THE copying was a weary business, the more so as I perceived very early there was no sort of urgency in the matters treated, and began very early to consider my employment a pretext. I had no sooner finished than I got to horse, used what remained of daylight to the best purpose, and being at last fairly benighted, slept in a house by Almond-Water side. I was in the saddle again before the day, and the Edinburgh booths were just opening when I clattered in by the West Bow and drew up a smoking horse at my lord Advocate's door. I had a written word for Doig, my lord's private hand that was thought to be in all his secrets - a worthy little plain man, all fat and snuff and self-sufficiency. Him I found already at his desk and already bedabbled with maccabaw, in the same anteroom where I rencountered with James More. He read the note scrupulously through like a chapter in his Bible.
"H'm," says he; "ye come a wee thing ahint-hand, Mr. Balfour. The bird's flaen - we hae letten her out.""Miss Drummond is set free?" I cried.
"Achy!" said he. "What would we keep her for, ye ken? To hae made a steer about the bairn would has pleased naebody.""And where'll she be now?" says I.
"Gude kens!" says Doig, with a shrug.
"She'll have gone home to Lady Allardyce, I'm thinking," said I.
"That'll be it," said he.
"Then I'll gang there straight," says I.
"But ye'll be for a bite or ye go?" said he.
"Neither bite nor sup," said I. "I had a good wauch of milk in by Ratho.""Aweel, aweel," says Doig. "But ye'll can leave your horse here and your bags, for it seems we're to have your up-put.""Na, na", said I. "Tamson's mear would never be the thing for me this day of all days."Doig speaking somewhat broad, I had been led by imitation into an accent much more countrified than I was usually careful to affect a good deal broader, indeed, than I have written it down; and I was the more ashamed when another voice joined in behind me with a scrap of a ballad:
"Gae saddle me the bonny black, Gae saddle sune and mak' him ready For I will down the Gatehope-slack, And a' to see my bonny leddy."The young lady, when I turned to her, stood in a morning gown, and her hands muffled in the same, as if to hold me at a distance. Yet I could not but think there was kindness in the eye with which she saw me.
"My best respects to you, Mistress Grant," said I, bowing.
"The like to yourself, Mr. David," she replied with a deep courtesy.
"And I beg to remind you of an old musty saw, that meat and mass never hindered man. The mass I cannot afford you, for we are all good Protestants. But the meat I press on your attention. And I would not wonder but I could find something for your private ear that would be worth the stopping for.""Mistress Grant," said I, "I believe I am already your debtor for some merry words - and I think they were kind too - on a piece of unsigned paper.""Unsigned paper?" says she, and made a droll face, which was likewise wondrous beautiful, as of one trying to remember.
"Or else I am the more deceived," I went on. "But to be sure, we shall have the time to speak of these, since your father is so good as to make me for a while your inmate; and the GOMERAL begs you at this time only for the favour of his liberty,""You give yourself hard names," said she.
"Mr. Doig and I would be blythe to take harder at your clever pen,"says I.
"Once more I have to admire the discretion of all men-folk," she replied. "But if you will not eat, off with you at once; you will be back the sooner, for you go on a fool's errand. Off with you, Mr.
David," she continued, opening the door.
"He has lowpen on his bonny grey, He rade the richt gate and the ready I trow he would neither stint nor stay, For he was seeking his bonny leddy."I did not wait to be twice bidden, and did justice to Miss Grant's citation on the way to Dean.
Old Lady Allardyce walked there alone in the garden, in her hat and mutch, and having a silver-mounted staff of some black wood to lean upon. As I alighted from my horse, and drew near to her with CONGEES, I could see the blood come in her face, and her head fling into the air like what I had conceived of empresses.
"What brings you to my poor door?" she cried, speaking high through her nose. "I cannot bar it. The males of my house are dead and buried; Ihave neither son nor husband to stand in the gate for me; any beggar can pluck me by the baird - and a baird there is, and that's the worst of it yet?" she added partly to herself.
I was extremely put out at this reception, and the last remark, which seemed like a daft wife's, left me near hand speechless.
"I see I have fallen under your displeasure, ma'am," said I. "Yet Iwill still be so bold as ask after Mistress Drummond."She considered me with a burning eye, her lips pressed close together into twenty creases, her hand shaking on her staff. "This cows all!"she cried. "Ye come to me to speir for her? Would God I knew!""She is not here?" I cried.
She threw up her chin and made a step and a cry at me, so that I fell back incontinent.
"Out upon your leeing throat!" she cried. "What! ye come and speir at me! She's in jyle, whaur ye took her to - that's all there is to it.
And of a' the beings ever I beheld in breeks, to think it should be to you! Ye timmer scoun'rel, if I had a male left to my name I would have your jaicket dustit till ye raired."I thought it not good to delay longer in that place, because I remarked her passion to be rising. As I turned to the horse-post she even followed me; and I make no shame to confess that I rode away with the one stirrup on and scrambling for the other.
