--Bring in the evidence--Thou robed man of justice,
take thy place, And thou, his yoke-fellow of equity, Bench
by his side--you are of the commission, Sit you too.
King Lear.
While the carriage was getting ready, Glossin had a letter to
compose, about which. he wasted no small time. It was to his
neighbour, as he was fond of calling him, Sir Robert Hazlewood of
Hazlewood, the head of an ancient and powerful interest in the
county, which had in the decadence of the Ellangowan family
gradually succeeded to much of their Authority and influence. The
present representative of the family was an elderly man, dotingly
fond of his own family, which was limited to an only son and
daughter, and stoically indifferent to the fate of all mankind
besides. For the rest, he was honourable in his general dealings,
because he was afraid to suffer the censure of the world, and just
from a better motive. He was presumptuously over-conceited on the
score of family pride and importance, a feeling considerably
enhanced by his late succession to the title of a Nova Scotia
Baronet; and he hated the memory of the Ellangowan family, though
now a memory only, because a certain baron of that house was
traditionally, reported to have caused the founder of the Hazlewood
family hold his stirrup until he mounted into his saddle. In his
general department he was pompous and important, affecting a
specious of florid elocution, which often became ridiculous from
his misarranging the triads and quaternions with which he loaded
his sentences.
To this personage Glossin was now to write in such a conciliatory
style as might be most acceptable to his vanity and family pride,
and the following was the form of his note.
"Mr. Gilbert Glossin" (he longed to add of Ellangowan, but prudence
prevailed, and he suppressed that territorial designation)--"Mr.
Gilbert Glossin has the honour to offer his most respectful
compliments to Sir Robert Hazlewood, and to inform him, that he has
this morning been fortunate enough to secure the person who wounded
Mr. C. Hazlewood. As Sir Robert Hazlewood may probably choose to
conduct the examination of this criminal himself, Mr. G. Glossin
will cause the mail to be carried to the inn at Kippletringan, or
to Hazlewood House, as Sir Robert Hazlewood may be pleased to
direct : And, with Sir Robert Hazlewood's permission, Mr. G.
Glossin will attend him at either of these places with the proofs
and declarations which he has been so fortunate as to collect
respecting this atrocious business."
Addressed,
"Sir Robert Hazlewood of Hazlewood, Bart. "Hazlewood House, &c.
&c.
"Elln. Gn,
Tuesday."
This note he despatched by a servant on horseback, and having given
the man some time to get ahead, and desired him to ride fast, he
ordered two officers of justice to get into the carriage with
Bertram; and he himself, mounting his horse, accompanied them at a
slow pace to the point where the roads to Kippletringan and
Hazlewood House separated, and there awaited the return of his
messenger, in order that his farther route might be determined by
the answer he should receive from the Baronet. In about half an
hour his servant returned with the following answer, handsomely
folded, and scaled with the Hazlewood arms, having the Nova Scotia
badge depending from the shield.
"Sir Robert Hazlewood of Hazlewood returns Mr. G. Glossin's
compliments, and thanks him for the trouble he has taken in a
matter affecting the safety of Sir Robert's family. Sir R. H.
requests Mr. G. G. will have the goodness to bring the prisoner
to Hazlewood House for examination, with the other proofs or
declarations which he mentions. And after the business is over, in
case Mr. G. G. is not otherwise engaged, Sir R. and Lady
Hazlewood request his company to dinner."
Addressed,
"Mr. Gilbert Glossin, &c.
Hazlewood House,
Tuesday."
"Soh!" thought Mr. Glossin, "here is one finger in at least, and
that I will make the means of introducing my whole hand. But I must
first get clear of this wretched young fellow.--I think I can
manage Sir Robert. He is dull and pompous, and will be alike
disposed to listen to my suggestions upon the law of the case, and
to assume the credit of acting upon them as his own proper motion.
So I shall have the advantage of being the real magistrate, without
the odium of responsibility."
As he cherished these hopes and expectations the carriage
approached Hazlewood House, through a noble avenue of old oaks,
which shrouded the ancient abbey-resembling building so called. It
was a large edifice built at different periods, part having
actually been a priory, upon the suppression of which, in the time
of Queen Mary, the first of the family had obtained a gift of the
house and the surrounding lands from the crown. It was pleasantly
situated in a large deer-park, on the banks of the river we have
before mentioned. The scenery around was of a dark, solemn, and
somewhat melancholy cast, according well with the architecture of
the house. Everything appeared to be kept in the highest possible
order, and announced the opulence and rank of the proprietor.
As Mr. Glossin's carriage stopped at the door of the hall, Sir
Robert reconnoitred the new vehicle from the windows. According to
his aristocratic feelings, there was a degree of presumption in
this novus homo, this Mr. Gilbert Glossin, late writer in--,
presuming to set up such an accommodation at all; but his wrath was
mitigated when he observed that the mantle upon the panels only
bore a plain cypher of G. G. This apparent modesty was indeed
solely owing to the delay of Mr. Cumming of the Lyon Office, who,
being at that time engaged in discovering and matriculating the
arms of two commissaries from North America, three English-Irish
peers, and two great Jamaica traders, had been more slow than usual
in finding an escutcheon for the new Laird of Ellangowan. But his
delay told to the advantage of Glossin in the opinion of the proud
Baronet.
While the officers of justice detained their prisoner in a sort of
steward's room, Mr. Glossin was ushered into what was called the
great oak-parlour, a long room, panelled with well-varnished
wainscot, and adorned with the grim portraits of Sir Robert
Hazlewood's ancestry. The visitor, who had no internal
consciousness of worth to balance that of meanness of birth, felt
his inferiority, and by the depth of his bow and the obsequiousness
of his demeanour, showed that the Laird of Ellangowan was sunk for
the time in the old and submissive habits of the quondam retainer
of the law. He would have persuaded himself, indeed, that he was
only humouring the pride of the old Baronet, for the purpose of
turning it to his own advantage; but his feelings were of a mingled
nature, and he felt the influence of those very prejudices which he
pretended to flatter.
The Baronet received his visitor with that condescending parade
which was meant at once to assert his own vast superiority, and to
show the generosity and courtesy with which he could waive it, and
descend to the level of ordinary conversation with ordinary men. He
thanked Glossin for his attention to a matter in which "young
Hazlewood" was so intimately concerned, and, pointing to his family
pictures, observed, with a gracious smile, "Indeed these venerable
gentlemen, Mr. Glossin, are as much obliged as I am in this case,
for the labour, pains, care, and trouble which you have taken in
their behalf; and I have no doubt, were they capable of expressing
themselves, would join me, sir, in thanking you for the favour you
have conferred upon the house of Hazlewood, by taking care, and
trouble, sir, and interest, in behalf of the young, gentleman who
is to continue their name and family."
Thrice bowed Glossin, and each time more profoundly than before;
once in honour of the knight who stood upright before him, once in
respect to the quiet personages who patiently hung upon the
wainscot, and a third time in deference to the young gentleman who
was to carry on the name and family. Roturier as he was, Sir
Robert was gratified by the homage which he rendered, and proceeded
in a tone of gracious familiarity: "And now, Mr Glossin, my
exceeding good friend, you must allow me to avail myself of your
knowledge of law in our proceedings in this matter. I am not much
in the habit of acting as a justice of the peace; it suits better
with other gentlemen, whose domestic and family affairs require
less constant superintendence, attention, and management than
mine."
Of course, whatever small assistance Mr. Glossin could render was
entirely at Sir Robert Hazlewood's service; but, as Sir Robert
Hazlewood's name stood high in the list of the faculty, the said
Mr. Glossin could not presume to hope it could be either necessary
or useful.
"Why, my good sir, you will understand me only to mean, that I am
something deficient in the practical knowledge of the ordinary
details of justice-business. I was indeed educated to the bar, and
might boast perhaps at one time, that I had made some progress in
the speculative, and abstract, and abstruse doctrines of our
municipal code; but there is in the present day so little
opportunity of a man of family and fortune rising to that eminence
at the bar, which is attained by adventurers who are as willing to
plead for John a Nokes as for the first noble of the land, that I
was really early disgusted with practice. The first case, indeed,
which was laid on my table, quite sickened me; it respected a
bargain, sir, of tallow, between a butcher and. a candle-maker; and
I found it was expected that I should grease my mouth, not only
with their vulgar names, but with all the technical terms and
phrases, and peculiar language, of their dirty arts. Upon my
honour, my good sir, I have never been able to bear the smell of a
tallow-candle since."
Pitying, as seemed to be expected, the mean use to which the
Baronet's faculties had been degraded on the melancholy occasion,
Mr, Glossin offered to officiate as clerk or assessor, or in any
way in which he could be most useful. "And with a view to
possessing you of the whole business, and in the first place, there
will, I believe, be no difficulty in proving the main fact, that
this was the person who fired the unhappy piece. Should he deny
it, it can be proved by Mr. Hazlewood, I presume."
"Young Hazlewood is not at home to-day, Mr. Glossin."
"But we can have the oath of the servant who attended him," said
the ready Mr. Glossin; "indeed I hardly think the fact will be
disputed. I am more apprehensive, that, from the too favourable
and indulgent manner in which I have understood that Mr. Hazlewood
has been pleased to represent the business, the assault may be
considered as accidental, and the injury as unintentional, so that
the fellow may be immediately set at liberty, to do more mischief."
"I have not the honour to know the gentleman who now holds the
office of king's advocate," replied Sir Robert gravely; "but I
presume, sir--nay, I am confident, that he will consider the mere
fact of having wounded young Hazlewood of Hazlewood, even by
inadvertency, to take the matter in its mildest and gentlest, and
in its most favourable and improbable light, as a crime which will
be too easily atoned by imprisonment, and as more deserving of
deportation."
"Indeed, Sir Robert," said his assenting brother in justice, "I am
entirely of your opinion; but, I don't know how it is, I have
observed the Edinburgh gentlemen of the bar, and even the officers
of the crown, pique themselves upon an indifferent administration
of justice, without respect to rank and family; and I should
fear--"
"How, sir, without respect to rank and family? Will you tell me
that doctrine can be held by men of birth and legal education? No,
sir; if a trifle stolen in the street is termed mere pickery, but
is elevated into sacrilege if the crime be committed in a church,
so, according to the just gradations of society, the guilt of an
injury is enhanced by the rank of the person to whom it is offered,
done, or perpetrated, sir."
Glossin bowed low to this declaration ex cathedra, but observed,
that in case of the very worst, and of such unnatural doctrines
being actually held as he had already hinted, "the law had another
hold on Mr. Vanbeest Brown."
"Vanbeest Brown! is that the fellow's name? Good God! that young
Hazlewood of Hazlewood should have had his life endangered, the
clavicle of his right shoulder considerably lacerated and
dislodged, several large drops or slugs deposited in the acromion
process, as the account of the family surgeon expressly bears, and
all by an obscure wretch named Vanbeest Brown!"
"Why, really, Sir Robert, it is a thing which one can hardly bear
to think of; but, begging ten thousand pardons for resuming what I
was about to say, a person of the same name is, as appears from
these papers (producing Dirk Hatteraick's pocket-book), mate to the
smuggling vessel who offered such violence at Woodbourne, and I
have no doubt that this is the same individual; which, however,
your acute discrimination will easily be able to ascertain."
"The same, my good sir, he must assuredly be--it would be injustice
even to the meanest of the people, to suppose there could be found
among them two persons doomed to bear a name so shocking to one's
ears as this of Vanbeest Brown."
"True, Sir Robert; most unquestionably; there cannot be a shadow of
doubt of it. But you see further, that this circumstance accounts
for the man's desperate conduct. You, Sir Robert, will discover
the motive for his crime--you, I say, will discover it without
difficulty, on your giving your mind to the examination; for my
part, I cannot help suspecting the moving spring to have been
revenge for the gallantry with which Mr. Hazlewood, with all the
spirit of his renowned forefathers, defended the house at
Woodbourne against this villain and his lawless companions."
"I will inquire into it, my good sir," said the learned Baronet.
"Yet even now I venture to conjecture that I shall adopt the
solution or explanation of this riddle, enigma, or mystery, which
you have in some degree thus started. Yes! revenge it must
be--and, good Heaven! entertained by and against
whom?--entertained, fostered, cherished, against young Hazlewood of
Hazlewood, and in part carried into effect, executed, and
implemented, by the hand of Vanbeest Brown! These are dreadful days
indeed, my worthy neighbour (this epithet indicated a rapid advance
in the Baronet's good graces)--days when the bulwarks of society
are shaken to their mighty base, and that rank, which forms, as it
were, its highest grace and ornament, is mingled and confused with
the viler parts of the architecture. Oh, my good Mr. Gilbert
Glossin, in my time, sir, the use of swords and pistols, and such
honourable arms, were reserved by the nobility and gentry to
themselves, and the disputes of the vulgar were decided by the
weapons which nature had given them, or by cudgels cut, broken, or
hemmed out of the next wood. But now, sir, the clouted [*Patched ]
shoe of the peasant galls the kibe of the courtier. The lower
ranks have their quarrels, sir, and their points of honour, and
their revenges, which they must bring, forsooth, to fatal
arbitrament. But well, well! it will last my time--let us have in
this fellow, this Vanbeest Brown, and make an end of him at least
for the present."