When his first pause
of joy and astonishment was over, his thoughts turned to the unworthy
heir-male, who, he pronounced, had sold his birthright, like Esau, for a
mess o' pottage.
'But wha cookit the parritch for him?' exclaimed the Bailie; 'I wad like
to ken that;--wha but your honour's to command, Duncan Macwheeble? His
honour, young Mr. Wauverley, put it a' into my hand frae the
beginning--frae the first calling o' the summons, as I may say. I
circumvented them--I played at bogle about the bush wi' them--I cajolled
them; and if I havena gien Inch-Grabbit and Jamie Howie a bonnie begunk,
they ken themselves. Him a writer! I didna gae slapdash to them wi' our
young bra' bridegroom, to gar them baud up the market. Na, na; I scared
them wi' our wild tenantry, and the Mac-Ivors, that are but ill settled
yet, till they durstna on ony errand whatsoever gang ower the doorstane
after gloaming, for fear John Heatherblutter, or some siccan
dare-the-deil, should tak a baff at them; then, on the other hand, I
beflummed them wi' Colonel Talbot; wad they offer to keep up the price
again' the Duke's friend? did they na ken wha was master? had they na
seen eneugh, by the sad example of mony a puir misguided unhappy body--'
'Who went to Derby, for example, Mr.
Pages:
874
875
876
877
878
879
880
881
882
883
884
885
886
887
888
889
890
891
892
893
894
895
896
897
898