As the time of appointment drew near, Elspa Ruet was enabled to call in
her wandering and anxious thoughts, and, strengthened by her duty, the
blessing of the tranquil mind was shed upon her. Her tears were dried
up, and her countenance shone with a serene benignity. When she was an
aged, withered woman, my grandfather has been heard to say that he never
remembered her appearance without marvelling at the special effusion of
holiness and beauty which beamed and brightened upon her in that trying
hour, nor without thinking that he still beheld the glory of its
twilight glowing through the dark and faded clouds of her old age.
They had not sat long when a tapping was heard at the widow's door, and
my grandfather, starting up, retired into a distant corner of the room,
behind a big napery press, and sat down in the obscurity of its shadow.
Elspa remained in her seat beside the table, on which a candle was
burning, and, as it stood behind the door, she could not be seen by any
coming in till they had passed into the middle of the floor.
In little more than the course of a minute, the voice of her sister was
heard, and light footsteps on the timber stair. The door was then
opened, and Marion swirled in with an uncomely bravery. Elspa started
from her seat. The guilty and convicted creature uttered a shriek; but
in the same moment her pious sister clasped her with loving-kindness in
her arms, and bursting into tears, wept bitterly, with sore sobs, for
some time on her bosom, which was wantonly unkerchiefed.
After a short space of time, with confusion of face, and frowns of
mortification, and glances of rage, the abandoned Marion disengaged
herself from her sister's fond and sorrowful embraces, and, retreating
to a chair, sat down, and seemed to muster all the evil passions of the
guilty breast,--fierce anger, sharp hatred, and gnawing contempt; and a
bad boldness of look that betokened a worse spirit than them all.
"It was na to see the like of you I cam' here," said she, with a
scornful toss of her head.
"I ken that, Marion," replied Elspa, mournfully.
"And what business then hae ye to come to snool me?"
Elspa for a little while made no answer to this, but, drying her eyes,
she went to her seat composedly, and then said,--
"'Cause ye're my sister, and brought shame and disgrace on a' your
family. O, Marion, I'm wae to say this! but ye're owre brave in your
sin."
"Do ye think I'll e'er gae back to that havering, daunering cuif o' a
creature, the Crail bailie?"
"He's a man o' mair worth and conduct, Marion," replied her sister,
firmly, "than to put that in your power--even, woman, if ye were
penitent, and besought him for charity."
"Weel, weel, no to clishmaclaver about him. How's a' wi' the bairns?"
"Are ye no frighted, Marion, to speer sic a question, when ye think how
ye left them, and what for ye did sae?"
"Am na I their mither, have na I a right to speer?"
"No," said Elspa; "when ye forgot that ye were their father's wife, they
lost their mother."
"Ye need na be sae snell wi' your taunts," exclaimed Marion, evidently
endeavouring to preserve the arrogance she had assumed; "ye need na be
sae snell; I'm far better off, and happier than e'er I was in James
Kilspinnie's aught."
"That's no possible," said her sister. "It would be an unco thing of
Heaven to let wickedness be happier than honesty."
"But, Marion, dinna deceive yoursel, ye hae nae sure footing on the
steading where ye stan'. The Bishop will nae mair, than your guidman,
thole your loose life to him. If he kent ye were here, I doubt he would
let you bide, and what would become of you then?"
"He's no sic a fool as to be angry that I am wi' my sister."
"That may be," replied Elspa: "I'm thinking, however, if in my place
here he saw but that young man," and she pointed to my grandfather,
whom her sister had not till then observed, "he would have some cause to
consider."
Marion attempted to laugh scornfully, but her heart gurged within her,
and instead of laughter, her voice broke out into wild and horrid yells,
and falling back in her chair, she grew stiff and ghastly to behold, in
so much that both Elspa and my grandfather were terrified, and had to
work with her for some time before they were able to recover her; nor
indeed did she come rightly to herself till she got relief by tears; but
they were tears of rage, and not shed for any remorse on account of her
foul fault. Indeed, no sooner was she come to herself, than she began to
rail at her sister and my grandfather, calling them by all the terms of
scorn that her tongue could vent. At last she said,--
"But nae doubt ye're twa Reformers."
"Ay," replied Elspa, "in a sense we are sae, for we would fain help to
reform you."
But after a long, faithful, and undaunted endeavour on the part of
Elspa, in this manner, to reach the sore of her sinful conscience, she
saw that all her ettling was of no avail, and her heart sank, and she
began to weep, saying, "O, Marion, Marion, ye were my dear sister ance;
but frae this night, if ye leave me to gang again to your sins, I hope
the Lord will erase the love I bear you utterly out of my heart, and
leave me but the remembrance of what ye were when we were twa wee
playing lassies, clapping our young hands, and singing for joy in the
bonny spring mornings that will never, never come again."
The guilty Marion was touched with her sorrow, and for a moment seemed
to relent and melt, replying in a softened accent,--
"But tell me, Eppie, for ye hae na telt me yet, how did ye leave my
weans?"
"Would you like to see them?" said Elspa, eagerly.
"I would na like to gang to Crail," replied her sister, thoughtfully;
"but if--" and she hesitated.
"Surely, Marion," exclaimed Elspa, with indignation, "ye're no sae lost
to all shame as to wish your innocent dochters to see you in the midst
of your iniquities?"
Marion reddened, and sat abashed and rebuked for a short time in
silence, and then reverting to her children, she said, somewhat
humbly,--
"But tell me how they are--poor things!"
"They are as weel as can be hoped for," replied Elspa, moved by her
altered manner; "but they'll lang miss the loss of their mother's care.
O, Marion, how could ye quit them! The beasts that perish are kinder to
their young, for they nourish and protect them till they can do for
themselves; but your wee May can neither yet gang nor speak. She's your
very picture, Marion, as like you as--God forbid that she ever be like
you!"
The wretched mother was unable to resist the energy of her sister's
appeal, and, bursting into tears, wept bitterly for some time.
Elspa, compassionating her contrition, rose, and, taking her kindly by
the hand, said, "Come, Marion, we'll gang hame--let us leave this guilty
city--let us tarry no longer within its walls--the curse of Heaven is
darkening over it, and the storm of the hatred of its corruption is
beginning to lighten:--let us flee from the wrath that is to come."
"I'll no gang back to Crail--I dare na gang there--everyone would haud
out their fingers at me--I canna gang to Crail--Eppie, dinna bid
me--I'll mak away wi' mysel' before I'll gang to Crail."
"Dinna say that," replied her sister: "O, Marion, if ye felt within the
humiliation of a true penitent, ye would na speak that way, but would
come and hide your face in your poor mother's bosom; often, often,
Marion, did she warn you no to be ta'en up wi' the pride an' bravery of
a fine outside."
"Ye may gang hame yoursel'," exclaimed the impenitent woman, starting
from her seat; "I'll no gang wi' you to be looket down on by every one.
If I should hae had a misfortune, nane's the sufferer but mysel'; and
what would I hae to live on wi' my mother? She's pinched enough for her
ain support. No; since I hae't in my power, I'll tak my pleasure o't.
Onybody can repent when they like, and it's no convenient yet for me.
Since I hae slippit the tether, I may as well tak a canter o'er the
knowes. I won'er how I could be sae silly as to sit sae lang willy-waing
wi' you about that blethering bodie, James Kilspinnie. He could talk o'
naething but the town-council, the cost o' plaiding, and the price o'
woo'. No, Eppie, I'll no gang wi' you, but I'll be glad if ye'll gang
o'er the gait and tak your bed wi' me. I hae a braw bower--and, let me
tell you, this is no a house of the best repute."
"Is yours ony better?" replied Elspa, fervently. "No, Marion; sooner
would I enter the gates of death, than darken your guilty door. Shame
upon you, shame!--But the sweet Heavens, in their gracious hour of
mercy, will remember the hope that led me here, and some day work out a
blessed change. The prayers of an afflicted parent, and the cries of
your desolate babies, will assuredly bring down upon you the purifying
fires of self-condemnation. Though a wicked pride at this time withholds
you from submitting to the humiliation which is the just penalty of your
offences, still the day is not far off when you will come begging for a
morsel of bread to those that weep for your fall, and implore you to
eschew the evil of your way."
To these words, which were spoken as with the vehemence of prophecy, the
miserable woman made no answer, but plucked her hand sharply from her
sister's earnest pressure, and quitted the room with a flash of anger.
My grandfather then conveyed the mournful Elspa back to the house of
Lucky Kilfauns, and returned to the priory.