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

by Walter Scott

  CHAPTER LXXI

  This is no mine ain house, I ken by the bigging o't

  Old Song.

  The nuptial party travelled in great style. There was a coach andsix after the newest pattern, which Sir Everard had presented tohis nephew, that dazzled with its splendour the eyes of one halfof Scotland; there was the family coach of Mr. Rubrick;--boththese were crowded with ladies,--and there were gentlemen onhorseback, with their servants, to the number of a round score.Nevertheless, without having the fear of famine before his eyes,Bailie Macwheeble met them in the road to entreat that they wouldpass by his house at Little Veolan. The Baron stared, and said hisson and he would certainly ride by Little Veolan and pay theircompliments to the Bailie, but could not think of bringing withthem the 'haill comitatus nuptialis, or matrimonial procession.'He added, 'that, as he understood that the barony had been sold byits unworthy possessor, he was glad to see his old friend Duncanhad regained his situation under the new Dominus, or proprietor.'The Bailie ducked, bowed, and fidgeted, and then again insistedupon his invitation; until the Baron, though rather piqued at thepertinacity of his instances, could not nevertheless refuse toconsent without making evident sensations which he was anxious toconceal.

  He fell into a deep study as they approached the top of theavenue, and was only startled from it by observing that thebattlements were replaced, the ruins cleared away, and (mostwonderful of all) that the two great stone bears, those mutilatedDagons of his idolatry, had resumed their posts over the gateway.'Now this new proprietor,' said he to Edward, 'has shown mairgusto, as the Italians call it, in the short time he has had thisdomain, than that hound Malcolm, though I bred him here mysell,has acquired vita adhuc durante. And now I talk of hounds, is notyon Ban and Buscar who come scouping up the avenue with DavieGellatley?'

  'I vote we should go to meet them, sir,' said Waverley, 'for Ibelieve the present master of the house is Colonel Talbot, whowill expect to see us. We hesitated to mention to you at firstthat he had purchased your ancient patrimonial property, and evenyet, if you do not incline to visit him, we can pass on to theBailie's.'

  The Baron had occasion for all his magnanimity. However, he drew along breath, took a long snuff, and observed, since they hadbrought him so far, he could not pass the Colonel's gate, and hewould be happy to see the new master of his old tenants. Healighted accordingly, as did the other gentlemen and ladies; hegave his arm to his daughter, and as they descended the avenuepointed out to her how speedily the 'Diva Pecunia of the Southron--their tutelary deity, he might call her--had removed the marks ofspoliation.'

  In truth, not only had the felled trees been removed, but, theirstumps being grubbed up and the earth round them levelled and sownwith grass, every mark of devastation, unless to an eye intimatelyacquainted with the spot, was already totally obliterated. Therewas a similar reformation in the outward man of Davie Gellatley,who met them, every now and then stopping to admire the new suitwhich graced his person, in the same colours as formerly, butbedizened fine enough to have served Touchstone himself. He dancedup with his usual ungainly frolics, first to the Baron and then toRose, passing his hands over his clothes, crying, 'Bra', bra'Davie,' and scarce able to sing a bar to an end of his thousand-and-one songs for the breathless extravagance of his joy. The dogsalso acknowledged their old master with a thousand gambols. 'Uponmy conscience, Rose,' ejaculated the Baron, 'the gratitude o' thaedumb brutes and of that puir innocent brings the tears into myauld een, while that schellum Malcolm--but I'm obliged to ColonelTalbot for putting my hounds into such good condition, andlikewise for puir Davie. But, Rose, my dear, we must not permitthem to be a life-rent burden upon the estate.'

  As he spoke, Lady Emily, leaning upon the arm of her husband, metthe party at the lower gate with a thousand welcomes. After theceremony of introduction had been gone through, much abridged bythe ease and excellent breeding of Lady Emily, she apologised forhaving used a little art to wile them back to a place which mightawaken some painful reflections--'But as it was to change masters,we were very desirous that the Baron--'

  'Mr. Bradwardine, madam, if you please,' said the old gentleman.

  '--Mr. Bradwardine, then, and Mr. Waverley should see what we havedone towards restoring the mansion of your fathers to its formerstate.'

  The Baron answered with a low bow. Indeed, when he entered thecourt, excepting that the heavy stables, which had been burntdown, were replaced by buildings of a lighter and more picturesqueappearance, all seemed as much as possible restored to the statein which he had left it when he assumed arms some months before.The pigeon-house was replenished; the fountain played with itsusual activity, and not only the bear who predominated over itsbasin, but all the other bears whatsoever, were replaced on theirseveral stations, and renewed or repaired with so much care thatthey bore no tokens of the violence which had so lately descendedupon them. While these minutiae had been so needfully attended to,it is scarce necessary to add that the house itself had beenthoroughly repaired, as well as the gardens, with the strictestattention to maintain the original character of both, and toremove as far as possible all appearance of the ravage they hadsustained. The Baron gazed in silent wonder; at length headdressed Colonel Talbot--

  'While I acknowledge my obligation to you, sir, for therestoration of the badge of our family, I cannot but marvel thatyou have nowhere established your own crest, whilk is, I believe,a mastiff, anciently called a talbot; as the poet has it,

  A talbot strong, a sturdy tyke.

  At least such a dog is the crest of the martial and renowned Earlsof Shrewsbury, to whom your family are probably blood-relations.'

  'I believe,' said the Colonel, smiling, 'our dogs are whelps ofthe same litter; for my part, if crests were to disputeprecedence, I should be apt to let them, as the proverb says,"fight dog, fight bear."'

  As he made this speech, at which the Baron took another long pinchof snuff, they had entered the house, that is, the Baron, Rose,and Lady Emily, with young Stanley and the Bailie, for Edward andthe rest of the party remained on the terrace to examine a newgreenhouse stocked with the finest plants. The Baron resumed hisfavourite topic--'However it may please you to derogate from thehonour of your burgonet, Colonel Talbot, which is doubtless yourhumour, as I have seen in other gentlemen of birth and honour inyour country, I must again repeat it as a most ancient anddistinguished bearing, as well as that of my young friend FrancisStanley, which is the eagle and child.'

  'The bird and bantling they call it in Derbyshire, sir,' saidStanley.

  'Ye're a daft callant, sir,' said the Baron, who had a greatliking to this young man, perhaps because he sometimes teased him--'Ye're a daft callant, and I must correct you some of thesedays,' shaking his great brown fist at him. 'But what I meant tosay, Colonel Talbot, is, that yours is an ancient prosapia, ordescent, and since you have lawfully and justly acquired theestate for you and yours which I have lost for me and mine, I wishit may remain in your name as many centuries as it has done inthat of the late proprietor's.'

  'That,' answered the Colonel, 'is very handsome, Mr. Bradwardine,indeed.'

  'And yet, sir, I cannot but marvel that you, Colonel, whom I notedto have so much of the amor patritz when we met in Edinburgh aseven to vilipend other countries, should have chosen to establishyour Lares, or household gods, procul a patrice finibus, and in amanner to expatriate yourself.'

  'Why really, Baron, I do not see why, to keep the secret of thesefoolish boys, Waverley and Stanley, and of my wife, who is nowiser, one old soldier should continue to impose upon another. Youmust know, then, that I have so much of that same prejudice infavour of my native country, that the sum of money which Iadvanced to the seller of this extensive barony has only purchasedfor me a box in----shire, called Brere-wood Lodge, with abouttwo hundred and fifty acres of land, the chief merit of which is,that it is within a very few miles of Waverley-Honour.'

  'And who, then, in the name of Heaven, has bought this property?'

  'That,' said the
Colonel, 'it is this gentleman's profession toexplain.'

  The Bailie, whom this reference regarded, and who had all thiswhile shifted from one foot to another with great impatience,'like a hen,' as he afterwards said, 'upon a het girdle'; andchuckling, he might have added, like the said hen in all the gloryof laying an egg, now pushed forward. 'That I can, that I can,your honour,' drawing from his pocket a budget of papers, anduntying the red tape with a hand trembling with eagerness. 'Hereis the disposition and assignation by Malcolm Bradwardine of Inch-Grabbit, regularly signed and tested in terms of the statute,whereby, for a certain sum of sterling money presently contentedand paid to him, he has disponed, alienated, and conveyed thewhole estate and barony of Bradwardine, Tully-Veolan, and others,with the fortalice and manor-place--'

  'For God's sake, to the point, sir; I have all that by heart,'said the Colonel.

  '--To Cosmo Comyne Bradwardme, Esq.,' pursued the Bailie, 'hisheirs and assignees, simply and irredeemably, to be held either ame vel de me--'

  'Pray read short, sir.'

  'On the conscience of an honest man, Colonel, I read as short asis consistent with style--under the burden and reservation always--'

  'Mr. Macwheeble, this would outlast a Russian winter; give meleave. In short, Mr. Bradwardine, your family estate is your ownonce more in full property, and at your absolute disposal, butonly burdened with the sum advanced to re-purchase it, which Iunderstand is utterly disproportioned to its value.'

  'An auld sang--an auld sang, if it please your honours,' cried theBailie, rubbing his hands; 'look at the rental book.'

  '--Which sum being advanced, by Mr. Edward Waverley, chiefly fromthe price of his father's property which I bought from him, issecured to his lady your daughter and her family by thismarriage.'

  'It is a catholic security,' shouted the Bailie,' to Rose ComyneBradwardine, alias Wauverley, in life-rent, and the children ofthe said marriage in fee; and I made up a wee bit minute of anantenuptial contract, intuitu matrimonij, so it cannot be subjectto reduction hereafter, as a donation inter virum et uxorem.'

  It is difficult to say whether the worthy Baron was most delightedwith the restitution of his family property or with the delicacyand generosity that left him unfettered to pursue his purpose indisposing of it after his death, and which avoided as much aspossible even the appearance of laying him under pecuniaryobligation. When his first pause of joy and astonishment was over,his thoughts turned to the unworthy heir-male, who, he pronounced,had sold his birthright, like Esau, for a mess o' pottage.

  'But wha cookit the parritch for him?' exclaimed the Bailie; 'Iwad like to ken that;--wha but your honour's to command, DuncanMacwheeble? His honour, young Mr. Wauverley, put it a' into myhand frae the beginning--frae the first calling o' the summons, asI may say. I circumvented them--I played at bogle about the bushwi' them--I cajolled them; and if I havena gien Inch-Grabbit andJamie Howie a bonnie begunk, they ken themselves. Him a writer! Ididna gae slapdash to them wi' our young bra' bridegroom, to garthem baud up the market. Na, na; I scared them wi' our wildtenantry, and the Mac-Ivors, that are but ill settled yet, tillthey durstna on ony errand whatsoever gang ower the doorstaneafter gloaming, for fear John Heatherblutter, or some siccan dare-the-deil, should tak a baff at them; then, on the other hand, Ibeflummed them wi' Colonel Talbot; wad they offer to keep up theprice again' the Duke's friend? did they na ken wha was master?had they na seen eneugh, by the sad example of mony a puirmisguided unhappy body--'

  'Who went to Derby, for example, Mr. Macwheeble?' said the Colonelto him aside.

  'O whisht, Colonel, for the love o' God! let that flee stick i'the wa'. There were mony good folk at Derby; and it's ill speakingof halters'--with a sly cast of his eye toward the Baron, who wasin a deep reverie.

  Starting out of it at once, he took Macwheeble by the button andled him into one of the deep window recesses, whence onlyfragments of their conversation reached the rest of the party. Itcertainly related to stamp-paper and parchment; for no othersubject, even from the mouth of his patron, and he once more anefficient one, could have arrested so deeply the Bailie's reverentand absorbed attention.

  'I understand your honour perfectly; it can be dune as easy astaking out a decreet in absence.'

  'To her and him, after my demise, and to their heirs-male, butpreferring the second son, if God shall bless them with two, whois to carry the name and arms of Bradwardine of that ilk, withoutany other name or armorial bearings whatsoever.'

  'Tut, your honour!' whispered the Bailie, 'I'll mak a slightjotting the morn; it will cost but a charter of resignation infavorem; and I'll hae it ready for the next term in Exchequer.'

  Their private conversation ended, the Baron was now summoned to dothe honours of Tully-Veolan to new guests. These were MajorMelville of Cairnvreckan and the Reverend Mr. Morton, followed bytwo or three others of the Baron's acquaintances, who had beenmade privy to his having again acquired the estate of his fathers.The shouts of the villagers were also heard beneath in the court-yard; for Saunders Saunderson, who had kept the secret for severaldays with laudable prudence, had unloosed his tongue uponbeholding the arrival of the carriages.

  But, while Edward received Major Melville with politeness and theclergyman with the most affectionate and grateful kindness, hisfather-in-law looked a little awkward, as uncertain how he shouldanswer the necessary claims of hospitality to his guests, andforward the festivity of his tenants. Lady Emily relieved him byintimating that, though she must be an indifferent representativeof Mrs. Edward Waverley in many respects, she hoped the Baronwould approve of the entertainment she had ordered in expectationof so many guests; and that they would find such otheraccommodations provided as might in some degree support theancient hospitality of Tully-Veolan. It is impossible to describethe pleasure which this assurance gave the Baron, who, with an airof gallantry half appertaining to the stiff Scottish laird andhalf to the officer in the French service, offered his arm to thefair speaker, and led the way, in something between a stride and aminuet step, into the large dining parlour, followed by all therest of the good company.

  By dint of Saunderson's directions and exertions, all here, aswell as in the other apartments, had been disposed as much aspossible according to the old arrangement; and where new movableshad been necessary, they had been selected in the same characterwith the old furniture. There was one addition to this fine oldapartment, however, which drew tears into the Baron's eyes. It wasa large and spirited painting, representing Fergus Mac-Ivor andWaverley in their Highland dress, the scene a wild, rocky, andmountainous pass, down which the clan were descending in thebackground. It was taken from a spirited sketch, drawn while theywere in Edinburgh by a young man of high genius, and had beenpainted on a full-length scale by an eminent London artist.Raeburn himself (whose 'Highland Chiefs' do all but walk out ofthe canvas) could not have done more justice to the subject; andthe ardent, fiery, and impetuous character of the unfortunateChief of Glennaquoich was finely contrasted with thecontemplative, fanciful, and enthusiastic expression of hishappier friend. Beside this painting hung the arms which Waverleyhad borne in the unfortunate civil war. The whole piece was beheldwith admiration and deeper feelings.

  Men must, however, eat, in spite both of sentiment and vertu; andthe Baron, while he assumed the lower end of the table, insistedthat Lady Emily should do the honours of the head, that theymight, he said, set a meet example to the YOUNG FOLK. After apause of deliberation, employed in adjusting in his own brain theprecedence between the Presbyterian kirk and Episcopal church ofScotland, he requested Mr. Morton, as the stranger, would crave ablessing, observing that Mr. Rubrick, who was at HOME, wouldreturn thanks for the distinguished mercies it had been his lot toexperience. The dinner was excellent. Saunderson attended in fullcostume, with all the former domestics, who had been collected,excepting one or two, that had not been heard of since the affairof Culloden. The cellars were stocked with wine which waspronounced to be superb, and it had been contrived that the Bearof the
Fountain, in the courtyard, should (for that night only)play excellent brandy punch for the benefit of the lower orders.

  When the dinner was over the Baron, about to propose a toast, casta somewhat sorrowful look upon the sideboard, which, however,exhibited much of his plate, that had either been secreted orpurchased by neighbouring gentlemen from the soldiery, and by themgladly restored to the original owner.

  "In the late times," he said, "those must be thankful who havesaved life and land; yet when I am about to pronounce this toast,I cannot but regret an old heirloom, Lady Emily, a POCULUMPOTATORIUM, Colonel Talbot--"

  Here the Baron's elbow was gently touched by his major-domo, and,turning round, he beheld in the hands of Alexander ab Alexandrothe celebrated cup of Saint Duthac, the Blessed Bear ofBradwardine! I question if the recovery of his estate afforded himmore rapture. "By my honour," he said, "one might almost believein brownies and fairies, Lady Emily, when your ladyship is inpresence!"

  "I am truly happy," said Colonel Talbot, "that, by the recovery ofthis piece of family antiquity, it has fallen within my power togive you some token of my deep interest in all that concerns myyoung friend Edward. But that you may not suspect Lady Emily for asorceress, or me for a conjuror, which is no joke in Scotland, Imust tell you that Frank Stanley, your friend, who has been seizedwith a tartan fever ever since he heard Edward's tales of oldScottish manners, happened to describe to us at second-hand thisremarkable cup. My servant, Spontoon, who, like a true oldsoldier, observes everything and says little, gave me afterwardsto understand that he thought he had seen the piece of plate Mr.Stanley mentioned in the possession of a certain Mrs. Nosebag,who, having been originally the helpmate of a pawnbroker, hadfound opportunity during the late unpleasant scenes in Scotland totrade a little in her old line, and so became the depositary ofthe more valuable part of the spoil of half the army. You maybelieve the cup was speedily recovered; and it will give me verygreat pleasure if you allow me to suppose that its value is notdiminished by having been restored through my means."

  A tear mingled with the wine which the Baron filled, as heproposed a cup of gratitude to Colonel Talbot, and 'The Prosperityof the united Houses of Waverley-Honour and Bradwardine!'

  It only remains for me to say that, as no wish was ever utteredwith more affectionate sincerity, there are few which, allowingfor the necessary mutability of human events, have been upon thewhole more happily fulfilled.