John Burnet of Barns: A Romance

by John Buchan

  CHAPTER I

  THE PIER O' LEITH

  When I came to the door of _The Three Herrings_, I presented an imposingsight, with Nicol at my side and two sailors at my back with my baggage.The landlord, who was taking the afternoon air against the wall, made mea civil greeting, and placed his hostel at my service, opining that Iwas a stranger of consequence just come from abroad. So bidding myservant settle with the men, I followed my host upstairs to a room wherea fire was burning and some refreshment laid on the table. From belowcame the clink of glasses and the snatch of a song. The sun poured inat the open window; a girl in the street was singing the "Fishwives'Rant"; and all the world seemed in gay spirits.

  An excellent supper was brought, on which I fell like a hawk, for thesea air had sharpened my hunger, and landward dishes are better than themeat of a ship. I bade the landlord let no one enter save my servant,for that I desired to be alone. Then I fell to summing up my monies,and various calculations of a like nature, which it was proper to makeon my return; and, finally, I pushed away my chair from the table, and,filling my glass, gave myself up to pleasing fancies.

  It was near the darkening, as I saw from the window which opened on theback yard, and which at that hour was filled with the red glow ofsunset. The chimneys on the tall houses rose like spikes into the stillair, and somewhere in the place a bell was ringing for I know not what.Below in the room I heard many mingled voices, and a high imperious toneas of one accustomed to authority. I guessed that some body of soldierswas filling the tap-room. I was in a fine, contented frame of mind,well pleased with the present, and looking cheerfully forward to themorrow. By and by I began to wish for Nicol's presence and to wonder athis long absence.

  I was just approaching a state of irritation with my servant when thedoor was softly opened and the defaulter appeared. His face struck mewith surprise, for, whereas for usual it was merry and careless, it wasnow filled with grave concernment. He closed the latch quietly behindhim, and then slipped the bolt, locked the door, and pocketed the key.

  I stared in silent amazement.

  "If it comes to the warst," he said, "we can fecht for 't."

  "What fooling is this?" said I. "Tell me at once, and have done withit.

  "It's nae fooling, Laird, as ye'll be finding oot. Sit still, for I've along story to tell ye." And, having first listened for a noise frombelow, he began his news, while I listened in much trepidation.

  "I paid the men as ye tellt me, and syne I gaed doun to my cousin's shopi' the Rope-Walk, just to speir if they were a' weel; and then I cam'back to the inn, thinking to get a bit quiet gless a' by mysel' i' thechimley corner. But when I gaed into the room I fand it filled wi'muckle sodger folk, drinking and sweering like deevils. And the firstman I clappit eyes on was yin Jock Cadder, whae was yince a freend o'mine, so sitting doun aside Jock, I fell into crack.

  "Weel, I hadna been there mony meenutes when I hears a loud voice fraethe ither end calling for a song. And anither voice answered, no saeloud, but weak and thin. I jumpit up in my seat, for the voices wereweel kenned to me. And there I saw at the ither end o' the table yourwanchancy cousin the Captain, sitting glowrin' wi' his muckle een andplaying wi' his gless. And aside him was nae ither than Maister MichaelVeitch, him o' Dawyck, but no like what he used to be, but a' red abootthe een, and fosy aboot the face, like a man that's ower fond o' thebottle."

  My heart leaped with a sudden terror at the news. What on earth wasMarjory's brother doing on the Pier o' Leith in the company of my mostbitter foe? A great sense of coming ill hung over me as Nicol went on.

  "Weel, I was astonished; and speaking quiet in Jock Cadder's ear, I askshim what it meant, and what the twae were daein' here. And this is whatI heard from him, for Jock never jaloused I had aught to dae wi' ye, butthocht I was aye the same auld hide-i'-the-heather I had been afore.'When our Captain cam back frae furrin pairts,' says he, 'he gangs offto Tweeddale, your ain countryside, for it seems there's a lassie therehe's awfu' fond o'. She's the dochter o' auld Veitch o' Dawyck, rich,and, by a' accoont, terrible bonny. But she's trysted to the Captain'scousin, Burnet o' Barns, whae has been in Holland for mair nor a year.It's weel kenned that Maister Gilbert Burnet, when he gets a ploy intilhis heid, never stops till he wins his purpose; so he sets himsel' tomak love to the lass. And he couldna dae this unless he were weel infavour wi' her brother Michael, so he begins by winnin' him ower to hisside. Noo Michael Veitch (that's him up there) was aye uncommon fond o'wine and yill o' a' description, so the Captain leads him on and on bydrinkin' wi' him at a' times, till noo the man is fair helpless. Butthis wasna a', for if John Burnet cam hame and fund this gaun on, he wadmak a rare camsteery, and, by a' accoont, he's a stieve dour chiel. SoMaister Gilbert, whae's high in favour wi' the Privy Council, gangs andtells them o' some daeings o' his cousin's abroad, o' some hobnobbingand plotting wi' rebels and outlawed folk, and sending treasonableletters to this land under his name; so he gets a warrant for the lad'sarrest as sune as he sets foot on Scots earth--and a'body kens what thatmeans, that he'll no be troubled muckle mair wi' his cousin in thiswarld. That's the reason we're doun here the day. We've had word thathe's coming ower i' the Seamaw, whilk lies at the wast harbour. We'vebeen sending doun word thae last 'oors, but she's no in there yet, and'ill no be noo till the morn.'

  "That was what Jock Cadder tellt me, and I warrant I was in a finefricht. It was clear the Captain had nae mind o' me, for he lookit twaeor three times my way, and never changed his face. I slips oot the doorwi'oot being noticed, and cam up here wi' a' speed to tell ye the tale.So, Laird, ye're in a close hole, and there's just some auld woodenplanking atween you and the Tolbooth."

  I cared little for the Tolbooth or anything else. One thing, and onealone, claimed all my attention. My whole soul was filled with a terrorof anxiety, of mad jealousy, and desperate fear for my lady's sake. Thiswas the cause of the letter, this the cause of her silence. I ground myteeth in helpless fury, and could have found it in my heart to rush downto Gilbert and choke the life in his throat. I was so appalled by themonstrousness of the thing that I could scarce think. My own danger wasnothing, but that Marjory should be the sport of ruffians--the thingoverpowered me. It was too fearsome, too monstrous.

  One thing was clear--that I must go to her at once. If Gilbert Burnetwas on the Pier o' Leith, Marjory Veitch at Dawyck would be quit of hiscompany. Were I once there I could see her, and, perchance, save her.I cannot write down my full trepidation. My fingers clutched at mycoat, and I could scarce keep my teeth from chattering. It was nofright that did it, but an awful sickening anxiety preying on my vitals.But with an effort I choked down my unrest, and centred all my thoughtson the present. Were I only in Tweeddale I might yet find a way out ofthe trouble. But woe's me for the change in my prospects! I had comehome thinking in the pride of my heart to be welcomed by all and to cuta great figure in my own countryside; and lo, I found myself an outlawedman, whose love was in peril, and whose own craig was none so sure. Thesudden reversion all but turned my wits.

  I walked to the window and looked down. The night was now dark, butbelow a glimmer from the taproom window lit the ground. It was a courtpaved with cobblestones from the beach, where stood one or two waggons,and at one end of which were the doors of a stable. Beyond that asloping roof led to a high wall, at the back of which I guessed was alittle wynd. Once I were there I might find my way through the backparts of Leith to the country, and borrow a horse and ride to Tweeddale.But all was hazardous and uncertain, and it seemed as if my chance ofsafety was small indeed. I could but try, and if I must perish, whythen so it was fated to be.

  "Nicol," said I, "bide here the night to keep off suspicion, and come onas soon as you can, for the days have come when I shall have much needof you."

  "There's but ae thing to be dune, to tak to the hills, and if ye gangonywhere from the Cheviots to the Kells, Nicol Plenderleith 'ill be wi'ye, and ye
need hae nae fear. I ken the hills as weel as auld Sawtantheir maister himsel'. I'll e'en bide here, and if ye ever win toDawyck, I'll no be lang ahint ye. Oh, if I could only gang wi' ye! But,by God, if ye suffer aught, there'll be some o' His Majesty's dragoonsthat'll dree their wierd." My servant spoke fiercely, and I was muchaffected at the tenderness for me which it betokened.

  "If I never see you again, Nicol, you'll watch over Marjory? Swear,man, swear by all that's sacred that you'll do my bidding."

  "I swear by the Lord God Almighty that if ye come to ony scaith, I'llsend the man that did it to Muckle Hell, and I'll see that nae ill comesower Mistress Marjory. Keep an easy mind, Laird; I'll be as guid as myword."

  Without more ado I opened the window and looked out. My servant's talkof taking to the hills seemed an over-soon recourse to desperateremedies. Could I but remove my sweetheart from the clutches of myrival, I trusted to prove my innocence and clear myself in the sight ofall. So my thoughts were less despairing than Nicol's, and I embarkedon my enterprise with good heart. I saw the ground like a pit ofdarkness lie stark beneath me. Very carefully I dropped, and, fallingon my feet on the cobblestones, made such a clangour beneath the verytaproom window that I thought the soldiers would have been out to gripme. As it was, I heard men rise and come to the window; and, crouchingfar into the lee of the sill, I heard them talk with one another. "Tut,tut, Jock," I heard one say, "it is nothing but a drunken cadger come toseek his horse. Let be and sit down again." When all was quiet I stolesoftly over to the other side, that I might scale the wall and reach thewynd, for I dare not pass through the open close into the Harbour Walklest I should be spied and questioned by the soldiers who were everlounging about.

  But some fortunate impulse led me to open the stable door. Afeebly-burning lantern hung on a peg, and there came from the stalls thenoise of horses champing corn. They were the raw-boned hacks of thesoldiers, sorry beasts, for the increase of the military in the land hadled to a dearth of horses. But there was one noble animal at the right,slim of leg and deep of chest, with a head as shapely as a maiden's. Irushed hotly forward, for at the first glance I had known it for my ownmare Maisie, the best in all Tweeddale. A fine anger took me again tothink that my cousin had taken my steed for his own mount. I had sentit back to Barns, and, forsooth, he must have taken it thence in spiteof the vigilant Tam Todd. But I was also glad, for I knew that once Ihad Maisie forth of the yard, and were on her back, and she on thehighway, no animal ever foaled could come up with her. So I gave up allmy designs on the wall, and fell to thinking how best I could get intothe Harbour Walk.

  There was but one way, and it was only a chance. But for me it was neckor nothing, my love or a tow in the Grassmarket; so I tossed my plumedhat, my sword, and my embroidered coat on a heap of hay, tore open myshirt at the neck, put a piece of straw between my lips, and soon was avery tolerable presentment of an ostler or farrier of some kind. Sotaking Maisie's bridle--and at my touch she thrilled so that I saw shehad not forgotten me--I led her boldly across the court, straddling inmy walk to counterfeit some fellow whose work was with horses. My heartbeat wildly as I went below the archway and confronted the knots ofsoldiers, who, sitting on a low bench or leaning against the wall, wereengaged in loud talk and wrangling.

  "Ho, you, fellow, where are you going with the Captain's horse?" criedone. I knew by his tone that the man was a Southron, so I had littlefear of detection.

  "I'm gaun to tak it to the smiddy," said I, in my broadest speech. "TheCaptain sent doun word to my maister, Robin Rattle, in the Flesh Wynd,that the beast was to be ta'en doun and shod new, for she was gaun farthe neist day. So I cam up to bring it."

  The man looked satisfied, but a question suggested itself to him.

  "How knew you the one, if you were never here before?"

  "It was the best beast i' the place," I said simply; and this so put hismind at rest that, with a gratuitous curse, he turned round, and I wassuffered to go on unmolested.

  Down the Harbour Walk I led her, for I dared not mount lest some straytrooper recognised the mare and sought to interrogate me. Very quietlyand circumspectly I went, imitating a stableman by my walk and carriageas I best knew how, till in ten minutes I came to the end, and, turningup the Fisherrow, came into Leith Walk and the borders of Edinburgh.