by Walter Scott
CHAPTER XXXI
AN EXAMINATION
Major Melville of Cairnvreckan, an elderly gentleman, who hadspent his youth in the military service, received Mr. Morton withgreat kindness, and our hero with civility, which the equivocalcircumstances wherein Edward was placed rendered constrained anddistant.
The nature of the smith's hurt was inquired into, and, as theactual injury was likely to prove trifling, and the circumstancesin which it was received rendered the infliction on Edward's parta natural act of self-defence, the Major conceived he mightdismiss that matter on Waverley's depositing in his hands a smallsum for the benefit of the wounded person.
'I could wish, sir,' continued the Major, 'that my duty terminatedhere; but it is necessary that we should have some further inquiryinto the cause of your journey through the country at thisunfortunate and distracted time.'
Mr. Ebenezer Cruickshanks now stood forth, and communicated to themagistrate all he knew or suspected from the reserve of Waverleyand the evasions of Callum Beg. The horse upon which Edward rode,he said, he knew to belong to Vich Ian Vohr, though he dared nottax Edward's former attendant with the fact, lest he should havehis house and stables burnt over his head some night by thatgodless gang, the Mac-Ivors. He concluded by exaggerating his ownservices to kirk and state, as having been the means, under God(as he modestly qualified the assertion), of attaching thissuspicious and formidable delinquent. He intimated hopes of futurereward, and of instant reimbursement for loss of time, and even ofcharacter, by travelling on the state business on the fast-day.
To this Major Melville answered, with great composure, that so farfrom claiming any merit in this affair, Mr. Cruickshanks ought todeprecate the imposition of a very heavy fine for neglecting tolodge, in terms of the recent proclamation, an account with thenearest magistrate of any stranger who came to his inn; that, asMr. Cruickshanks boasted so much of religion and loyalty, heshould not impute this conduct to disaffection, but only supposethat his zeal for kirk and state had been lulled asleep by theopportunity of charging a stranger with double horse-hire; that,however, feeling himself incompetent to decide singly upon theconduct of a person of such importance, he should reserve it forconsideration of the next quarter-sessions. Now our history forthe present saith no more of him of the Candlestick, who wendeddolorous and malcontent back to his own dwelling.
Major Melville then commanded the villagers to return to theirhomes, excepting two, who officiated as constables, and whom hedirected to wait below. The apartment was thus cleared of everyperson but Mr. Morton, whom the Major invited to remain; a sort offactor, who acted as clerk; and Waverley himself. There ensued apainful and embarrassed pause, till Major Melville, looking uponWaverley with much compassion, and often consulting a paper ormemorandum which he held in his hand, requested to know his name.
'Edward Waverley.'
'I thought so; late of the--dragoons, and nephew of Sir EverardWaverley of Waverley-Honour?'
'The same.'
'Young gentleman, I am extremely sorry that this painful duty hasfallen to my lot.'
'Duty, Major Melville, renders apologies superfluous.'
'True, sir; permit me, therefore, to ask you how your time hasbeen disposed of since you obtained leave of absence from yourregiment, several weeks ago, until the present moment?'
'My reply,' said Waverley, 'to so general a question must beguided by the nature of the charge which renders it necessary. Irequest to know what that charge is, and upon what authority I amforcibly detained to reply to it?'
'The charge, Mr. Waverley, I grieve to say, is of a very highnature, and affects your character both as a soldier and asubject. In the former capacity you are charged with spreadingmutiny and rebellion among the men you commanded, and setting themthe example of desertion, by prolonging your own absence from theregiment, contrary to the express orders of your commandingofficer. The civil crime of which you stand accused is that ofhigh treason and levying war against the king, the highestdelinquency of which a subject can be guilty.'
'And by what authority am I detained to reply to such heinouscalumnies?'
'By one which you must not dispute, nor I disobey.'
He handed to Waverley a warrant from the Supreme Criminal Court ofScotland, in full form, for apprehending and securing the personof Edward Waverley, Esq., suspected of treasonable practices andother high crimes and misdemeanours.
The astonishment which Waverley expressed at this communicationwas imputed by Major Melville to conscious guilt, while Mr. Mortonwas rather disposed to construe it into the surprise of innocenceunjustly suspected. There was something true in both conjectures;for although Edward's mind acquitted him of the crime with whichhe was charged, yet a hasty review of his own conduct convincedhim he might have great difficulty in establishing his innocenceto the satisfaction of others.
'It is a very painful part of this painful business,' said MajorMelville, after a pause, 'that, under so grave a charge, I mustnecessarily request to see such papers as you have on yourperson.'
'You shall, sir, without reserve,' said Edward, throwing hispocket-book and memorandums upon the table; 'there is but one withwhich I could wish you would dispense.'
'I am afraid, Mr. Waverley, I can indulge you with noreservation,'
'You shall see it then, sir; and as it can be of no service, I begit may be returned.'
He took from his bosom the lines he had that morning received, andpresented them with the envelope. The Major perused them insilence, and directed his clerk to make a copy of them. He thenwrapped the copy in the envelope, and placing it on the tablebefore him, returned the original to Waverley, with an air ofmelancholy gravity.
After indulging the prisoner, for such our hero must now beconsidered, with what he thought a reasonable time for reflection,Major Melville resumed his examination, premising that, as Mr.Waverley seemed to object to general questions, hisinterrogatories should be as specific as his informationpermitted. He then proceeded in his investigation, dictating, ashe went on, the import of the questions and answers to theamanuensis, by whom it was written down.
'Did Mr. Waverley know one Humphry Houghton, a non-commissionedofficer in Gardiner's dragoons?'
'Certainly; he was sergeant of my troop, and son of a tenant of myuncle.'
'Exactly--and had a considerable share of your confidence, and aninfluence among his comrades?'
'I had never occasion to repose confidence in a person of hisdescription,' answered Waverley. 'I favoured Sergeant Houghton asa clever, active young fellow, and I believe his fellow-soldiersrespected him accordingly.'
'But you used through this man,' answered Major Melville, 'tocommunicate with such of your troop as were recruited uponWaverley-Honour?'
'Certainly; the poor fellows, finding themselves in a regimentchiefly composed of Scotch or Irish, looked up to me in any oftheir little distresses, and naturally made their countryman andsergeant their spokesman on such occasions.'
'Sergeant Houghton's influence,' continued the Major, 'extended,then, particularly over those soldiers who followed you to theregiment from your uncle's estate?'
'Surely; but what is that to the present purpose?'
'To that I am just coming, and I beseech your candid reply. Haveyou, since leaving the regiment, held any correspondence, director indirect, with this Sergeant Houghton?'
'I!--I hold correspondence with a man of his rank and situation!How, or for what purpose?'
'That you are to explain. But did you not, for example, send tohim for some books?'
'You remind me of a trifling commission,' said Waverley, 'which Igave Sergeant Houghton, because my servant could not read. I dorecollect I bade him, by letter, select some books, of which Isent him a list, and send them to me at Tully-Veolan.'
'And of what description were those books?'
'They related almost entirely to elegant literature; they weredesigned for a lady's perusal.'
'Were there not, Mr. Waverley, treasonable tracts and pamphl
etsamong them?'
'There were some political treatises, into which I hardly looked.They had been sent to me by the officiousness of a kind friend,whose heart is more to be esteemed than his prudence or politicalsagacity; they seemed to be dull compositions.'
'That friend,' continued the persevering inquirer, 'was a Mr.Pembroke, a nonjuring clergyman, the author of two treasonableworks, of which the manuscripts were found among your baggage?'
'But of which, I give you my honour as a gentleman,' repliedWaverley, 'I never read six pages.'
'I am not your judge, Mr. Waverley; your examination will betransmitted elsewhere. And now to proceed. Do you know a personthat passes by the name of Wily Will, or Will Ruthven?'
'I never heard of such a name till this moment.'
'Did you never through such a person, or any other person,communicate with Sergeant Humphry Houghton, instigating him todesert, with as many of his comrades as he could seduce to joinhim, and unite with the Highlanders and other rebels now in armsunder the command of the Young Pretender?'
'I assure you I am not only entirely guiltless of the plot youhave laid to my charge, but I detest it from the very bottom of mysoul, nor would I be guilty of such treachery to gain a throne,either for myself or any other man alive.'
'Yet when I consider this envelope in the handwriting of one ofthose misguided gentlemen who are now in arms against theircountry, and the verses which it enclosed, I cannot but find someanalogy between the enterprise I have mentioned and the exploit ofWogan, which the writer seems to expect you should imitate.'
Waverley was struck with the coincidence, but denied that thewishes or expectations of the letter-writer were to be regarded asproofs of a charge otherwise chimerical.
'But, if I am rightly informed, your time was spent, during yourabsence from the regiment, between the house of this HighlandChieftain and that of Mr. Bradwardine of Bradwardine, also in armsfor this unfortunate cause?'
'I do not mean to disguise it; but I do deny, most resolutely,being privy to any of their designs against the government.'
'You do not, however, I presume, intend to deny that you attendedyour host Glennaquoich to a rendezvous, where, under a pretence ofa general hunting match, most of the accomplices of his treasonwere assembled to concert measures for taking arms?'
'I acknowledge having been at such a meeting,' said Waverley; 'butI neither heard nor saw anything which could give it the characteryou affix to it.'
'From thence you proceeded,' continued the magistrate, 'withGlennaquoich and a part of his clan to join the army of the YoungPretender, and returned, after having paid your homage to him, todiscipline and arm the remainder, and unite them to his bands ontheir way southward?'
'I never went with Glennaquoich on such an errand. I never so muchas heard that the person whom you mention was in the country.'
He then detailed the history of his misfortune at the huntingmatch, and added, that on his return he found himself suddenlydeprived of his commission, and did not deny that he then, for thefirst time, observed symptoms which indicated a disposition in theHighlanders to take arms; but added that, having no inclination tojoin their cause, and no longer any reason for remaining inScotland, he was now on his return to his native country, to whichhe had been summoned by those who had a right to direct hismotions, as Major Melville would perceive from the letters on thetable.
Major Melville accordingly perused the letters of RichardWaverley, of Sir Everard, and of Aunt Rachel; but the inferenceshe drew from them were different from what Waverley expected. Theyheld the language of discontent with government, threw out noobscure hints of revenge, and that of poor Aunt Rachel, whichplainly asserted the justice of the Stuart cause, was held tocontain the open avowal of what the others only ventured toinsinuate.
'Permit me another question, Mr. Waverley,' said Major Melville.'Did you not receive repeated letters from your commandingofficer, warning you and commanding you to return to your post,and acquainting you with the use made of your name to spreaddiscontent among your soldiers?'
'I never did, Major Melville. One letter, indeed, I received fromhim, containing a civil intimation of his wish that I would employmy leave of absence otherwise than in constant residence atBradwardine, as to which, I own, I thought he was not called on tointerfere; and, finally, I received, on the same day on which Iobserved myself superseded in the "Gazette," a second letter fromColonel Gardiner, commanding me to join the regiment, an orderwhich, owing to my absence, already mentioned and accounted for, Ireceived too late to be obeyed. If there were any intermediateletters, and certainly from the Colonel's high character I thinkit probable that there were, they have never reached me.'
'I have omitted, Mr. Waverley,' continued Major Melville, 'toinquire after a matter of less consequence, but which hasnevertheless been publicly talked of to your disadvantage. It issaid that a treasonable toast having been proposed in your hearingand presence, you, holding his Majesty's commission, suffered thetask of resenting it to devolve upon another gentleman of thecompany. This, sir, cannot be charged against you in a court ofjustice; but if, as I am informed, the officers of your regimentrequested an explanation of such a rumour, as a gentleman andsoldier I cannot but be surprised that you did not afford it tothem.'
This was too much. Beset and pressed on every hand by accusations,in which gross falsehoods were blended with such circumstances oftruth as could not fail to procure them credit,--alone,unfriended, and in a strange land, Waverley almost gave up hislife and honour for lost, and, leaning his head upon his hand,resolutely refused to answer any further questions, since the fairand candid statement he had already made had only served tofurnish arms against him.
Without expressing either surprise or displeasure at the change inWaverley's manner, Major Melville proceeded composedly to putseveral other queries to him.
'What does it avail me to answer you?' said Edward sullenly. 'Youappear convinced of my guilt, and wrest every reply I have made tosupport your own preconceived opinion. Enjoy your supposedtriumph, then, and torment me no further. If I am capable of thecowardice and treachery your charge burdens me with, I am notworthy to be believed in any reply I can make to you. If I am notdeserving of your suspicion--and God and my own conscience bearevidence with me that it is so--then I do not see why I should, bymy candour, lend my accusers arms against my innocence. There isno reason I should answer a word more, and I am determined toabide by this resolution.'
And again he resumed his posture of sullen and determined silence.
'Allow me,' said the magistrate, 'to remind you of one reason thatmay suggest the propriety of a candid and open confession. Theinexperience of youth, Mr. Waverley, lays it open to the plans ofthe more designing and artful; and one of your friends at least--Imean Mac-Ivor of Glennaquoich--ranks high in the latter class, as,from your apparent ingenuousness, youth, and unacquaintance withthe manners of the Highlands, I should be disposed to place youamong the former. In such a case, a false step or error likeyours, which I shall be happy to consider as involuntary, may beatoned for, and I would willingly act as intercessor. But, as youmust necessarily be acquainted with the strength of theindividuals in this country who have assumed arms, with theirmeans and with their plans, I must expect you will merit thismediation on my part by a frank and candid avowal of all that hascome to your knowledge upon these heads; in which case, I think Ican venture to promise that a very short personal restraint willbe the only ill consequence that can arise from your accession tothese unhappy intrigues.'
Waverley listened with great composure until the end of thisexhortation, when, springing from his seat with an energy he hadnot yet displayed, he replied, 'Major Melville, since that is yourname, I have hitherto answered your questions with candour, ordeclined them with temper, because their import concerned myselfalone; but, as you presume to esteem me mean enough to commenceinformer against others, who received me, whatever may be theirpublic misconduct, as a guest and friend, I declare to you that Iconsider
your questions as an insult infinitely more offensivethan your calumnious suspicions; and that, since my hard fortunepermits me no other mode of resenting them than by verbaldefiance, you should sooner have my heart out of my bosom than asingle syllable of information on subjects which I could onlybecome acquainted with in the full confidence of unsuspectinghospitality.'
Mr. Morton and the Major looked at each other; and the former,who, in the course of the examination, had been repeatedlytroubled with a sorry rheum, had recourse to his snuff-box and hishandkerchief.
'Mr. Waverley,' said the Major, 'my present situation prohibits mealike from giving or receiving offence, and I will not protract adiscussion which approaches to either. I am afraid I must sign awarrant for detaining you in custody, but this house shall for thepresent be your prison. I fear I cannot persuade you to accept ashare of our supper?--(Edward shook his head)--but I will orderrefreshments in your apartment.'
Our hero bowed and withdrew, under guard of the officers ofjustice, to a small but handsome room, where, declining all offersof food or wine, he flung himself on the bed, and, stupified bythe harassing events and mental fatigue of this miserable day, hesunk into a deep and heavy slumber. This was more than he himselfcould have expected; but it is mentioned of the North-AmericanIndians, when at the stake of torture, that on the leastintermission of agony they will sleep until the fire is applied toawaken them.
