The Master of Ballantrae: A Winter's Tale

e truth is, I was stricken out of all my habitudes, and find my journals very ill redd-up, [7] the day not indicated sometimes for a week or two together, and the whole fashion o

er sound arrested me-of voices talking. I drew nearer, and stood like a man dreaming. Here was certainly a human voice, and that in my own master's house, and yet I knew it not; certainly human speech, and that in my native land; and yet, listen as I pleased, I could not catch one syllable. An old tale started up in my mind of a fairy wife (or perhaps only

d in a cloak and wore boots, I knew at once: it was the bird of ill omen back again. Of the other, who was set close to the red embers, and made up into a bundle like a mummy, I could but see that he was an alien, of a darker hue than any man of Europe, very frailly built

and I know not why it should have been, but

"-and I was pleased with th

, worthy Mackellar

t the black dog visibly up

d the Master. "Let me present you.

Mr. Bally. But I will let a little daylight in, and have a look a

Later, when we were all together, I was more struck to see how l

ting an old

ould see yourself," said he, "you wou

espected. It is not every one that can say that, Mr. Bally! The lines in your brow are calamities; your life begins to close in

as to how I should communicate secretly and quickly with my lord. To this, in the breathing-space now given me, I turned all the forces of my mind; when, suddenly shifting my eyes, I was aware of the man himself standing in the doorway, and, to all appearance, quite composed. He had no

we must see to breakfas

ssumed the more impudence of speech and manner. "I am as hu

to him with the

risdeer,"

he family," ret

u to make an exception, I will leave you to consider what appearance it will bear to

re so as my lord left no time for any answer, but, bidding

ft a step that I could scarce keep up with him, straight to the door of John Paul, the which he opened without

you gone, you shall continue to receive your wages in Edinburgh. If you linger here or in St. Bride's-old man, old servant, and altogether-I shall find some very astonis

he thing so quietly," said I, whe

d suddenly against his heart, which

n could bear so violent a strain-his least of all, that was unhinged already;

lady," said I. Indeed, he should have gone himsel

t: we must all appear at the table, even A

and with no preparatory c

secretly to-day, and leave secretly to-night. Thank Heaven, we have

of him?"

" she cried. "Let him wor

ave, and board, and a horse to ride upon, if he behave himself; but the keys-if you think well of it,

must go into a savage country, I bequeath it to you to take our vengeance. Send Macconochie to St.

came to the door, and w

he man can beard me out of it. Once and for all, here I am, and here I stay in spite of all the devils in hell." I can give no idea of the

er a private sign to go, and when my lord and I were alone, went up to him where he was racing

dealer once more; if for the last time, so much

to hear you; but nothing will change me." This he said firmly, wi

nted to a chair, and he sat down and looked at me. "I can re

returned my lord, with a high flush o

you in vain. Do you know with whom she passes her days while you are out gallivanting in the policies? My lord, she is glad to pass them with a certain dry old grieve [8] of

ord, getting to his fee

otten. They are all clean vanished from your memory. And yet they stood by you at the darkest; my lady not the least. And does my lady ever cross your mind? Does it ever cross your mind what she went through that night?-or what manner of a wife she has been to you thenceforward?-or in what kind of a position s

t, the Lord knows, I fear you are speaking very true. I h

one or other. When you two are in a mind, I think I would be an ungrateful dog-" He shut his mouth very hard, and looked on us with swimming eyes. "Do what ye like with me," says he, "only don't think-" He stopped again. "Do what ye

hind me, and stood and thanked

low from the far end of the hall, and keeping her children at her back. My lord was a little in front: so there were the three cousins of Durrisdeer face to face. The hand of time was very legible on all; I seemed to read in their changed faces a memento mori; and what affected me still more, it was the wicked man that bore his years the handsomest. My lady was quite transfigured into the matron, a becoming woman for the head of a great tableful of children and dependents. My lord was grown slack in his limbs; he stooped; he walked with a running motion, as th

ciled, in what ear was he to pour his calumnies? It came upon me in a kind of vision how hugely I had overrated the man's subtlety. He had his malice still; he was false as ever; and, the occasion being gone that made his strength, he sat there impotent; he was still the viper, but now spent his venom on a file. Two more thoughts occurred to

my room, and, taking a chair (which I had never of

"the house will still be

"I do not know if I q

ion; as soon as you shall have publicly disgraced yourself

ogue," said the Master, bendi

t with my old lord's death your power is quite departed. I do not fear you now, Mr.

of laughter, which I c

mpty pockets," says

money going," I replied. "I woul

hing to say on the

have not a guess wh

er. "I have still one strong position-that

I. "We do not in the least

etimes very deceptive. I warn you fairly: you will find me vitriol in the house. You would do w

ght, and we all had a glass before we fell to business. The necessary deeds were then pr

ich I wish that you would do us justice. This sudden departure coinciding with my brother's r

d," said Mr. Carlyle. "The Mas- Ba

remains at Durrisdeer, under the care of Mr. Mackellar;

, however-" be

ong ourselves," interrupted my lord. "None but you and

e. "The powers you leave-" Then he broke off again. "

ubt,"

he. "Mr. Bally wi

lord; "and, I hope, no influence.

wyer. "By the way, h

" replied my lord. "I give him tab

lity, you will see how highly desirable it is that I should underst

wish Mr. Bally to live very private. We have

e your eye upon that docket, Mr. Carlyle, where I have brought together the different sums

ush you; but it is really desirable I should penetrate your intentions. Mr. Mackellar might die, when I should find myself a

. Carlyle. "Why do y

ly is not a comfort to his famil

alf into his bosom. This was the second time that, in the midst of the most regular and wise behaviour, his animosity had spirted out. It startled Mr. Carlyle, w

le. We could thus feel we had laid the foundations of a better feeling in the country, and the man's own misconduct would certainly com

risdeer. There was some talk of a woman at St. Bride's, to whom you had behaved extremely handsome, and Mr. Bally with no small degree of cruelty. There was the entail, again, which was much controverted. In short, there was no want of talk, back an

ool enough to indoctrinate the same, which was no wise beginning: and when I looked upon the man before me, still so handsome, so apt a speaker, with so great a variety of fortunes to relate, I saw he was the very personage to captivate a boyish fancy. John Paul had left only that morning; it was not to be supposed he had been altogether dumb upon his favourite subject: so that here would be Mr. Alexander in the part of Dido, with a curiosity inflamed to hear; and there would be the Master, like a diabolical ?neas, full of matter the most pleasing in the world to any youthful ear, such as battles, sea-disasters, flights, the forests of the West, and (since his later voyage) the ancient cities of the Indies. How cunningly these baits might be employed, and what an empire might be so founded, little by little, in the mind of any boy, stood obviously clear to me. There was no inhibition, so long as the man was in the house, that would be strong enough to hold these two apart; for if it be har

nd memory passed in one pulsation through my own-and you may say I started back as though an open hole had gaped across a pathway. Mr

is Indian; now in the garret, buckling a valise; now sending forth Macconochie by the side postern and the wood-path to bear it to the trysting-place; and, again, snatching some words of counsel with my lady. This was the verso of our life in Durrisdeer t

ouse with doors. I saw he was a kind friend or a good master (whichever it was) to his Secundra Dass-seeing to his comfort; mending the fire with his own hand, for the Indian complained of cold; inquiring as to the rice on which the stranger made his diet; talking with him ple

reat lantern; so the rest of the way we went easy enough, but still in a kind of guilty silence. A little beyond the abbey the path debauched on the main road and some quarter of a mile farther, at the place called Eagles, where the moors begin, we saw the lights of the two carriages stand shining by the wayside. Scarce a word or two was uttered at our parting, and these regarded business: a silent grasping of hands, a turning of faces aside, and the thing was over; the horses broke into a trot, the lamplight sped like Will-o'-the-Wisp upon the broken moorland, it dipped beyond Stony Brae; and there were Macconochie and I alone with our lantern on the road. There was one thing more to wait for, and that was the reappearance of the coach upon Cartmore. It seems they must have pulled up upon the summit, looked back for a

e just gone, took a more manly temper as I considered what remained for me to do. Day came upon the inland mountain-tops, and the fowls began to cry, and the smoke of hom

ited his coming in the hall with a quiet mind. He look

party," said h

which we must grow a

sudden sharpness. "What

all the company," I replied. "My lord, my la

o reason why our breakfast should go cold. Sit down, Mr. Mackellar, if you please"-taking, as he spoke, the head

ss. "I was about to ask you to take the head of the table," said I; "for though I am now thrust int

ochie, who received them with an evil grace, and attending specially upon

oint," said I. "I have no orders

" he co

one,"

"c'est de bon ton: my brother improves as

the cellar, which is pretty reasonably stocked. You have only to keep well with me, whi

to send Macconoc

h my good friend Mackellar for my pocket-money also? T

I; "but I will take it on myself to

the dark rows of portraits. "In the name of my ancestors, I thank you," says he; and then, with a return to irony,

it, and ask instruction

and leaning forward with an elbow on the

orders, Mr.

s under cloud of night out of a house in which his fathers have stood several sieges? that he conceals his address, which must be a matter of concern to his Gracious Majesty and to the

ot very truthful denegation; but he w

that which I must have. You will not give with a good grace; well, I have the power to force it from you. Inside of a week, without leaving Durrisdeer, I will find out where these fools are fled to. I will follow; and when I have run my quarry down, I will drive

nsumed with anger at my lord's successful flight, felt himsel

entirely wise?" said

poor wisdom," he answered with a smile

end," said I, "if beggar be

imperious heat, in which I could not but admire him, "that I am scru

ces-you might say, in each other's bosoms; and those of the Indian troubled me with a certain changing brightness, as of comprehension. But I brushed the fancy aside, telling myself

g to his old manner of flouting me to my face; and in both I met him half-way. Thanks be to Providence, I had now no measure to keep with the man; and I was never afraid of black brows, only of naked swords. So that I found a certain entertainment in these bouts of

mour, and something of the driest." And, indeed, I

liar, but even friendly; and this, on the part of one who had so long detested me, I found the more insidious. He went little abroad; sometimes even refusing invitations. "No," he would say, "what do I care for these thick-headed bonnet-lairds? I will stay at home, Mackellar; and we shall share a bottle quietly, and have one of our good talks." And, indeed, meal-time at Durrisdeer must have been a delight to any one, by reason of the brilliancy of the discourse. He would often express wonder at his former indifference to my society. "B

into a deep abstraction, from which he would start (upon your coming) to mock you with one of his grovelling obeisances. He seemed so quiet, so frail, and so wrapped in his own fancies, that I came to pass him over without m

, and when we had been making more than

he Master, "but we should do be

cried. "Are

ing," said he. "For the port of Glascow f

must have gr

and it has taken me near twenty days. But never

oney for this v

ny day. You will pay for your own passage, if you choose to accompany us on our flank march; I have enough for Secundra and myself, but not more-enough to be dangerous, not enough to be generou

th you,"

iled; I mean you shall see me victorious. To gain that I

"you know very well you

on the point with your usual excellent goo

useless to appeal

, perfectly

ld give me time, I c

my Lord Durrisdeer'

I, "that i

te a waste of breath. At seven to-morrow the chaise will be at the door. For I start from the door,

e me quarter of an hour at St. Bride's?" said I.

that the money for your seat is an object to me; and you

never thought to

isken you u

hink, sir, for you. Something speaks in my bosom; and so

rophecy," says he

ff the open Solway, and the rain

aid he, in a broad accent: "that there'

dation of the masoned house, sleep fled my eyelids utterly. I sat by my taper, looking on the black panes of the window, where the storm appeared continually on the point of bursting in its entrance; and upon that empty field I beheld a perspective of consequences tha