truth, his only motive was to temporise and procrastinate until he should discover the real extent of the interest which the Marquis took in Ravenswood's affairs, and the power which he was likely to possess of advancing them. Until these points should be made both clear and manifest, the Lord Keeper resolved that he would do nothing to commit himself, either in one shape or other; and, like many cunning persons, he overreached himself deplorably.
Amongst those who had been disposed to censure, with the greatest severity, the conduct of Sir William Ashton, in permitting the prolonged residence of Ravenswood under his roof, and his constant attendance on Miss Ashton, was the new Laird of Girnington, and his faithful squire and bottleholder, personages formerly well known to us by the names of Hayston and Bucklaw, and his companion Captain Craigengelt. The former had at length succeeded to the extensive property of his long-lived grand-aunt, and to considerable wealth besides, which he had employed in redeeming his paternal acres (by the title appertaining to which he still chose to be designated), notwithstanding Captain Craigengelt had proposed to him a most advantageous mode of vesting the money in Law's scheme, which was just then broached, and offered his services to travel express to Paris for the purpose. But Bucklaw had so far derived wisdom from adversity, that he would listen to no proposal which Craigengelt could invent, which had the slightest tendency to risk his newly-acquired independence. He that had once eat pease- bannocks, drank sour wine, and slept in the secret chamber at Wolf's Crag, would, he said, prize good cheer and a soft bed as long as he lived, and take special care never to need such hospitality again.
Craigengelt, therefore, found himself disappointed in the first hopes he had entertained of making a good hand of the Laird of Bucklaw. Still, however, he reaped many advantages from his friend's good fortune. Bucklaw, who had never been at all scrupulous in choosing his companions, was accustomed to, and entertained by, a fellow whom he could either laugh with or laugh at as he had a mind, who would take, according to Scottish phrase, 'the bit and the buffet,' understood all sports, whether within or without doors, and, when the laird had a mind for a bottle of wine (no infrequent circumstance), was always ready to save him from the scandal of getting drunk by himself. Upon these terms, Craigengelt was the frequent, almost the constant, inmate of the house of Girnington.
In no time, and under no possibility of circumstances, could good have been derived from such an intimacy, however its bad consequences might be qualified by the thorough knowledge which Bucklaw possessed of his dependant's character, and the high contempt in which he held it. But, as circumstances stood, this evil communication was particularly liable to corrupt what good principles nature had implanted in the patron.
Craigengelt had never forgiven the scorn with which Ravenswood had torn the mask of courage and honesty from his countenance; and to exasperate Bucklaw's resentment against him was the safest mode of revenge which occurred to his cowardly, yet cunning and malignant, disposition.
He brought up on all occasions the story of the challenge which Ravenswood had declined to accept, and endeavoured, by every possible insinuation, to make his patron believe that his honour was concerned in bringing that matter to an issue by a present discussion with Ravenswood. But respecting this subject Bucklaw imposed on him, at length, a peremptory command of silence.
'I think,' he said, 'the Master has treated me unlike a gentleman, and I see no right he had to send me back a cavalier answer when I demanded the satisfaction of one. But he gave me my life once; and, in looking the matter over at present, I put myself but on equal terms with him. Should he cross me again, I shall consider the old accompt as balanced, and his Mastership will do well to look to himself.'
'That he should,' re-echoed Craigengelt; 'for when you are in practice, Bucklaw, I would bet a magnum you are through him before the third pass.'
'Then you know nothing of the matter,' said Bucklaw, 'and you never saw him fence.'
'And I know nothing of the matter?' said the dependant—'a good jest, I promise you! And though I never saw Ravenswood fence, have I not been at Monsieur Sagoon's school, who was the first maitre d'armes at Paris; and have I not been at Signor Poco's at Florence, and Meinheer Durchstossen's at Vienna, and have I not seen all their play?'
'I don't know whether you have or not,' said Bucklaw; 'but what about it, though you had?'
'Only that I will be d—d if ever I saw French, Italian, or High-Dutchman ever make foot, hand, and eye keep time half so well as you, Bucklaw.'
'I believe you lie, Craigie,' said Bucklaw; 'however, I can hold my own, both with single rapier, backsword, sword and dagger, broadsword, or case of falchions—and that's as much as any gentleman need know of the matter.'
'And the doubt of what ninety-nine out of a hundred know,' said Craigengelt; 'they learn to change a few thrusts with the small sword, and then, forsooth, they understand the noble art of defence! Now, when I was at Rouen in the year 1695, there was a Chevalier de Chapon and I went to the opera, where we found three bits of English birkies——' 'Is it a long story you are going to tell?' said Bucklaw, interrupting him without ceremony.
'Just as you like,' answered the parasite, 'for we made short work of it.'
'Then I like it short,' said Bucklaw. 'Is it serious or merry?'
'Devilish serious, I assure you, and so they found it; for the Chevalier and I——'
'Then I don't like it at all,' said Bucklaw; 'so fill a brimmer of my auld auntie's claret, rest her heart! And, as the Hielandman says, Skioch doch na skiall.'
'That was what tough old Sir Even Dhu used to say to me when I was out with the metall'd lads in 1689. 'Craigengelt,' he used to say, 'you are as pretty a fellow as ever held steel in his grip, but you have one fault.''
'If he had known you as long as I have don,' said Bucklaw, 'he would have found out some twenty more; but hand long stories, give us your toast, man.'
Craigengelt rose, went a-tiptoe to the door, peeped out, shut it carefully, came back again, clapped his tarnished gold-laced hat on one side of his head, took his glass in one hand, and touching the hilt of his hanger with the other, named, 'The King over the water.'
'I tell you what it is, Captain Craigengelt,' said Bucklaw; 'I shall keep my mind to myself on thse subjects, having too much respect for the memory of my venerable Aunt Girnington to put her lands and tenements in the way of committing treason against established authority. Bring me King James to Edinburgh, Captain, with thirty thousand men at his back, and I'll tell you what I think about his title; but as for running my neck into a noose, and my good broad lands into the statutory penalties, 'in that case made and provided,' rely upon it, you will find me no such fool. So, when you mean to vapour with your hanger and your dram-cup in support of treasonable toasts, you must find your liquor and company elsewhere.'
'Well, then,' said Craigengelt, 'name the toast yourself, and be it what it like, I'll pledge you, were it a mile to the bottom.'
'And I'll give you a toast that deserves it, my boy,' said Bucklaw; 'what say you to Miss Lucy Ashton?'
'Up with it,' said the Captain, as he tossed off his brimmer, 'the bonniest lass in Lothian! What a pity the old sneckdrawing Whigamore, her father, is about to throw her away upon that rag of pride and beggary, the Master of Ravenswood!'
'That's not quite so clear,' said Bucklaw, in a tone which, though it seemed indifferent, excited his companion's eager curiosity; and not that only, but also his hope of working himself into some sort of confidence, which might make him necessary to his patron, being by no means satisfied to rest on mere sufferance, if he could form by art or industry a more permanent title to his favour.
'I thought,' said he, after a moment's pause, 'that was a settled matter; they are continually together, and nothing else is spoken of betwixt Lammer Law and Traprain.'
'They may say what they please,' replied his patron, 'but I know better; and I'll give you Miss Lucy Ashton's health again, my boy.'
'And I woul drink it on my knee,' said Craigengelt, 'if I thought the girl had the spirit to jilt that d—d son of a Spaniard.'
'I am to request you will not use the word 'jilt' and Miss Ashton's name together,' said Bucklaw, gravely.
'Jilt, did I say? Discard, my lad of acres—by Jove, I meant to discard,' replied Craigengelt; 'and I hope she'll discard him like a small card at piquet, and take in the king of hearts, my boy! But yet——'
'But what?' said his patron.
'But yet I know for certain they are hours together alone, and in the woods and the fields.'
