David Balfour
Page 7
CHAPTER VI
UMQUILE THE MASTER OF LOVAT
There was a man waiting us in Prestongrange's study, whom I distasted atthe first look, as we distaste a ferret or an earwig. He was bitterugly, but seemed very much of a gentleman; had still manners, butcapable of sudden leaps and violences; and a small voice, which couldring out shrill and dangerous when he so desired.
The Advocate presented us in a familiar, friendly way.
"Here, Fraser," said he, "here is Mr. Balfour whom we talked about. Mr.David, this is Mr. Symon Fraser, whom we used to call by another title,but that is an old song. Mr. Fraser has an errand to you."
With that he stepped aside to his book-shelves, and made believe toconsult a quarto volume in the far end.
I was thus left (in a sense) alone with perhaps the last person in theworld I had expected. There was no doubt upon the terms of introduction;this could be no other than the forfeited Master of Lovat and chief ofthe great clan Fraser. I knew he had led his men in the Rebellion; Iknew his father's head--my old lord's, that grey fox of themountains--to have fallen on the block for that offence, the lands ofthe family to have been seized, and their nobility attainted. I couldnot conceive what he should be doing in Grant's house; I could notconceive that he had been called to the bar, had eaten all hisprinciples, and was now currying favour with the Government even to theextent of acting Advocate-Depute in the Appin murder.
"Well, Mr. Balfour," said he, "what is all this I hear of ye?"
"It would not become me to prejudge," said I, "but if the Advocate wasyour authority he is fully possessed of my opinions."
"I may tell you I am engaged in the Appin case," he went on; "I am toappear under Prestongrange; and from my study of the precognitions I canassure you your opinions are erroneous. The guilt of Breck is manifest;and your testimony, in which you admit you saw him on the hill at thevery moment, will certify his hanging."
"It will be rather ill to hang him till you catch him," I observed. "Andfor other matters I very willingly leave you to your own impressions."
"The Duke has been informed," he went on. "I have just come from hisGrace, and he expressed himself before me with an honest freedom likethe great nobleman he is. He spoke of you by name, Mr. Balfour, anddeclared his gratitude beforehand in case you would be led by those whounderstand your own interests and those of the country so much betterthan yourself. Gratitude is no empty expression in that mouth: _expertocrede_. I daresay you know something of my name and clan, and thedamnable example and lamented end of my late father, to say nothing ofmy own errata. Well, I have made my peace with that good Duke; he hasintervened for me with our friend Prestongrange; and here I am with myfoot in the stirrup again and some of the responsibility shared into myhand of prosecuting King George's enemies and avenging the late daringand barefaced insult to his Majesty."
"Doubtless a proud position for your father's son," says I.
He wagged his bald eyebrows at me. "You are pleased to make experimentsin the ironical, I think," said he. "But I am here upon duty, I am hereto discharge my errand in good faith, it is in vain you think to divertme. And let me tell you, for a young fellow of spirit and ambition likeyourself, a good shove in the beginning will do more than ten years'drudgery. The shove is now at your command; choose what you will to beadvanced in, the Duke will watch upon you with the affectionatedisposition of a father."
"I am thinking that I lack the docility of the son," says I.
"And do you really suppose, sir, that the whole policy of this countryis to be suffered to trip up and tumble down for an ill-mannered colt ofa boy?" he cried. "This has been made a test case, all who would prosperin the future must put a shoulder to the wheel. Look at me! Do yousuppose it is for my pleasure that I put myself in the highly invidiousposition of prosecuting a man that I have drawn the sword alongside of?The choice is not left me."
"But I think, sir, that you forfeited your choice when you mixed in withthat unnatural rebellion," I remarked. "My case is happily otherwise; Iam a true man, and can look either the Duke or King George in the facewithout concern."
"Is it so the wind sits?" says he. "I protest you are fallen in theworst sort of error. Prestongrange has been hitherto so civil (he tellsme) as not to combat your allegations; but you must not think they arenot looked upon with strong suspicion. You say you are innocent. My dearsir, the facts declare you guilty."
"I was waiting for you there," said I.
"The evidence of Mungo Campbell; your flight after the completion of themurder; your long course of secresy--my good young man!" said Mr. Symon,"here is enough evidence to hang a bullock, let be a David Balfour! Ishall be upon that trial; my voice shall be raised; I shall then speakmuch otherwise from what I do to-day, and far less to yourgratification, little as you like it now! Ah, you look white!" cries he."I have found the key of your impudent heart. You look pale, your eyeswaver, Mr. David! You see the grave and the gallows nearer by than youhad fancied."
"I own to a natural weakness," said I. "I think no shame for that. Shame. . ." I was going on.
"Shame waits for you on the gibbet," he broke in.
"Where I shall but be even'd with my lord your father," said I.
"Aha, but not so!" he cried, "and you do not yet see to the bottom ofthis business. My father suffered in a great cause, and for dealing inthe affairs of kings. You are to hang for a dirty murder aboutboddle-pieces. Your personal part in it, the treacherous one of holdingthe poor wretch in talk, your accomplices a pack of ragged Highlandgillies. And it can be shown, my great Mr. Balfour--it can be shown, andit _will_ be shown, trust _me_ that has a finger in the pie--it can beshown, and shall be shown, that you were paid to do it. I think I cansee the looks go round the court when I adduce my evidence, and it shallappear that you, a young man of education, let yourself be corrupted tothis shocking act for a suit of cast clothes, a bottle of Highlandspirits, and three-and-fivepence-halfpenny in copper money."
There was a touch of the truth in these words that knockedme like a blow: clothes, a bottle of _usquebaugh_, andthree-and-fivepence-halfpenny in change made up, indeed, the most of whatAlan and I had carried from Aucharn; and I saw that some of James'speople had been blabbing in their dungeons.
"You see I know more than you fancied," he resumed in triumph. "And asfor giving it this turn, great Mr. David, you must not suppose theGovernment of Great Britain and Ireland will ever be stuck for want ofevidence. We have men here in prison who will swear out their lives aswe direct them; as I direct, if you prefer the phrase. So now you are toguess your part of glory if you choose to die. On the one hand, life,wine, women, and a duke to be your hand-gun; on the other, a rope toyour craig, and a gibbet to clatter your bones on, and the lousiest,lowest story to hand down to your namesakes in the future that was evertold about a hired assassin. And see here!" he cried, with a formidableshrill voice, "see this paper that I pull out of my pocket. Look at thename there: it is the name of the great David, I believe, the ink scarcedry yet. Can you guess its nature? It is the warrant for your arrest,which I have but to touch this bell beside me to have executed on thespot. Once in the Tolbooth upon this paper, may God help you, for thedie is cast!"
I must never deny that I was greatly horrified by so much baseness, andmuch unmanned by the immediacy and ugliness of my danger. Mr. Symon hadalready gloried in the changes of my hue; I make no doubt I was now noruddier than my shirt; my speech besides trembled.
"There is a gentleman in this room," cried I. "I appeal to him. I put mylife and credit in his hands."
Prestongrange shut his book with a snap. "I told you so, Symon," saidhe; "you have played your hand for all it was worth, and you have lost.Mr. David," he went on, "I wish you to believe it was by no choice ofmine you were subjected to this proof. I wish you could understand howglad I am you should come forth from it with so much credit. You may notquite see how, but it is a little of a service to myself. For had ourfriend here been more successful than I was last night, it might have
appeared that he was a better judge of men than I; it might haveappeared we were altogether in the wrong situations, Mr. Symon andmyself. And I know our friend Symon to be ambitious," says he, strikinglightly on Fraser's shoulder. "As for this stage play, it is over; mysentiments are very much engaged in your behalf; and whatever issue wecan find to this unfortunate affair, I shall make it my business to seeit is adopted with tenderness to you."
These were very good words, and I could see besides that there waslittle love, and perhaps a spice of genuine ill-will, between those twowho were opposed to me. For all that, it was unmistakable this interviewhad been designed, perhaps rehearsed, with the consent of both; it wasplain my adversaries were in earnest to try me by all methods; and now(persuasion, flattery, and menaces having been tried in vain) I couldnot but wonder what would be their next expedient. My eyes besides werestill troubled, and my knees loose under me, with the distress of thelate ordeal; and I could do no more than stammer the same form of words:"I put my life and credit in your hands."
"Well, well," says he, "we must try to save them. And in the meanwhilelet us return to gentler methods. You must not bear any grudge upon myfriend, Mr. Symon, who did but speak by his brief. And even if you didconceive some malice against myself, who stood by and seemed rather tohold a candle, I must not let that extend to innocent members of myfamily. These are greatly engaged to see more of you, and I cannotconsent to have my young women-folk disappointed. To-morrow they will begoing to Hope Park, where I think it very proper you should make yourbow. Call for me first, when I may possibly have something for yourprivate hearing; then you shall be turned abroad again under the conductof my misses; and until that time repeat to me your promise of secrecy."
I had done better to have instantly refused, but in truth I was besidethe power of reasoning; did as I was bid; took my leave I know not how;and when I was forth again in the close, and the door had shut behindme, was glad to lean on a house wall and wipe my face. That horridapparition (as I may call it) of Mr. Symon rang in my memory, as asudden noise rings after it is over on the ear. Tales of the man'sfather, of his falseness, of his manifold perpetual treacheries, rosebefore me from all that I had heard and read, and joined on with what Ihad just experienced of himself. Each time it occurred to me, theingenious foulness of that calumny he had proposed to nail upon mycharacter startled me afresh. The case of the man upon the gibbet byLeith Walk appeared scarce distinguishable from that I was now toconsider as my own. To rob a child of so little more than nothing wascertainly a paltry enterprise for two grown men; but my own tale, as itwas to be represented in a court by Symon Fraser, appeared a fair secondin every possible point of view of sordidness and cowardice.
The voices of two of Prestongrange's liveried men upon his doorsteprecalled me to myself.
"Ha'e," said the one, "this billet as fast as ye can link to thecaptain."
"Is that for the cateran back again?" asked the other.
"It would seem sae," returned the first. "Him and Symon are seekinghim."
"I think Prestongrange is gane gyte," says the second. "He'll have JamesMore in bed with him next."
"Weel, it's neither your affair nor mine's," says the first.
And they parted, the one upon his errand, and the other back into thehouse.
This looked as ill as possible. I was scarce gone and they were sendingalready for James More, to whom I thought Mr. Symon must have pointedwhen he spoke of men in prison and ready to redeem their lives by allextremities. My scalp curdled among my hair, and the next moment theblood leaped in me to remember Catriona. Poor lass! her father stood tobe hanged for pretty indefensible misconduct. What was yet moreunpalatable, it now seemed he was prepared to save his four quarters bythe worst of shame and the most foul of cowardly murders--murder by thefalse oath; and to complete our misfortunes, it seemed myself was pickedout to be the victim.
I began to walk swiftly and at random, conscious only of a desire formovement, air, and the open country.
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