A bell was now heard
at the head of the avenue; for an old man, who acted as porter upon gala
days, had caught the alarm given by Waverley's arrival, and, repairing to
his post, announced the arrival of other guests.
These, as the Baron assured his young friend, were very estimable
persons. 'There was the young Laird of Balmawhapple, a Falconer by
surname, of the house of Glenfarquhar, given right much to
field-sports--gaudet equis et canibus--but a very discreet young
gentleman. Then there was the Laird of Killancureit, who had devoted his
leisure UNTILL tillage and agriculture, and boasted himself to be
possessed of a bull of matchless merit, brought from the county of Devon
(the Damnonia of the Romans, if we can trust Robert of Cirencester). He
is, as ye may well suppose from such a tendency, but of yeoman
extraction--servabit odorem testa diu--and I believe, between ourselves,
his grandsire was from the wrong side of the Border--one Bullsegg, who
came hither as a steward, or bailiff, or ground-officer, or something in
that department, to the last Girnigo of Killancureit, who died of an
atrophy. After his master's death, sir,--ye would hardly believe such a
scandal,--but this Bullsegg, being portly and comely of aspect,
intermarried with the lady dowager, who was young and amorous, and
possessed himself of the estate, which devolved on this unhappy woman by
a settlement of her umwhile husband, in direct contravention of an
unrecorded taillie, and to the prejudice of the disponer's own flesh and
blood, in the person of his natural heir and seventh cousin, Girnigo of
Tipperhewit, whose family was so reduced by the ensuing law-suit, that
his representative is now serving as a private gentleman-sentinel in the
Highland Black Watch.
Pages:
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242