The Master of Ballantrae: A Winter's Tale

my master; and even that was perhaps a mercy in disguise; for what pains of the body could equal the miseries of his mind? Mrs. H

remission, beating the bed with his hands. His tongue never lay; his voice ran continuously like a river, so that my heart was weary with the sound of it. It was notable, and to me inexpressibly mortifying, that he spoke all the while on matters of no import: comings and goings, horses-which he was ever calling to have saddled, thinking perhaps (the poor soul!) that he might ride away from his discomfort-matters of the garden, the salmon nets, and (what I particularly raged to hear) continually of his

alone, I would not have troubled my thumb; but all the while, as I listened, I was estimating the effect on the man's wife, and telling myself that he fell lower every day. I was the one person on the surface of the globe that comprehended him, and I was bound there should be yet another.

and that which remained-namely, the presentation to my lady-almost more than I had fortitude to overtake. Several days I went about with my papers under my arm, spying for some juncture of talk to serve as introduction. I will not deny but that some offered; only when they did my tongue c

lar?" she asked. "These last days, I see you

ou some idea; and the best will be to reproduce a letter of my own which came first in the budget and of which (according to an excellent habitude)

risd

75

ured

e past to all of your noble house from that unhappy and secretive fault of reticency, and the papers

le with some neces

nd

ured

's obliged, ob

im Mac

ule of

y courtesy Master of Ballantrae during the latter's residence in Paris: under dat

Mr of Ballantrae to the said E. Mackellar

tes) . . . "Nota: given me by Mr. Henry to answer: copies of my answers A 4, A 5, and A 9 of these productions. The pu

till January of the current year, between the said Mr of Ballantrae and - -, Und

ture in affairs so private; and with the first peep of the morning I was at the sick-room door. Mrs. Henry had thrown open the shutters and even the window, for the temperature was mild. She looked steadfastly

ered on the table; and the first thing that struck me, their bulk appeared to have diminished. Once I ran them through, and twice; but the correspondence with the Secretary of State, on which I ha

ot fitting for a sick-room, "Good God, m

turning about. "It is enough, it is t

d all to save the reputation of a man that ate bread by the sh

you are a servant, Mr. Mackellar," she returne

now-What is to do? We are so falsely situate we dare not show the man the door; the country would fly on fire against us; and I had this one hold upon him-and now it is gone-now he may come back to-morrow, and we must all

him. He would smile in your face at such a threat. He stands upon his degradation, he makes that his strength; it is in vain to struggle with such characters." She cried out this last a little desperately, and then with more quiet: "No, Mr. Mackellar; I have thought upon this matter all night, and there is no way out of it. Papers or no papers, the door of this house stands open for him; he is the rightful heir, f

titude of mind; nor could I even deny there was some

sinesslike proceeding at the best. As for what I said of leaving the service of the family, it was spoken with the

so that we began this morning, as we were to continue for so m

n. Mrs. Henry was also in the room, at the bedfoot; but it did not appear that he observed her. And indeed (the fever being gone) he was so weak that he made but the one effort and sank again into lethargy. The course of his restoration was

s company and held us awake at night when we were in our lonely beds. We knew not even which alternative to hope for, both appearing so unnatural and pointing so directly to an unsound brain. Once this fear offered, I observed his conduct with sedulous particularity. Something of the child he exhibited: a cheerfulness quite foreign to his previous character, an interest readily aroused, and then very tenacious, in small matters which he had heretofore despised. When he was stricken down, I was his only confidant, and I may say his only friend, and he was on terms of division with his wife; upon his recovery, all was changed, the past forgotten, the wife first and even single

party to them. But the whole thing marked a change, very slight yet very perceptible; and though no man could say my master had gone at all out of his mind, no man could deny that he had drifted from his character. It was the same to the end, with his manner and appearance. Some of the heat of the fever lingered in his veins: his movements a little hurried, his speech notably more voluble, yet neither truly amiss. His whole mind stood open to happy impressions, welcoming these and making much of them; but the smallest suggestion of trouble or sorrow he received with visible impatience and dismissed again with immediate relief. It was to this temper that he owed the felicity of his later days; and yet here it was, if anywhere, that you could call the man insane. A great part of this lif

ly, and was indeed one of the chief surprises of my life. He had been several times abroad, and was now beginning to walk a little with an arm, when it chanced I should be left alone with him up

make one sou

him?" he repeated. "I

dingly. In all human likelihood, your hands are clear of blood. I reason from certain indices; and by these it should ap

ountenance I could not

raise a hope that may be found deceptive, but i

ast, and cried at me in a kind of screaming whisper, "Mackellar"-these were his words-"nothing can kill that man. He is not mor

ure we were alone, "Mackellar," said he, "when you have any intelligence, be sure and

how face here

"Wherever I am, there will he be."

upon this thought,

l never think of it, except when you have news. An

was a discovery I kept to myself, fearing it might do him a prejudice with his wife. But I might have saved myself the trouble; she had divined it for herself, and found the sentiment quite

iety for my own master began to be relaxed, I was aware of a change in t

e met me as he was crossing the hall with painful footsteps, and took me kindly by the hand. "Mr. Mackellar," said he, "I have had many occasions to set a proper value on your services; and to-day, when I re-cast my will, I have taken the freedom to name you for one of my executors. I believe you bear love enough to our house to render me this service." At that very time he passed the greater portion of his days in clamber, from

ad laboriously traced my name, and in a thousand ways reminding us of the greatness of that loss which it might almost be said we had already suffered. To the end, the power of articulation returned to him in flashes; it seemed he had only forgotten the art of speech as a child forgets his lesson, and at times he would call some part of it to mind. On the last night of his life he suddenly broke silence with these

ation of the fever; each had ruptured a vessel on the brain, and there was probably (my doctor added) some predisposition in the family to accidents of that description. The father sank, the son recovered all the externals of a healthy man; but it is like there was some destruction in those delicate

ith his hand, but no such thought appeared to trouble my new lord. He was becomingly grave; I could scarce say sorrowful, or only with a pleasant sorrow; talking of the dead with a regretful cheerfulness, relating old examples of his character, smilin

grew even wearyful to strangers, since he talked of little but his son. In matters relating to the estate, all was designed with a particular eye to Alexander; and it would be:-"Let us put it in hand at once, that the wood may be grown against Alexander's majority;" or, "This will fall in again handsomely for Alexander's marriage." Every day this absorption of the man's nature became more observable, with many touching and some very blameworthy particulars. Soon the child could walk abroad with him, at first on the terrace, hand in hand, and afterward at large about th

Alexander was of the age of seven or eight, I had some business on the far side in the morning, and entered the shrubbery, on my homeward way, about nine of a bright forenoon. It was that time of year when the woods are all in their spring colours, the thorns all in flower, and the birds in the high season of their singing. In contrast to this merriment, the shrubbery was only the more sad, and I the more oppressed by its associations

ing Sandie the story of this place, and how there was a man whom the

hould actually be discoursing of his act, passed measure. But the worst was yet to c

" asked the child. "And did

of a second's quickness in parade, the child before me might have never seen the day; and the emotion that always fluttered round my heart in that dark shrubbery burst forth in words. "But so much is true," I cried, "that I have met the devil in these woods, and seen him foiled here. Blessed be God t

and my son thanks Thee, for Thy manifold great mercies. Let us have peace for a little; defend us from the evil man. Smite him, O Lord, upon the lying mouth!" The last broke out of him like a cry; and at t

respasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. For Thine is

saying, Mackellar. But for me to forgive!-I think I would cu

severity, for I thought his expression

. "This is dull work for

soon after, my lord, finding me alone, ope

said, "I am now

," said I, "and the sight o

n happiness-do you not th

we are not here to try to do the best, in my humble opi

my shoes, would you fo

the attack a lit

aid upon us str

re expressions! Do you f

I. "God forgiv

t!" cries my lord, wi

aid I, "for Christian people. I think I will gi

; but as for my lord, he went

is thought and the loadstone of his eyes; and now she was quite cast out. I have seen him come to the door of a room, look round, and pass my lady over as though she were a dog before the fire. It would be Alexander he was seeking, and my lady knew it well. I have heard him speak to her so ruggedly that I nearly found it in my heart to intervene: the cause w

nature of an infidelity. I could not but admire, besides, the constancy and kindness she displayed. Perhaps her sentiment to my lord, as it had been founded from the first in pity, was that rather of a mother than a wife; perhaps it pleased her-if I may so say-to behold her two children so happy in each other; the more as one had suffered so unjustly in the past. But, for all that, and though I could never trace in her one spark of jealousy, she mus

a second Master. Time has proved these fears to have been quite exaggerate. Certainly there is no more worthy gentleman to-day in Scotland than the sevent

l an impression that Mr. Mackellar, in his old age, was rather an exacting servant. Against the seven

e even spoke of it by hints; and sometimes, when there was brought to her knowledge some monstrous instance of my lord's indulgence, she would betray herself in a gesture or perhaps an exclamation. As for myself, I was haunted by the thought both day and night:

same table upon some tedious business of detail; I have said that he had lost his former interest in such occupations; he was plainly itching to be gone, and

occupation-"or, rather, let me call you again by the name of Mr. H

that I had near forsook my purpose. But I called to mind

upon your mind what yo

epeated; "I was never g

doing with you

defiance in his tone, "and

s I, straying from the direct path. "B

"I say nothing against him," he replied. "I h

a good man; I never knew a better, save on the one point, nor yet a wiser. Where

ddenly and violen

s?" cried he

f you continue to indulge Mr. Alexander, you are following in your father's footste

he came to himself vacantly, put his hand to his head, which I was then supporting, and says he, in a broken voice: "I have been ill," and a little after: "Help me." I got him to his feet, and he stood pretty well, though he kept hold of the table. "I have been ill, Mackellar," he said again. "Something broke, Mackellar-or was going to break, and then all

s all this?" she cried. "What have you done to my husband? Will nothing teach

they were my daily diet, and I swallowed them all. As for to-day, you may call me what you plea

, "you meant well indeed. I have had the same thought myself, or the same temptation rather, which makes me pardon you. But, dear God, can you not understa

. I am pleased enough that you should

u; for what you said was said cruelly." She paused, looking at me; then suddenly smiled a lit

urke, interesting in itself, and highly necessary for my purpose. It is our only sight of the Master on his Indian travels; and the first word in these pages of Secundra Dass. On