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

by Walter Scott

  CHAPTER XIV

  A DISCOVERY--WAVERLEY BECOMES DOMESTICATED AT TULLY-VEOLAN

  The next day Edward arose betimes, and in a morning walk aroundthe house and its vicinity came suddenly upon a small court infront of the dog-kennel, where his friend Davie was employed abouthis four-footed charge. One quick glance of his eye recognisedWaverley, when, instantly turning his back, as if he had notobserved him, he began to sing part of an old ballad:--

  Young men will love thee more fair and more fast; Heard ye so merry the little bird sing? Old men's love the longest will last, And the throstle-cock's head is under his wing.

  The young man's wrath is like light straw on fire; Heard ye so merry the little bird sing? But like red-hot steel is the old man's ire, And the throstle-cock's head is under his wing.

  The young man will brawl at the evening board; Heard ye so merry the little bird sing? But the old man will draw at the dawning the sword, And the throstle-cock's head is under his wing.

  Waverley could not avoid observing that Davie laid something likea satirical emphasis on these lines. He therefore approached, andendeavoured, by sundry queries, to elicit from him what theinnuendo might mean; but Davie had no mind to explain, and had witenough to make his folly cloak his knavery. Edward could collectnothing from him, excepting that the Laird of Balmawhapple hadgone home yesterday morning 'wi' his boots fu' o' bluid.' In thegarden, however, he met the old butler, who no longer attempted toconceal that, having been bred in the nursery line with Sumack andCo. of Newcastle, he sometimes wrought a turn in the flower-borders to oblige the Laird and Miss Rose. By a series of queries,Edward at length discovered, with a painful feeling of surpriseand shame, that Balmawhapple's submission and apology had been theconsequence of a rencontre with the Baron before his guest hadquitted his pillow, in which the younger combatant had beendisarmed and wounded in the sword arm.

  Greatly mortified at this information, Edward sought out hisfriendly host, and anxiously expostulated with him upon theinjustice he had done him in anticipating his meeting with Mr.Falconer, a circumstance which, considering his youth and theprofession of arms which he had just adopted, was capable of beingrepresented much to his prejudice. The Baron justified himself atgreater length than I choose to repeat. He urged that the quarrelwas common to them, and that Balmawhapple could not, by the codeof honour, evite giving satisfaction to both, which he had done inhis case by an honourable meeting, and in that of Edward by such apalinode as rendered the use of the sword unnecessary, and which,being made and accepted, must necessarily sopite the whole affair.

  With this excuse, or explanation, Waverley was silenced, if notsatisfied; but he could not help testifying some displeasureagainst the Blessed Bear, which had given rise to the quarrel, norrefrain from hinting that the sanctified epithet was hardlyappropriate. The Baron observed, he could not deny that 'the Bear,though allowed by heralds as a most honourable ordinary, had,nevertheless, somewhat fierce, churlish, and morose in hisdisposition (as might be read in Archibald Simson, pastor ofDalkeith's 'Hieroglyphica Animalium') and had thus been the typeof many quarrels and dissensions which had occurred in the houseof Bradwardine; of which,' he continued, 'I might commemorate mineown unfortunate dissension with my third cousin by the mother'sside, Sir Hew Halbert, who was so unthinking as to deride myfamily name, as if it had been QUASI BEAR-WARDEN; a most unciviljest, since it not only insinuated that the founder of our houseoccupied such a mean situation as to be a custodier of wildbeasts, a charge which, ye must have observed, is only entrustedto the very basest plebeians; but, moreover, seemed to infer thatour coat-armour had not been achieved by honourable actions inwar, but bestowed by way of paranomasia, or pun, upon our familyappellation,--a sort of bearing which the French call armoiresparlantes, the Latins arma cantantia, and your English authoritiescanting heraldry, [Footnote: See Note 12] being indeed a species ofemblazoning more befitting canters, gaberlunzies, and such likemendicants, whose gibberish is formed upon playing upon the word,than the noble, honourable, and useful science of heraldry, whichassigns armorial bearings as the reward of noble and generousactions, and not to tickle the ear with vain quodlibets, such asare found in jestbooks.' Of his quarrel with Sir Hew he saidnothing more than that it was settled in a fitting manner.

  Having been so minute with respect to the diversions of Tully-Veolan on the first days of Edward's arrival, for the purpose ofintroducing its inmates to the reader's acquaintance, it becomesless necessary to trace the progress of his intercourse with thesame accuracy. It is probable that a young man, accustomed to morecheerful society, would have tired of the conversation of soviolent an assertor of the 'boast of heraldry' as the Baron; butEdward found an agreeable variety in that of Miss Bradwardine, wholistened with eagerness to his remarks upon literature, and showedgreat justness of taste in her answers. The sweetness of herdisposition had made her submit with complacency, and evenpleasure, to the course of reading prescribed by her father,although it not only comprehended several heavy folios of history,but certain gigantic tomes in high-church polemics. In heraldry hewas fortunately contented to give her only such a slight tinctureas might be acquired by perusal of the two folio volumes ofNisbet. Rose was indeed the very apple of her father's eye. Herconstant liveliness, her attention to all those little observancesmost gratifying to those who would never think of exacting them,her beauty, in which he recalled the features of his beloved wife,her unfeigned piety, and the noble generosity of her disposition,would have justified the affection of the most doting father.

  His anxiety on her behalf did not, however, seem to extend itselfin that quarter where, according to the general opinion, it ismost efficiently displayed, in labouring, namely, to establish herin life, either by a large dowry or a wealthy marriage. By an oldsettlement, almost all the landed estates of the Baron went, afterhis death, to a distant relation; and it was supposed that MissBradwardine would remain but slenderly provided for, as the goodgentleman's cash matters had been too long under the exclusivecharge of Bailie Macwheeble to admit of any great expectationsfrom his personal succession. It is true, the said Bailie lovedhis patron and his patron's daughter next (though at anincomparable distance) to himself. He thought it was possible toset aside the settlement on the male line, and had actuallyprocured an opinion to that effect (and, as he boasted, without afee) from an eminent Scottish counsel, under whose notice hecontrived to bring the point while consulting him regularly onsome other business. But the Baron would not listen to such aproposal for an instant. On the contrary, he used to have aperverse pleasure in boasting that the barony of Bradwardine was amale fief, the first charter having been given at that earlyperiod when women were not deemed capable to hold a feudal grant;because, according to Les coustusmes de Normandie, c'est l'hommeki se bast et ki conseille; or, as is yet more ungallantlyexpressed by other authorities, all of whose barbarous names hedelighted to quote at full length, because a woman could not servethe superior, or feudal lord, in war, on account of the decorum ofher sex, nor assist him with advice, because of her limitedintellect, nor keep his counsel, owing to the infirmity of herdisposition. He would triumphantly ask, how it would become afemale, and that female a Bradwardine, to be seen employed inservitio exuendi, seu detrahendi, caligas regis post battaliam?that is, in pulling off the king's boots after an engagement,which was the feudal service by which he held the barony ofBradwardine. 'No,' he said, 'beyond hesitation, procul dubio, manyfemales, as worthy as Rose, had been excluded, in order to makeway for my own succession, and Heaven forbid that I should doaught that might contravene the destination of my forefathers, orimpinge upon the right of my kinsman, Malcolm Bradwardine ofInchgrabbit, an honourable, though decayed branch of my ownfamily.'

  The Bailie, as prime minister, having received this decisivecommunication from his sovereign, durst not press his own opinionany farther, but contented himself with deploring, on all suitableoccasions, to Saunderson, the minister of the interior, thelaird
's self-willedness, and with laying plans for uniting Rosewith the young Laird of Balmawhapple, who had a fine estate, onlymoderately burdened, and was a faultless young gentleman, being assober as a saint--if you keep brandy from him and him from brandy--and who, in brief, had no imperfection but that of keeping lightcompany at a time; such as Jinker, the horse-couper, and GibbyGaethroughwi't, the piper o' Cupar; 'o' whilk follies, Mr.Saunderson, he'll mend, he'll mend,' pronounced the Bailie.

  'Like sour ale in simmer,' added Davie Gellatley, who happened tobe nearer the conclave than they were aware of.

  Miss Bradwardine, such as we have described her, with all thesimplicity and curiosity of a recluse, attached herself to theopportunities of increasing her store of literature which Edward'svisit afforded her. He sent for some of his books from hisquarters, and they opened to her sources of delight of which shehad hitherto had no idea. The best English poets, of everydescription, and other works on belles-lettres, made a part ofthis precious cargo. Her music, even her flowers, were neglected,and Saunders not only mourned over, but began to mutiny against,the labour for which he now scarce received thanks. These newpleasures became gradually enhanced by sharing them with one of akindred taste. Edward's readiness to comment, to recite, toexplain difficult passages, rendered his assistance invaluable;and the wild romance of his spirit delighted a character too youngand inexperienced to observe its deficiencies. Upon subjects whichinterested him, and when quite at ease, he possessed that flow ofnatural, and somewhat florid eloquence, which has been supposed aspowerful even as figure, fashion, fame, or fortune, in winning thefemale heart. There was, therefore, an increasing danger in thisconstant intercourse to poor Rose's peace of mind, which was themore imminent as her father was greatly too much abstracted in hisstudies, and wrapped up in his own dignity, to dream of hisdaughter's incurring it. The daughters of the house of Bradwardinewere, in his opinion, like those of the house of Bourbon orAustria, placed high above the clouds of passion which mightobfuscate the intellects of meaner females; they moved in anothersphere, were governed by other feelings, and amenable to otherrules than those of idle and fantastic affection. In short, heshut his eyes so resolutely to the natural consequences ofEdward's intimacy with Miss Bradwardine, that the wholeneighbourhood concluded that he had opened them to the advantagesof a match between his daughter and the wealthy young Englishman,and pronounced him much less a fool than he had generally shownhimself in cases where his own interest was concerned.

  If the Baron, however, had really meditated such an alliance, theindifference of Waverley would have been an insuperable bar to hisproject. Our hero, since mixing more freely with the world, hadlearned to think with great shame and confusion upon his mentallegend of Saint Cecilia, and the vexation of these reflections waslikely, for some time at least, to counterbalance the naturalsusceptibility of his disposition. Besides, Rose Bradwardine,beautiful and amiable as we have described her, had not preciselythe sort of beauty or merit which captivates a romanticimagination in early youth. She was too frank, too confiding, tookind; amiable qualities, undoubtedly, but destructive of themarvellous, with which a youth of imagination delights to dressthe empress of his affections. Was it possible to bow, to tremble,and to adore, before the timid, yet playful little girl, who nowasked Edward to mend her pen, now to construe a stanza in Tasso,and now how to spell a very--very long word in her version of it?All these incidents have their fascination on the mind at acertain period of life, but not when a youth is entering it, andrather looking out for some object whose affection may dignify himin his own eyes than stooping to one who looks up to him for suchdistinction. Hence, though there can be no rule in so capricious apassion, early love is frequently ambitious in choosing itsobject; or, which comes to the same, selects her (as in the caseof Saint Cecilia aforesaid) from a situation that gives fair scopefor le beau ideal, which the reality of intimate and familiar liferather tends to limit and impair. I knew a very accomplished andsensible young man cured of a violent passion for a pretty woman,whose talents were not equal to her face and figure, by beingpermitted to bear her company for a whole afternoon. Thus, it iscertain, that had Edward enjoyed such an opportunity of conversingwith Miss Stubbs, Aunt Rachel's precaution would have beenunnecessary, for he would as soon have fallen in love with thedairy-maid. And although Miss Bradwardine was a very differentcharacter, it seems probable that the very intimacy of theirintercourse prevented his feeling for her other sentiments thanthose of a brother for an amiable and accomplished sister; whilethe sentiments of poor Rose were gradually, and without her beingconscious, assuming a shade of warmer affection.

  I ought to have said that Edward, when he sent to Dundee for thebooks before mentioned, had applied for, and received permission,extending his leave of absence. But the letter of his commandingofficer contained a friendly recommendation to him not to spendhis time exclusively with persons who, estimable as they might bein a general sense, could not be supposed well affected to agovernment which they declined to acknowledge by taking the oathof allegiance. The letter further insinuated, though with greatdelicacy, that although some family connections might be supposedto render it necessary for Captain Waverley to communicate withgentlemen who were in this unpleasant state of suspicion, yet hisfather's situation and wishes ought to prevent his prolongingthose attentions into exclusive intimacy. And it was intimated,that, while his political principles were endangered bycommunicating with laymen of this description, he might alsoreceive erroneous impressions in religion from the prelaticclergy, who so perversely laboured to set up the royal prerogativein things sacred.

  This last insinuation probably induced Waverley to set both downto the prejudices of his commanding officer. He was sensible thatMr. Bradwardine had acted with the most scrupulous delicacy, innever entering upon any discussion that had the most remotetendency to bias his mind in political opinions, although he washimself not only a decided partisan of the exiled family, but hadbeen trusted at different times with important commissions fortheir service. Sensible, therefore, that there was no risk of hisbeing perverted from his allegiance, Edward felt as if he shoulddo his uncle's old friend injustice in removing from a house wherehe gave and received pleasure and amusement, merely to gratify aprejudiced and ill-judged suspicion. He therefore wrote a verygeneral answer, assuring his commanding officer that his loyaltywas not in the most distant danger of contamination, and continuedan honoured guest and inmate of the house of Tully-Veolan.