Waverley; Or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since — Volume 1

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 sceneof the preceding evening. He had received a personal affront--he,a gentleman, a soldier, and a Waverley. True, the person whooffered it was not, at the time it was given, possessed of themoderate share of sense which nature had allotted him; true also,in resenting this insult, he would break the laws of Heaven aswell as of his country; true, in doing so, he might take the lifeof a young man who perhaps respectably discharged the socialduties, and render his family miserable, or he might lose his own--no pleasant alternative even to the bravest, when it is debatedcoolly and in private.

  All this pressed on his mind; yet the original statement recurredwith the same irresistible force. He had received a personalinsult; he was of the house of Waverley; and he bore a commission.There was no alternative; and he descended to the breakfastparlour with the intention of taking leave of the family, andwriting to one of his brother officers to meet him at the innmidway between Tully-Veolan and the town where they werequartered, in order that he might convey such a message to theLaird of Balmawhapple as the circumstances seemed to demand. Hefound Miss Bradwardine presiding over the tea and coffee, thetable 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 beefditto, smoked salmon, marmalade, and all the other delicacieswhich induced even Johnson himself to extol the luxury of a Scotchbreakfast above that of all other countries. A mess of oatmealporridge, flanked by a silver jug, which held an equal mixture ofcream and butter-milk, was placed for the Baron's share of thisrepast; but Rose observed, he had walked out early in the morning,after giving orders that his guest should not be disturbed.

  Waverley sat down almost in silence, and with an air of absenceand abstraction which could not give Miss Bradwardine a favourableopinion of his talents for conversation. He answered at random oneor two observations which she ventured to make upon ordinarytopics; so that, feeling herself almost repulsed in her efforts atentertaining him, and secretly wondering that a scarlet coatshould cover no better breeding, she left him to his mentalamusement of cursing Doctor Doubleit's favourite constellation ofUrsa Major as the cause of all the mischief which had alreadyhappened and was likely to ensue. At once he started, and hiscolour 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 herelast night?' Rose, not much pleased with the abruptness of thefirst question which the young stranger had addressed to her,answered drily in the negative, and the conversation again sunkinto silence.

  At this moment Mr. Saunderson appeared, with a message from hismaster, requesting to speak with Captain Waverley in anotherapartment. With a heart which beat a little quicker, not indeedfrom fear, but from uncertainty and anxiety, Edward obeyed thesummons. He found the two gentlemen standing together, an air ofcomplacent dignity on the brow of the Baron, while something likesullenness or shame, or both, blanked the bold visage ofBalmawhapple. The former slipped his arm through that of thelatter, and thus seeming to walk with him, while in reality he ledhim, advanced to meet Waverley, and, stopping in the midst of theapartment, made in great state the following oration: 'CaptainWaverley--my young and esteemed friend, Mr. Falconer ofBalmawhapple, has craved of my age and experience, as of one notwholly unskilled in the dependencies and punctilios of the duelloor monomachia, to be his interlocutor in expressing to you theregret with which he calls to remembrance certain passages of oursymposion last night, which could not but be highly displeasing toyou, as serving for the time under this present existinggovernment. He craves you, sir, to drown in oblivion the memory ofsuch solecisms against the laws of politeness, as being what hisbetter reason disavows, and to receive the hand which he offersyou in amity; and I must needs assure you that nothing less than asense of being dans son tort, as a gallant French chevalier, Mons.Le Bretailleur, once said to me on such an occasion, and anopinion also of your peculiar merit, could have extorted suchconcessions; for he and all his family are, and have been, timeout of mind, Mavortia pectora, as Buchanan saith, a bold andwarlike sept, or people.'

  Edward immediately, and with natural politeness, accepted the handwhich Balmawhapple, or rather the Baron in his character ofmediator, extended towards him. 'It was impossible,' he said, 'forhim to remember what a gentleman expressed his wish he had notuttered; and he willingly imputed what had passed to the exuberantfestivity of the day.'

  'That is very handsomely said,' answered the Baron; 'forundoubtedly, if a man be ebrius, or intoxicated, an incident whichon solemn and festive occasions may and will take place in thelife of a man of honour; and if the same gentleman, being freshand sober, recants the contumelies which he hath spoken in hisliquor, it must be held vinum locutum est; the words cease to behis own. Yet would I not find this exculpation relevant in thecase of one who was ebriosus, or an habitual drunkard; because, ifsuch a person choose to pass the greater part of his time in thepredicament of intoxication, he hath no title to be exeemed fromthe obligations of the code of politeness, but should learn todeport himself peaceably and courteously when under influence ofthe vinous stimulus. And now let us proceed to breakfast, andthink no more of this daft business.'

  I must confess, whatever inference may be drawn from thecircumstance, that Edward, after so satisfactory an explanation,did much greater honour to the delicacies of Miss Bradwardine'sbreakfast-table than his commencement had promised. Balmawhapple,on the contrary, seemed embarrassed and dejected; and Waverleynow, for the first time, observed that his arm was in a sling,which seemed to account for the awkward and embarrassed mannerwith which he had presented his hand. To a question from MissBradwardine, he muttered in answer something about his horsehaving fallen; and seeming desirous to escape both from thesubject and the company, he arose as soon as breakfast was over,made his bow to the party, and, declining the Baron's invitationto tarry till after dinner, mounted his horse and returned to hisown home.

  Waverley now announced his purpose of leaving Tully-Veolan earlyenough after dinner to gain the stage at which he meant to sleep;but the unaffected and deep mortification with which the good-natured and affectionate old gentleman heard the proposal quitedeprived him of courage to persist in it. No sooner had he gainedWaverley's consent to lengthen his visit for a few days than helaboured to remove the grounds upon which he conceived he hadmeditated a more early retreat. 'I would not have you opine,Captain Waverley, that I am by practice or precept an advocate ofebriety, though it may be that, in our festivity of last night,some of our friends, if not perchance altogether ebrii, ordrunken, were, to say the least, ebrioli, by which the ancientsdesigned those who were fuddled, or, as your English vernacularand metaphorical phrase goes, half-seas-over. Not that I would soinsinuate respecting you, Captain Waverley, who, like a prudentyouth, did rather abstain from potation; nor can it be truly saidof myself, who, having assisted at the tables of many greatgenerals and marechals at their solemn carousals, have the art tocarry my wine discreetly, and did not, during the whole evening,as ye must have doubtless observed, exceed the bounds of a modesthilarity.'

  There was no refusing assent to a proposition so decidedly laiddown by him, who undoubtedly was the best judge; although, hadEdward formed his opinion from his own recollections, he wouldhave pronounced that the Baron was not only ebriolus, but vergingto become ebrius; or, in plain English, was incomparably the mostdrunk of the party, except perhaps his antagonist the Laird ofBalmawhapple. However, having received the expected, or rather therequired, compliment on his sobriety, the Baron proceeded--'No,sir, though I am myself of a strong temperament, I abhor ebriety,and detest those who swallow wine gulce causa, for the oblectationof the gullet; albeit I might deprecate the law of Pittacus ofMity
lene, who punished doubly a crime committed under theinfluence 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 thoughtit necessary to make for the superabundance of his hospitality;and it may be easily believed that he was neither interrupted bydissent nor any expression of incredulity.

  He then invited his guest to a morning ride, and ordered thatDavie Gellatley should meet them at the dern path with Ban andBuscar. 'For, until the shooting season commence, I wouldwillingly show you some sport, and we may, God willing, meet witha roe. The roe, Captain Waverley, may be hunted at all timesalike; for never being in what is called PRIDE OF GREASE, he isalso never out of season, though it be a truth that his venison isnot equal to that of either the red or fallow deer. [Footnote: Thelearned in cookery dissent from the Baron of Bradwardine, and holdthe roe venison dry and indifferent food, unless when dressed insoup and Scotch collops.] But he will serve to show how my dogsrun; and therefore they shall attend us with David Gellatley.'

  Waverley expressed his surprise that his friend Davie was capableof such trust; but the Baron gave him to understand that this poorsimpleton was neither fatuous, nec naturaliter idiota, as isexpressed in the brieves of furiosity, but simply a crack-brainedknave, who could execute very well any commission which jumpedwith his own humour, and made his folly a plea for avoiding everyother. 'He has made an interest with us,' continued the Baron, 'bysaving Rose from a great danger with his own proper peril; and theroguish loon must therefore eat of our bread and drink of our cup,and do what he can, or what he will, which, if the suspicions ofSaunderson and the Bailie are well founded, may perchance in hiscase be commensurate terms.'

  Miss Bradwardine then gave Waverley to understand that this poorsimpleton was dotingly fond of music, deeply affected by thatwhich was melancholy, and transported into extravagant gaiety bylight and lively airs. He had in this respect a prodigious memory,stored with miscellaneous snatches and fragments of all tunes andsongs, which he sometimes applied, with considerable address, asthe vehicles of remonstrance, explanation, or satire. Davie wasmuch attached to the few who showed him kindness; and both awareof any slight or ill usage which he happened to receive, andsufficiently apt, where he saw opportunity, to revenge it. Thecommon people, who often judge hardly of each other as well as oftheir betters, although they had expressed great compassion forthe poor innocent while suffered to wander in rags about thevillage, no sooner beheld him decently clothed, provided for, andeven 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 thatDavid Gellatley was no farther fool than was necessary to avoidhard labour. This opinion was not better founded than that of theNegroes, who, from the acute and mischievous pranks of themonkeys, suppose that they have the gift of speech, and onlysuppress their powers of elocution to escape being set to work.But the hypothesis was entirely imaginary; David Gellatley was ingood earnest the half-crazed simpleton which he appeared, and wasincapable of any constant and steady exertion. He had just so muchsolidity as kept on the windy side of insanity, so much wild witas 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 tohim, warm affections, a prodigious memory, and an ear for music.

  The stamping of horses was now heard in the court, and Davie'svoice singing 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,and Heaven, as if to compensate to the family Davie'sdeficiencies, had given him what the hamlet thought uncommontalents. An uncle contrived to educate him for the Scottish kirk,but he could not get preferment because he came from our GROUND.He returned from college hopeless and brokenhearted, and fell intoa decline. My father supported him till his death, which happenedbefore he was nineteen. He played beautifully on the flute, andwas supposed to have a great turn for poetry. He was affectionateand compassionate to his brother, who followed him like hisshadow, and we think that from him Davie gathered many fragmentsof songs and music unlike those of this country. But if we ask himwhere he got such a fragment as he is now singing, he eitheranswers with wild and long fits of laughter, or else breaks intotears of lamentation; but was never heard to give any explanation,or to mention his brother's name since his death.'

  'Surely,' said Edward, who was readily interested by a talebordering on the romantic, 'surely more might be learned by moreparticular inquiry.'

  'Perhaps so,' answered Rose; 'but my father will not permit anyone to practise on his feelings on this subject.'

  By this time the Baron, with the help of Mr. Saunderson, hadindued a pair of jack-boots of large dimensions, and now invitedour hero to follow him as he stalked clattering down the amplestair-case, tapping each huge balustrade as he passed with thebutt of his massive horse-whip, and humming, with the air of achasseur of Louis Quatorze,--

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