CHAPTER XXVIII.

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 115, 22 September 1876, Page 7

CHAPTER XXVIII.

What ails this heart o' mine, What ails this Avatery e'e, "What gars me aye grow cauld as death, When 1 tak' leave o' thee ? Miss Blamire. Mr Duncanson did hot long require the tender attentions of which liobin Arleck so much envied him, fbr he was .soon in a fair Avay of recovery. But as be mended in body he became more depressed in spirit, for various circumstances conspired fo harass him at the time. 1 The first 'day he was able to sit up, Mrs Calmsbugh delicately hinted that noiv, since he seemed fairly out of dntiger, it would be* necessary for her husband and herself to return home, as they 'could not conveniently remain longer away from Burricrook. She : added that Mr aiid MidS Montgomery were 'going with them, for though Agries had pleaded earnestly to be fallowed to remain ia few days longer, !her father peremptorily refused, and 'had with difficulty been persuaded not to force her sooner away. ' Miss Montgomery would have told you herself,' said the 'kindly matron, ' but the poor -*girl was too much overcome to speak. " She will be here presently to bid you ;gobd-bye; but you may expect her father with her, for he seems determined tb prevent Agnes and you from : havihg any private conversation. But •you must not vex yourself about that. He cannot always be "so unreasonable ; and you know, Mr Duncanson " the 'course of true love never did run "smooth." I have no doubt that Agnes , and you will yet have many a happy i .meeting ; so keep up your heart and I 'let lis see you part cheerfully.' The student had little to say in

reply, but thanked the lady for her well-meant kindness. Her consolations 'did not apply to a sore which rankled in his mind unknoAvn to all his friends.

She inadvertently even aggravated his uneasiness, by recommending him strongly not to return to his former lodgings but to remain where he Avas, as the house was exceedingly comfortable and not very expensive, consider-

ing the care with which it Avas conducted. '•" Indeed,' said she, ' I have

only been able to soothe Miss Mont-

gbmery's anxiety on your account, by "pointing* but to her lioav comfortably you are situated here among such at-

tehtive people. So I hope you will not i. "-think of moving-, for all the difference • of expense between this and the confined, uncomfortable lodging you had before.'

He was puzzling himself how to answer this, Avithout making any promise it might be out of his poAver to fulfil, when Agnes entered, pale and with 'eyes inflamed with recent weeping. Her father and Mr Calmsough were with her, and their presence was perhaps a relief tb the lovers, by preventing them from trying to express feelings which could not have been expressed without an increase of pain to both. Though . the old gentleman Watched them with the jealousy of a dragon, to 'make sure that nothing should pass between them without his knoAvledge, they tnanagied, unseen by him, to exchange tokens of mutual affection, and sighs and looks conveying more meaning than words ; for love, * who laughs at locksmiths,' is not to be baffled by the vigilance of eyes grown dim Avith age.

Mrs Reiishaw and Mr and Miss Stimperton next came to take farewell, for they had already delayed their departure too long, and could not postpone it further. These simple people, by their well-meant but ill-timed rei marks, instead of cheering their young 'friend, made his feelings still more .poignant than before. His aunt, with 'her characteristic bluntriess, came broadly 'on the Very subject on which he felt 'most sore— namely, the money he had ] received from Stiflriggs and herself. She' expressed "surprise, and even some .degree of displeasure at his obvious dejection, saying — ' I'm shure, Jimes, ye needha be so dull nob, when ye ha'e , siller' eheuch to bring you through the 'College for .this year at least. And ye're growin' better fast • sac I think ye ha'e nae reason to be sac doun i ; the mouth.' Stiffriggs struck as unfortunate a note. '.Come, come,' said he, .' cheer up, Mr Jimes, cheer up, man ! ( This is no a time for the like o' you to : be hen-hearted. When the gude auld Kirk o' Scotland is in danger, her freends, mair especially her young ministers like you, maun be bold as lions — men that nae discouragement 'can cast doun. . Odd, man, if ye're sac ill about naething, hoo are ye to face the trials that you may soon find in the 'straight path of duty ? Mind what ye said yoursel' at Sir John Baldwin's aboot Cameron and Renwiek and Cargill ; and consider if ye be acting like them, when ye are hinging your head before the storm has begun to blaw,'

. ' You wrong me, Mr Stimperton,' replied the student ; cI am by no means drooping as you seem to suppose. If I am depressed a little in spirit at present, you may depend on it, the cause % not Avhat you imagine, .nor indeed "anything worth speaking of.' ' Ay, but ydii may tell us what it is though, for a' that. I din'na like to see .ye sac dull, man, oh any aiccount ; and if ye canna see, your why yet .through the College, I'll no see you beat for Want ' 6' twa- three bawbees mair. , And Neither Will ygj "neighbour, I'm shure/

said the generous farmer, turning to Mrs Kenshaw as he spoke, and slapping' her on the back in his usual familiar

manner

•Deed,' replied the lady, c T jalouse it's neither siller nor the lurk o' Scotland that's fashing him. Tf Pm no mista'en, he's vexing himself a hantle mair about. Miss Miggummerin ; but he needna be sic a fule — there's as gude fish in the sea as ever yet cam' oot o't- -that's a' that I'll say. But come away, we maun be takin' the road, or we'll neither see Stiffrigg Mains nor Whihnyside by daylight. Fare ye weel, Jimes. See and mind your lair, and never heed the young leddies. Yell get your pick and Avale o' them if ever ye get a kirk. Ye can take my word, my man, for that.' So saying*, she took Stiffriggs and his sister Iry the arm. and marched them off without further ceremony. Sorely Mr Duncanson's spirit chafed I by all this torturing — Dearly bought the hidden treasure, Finer feelings can bestow : Cords that vibrate sweetest pleasure, Thrill the deepest notes of woe. He imagined, with more sensitiveness than reason, that his aunt and Stiffriggs presumed on the obligations he Avas under, to dictate to him in a manner that fettered his freedom. This notion impressed him so strongly that he certainly would have returned the money had it been in his power, for his mind atthe time was morbidly sensitive and unapt to entertain the calm consideration of prudence. Robin had not yet restored to him the pilfered cash nor informed him that it Avas in safe custody, for he felt displeased at the secrecy which the student thought proper to observe towards him on the subject, and was determined to act a little on the principle of retaliation. But Robin soon experienced the inconvenience of following such a course.

He escorted Jean Brown on her Avny home as far southward as Habbie's Howe, and spent the early part of the day with her, in never-to-be-forgotten felicity, among tbe quiet recesses of that charming scene. She had received permission from her mistress to walk part of the way, and had thus found an opportunity of visiting the Arcadia cf Scotland with her admirer. Robin, after seeing her safely into the Whinnyside spring-cart, returned to the city about sunset, walking so lightly that he scarcely touched the ground, for he had got her for the first time to confess, in so many words, that he had nothing to fear from John Rumplebane or any other rival. As he passed the smithy door to enter his humble lodgings, he was way-laid by his trusty friend Saunders Drouthythrapple, tha smith, Avho mA/steriously hinted that some danger awaited him should he proceed, and that it would be Avell to repair with him to an obscure public-house in the neighbourhood, instead of venturing into his own quarters. Robin demanded an explanation, but Saunders only renewed his ominous hint, and urged the necessity of beating a retreat immediately out of the way of observation. Robin accordingly accompanied him, wondering as he went what all this could mean. The two were soon seated together in a ding*v little apartment, lighted only by a glimmering peep of gas. The blackbrowed hammer-man would not enter on business till a stoup of liquor had been brought in and he had moistened his throat with a dram. He then, as a preliminary precaution, examined every corner of the room to see that there was no chink at Avhich a listener could hear. Having* satisfied himself that there were none, and filled up the keyhole with a half-chewed quid of tobacco, he looked Robin hard in the face, and commenced rather to put questions than to communicate anything*. ■" Week neighbour,' said he, in as low a tone as he could contrive to speak in, ' what the sorrow is this ye've been aboot ? Ha'e ye been rubbin', or murderin, or baith V

Saunders? ye re dementi t, shurely,' replied Robin, < when ye speer sic gruesome questions at a body. Tell me at ance wdiat ye mean, and Avhat is wrang.'

1 Wrang ! Ye ha'e the beagles after ye, and shurely that canna be for naething. They've been twice seeking ye the day. Ane o' them cam' in the forenoon, I understand, avv a bit Avriter body they ca' M'Cheafrie ; and after speerin' a heap o 7 questions at your landlady, Mrs Jamphrey, aboot Avhan ye cam' ahd Avha lodg*es alang wi' ye, they Avrote doun a' her answers, and took aAvay a pocket-book and your auld tacketty shoon.' 1 Preserve us 1 that'll be Doctor Snapperdudgeon's business after a. 1 Ay, did ye settle somebody o' that name V | ' Settle him ? No, he can pruve 1 naething against me; I'm shure eneuch o" that. 1 ' Weel, aweel, if it's only a case o' assault and battery, it's neither here nor there. I've been in mair than ane o' them mysel'. But I doot, freen, there's something waur than that against you. Ye micht be provikit to gi'e a man twa or three hard knocks, and no be what's to ca' an ill- doer after a' ; but ye ken there can be nae excuse for thievinV, 'Thievin' ! Let me see the man or woman either that'll even talk of thievin' tome.' . . , . *Ou ; dinha be in a passion ! . I charge ye with nothing of the kind,

only I maun tell you that- twa o' the

thief-catcher chaps are Avaiting for you this very moment in Mrs Jamphrev's. They've been there mtiir than an hour, and rummaging every neuk o' the house for some stown siller. Puir body ! she slippit in* to the smiddy when they were searching- at the thrangest, to g-et me to warn you in the by-gangin, for she canna bide the tbocht o' ony ludger o'.hers comin' to the wuddie ; and, I daur say, hang-in' '11 be the least o't, if ye've baith been takin' life an' siller.'

' Do you mean to drive me mad, Saunders 1 I tell ye, man, I've ta'en neither life nor siller. I never killed ony creatur better tin n a sow, nor took the value o' a bawbee frae a leevm' sowl. But for a' that I daur say I'm lang eneuch here, sac let's see what's to pay and Til be awa'.'

' Aha ! that disfla look sac weel, though. If ye be innocent, what for need ye be in sic a fell hurry V

' Just for vera particular reasons, that I canna wait to explain. But I'll tell ye a' the oots and ins o' the story some time after this. Let us be aff, man • let us be aff.'

* Hoots ! rest ye a blink, and let us ha'e anither fu' o* the stonp. Even if ye should be as bad as Deacon Brodie, I'll stana up for ye against the beagles, for acquaintance sake. If they find us oot here, ye may shurely manage to gi'e ane o' them the breadth o' his back, and I'll tak' care o' the tither. But as shure's death I'm vext for ye, be ye guilty or no guilty, for the disappearance o' your bed-fellow looks sair against ye. Here, mistress, anither dram — bring us anither dram.'

1 The disappearance o' my bed-fellow ! Is't Mr Duncanson ye mean ?' said Kobin, half-laughing' at the implied suspicion, in spite of his anxiety.

' A} r , just Mr Dunkison ; wha else could I mean V

' Ou, then, ye may keep yoursel' perfectly easy aboot him. He got himser hurt wi' the accident on Saturday, but he's get tin' better, and snug and cosey in gurie mdgings up the toun.'

' Weel, that's what Mrs Jamphrey tells me • but hoo did. he baith get himsel' hurt and rubbit if there was nae foul play g-aun ? Can ye tell me that V

■ Brawly can I tell ye that if I had time, but positeeveh* 1 maun be awa' ; sac ye maun just excuse me till anither day.' Saying' this, he moved to the door, and would not remain a moment longer. The smith shook his head with an air of confirmed suspicion, and after telling him to take good care where he went and not let himself he seen in daylight, bade him good night, and allowed him to depart.

Robin's unea*^ine*=s arose from the conviction which flashed suddenly on

his mind, as soon as lie heard he was sought after on account of the missing money, that by retaining it for several days secretly in his possession, he had exposed himself to the suspicion of dishonesty • for it appeared plainly that it had bepu traced into hia custody by means of the empty pocket-book. He had the entire sum on bis person, and saw the propriety of immediately re storing it to its rightful owner. For this purpose, as soon as he could shake himself clear of Saunders Drouthythrapple, he ran with the speed of desparation to Pitt-street When he got' into Mr Duncanson's room, out of breath and perspiring profusely, he abruptly crammed the notes into his hand before he could say a word to explain his errand. Mr Duncanson looked at him in astonishment, and exclaimed — 'What is the meaning of this, Robert 1 What notes are these ?' i They're yours, Jimes. Mind, I've gi'en you them o' my am accord — ye maun bear witness to that — and count

them to see ye ha'e them a' there.' 'But if the notes are mine, where and how haA'e you got them V ' A}*, ye may ppeer that, and I'll tell you Avhen I get time to come to mysel' awee. But mind, ye've gotten them frae me freely and fairly. Man, Jimes, ye ha'e putten yoursel' and me intil a pretty scrape wi' your confoonded closemindedness.' ' How '1 What are you driving at 1 What scrape 1 what olose-mindedness ? But first of all, hoW did you find the money V i That's the bit, man, that's just the bit ; and if I . hadua been in danger of getting mysel' ta'en for a thief, by lettin' you steep aAvee in brime'o' yer am sautin', I wadna been in a hurrytelling* you, to learn you for your closeness.'

4 1 wish you would drop your figurative style of speech, and tell me plainly what you mean.' ■* I just mean, then, that when ye got a slump o' siller frae Stiffriggs ancl your auntie, it was nae business o' mine, and ye had a richt to keep' your thooiii on't if ye thocht proper. But Avhen ye g-ot it pickit oiit o' your pouch, ye neither played fair to 'yerseP hor your freends, to mak' a secret o' the matter.' Here Robin detailed minutely the manner in "which the money came into his possession, and went on to say — l Ye see, Mr Jimes, it Avas mair by chance than gude guiding that your siller wasna .clean lost ; and if never hilt nor hair o't had been seen or heard tell o', wha Wad ha'e been to blame but yoursel' ; I Avonder V . ' But why did you keep me in torture about it from Saturday night 1 11 this time V '' Just as I said afore, to gi'e ye a bit o' your am bridle..^ I : thqcht <ye -y^flypd the better o^|«cji^Bimake;^M|^

for the time to come. But leg?; sir, I ha'e maist, got my neck intil a kinoh for

my pains.'

' You see, Robert, 'he evil of following- a bad example.'

1 Ay, Jimes, ye may weel say that. It's a black business. It has made you a suspecket character, and me be thocht as bad as Deacon Brodie.'

' Who says I am a suspected character V

' I say't. That's plain eneuch, I'm shure. Hoo can ye be onything else after ye've been kent to lose a h under pound in some secret manner, and after ye've been seen herding in a hiddling way wi' thief-catchers ? Fegs, dimes, ye may be thankfu' that ye're only suspeckit, and no just set plump down for a black sheep, and huntit like me !'

' Ay ! how do you come to be treated in that manner V

* Ou, partly for the tup business, and partly for this ill-faur'd affair o' yours. Ye see Dr Snapperdudgeon has got M'Cheatrie the lawyer, and some 6' the beagle tribe, hounded after inc. glioo they fund oot my lodgings, it's impossible to say * but there they cam this forenoon when I was awa' at Habbie's Howe wi' Jean Broun, and rummaged through the hoose for a hair to mak' a tether o' * and fegs. sir, they got their haund on your pocket-book, lying toom among my claes.' ' That was surely no great matter. They could make nothing against you out of that circumstance, surely f ' Could they no ! I'll tell you what they made o't. They made me baith a thief and a murderer. It's thocht, it seems (at least Saunders Drouthythrapple says sac) that I've rubbit ye, and ta'en yer life to the bargain, or trv't to tak' it. What think ye o' that V

' Why I just think you should give yourself no more concern about so ridiculous a suspicion. But hew did you happen to empty the pocket-book and leave it behind you V

1 Just for the same gude reason that made Mother Meredith (honest body !) fear'd to lay a finder on't. I riskit to carry the notes wi' me, but I v/asna sic a sumph as to keep a book in my pouch that it seems a' the beagles, in Embro' had had the marks o', and were hunting after. And Avha was to ken that the Deil had eggit on Dr Snapperdudgeon again, or that they wad smoke me out in Mrs Jamphrey's ? But mind ye, Mr Jimes, I've gi'en you the siller — every penny o't — and cam' wit on my own free avull. That'll shurely clear me frae the charge o' thieving, at ony rate.'

* Yes, yes, Robert, you're perfectly safe : so you may keep your mind easy and g-o home to bed when you please.' c To Mrs Jainphrey's, div ye mean V 1 Surely.'

'Na, fegs! then, Mr Jimes, I'll do nothing o' the kind. I can ne'er bide there again withoot some kind o' subterranean passage up the garret whaur lean jink tho beagles* for they'll, be after me as lang as Dr Snapperdudgeon stays in the toun, But I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll awa' to Mr Bacon's, and dern mysel' in til some safe hole in yon droll house o' his,'