherd!  O the hireling and apostate minister!   Make my matters hot for me? quo' she! the shameless limmer!   And true it is; that he could repose me in that nasty;  stinking hole; the Canongate Tolbooth; from which your mother  drew me out … the Lord reward her for it! … or to that cold;  unbieldy; marine place of the Bass Rock; which; with my  delicate kist; would be fair ruin to me。  But I will be  valiant in my Master's service。  I have a duty here: a duty  to my God; to myself; and to Haddo: in His strength; I will  perform it。'

Then he straitly discharged Francie to repeat the tale; and  bade him in the future to avert his very eyes from the doings  of the curate。  'You must go to his place of idolatry; look  upon him there!' says he; 'but nowhere else。  Avert your  eyes; close your ears; pass him by like a three days' corp。   He is like that damnable monster Basiliscus; which defiles …  yea; poisons! … by the sight。' … All which was hardly  claratory to the boy's mind。

Presently Montroymont came home; and called up the stairs to  Francie。  Traquair was a good shot and swordsman: and it was  his pleasure to walk with his son over the braes of the  moorfowl; or to teach him arms in the back court; when they  made a mighty comely pair; the child being so lean; and  light; and active; and the laird himself a man of a manly;  pretty stature; his hair (the periwig being laid aside)  showing already white with many anxieties; and his face of an  even; flaccid red。  But this day Francie's heart was not in  the fencing。

'Sir;' says he; suddenly lowering his point; 'will ye tell me  a thing if I was to ask it?'

'Ask away;' says the father。

'Well; it's this;' said Francie: 'Why do you and me comply if  it's so wicked?'

'Ay; ye have the cant of it too!' cries Montroymont。  'But  I'll tell ye for all that。  It's to try and see if we can  keep the rigging on this house; Francie。  If she had her way;  we would be beggar…folk; and hold our hands out by the  wayside。  When ye hear her … when ye hear folk;' he corrected  himself briskly; 'call me a coward; and one that betrayed the  Lord; and I kenna what else; just mind it was to keep a bed  to ye to sleep in and a bite for ye to eat。 … On guard!' he  cried; and the lesson proceeded again till they were called  to supper。

'There's another thing yet;' said Francie; stopping his  father。  'There's another thing that I am not sure that I am  very caring for。  She … she sends me errands。'

'Obey her; then; as is your bounden duty;' said Traquair。

'Ay; but wait till I tell ye;' says the boy。  'If I was to  see you I was to hide。'

Montroymont sighed。  'Well; and that's good of her too;' said  he。  'The less that I ken of thir doings the better for me;  and the best thing you can do is just to obey her; and see  and be a good son to her; the same as ye are to me; Francie。'

At the tenderness of this expression the heart of Francie  swelled within his bosom; and his remorse was poured out。   'Faither!' he cried; 'I said 〃deil〃 to…day; many's the time I  said it; and DAMNABLE too; and HELLITSH。  I ken they're all  right; they're beeblical。  But I didna say them beeblically;  I said them for sweir words … that's the truth of it。'

'Hout; ye silly bairn!' said the father; 'dinna do it nae  mair; and come in by to your supper。'  And he took the boy;  and drew him close to him a moment; as they went through the  door; with something very fond and secret; like a caress  between a pair of lovers。

The next day M'Brair was abroad in the afternoon; and had a  long advising with Janet on the braes where she herded  cattle。  What passed was never wholly known; but the lass  wept bitterly; and fell on her knees to him among the whins。   The same night; as soon as it was dark; he took the road  again for Balweary。  In the Kirkton; where the dragoons  quartered; he saw many lights; and heard the noise of a  ranting song and people laughing grossly; which was highly  offensive to his mind。  He gave it the wider berth; keeping  among fields; and came down at last by the water…side; where  the manse stands solitary between the river and the road。  He  tapped at the back door; and the old woman called upon him to  come in; and guided him through the house to the study; as  they still called it; though there was little enough study  there in Haddo's days; and more song…books than theology。

'Here's yin to speak wi' ye; Mr。 Haddie!' cries the old wife。

And M'Brair; opening the door and entering; found the little;  round; red man seated in one chair and his feet upon another。   A clear fire and a tallow dip lighted him barely。  He was  taking tobacco in a pipe; and smiling to himself; and a  brandy…bottle and glass; and his fiddle and bow; were beside  him on the

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