Waverley; Or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since — Volume 2

by Walter Scott

  CHAPTER LII

  INTRIGUES OF SOCIETY AND LOVE

  Colonel Talbot became more kindly in his demeanour towardsWaverley after the confidence he had reposed in him, and, as theywere necessarily much together, the character of the Colonel rosein Waverley's estimation. There seemed at first something harsh inhis strong expressions of dislike and censure, although no one wasin the general case more open to conviction. The habit ofauthority had also given his manners some peremptory hardness,notwithstanding the polish which they had received from hisintimate acquaintance with the higher circles. As a specimen ofthe military character, he differed from all whom Waverley had asyet seen. The soldiership of the Baron of Bradwardine was markedby pedantry; that of Major Melville by a sort of martinetattention to the minutiae and technicalities of discipline, rathersuitable to one who was to manoeuvre a battalion than to him whowas to command an army; the military spirit of Fergus was so muchwarped and blended with his plans and political views, that it wasless that of a soldier than of a petty sovereign. But ColonelTalbot was in every point the English soldier. His whole soul wasdevoted to the service of his king and country, without feelingany pride in knowing the theory of his art with the Baron, or itspractical minutiae with the Major, or in applying his science tohis own particular plans of ambition, like the Chieftain ofGlennaquoich. Added to this, he was a man of extended knowledgeand cultivated taste, although strongly tinged, as we have alreadyobserved, with those prejudices which are peculiarly English.

  The character of Colonel Talbot dawned upon Edward by degrees; forthe delay of the Highlanders in the fruitless siege of EdinburghCastle occupied several weeks, during which Waverley had little todo excepting to seek such amusement as society afforded. He wouldwillingly have persuaded his new friend to become acquainted withsome of his former intimates. But the Colonel, after one or twovisits, shook his head, and declined farther experiment. Indeed hewent farther, and characterised the Baron as the most intolerableformal pedant he had ever had the misfortune to meet with, and theChief of Glennaquoich as a Frenchified Scotchman, possessing allthe cunning and plausibility of the nation where he was educated,with the proud, vindictive, and turbulent humour of that of hisbirth. 'If the devil,' he said, 'had sought out an agent expresslyfor the purpose of embroiling this miserable country, I do notthink he could find a better than such a fellow as this, whosetemper seems equally active, supple, and mischievous, and who isfollowed, and implicitly obeyed, by a gang of such cut-throats asthose whom you are pleased to admire so much.'

  The ladies of the party did not escape his censure. He allowedthat Flora Mac-Ivor was a fine woman, and Rose Bradwardine apretty girl. But he alleged that the former destroyed the effectof her beauty by an affectation of the grand airs which she hadprobably seen practised in the mock court of St. Germains. As forRose Bradwardine, he said it was impossible for any mortal toadmire such a little uninformed thing, whose small portion ofeducation was as ill adapted to her sex or youth as if she hadappeared with one of her father's old campaign-coats upon herperson for her sole garment. Now much of this was mere spleen andprejudice in the excellent Colonel, with whom the white cockade onthe breast, the white rose in the hair, and the Mac at thebeginning of a name would have made a devil out of an angel; andindeed he himself jocularly allowed that he could not have enduredVenus herself if she had been announced in a drawing-room by thename of Miss Mac-Jupiter.

  Waverley, it may easily be believed, looked upon these youngladies with very different eyes. During the period of the siege hepaid them almost daily visits, although he observed with regretthat his suit made as little progress in the affections of theformer as the arms of the Chevalier in subduing the fortress. Shemaintained with rigour the rule she had laid down of treating himwith indifference, without either affecting to avoid him or toshun intercourse with him. Every word, every look, was strictlyregulated to accord with her system, and neither the dejection ofWaverley nor the anger which Fergus scarcely suppressed couldextend Flora's attention to Edward beyond that which the mostordinary politeness demanded. On the other hand, Rose Bradwardinegradually rose in Waverley's opinion. He had several opportunitiesof remarking that, as her extreme timidity wore off, her mannersassumed a higher character; that the agitating circumstances ofthe stormy time seemed to call forth a certain dignity of feelingand expression which he had not formerly observed; and that sheomitted no opportunity within her reach to extend her knowledgeand refine her taste.

  Flora Mac-Ivor called Rose her pupil, and was attentive to assisther in her studies, and to fashion both her taste andunderstanding. It might have been remarked by a very closeobserver that in the presence of Waverley she was much moredesirous to exhibit her friend's excellences than her own. But Imust request of the reader to suppose that this kind anddisinterested purpose was concealed by the most cautious delicacy,studiously shunning the most distant approach to affectation. Sothat it was as unlike the usual exhibition of one pretty womanaffecting to proner another as the friendship of David andJonathan might be to the intimacy of two Bond Street loungers. Thefact is that, though the effect was felt, the cause could hardlybe observed. Each of the ladies, like two excellent actresses,were perfect in their parts, and performed them to the delight ofthe audience; and such being the case, it was almost impossible todiscover that the elder constantly ceded to her friend that whichwas most suitable to her talents.

  But to Waverley Rose Bradwardine possessed an attraction which fewmen can resist, from the marked interest which she took ineverything that affected him. She was too young and tooinexperienced to estimate the full force of the constant attentionwhich she paid to him. Her father was too abstractedly immersed inlearned and military discussions to observe her partiality, andFlora Mac-Ivor did not alarm her by remonstrance, because she sawin this line of conduct the most probable chance of her friendsecuring at length a return of affection.

  The truth is, that in her first conversation after their meetingRose had discovered the state of her mind to that acute andintelligent friend, although she was not herself aware of it. Fromthat time Flora was not only determined upon the final rejectionof Waverley's addresses, but became anxious that they should, ifpossible, be transferred to her friend. Nor was she lessinterested in this plan, though her brother had from time to timetalked, as between jest and earnest, of paying his suit to MissBradwardine. She knew that Fergus had the true continentallatitude of opinion respecting the institution of marriage, andwould not have given his hand to an angel unless for the purposeof strengthening his alliances and increasing his influence andwealth. The Baron's whim of transferring his estate to the distantheir-male, instead of his own daughter, was therefore likely to bean insurmountable obstacle to his entertaining any seriousthoughts of Rose Bradwardine. Indeed, Fergus's brain was aperpetual workshop of scheme and intrigue, of every possible kindand description; while, like many a mechanic of more ingenuitythan steadiness, he would often unexpectedly, and without anyapparent motive, abandon one plan and go earnestly to work uponanother, which was either fresh from the forge of his imaginationor had at some former period been flung aside half finished. Itwas therefore often difficult to guess what line of conduct hemight finally adopt upon any given occasion.

  Although Flora was sincerely attached to her brother, whose highenergies might indeed have commanded her admiration even withoutthe ties which bound them together, she was by no means blind tohis faults, which she considered as dangerous to the hopes of anywoman who should found her ideas of a happy marriage in thepeaceful enjoyment of domestic society and the exchange of mutualand engrossing affection. The real disposition of Waverley, on theother hand, notwithstanding his dreams of tented fields andmilitary honour, seemed exclusively domestic. He asked andreceived no share in the busy scenes which were constantly goingon around him, and was rather annoyed than interested by thediscussion of contending claims, rights, and interests which oftenpassed in his presence. All this pointed him out as the personformed to make happy a spirit like that of Ros
e, whichcorresponded with his own.

  She remarked this point in Waverley's character one day while shesat with Miss Bradwardine. 'His genius and elegant taste,'answered Rose, 'cannot be interested in such trifling discussions.What is it to him, for example, whether the Chief of theMacindallaghers, who has brought out only fifty men, should be acolonel or a captain? and how could Mr. Waverley be supposed tointerest himself in the violent altercation between your brotherand young Corrinaschian whether the post of honour is due to theeldest cadet of a clan or the youngest?'

  'My dear Rose, if he were the hero you suppose him he wouldinterest himself in these matters, not indeed as important inthemselves, but for the purpose of mediating between the ardentspirits who actually do make them the subject of discord. You sawwhen Corrinaschian raised his voice in great passion, and laid hishand upon his sword, Waverley lifted his head as if he had justawaked from a dream, and asked with great composure what thematter was.'

  'Well, and did not the laughter they fell into at his absence ofmind serve better to break off the dispute than anything he couldhave said to them?'

  'True, my dear,' answered Flora; 'but not quite so creditably forWaverley as if he had brought them to their senses by force ofreason.'

  'Would you have him peacemaker general between all the gunpowderHighlanders in the army? I beg your pardon, Flora, your brother,you know, is out of the question; he has more sense than half ofthem. But can you think the fierce, hot, furious spirits of whosebrawls we see much and hear more, and who terrify me out of mylife every day in the world, are at all to be compared toWaverley?'

  'I do not compare him with those uneducated men, my dear Rose. Ionly lament that, with his talents and genius, he does not assumethat place in society for which they eminently fit him, and thathe does not lend their full impulse to the noble cause in which hehas enlisted. Are there not Lochiel, and P--, and M--, and G--,all men of the highest education as well as the first talents,--why will he not stoop like them to be alive and useful? I oftenbelieve his zeal is frozen by that proud cold-blooded Englishmanwhom he now lives with so much.'

  'Colonel Talbot? he is a very disagreeable person, to be sure. Helooks as if he thought no Scottish woman worth the trouble ofhanding her a cup of tea. But Waverley is so gentle, so wellinformed--'

  'Yes,' said Flora, smiling, 'he can admire the moon and quote astanza from Tasso.'

  'Besides, you know how he fought,' added Miss Bradwardine.

  'For mere fighting,' answered Flora,' I believe all men (that is,who deserve the name) are pretty much alike; there is generallymore courage required to run away. They have besides, whenconfronted with each other, a certain instinct for strife, as wesee in other male animals, such as dogs, bulls, and so forth. Buthigh and perilous enterprise is not Waverley's forte. He wouldnever have been his celebrated ancestor Sir Nigel, but only SirNigel's eulogist and poet. I will tell you where he will be athome, my dear, and in his place--in the quiet circle of domestichappiness, lettered indolence, and elegant enjoyments of Waverley-Honour. And he will refit the old library in the most exquisiteGothic taste, and garnish its shelves with the rarest and mostvaluable volumes; and he will draw plans and landscapes, and writeverses, and rear temples, and dig grottoes; and he will stand in aclear summer night in the colonnade before the hall, and gaze onthe deer as they stray in the moonlight, or lie shadowed by theboughs of the huge old fantastic oaks; and he will repeat versesto his beautiful wife, who will hang upon his arm;--and he will bea happy man.'

  And she will be a happy woman, thought poor Rose. But she onlysighed and dropped the conversation.