Waverley; Or 'Tis Sixty Years Since — Complete

by Walter Scott

  CHAPTER XII

  REPENTANCE AND A RECONCILIATION

  Waverley was unaccustomed to the use of wine, excepting with greattemperance. He slept therefore soundly till late in the succeedingmorning, and then awakened to a painful recollection of the scene ofthe preceding evening. He had received a personal affront--he, agentleman, a soldier, and a Waverley. True, the person who offered itwas not, at the time it was given, possessed of the moderate share ofsense which nature had allotted him; true also, in resenting thisinsult, he would break the laws of Heaven as well as of his country;true, in doing so, he might take the life of a young man who perhapsrespectably discharged the social duties, and render his familymiserable, or he might lose his own--no pleasant alternative even tothe bravest, when it is debated coolly and in private.

  All this pressed on his mind; yet the original statement recurred withthe same irresistible force. He had received a personal insult; he wasof the house of Waverley; and he bore a commission. There was noalternative; and he descended to the breakfast parlour with theintention of taking leave of the family, and writing to one of hisbrother officers to meet him at the inn midway between Tully-Veolan andthe town where they were quartered, in order that he might convey sucha message to the Laird of Balmawhapple as the circumstances seemed todemand. He found Miss Bradwardine presiding over the tea and coffee,the table loaded with warm bread, both of flour, oatmeal, andbarleymeal, in the shape of loaves, cakes, biscuits, and othervarieties, together with eggs, reindeer ham, mutton and beef ditto,smoked salmon, marmalade, and all the other delicacies which inducedeven Johnson himself to extol the luxury of a Scotch breakfast abovethat of all other countries. A mess of oatmeal porridge, flanked by asilver jug, which held an equal mixture of cream and butter-milk, wasplaced for the Baron's share of this repast; but Rose observed, he hadwalked out early in the morning, after giving orders that his guestshould not be disturbed.

  Waverley sat down almost in silence, and with an air of absence andabstraction which could not give Miss Bradwardine a favourable opinionof his talents for conversation. He answered at random one or twoobservations which she ventured to make upon ordinary topics; so that,feeling herself almost repulsed in her efforts at entertaining him, andsecretly wondering that a scarlet coat should cover no better breeding,she left him to his mental amusement of cursing Doctor Doubleit'sfavourite constellation of Ursa Major as the cause of all the mischiefwhich had already happened and was likely to ensue. At once he started,and his colour heightened, as, looking toward the window, he beheld theBaron and young Balmawhapple pass arm in arm, apparently in deepconversation; and he hastily asked, 'Did Mr. Falconer sleep here lastnight?' Rose, not much pleased with the abruptness of the firstquestion which the young stranger had addressed to her, answered drilyin the negative, and the conversation again sunk into silence.

  At this moment Mr. Saunderson appeared, with a message from his master,requesting to speak with Captain Waverley in another apartment. With aheart which beat a little quicker, not indeed from fear, but fromuncertainty and anxiety, Edward obeyed the summons. He found the twogentlemen standing together, an air of complacent dignity on the browof the Baron, while something like sullenness or shame, or both,blanked the bold visage of Balmawhapple. The former slipped his armthrough that of the latter, and thus seeming to walk with him, while inreality he led him, advanced to meet Waverley, and, stopping in themidst of the apartment, made in great state the following oration:'Captain Waverley--my young and esteemed friend, Mr. Falconer ofBalmawhapple, has craved of my age and experience, as of one not whollyunskilled in the dependencies and punctilios of the duello ormonomachia, to be his interlocutor in expressing to you the regret withwhich he calls to remembrance certain passages of our symposion lastnight, which could not but be highly displeasing to you, as serving forthe time under this present existing government. He craves you, sir, todrown in oblivion the memory of such solecisms against the laws ofpoliteness, as being what his better reason disavows, and to receivethe hand which he offers you in amity; and I must needs assure you thatnothing less than a sense of being dans son tort, as a gallant Frenchchevalier, Mons. Le Bretailleur, once said to me on such an occasion,and an opinion also of your peculiar merit, could have extorted suchconcessions; for he and all his family are, and have been, time out ofmind, Mavortia pectora, as Buchanan saith, a bold and warlike sept, orpeople.'

  Edward immediately, and with natural politeness, accepted the handwhich Balmawhapple, or rather the Baron in his character of mediator,extended towards him. 'It was impossible,' he said, 'for him toremember what a gentleman expressed his wish he had not uttered; and hewillingly imputed what had passed to the exuberant festivity of theday.'

  'That is very handsomely said,' answered the Baron; 'for undoubtedly,if a man be ebrius, or intoxicated, an incident which on solemn andfestive occasions may and will take place in the life of a man ofhonour; and if the same gentleman, being fresh and sober, recants thecontumelies which he hath spoken in his liquor, it must be held vinumlocutum est; the words cease to be his own. Yet would I not find thisexculpation relevant in the case of one who was ebriosus, or anhabitual drunkard; because, if such a person choose to pass the greaterpart of his time in the predicament of intoxication, he hath no titleto be exeemed from the obligations of the code of politeness, butshould learn to deport himself peaceably and courteously when underinfluence of the vinous stimulus. And now let us proceed to breakfast,and think no more of this daft business.'

  I must confess, whatever inference may be drawn from the circumstance,that Edward, after so satisfactory an explanation, did much greaterhonour to the delicacies of Miss Bradwardine's breakfast-table than hiscommencement had promised. Balmawhapple, on the contrary, seemedembarrassed and dejected; and Waverley now, for the first time,observed that his arm was in a sling, which seemed to account for theawkward and embarrassed manner with which he had presented his hand. Toa question from Miss Bradwardine, he muttered in answer something abouthis horse having fallen; and seeming desirous to escape both from thesubject and the company, he arose as soon as breakfast was over, madehis bow to the party, and, declining the Baron's invitation to tarrytill after dinner, mounted his horse and returned to his own home.

  Waverley now announced his purpose of leaving Tully-Veolan early enoughafter dinner to gain the stage at which he meant to sleep; but theunaffected and deep mortification with which the good-natured andaffectionate old gentleman heard the proposal quite deprived him ofcourage to persist in it. No sooner had he gained Waverley's consent tolengthen his visit for a few days than he laboured to remove thegrounds upon which he conceived he had meditated a more early retreat.'I would not have you opine, Captain Waverley, that I am by practice orprecept an advocate of ebriety, though it may be that, in our festivityof last night, some of our friends, if not perchance altogether ebrii,or drunken, were, to say the least, ebrioli, by which the ancientsdesigned those who were fuddled, or, as your English vernacular andmetaphorical phrase goes, half-seas-over. Not that I would so insinuaterespecting you, Captain Waverley, who, like a prudent youth, did ratherabstain from potation; nor can it be truly said of myself, who, havingassisted at the tables of many great generals and marechals at theirsolemn carousals, have the art to carry my wine discreetly, and didnot, during the whole evening, as ye must have doubtless observed,exceed the bounds of a modest hilarity.'

  There was no refusing assent to a proposition so decidedly laid down byhim, who undoubtedly was the best judge; although, had Edward formedhis opinion from his own recollections, he would have pronounced thatthe Baron was not only ebriolus, but verging to become ebrius; or, inplain English, was incomparably the most drunk of the party, exceptperhaps his antagonist the Laird of Balmawhapple. However, havingreceived the expected, or rather the required, compliment on hissobriety, the Baron proceeded--'No, sir, though I am myself of a strongtemperament, I abhor ebriety, and detest those who swallow wine gulcecausa, for the oblectation of the gullet; albeit I might deprecate thelaw of Pittac
us of Mitylene, who punished doubly a crime committedunder the influence of 'Liber Pater'; nor would I utterly accede to theobjurgation of the younger Plinius, in the fourteenth book of his'Historia Naturalis.' No, sir, I distinguish, I discriminate, andapprove of wine so far only as it maketh glad the face, or, in thelanguage of Flaccus, recepto amico.'

  Thus terminated the apology which the Baron of Bradwardine thought itnecessary to make for the superabundance of his hospitality; and it maybe easily believed that he was neither interrupted by dissent nor anyexpression of incredulity.

  He then invited his guest to a morning ride, and ordered that DavieGellatley should meet them at the dern path with Ban and Buscar. 'For,until the shooting season commence, I would willingly show you somesport, and we may, God willing, meet with a roe. The roe, CaptainWaverley, may be hunted at all times alike; for never being in what iscalled PRIDE OF GREASE, he is also never out of season, though it be atruth that his venison is not equal to that of either the red or fallowdeer. [Footnote: The learned in cookery dissent from the Baron ofBradwardine, and hold the roe venison dry and indifferent food, unlesswhen dressed in soup and Scotch collops.] But he will serve to show howmy dogs run; and therefore they shall attend us with David Gellatley.'

  Waverley expressed his surprise that his friend Davie was capable ofsuch trust; but the Baron gave him to understand that this poorsimpleton was neither fatuous, nec naturaliter idiota, as is expressedin the brieves of furiosity, but simply a crack-brained knave, whocould execute very well any commission which jumped with his ownhumour, and made his folly a plea for avoiding every other. 'He hasmade an interest with us,' continued the Baron, 'by saving Rose from agreat danger with his own proper peril; and the roguish loon musttherefore eat of our bread and drink of our cup, and do what he can, orwhat he will, which, if the suspicions of Saunderson and the Bailie arewell founded, may perchance in his case be commensurate terms.'

  Miss Bradwardine then gave Waverley to understand that this poorsimpleton was dotingly fond of music, deeply affected by that which wasmelancholy, and transported into extravagant gaiety by light and livelyairs. He had in this respect a prodigious memory, stored withmiscellaneous snatches and fragments of all tunes and songs, which hesometimes applied, with considerable address, as the vehicles ofremonstrance, explanation, or satire. Davie was much attached to thefew who showed him kindness; and both aware of any slight or ill usagewhich he happened to receive, and sufficiently apt, where he sawopportunity, to revenge it. The common people, who often judge hardlyof each other as well as of their betters, although they had expressedgreat compassion for the poor innocent while suffered to wander in ragsabout the village, no sooner beheld him decently clothed, provided for,and even a sort of favourite, than they called up all the instances ofsharpness and ingenuity, in action and repartee, which his annalsafforded, and charitably bottomed thereupon a hypothesis that DavidGellatley was no farther fool than was necessary to avoid hard labour.This opinion was not better founded than that of the Negroes, who, fromthe acute and mischievous pranks of the monkeys, suppose that they havethe gift of speech, and only suppress their powers of elocution toescape being set to work. But the hypothesis was entirely imaginary;David Gellatley was in good earnest the half-crazed simpleton which heappeared, and was incapable of any constant and steady exertion. He hadjust so much solidity as kept on the windy side of insanity, so muchwild wit as saved him from the imputation of idiocy, some dexterity infield-sports (in which we have known as great fools excel), greatkindness and humanity in the treatment of animals entrusted to him,warm affections, a prodigious memory, and an ear for music.

  The stamping of horses was now heard in the court, and Davie's voicesinging to the two large deer greyhounds,

  Hie away, hie away, Over bank and over brae, Where the copsewood is the greenest, Where the fountains glisten sheenest, Where the lady-fern grows strongest, Where the morning dew lies longest, Where the black-cock sweetest sips it, Where the fairy latest trips it. Hie to haunts right seldom seen, Lovely, lonesome, cool, and green, Over bank and over brae, Hie away, hie away.

  'Do the verses he sings,' asked Waverley, 'belong to old Scottishpoetry, Miss Bradwardine?'

  'I believe not,' she replied. 'This poor creature had a brother, andHeaven, as if to compensate to the family Davie's deficiencies, hadgiven him what the hamlet thought uncommon talents. An uncle contrivedto educate him for the Scottish kirk, but he could not get prefermentbecause he came from our GROUND. He returned from college hopeless andbrokenhearted, and fell into a decline. My father supported him tillhis death, which happened before he was nineteen. He played beautifullyon the flute, and was supposed to have a great turn for poetry. He wasaffectionate and compassionate to his brother, who followed him likehis shadow, and we think that from him Davie gathered many fragments ofsongs and music unlike those of this country. But if we ask him wherehe got such a fragment as he is now singing, he either answers withwild and long fits of laughter, or else breaks into tears oflamentation; but was never heard to give any explanation, or to mentionhis brother's name since his death.'

  'Surely,' said Edward, who was readily interested by a tale borderingon the romantic, 'surely more might be learned by more particularinquiry.'

  'Perhaps so,' answered Rose; 'but my father will not permit any one topractise on his feelings on this subject.'

  By this time the Baron, with the help of Mr. Saunderson, had indued apair of jack-boots of large dimensions, and now invited our hero tofollow him as he stalked clattering down the ample stair-case, tappingeach huge balustrade as he passed with the butt of his massivehorse-whip, and humming, with the air of a chasseur of Louis Quatorze,--

  Pour la chasse ordonnee il faut preparer tout. Ho la ho! Vite! vite debout!