EXTREMES MEET
In a short time Hugh was conducting Jock towards the Castle. After they
passed the lodge, and were walking along the beautiful avenue and
beneath the fine old trees, with the splendid park sweeping around, and
the turrets of the Castle in sight, Hugh said, "Now, Hall, dinna speak
to onybody unless they speak to you, and gie a discreet answer. Dae my
biddin'; for I'm takin' a great responsibility in bringin' ye in here.
His lordship maybe wadna be pleased to see a trampin' chiel like you
here. But I'll tak' care he doesna see ye, nor if possible hear tell o'
ye."
"Never fear me," said Jock; "I'll be as quaet as a dead rabbit. But,
Hugh man, I hae seen his lordship afore."
"Whaur?" asked Hugh, with an expression of astonishment.
"He ance tried me, as a maugistrat'," replied Jock, equally placid.
"Tried ye!" exclaimed Hugh, pausing in his walk as if he had got into
one scrape and was about to enter a second--"tried ye for what?"
"Oh, never heed," said Jock; "dinna be ower particular. It was a job
that ended in a drucken habble I got into wi' twa tailor chappies that
struck me, and my head and e'e were bun' wi' a bluidy napkin at the
trial, and his lordship wull no' mind on me; tho' faix! I mind on him,
for he sent me tae jail."
"Was that a'?" carelessly remarked Hugh. "Ye micht hae thrashed nine
tailors and no' got yersel' hurt; I gripped three o' them mysel' when
poachin'."
But Jock did not tell the whole history of one of his own poaching
affrays along with the tailors.
Hugh ensconced Jock in the shrubbery until he ascertained from one of
the servants that his lordship had gone out to walk in the grounds, that
the ladies were taking an airing in the carriage, and that it was quite
possible to get a peep into the great hall and the public rooms opening
from it, without being discovered. As Hugh, accompanied by Jock, crept
almost noiselessly along the passages, he directed with underbreath
Jock's attention to the noble apartments, the arms and suits of mail
hung round the wall of the great entrance-hall, the stags' heads, the
stuffed birds, and one or two fine paintings of boar-hunts. But when
the drawing-room door was opened, and there flashed upon Jock's eyes all
the splendour of colour reflected from large mirrors, in which he saw,
for the first time, his own odd figure from crown to toe, making him
start back as if he had seen a ghost, and when through the windows he
beheld all the beauty of flowers that filled the parterres, dotted with
_jets d'eaux_, white statues and urns, and surrounded by bowery foliage,
a vision presented itself which was as new to him as if he had passed
into Eden from the lodgings of Mrs. Craigie.
He did not speak a word, but only remarked it was "nae doubt unco braw,
and wad hae cost a heap o' siller". But, as they were retreating,
suddenly the inner door of the hall opened, and his lordship stood
before them!
"Heeven be aboot us!" ejaculated Spence, and in a lower voice added,
"Dune for,--dune for life!" He looked around him, as if for some means
of concealing himself, but in vain. The door by which they had entered
was closed. There was no mode of exit. Jock, seeing only a
plain-looking little gentleman in a Glengarry bonnet and tweed suit,
never imagined that this could be a lord, and was accordingly quite
composed. Spence, with his eyes fixed on the ground and his face
flushed to the roots of his hair, seemed speechless.
His lordship was a slight-built man, of about forty, with pleasing hazel
eyes and large moustache. He had retired from the army, and was much
liked for his frank manner and good humour. Seeing his keeper in such
perplexity, accompanied by so disreputable-looking a person, he said,
"Hollo, Spence! whom have you got here? I hope not a poacher, eh?"
"I humbly beg your lordship's pardon; but, my lord, the fac' is----"
stammered Hugh.
"Is that his lordship?" whispered Jock.
"Haud yer tongue!" replied Hugh in an undertone of intense vehemence.
Then addressing his lordship, he said, "He's no poacher, my lord; no,
no, but only----"
"Oh! an acquaintance, I suppose."
"No' that either, no' that either," interrupted Hugh, as his dignity was
frying on account of his companion, whom he wished a hundred miles away,
"but an acqua'ntance o' an acqua'ntance o' my faither's lang syne--a
maist respectable man--Sergeant Mercer, in Drumsylie, and I took the
leeberty, thinking yer lordship was oot, to----"
"To show him the house. Quite right, Spence; quite right; glad you did
so." Then addressing Jock, he said, "Never here before, I suppose?"
Jock drew himself up, placed his hands along his sides, heels in, toes
out, and gave the military salute.
"Been in the army? In what regiment? Have you seen service?"
"Yes, sir--yes, my lord," replied Jock; "as yer honour says, I ha'e seen
service."
This was information to Spence, who breathed more freely on hearing such
unexpected evidence of Jock's respectability.
"Where?" inquired his lordship, seating himself on one of the lobby
chairs, and folding his arms.
"In the berrick-yaird o' Stirlin', yer honour," replied Jock; "but in
what regiment I dinna mind. It was a first, second, or third something
or anither; but I hae clean forgotten the name and number."
"The barrack-yard?" said his lordship, laughing; "pray how long did you
serve his Majesty in that severe campaign?"
"Aboot a fortnicht," said Jock.
"What!" exclaimed his lordship; "a fortnight only? And what after
that?"
"I ran aff as fast as I could," said Jock; "and never ran faster a' my
days, till I reached Drumsylie."
Hugh turned his back as if also to run away, with sundry half-muttered
exclamations of horror and alarm. His lordship burst into a fit of
laughter, and said,--"On my honour, you're a candid fellow!" But he
evidently assumed that Jock was probably a half-witted character, who
did not comprehend the full meaning of his admission. He was confirmed
in his supposition by Jock going on to give a history of his military
life in the most easy and simple fashion,--
"I 'listed when I was fou'; and though I had nae objections at ony time
to fire a gun at a bird or a Frenchman, or tae fecht them that wad fecht
me, yet the sodjers at Stirlin' made a fule o' me, and keepit me walkin'
and trampin' back and forrid for twa weeks in the yaird, as if they were
breakin' a horse; and I could dae naething, neither fish, nor e'en shoot
craws, wi'oot the leave o' an ill-tongued corporal. I couldna thole
that, could I? It wasna in the bargain, and sae I left, and they didna
think it worth their while to speer after me."
"Egad!" said his lordship, laughing, "I dare say not, I dare say not!
Do you know what they might have done to you if they had caught you, my
man?" asked his lordship.
"Shot me, I expec'," said Jock; "but I wasna worth the pooder; and, tae
tell the truth, I wad raither be shot like a gled for harryin' a
paitrick's nest, than be kept a' my days like a gowk in a cage o' a
berricks at Stirlin'! But I didna heed atweel whether they shot me or
no'," added Jock, looking round him, and stroking his chin as if in a
half dream.
"The black dog tak' ye!" said Spence, who lost his temper. "My lord, I
declare----"
"Never mind, Spence, never mind; let him speak to me; and go you to the
servants' hall until I send for you."
Spence bowed and retired, thankful to be released from his present
agony. His lordship, who had a passion for characters which the keeper
could not comprehend, gave a sign to Jock to remain, and then went on
with the following catechism.
"What did your parents do?"
"Little guid and mickle ill."
"Were you at school?"
"No' that I mind o'."
"How have ye lived?"
"Guid kens!"
"What have you been?"
"A ne'er-do-weel--a kin' o' cheat-the-widdie. Sae folk tell me, and I
suppose they're richt."
"Are you married?"
"That's no' a bad ane, efter a'!" said Jock, with a quiet laugh, turning
his head away.
"A bad what?" asked his lordship, perplexed by the reply.
"I jist thocht," said Jock, "yer honour was jokin', to think that ony
wumman wad marry me! He! he! Lassies wad be cheaper than cast-awa'
shoon afore ony o' them wad tak' Jock Ha'--unless," he added, in a lower
tone, with a laugh, "ane like Luckie Craigie. But yer lordship 'ill no'
ken her, I'se warrant?"
"I have not that honour," said his lordship, with a smile. "But I must
admit that you don't give yourself a good character, anyhow."
"I hae nane to gie," said Jock, with the same impassible look.
"On my word," added his lordship, "I think you're honest!"
"It's mair," said Jock, "than onybody else thinks. But if I had wark,
I'm no' sure but I wad be honest!"
His lordship said nothing, but stared at Hall as if measuring him from
head to foot. Jock returned his gaze. It was as if two different
portions of a broken-up world had met. His lordship felt uncertain
whether to deal with Jock as a fool or as a reprobate. He still
inclined to the opinion that he had "a want", and accordingly continued
his catechism, asking,--
"What would you like to have?"
"It's no' for me tae say," replied Jock; "beggars shouldna be choosers."
"Perhaps you would have no objection to have this fine house--eh?" asked
his lordship, with a smile.
"I'll no' say that I wad," replied Jock.
"And what would you make of it?"
"I wad," replied Jock, "fill't fu' wi' puir ne'er-do-weel faitherless
and mitherless bairns, and pit Sergeant Mercer and his wife ower
them--that's Mr. Spence's cousin, ye ken."
"Hillo!" said his lordship, "that would make a large party! And what
would you do with them, when here assembled, my man?"
"I wad feed them," said Jock, "wi' the sheep and nowt in the park, and
the birds frae the heather, and the fish frae the burns, and gie them
the flowers aboot the doors--and schule them weel, and learn them
trades: and shoot them or hang them, if they didna dae weel efter hin."
"Ha! ha! ha! And what would you do with me and my wife and daughters?"
asked his lordship.
"I wad mak' you their faither, and them their mither and sisters. Ye
never wad be idle or want pleasure, yer honour, among sic a hantle o'
fine lads and lasses."
"Never idle--never idle! I should think not! But as to the pleasure!
Ha! ha! ha!" And his lordship laughed with much glee at the idea of his
being master of such an establishment.
"Eh! sir," said Jock, with fire in his eyes, "ye dinna ken what poverty
is! Ye never lay trimblin' on a stair-head on a snawy nicht; nor got a
spoonfu' or twa o' cauld parritch in the mornin' tae cool ye, wi' curses
and kicks tae warm ye, for no' stealin' yer ain meat; nor see'd yer wee
brithers an' sisters deein' like troots, openin' their mooths wi'
naethin' to pit in them; or faix ye wad be thankfu' tae help mitherless
and faitherless bairns, and instead o' sendin' young craturs like them
tae the jail, ye wad sen' aulder folk that ill-used and neglected them;
ay, and maybe some rich folk, and some ministers and elders as weel, for
helpin' naebody but themsel's!"
His lordship looked in silence with wide-open eyes at Jock; and for a
moment, amidst his ease and luxury, his fits of _ennui_ and difficulty
in killing time, his sense of the shallowness and emptiness of much of
his life, with the selfishness of idle society, there flashed upon his
naturally kind heart a gleam of noble duties yet to perform, and noble
privileges yet to enjoy, though not perhaps in the exact form suggested
by Jock Hall. But this was not the time to discuss these. So he only
said, "You are not a bad fellow--not at all. Wiser men have said more
foolish things," he added, as if thinking to himself; and then
approaching Jock with a kindly smile, offered him some money.
"Na! na!" said Jock, "I didna come here to beg; I'll no' tak' onything."
"Come! come!" said his lordship, "you won't disoblige me, will you?" and
he thrust the money into Jock's hand; and ringing a bell, he ordered the
servant who appeared in reply to it to take him to the servants' hall,
and to send Hugh Spence to the business room.
Jock made a low bow and salaam, and retired.
"William," said his lordship to another servant, who happened to be
passing, "go to the old clothes press, and select a complete suit for
that poor fellow. Be kind to him: see that he has some food and a glass
of beer."
When Hugh was summoned into the presence of his lordship, he had sad
misgivings as to the object of the interview, and had carefully prepared
a long apologetic speech, which however he had hardly begun when he was
cut short by his lordship saying, "You have picked up a rare character,
Spence, upon my honour! But I like the fellow. He is an original, and
has something good in him. I can't quite make him out."
"Nor me either, my lord, I do assure you," interrupted Spence.
"But I have taken rather a fancy to him," continued his lordship. "He
is neither knave nor fool; but seems to have been ill-used, and to have
had a hard time of it. There is something about him which takes me, and
if any friend of your father's has an interest in him, I won't
object--quite the reverse--to your getting him something to do about the
kennels. I really would like it. So look to him."
Hugh having made a low bow and remained discreetly silent, according to
his own prudential aphorism of "least said being soonest mended", his
lordship conversed on some business matters connected with the game,
with which we have nothing to do, and then dismissed him.