Annie o' the Banks o' Dee
Page 7
and in three weeks' time Shufflin' Sandie's house wascomplete and furnished. He had even laid out a garden or kail-yard, andplanted a few suitable trees. Then, when another month had passed away,Sandie once more sought audience of the good Laird, and formally beggedfor Fanny's hand.
Next the wedding-day was settled, and the minister's servicesrequisitioned. And one day Shufflin' Sandie set off for Aberdeen bytrain to buy the "bonnie things," as they are termed.
Perhaps there are no more beautiful streets in Great Britain than UnionStreet and King Street, especially as seen by moonlight. They then lookas if built of the whitest and purest of marble. While the beautifulvillas of Rubislaw, with their charming flower-gardens, are of all sortsof architecture, and almost rival the snow in their sheen.
Fanny was charmed. Strange to say this simple servant lassie had neverbeen to the city before. It was all a kind of fairyland to her, and,look wherever she might, things of beauty met her eyes. And thewindows--ah, the windows! She must pull Sandie by the sleeve everyother minute, for she really could not pass a draper's shop nor ajeweller's without stopping to glance in and admire.
"Oh!" she would cry, "look, look, Sandie, dear, at the chains and thewatches, and the bracelets and diamonds and pearls. Surely all the goldin Ophir is there!"
One particularly well-dressed window--it was a ladies' drapery shop--almost startled her. She drew back and blushed a little as her eyesfell on a full-length figure of a lady in fashionable array.
"Oh, Sandie, is she living?"
"De'il a living?" said Sandie. "Her body's timber, and her face andhands are made out of cobbler's wax. That's how living she is."
"But what a splendid dress! And yonder is another. Surely Solomon inall his glory was not arrayed like one of these!"
"Well, Fanny, lassie, beautiful though this shop be, it is a prettycheap one, so we'll buy your marriage dress here."
The shop-walker was very obsequious. "Marriage dress, sir. Certainly,sir. Third counter down, my lady."
Fanny had never been so addressed before, and she rose several inches inher own estimation.
"I--that is, she--is needing a marriage dress, missie."
"Ready-made?"
"Ay, that'll do, if it isn't over dear. Grand though we may look in ourSunday clothes, we're not o'er-burdened with cash; but we're going to bemarried for all that."
Sandie chuckled and took snuff, and Fanny blushed, as usual.
"I'm sure I wish you joy," said the girl in black.
"I'm certain ye do. You're a bit bonnie lassie yerself, and some dayye'll get a man. Ye mind what the song says:
"`Oh, bide ye yet, and bide ye yet, Ye little know what may betide ye yet; Some bonnie wee mannie may fa' to your lot, So ay be canty and thinkin' o't.'"
The girl in black certainly took pleasure in fitting Fanny, and, whendressed, she took a peep in the tall mirror--well, she didn't knowherself! She was as beautiful as one of the wax figures in the window.Sandy was dazed. He took snuff, and, scarce knowing what he was doing,handed the box to the lassie in black who was serving them.
Well, in an hour's time all the bonnie things that could be purchased inthis shop were packed in large pasteboard boxes, and dispatched to thestation waiting-room.
But before sallying forth Sandie and Fanny thought it must be thecorrect thing to shake hands with the girl in black, much to heramusement.
"Good-bye, my lady; good-bye, sir. I hope you were properly served."This from the shop-walker.
"That we were," said Sandie. "And, man, we'll be married--Fanny andme--next week. Well, we're to be cried three times in one day from thepulpit. To save time, ye see. Well, I'll shake hands now, and saygood-day, sir, and may the Lord be ay around you. Good-bye."
"The same to you," said the shop-walker, trying hard to keep fromlaughing. "The same to you, sir, and many of them."
There were still a deal of trinkets to be bought, and many gee-gaws, butabove all the marriage ring. Sandie did feel very important as he putdown that ten shillings and sixpence on the counter, and received thering in what he called a bonnie wee boxie.
"Me and Fanny here are going to be married," he couldn't help saying.
"I'm sure I wish ye joy, sir, and"--here the shopman glanced atFanny--"I envy you, indeed I do."
Sandie must now have a drop of Scotch. Then they had dinner. Sandiecouldn't help calling the waiter "sir," nor Fanny either.
"Hold down your ear, sir," Sandie said, as the waiter was helping him toGorgonzola. "We're going to be married, Fanny and I. Cried three timesin one Sunday. What think ye of that?"
Of course, the waiter wished him joy, and Sandie gave him a shilling.
"I hope you'll not be offended, sir, but just drink my health, youknow."
The joys of the day ended up with a visit to the theatre. Fanny wasastonished and delighted.
Oh, what a day that was! Fanny never forgot it. They left by amidnight train for home, and all the way, whenever Fanny shut her eyes,everything rose up before her again as natural as life--the charmingstreets, the gay windows, and the scenes she had witnessed in thetheatre, and the gay crowds in every street. And so it was in herdreams, when at last she fell asleep.
But both Fanny and Sandie went about their work next day in theirweek-day clothes as quietly as if nothing very extraordinary hadhappened, or was going to happen in a few days' time.
Of course, after he had eaten his brose, Sandie must "nip up," as hephrased it, to have a look at the cottage.
Old Grannie Stewart--she was only ninety-three--was stopping here forthe present, airing it, burning fires in both rooms, for fear the youngfolks might catch a chill.
"Ah, grannie!" cried Sandie, "I'm right glad to see you. And look, I'vebrought a wee drappie in a flat bottle. Ye must just taste. It'll warmyour dear old heart."
The old lady's eyes glittered.
"Well," she said, "it's not much of that comes my way, laddie. My bloodis not so thick as it used to be. For--would you believe it!--I thinkI'm beginnin' to grow auld."
"Nonsense," said Sandie.
Old or young the old dame managed to whip off her drop of Scotch, thoughit brought the water to her eyes.
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And now all preparations were being made for the coming marriage.
For several days Sandie had to endure much chaff and wordy persecutionfrom the lads and lasses about his diminutive stature and his uncouthfigure.
Sandie didn't mind. Sandie was happy. Sandie took snuff.
CHAPTER EIGHT.
A SCOTTISH PEASANT'S WEDDING AND A BALL.
Old Laird McLeod had a right good heart of his own, and willinglypermitted the marriage to take place in his drawing-room. There werevery few guests, however.
The grey-haired old minister was there in time to taste the wine ofScotland before the ceremony began, which, after all, though short, wasvery solemn. No reading of prayers. The prayer that was said was fromthe heart, not from a book; that sort of prayer which opens Heaven.
A long exhortation followed, hands were joined, the minister laid hisabove, and Sandie and Fanny were man and wife. Then the blessing.
I don't know why it was, but Fanny was in tears most of the time.
The marriage took place in the afternoon; and dinner was to follow.
Annie good-naturedly took Fanny to her own room and washed away hertears.
In due time both sailed down to dinner. And a right jolly dinner itwas, too. Fanny had never seen anything like it before. Of course thatlovely haunch of tender venison was the _piece de resistance_, while animmense plum-pudding brought up the rear. Dessert was spread, with somerare wines--including whisky--but Sandie could scarce be prevailed uponto touch anything. He was almost awed by the presence of the reverendand aged minister, who tried, whenever he could, to slip in a word ortwo about the brevity of life, the eternity that was before them all,the Judgment Day, and so
on, and so forth. But the minister, for allthat, patronised the Highland whisky.
"No, no," he said, waving the port wine away. "`Look not thou upon thewine when it is red; when it giveth his colour to the cup... at the lastit biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder.'"
It was observed, however, that as he spoke he filled his glass withGlenlivet.
Well, I suppose no man need care to look upon the wine when it is red,if his tumbler be flanked by a bottle of Scotch.
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The dinner ended, there was the march homeward to Sandie's wee house onthe knoll, pipers first, playing right