Guy Mannering [132]
I know you of old. But, hark ye, what am I, Dirk Hatteraick, to be the better of this?"
"Why, is it not your interest as well as mine?" said Glossin; "besides, I set you free this morning."
"You set me free!--Donner and deyvil! I set myself free. Besides, it was all in the way of your profession, and happened a long time ago, ha, ha, ha!"
"Pshaw! pshaw! don't let us jest; I am not against making a handsome compliment--but it's your affair as well as mine."
"What do you talk of my affair? is it not you that keep the bouncer's whole estate from him? Dirk Hatteraick never touched a stiver of his rents."
"Hush-hush--I tell you it shall be a joint business."
"Why, will ye give me half the kit?"
"What, half the estate?--d'ye mean . Ye should set up house together at Ellangowan, and take the barony, ridge about?"
"Sturm-wetter, no! but you might give me half the value--half the gelt. Live with you? Nein--I would have a lusthaus of mine own on the Middleburgh dyke, and a blumengarten like a burgomaster's."
"Ay, and a wooden lion at the door, and a painted sentinel in the garden, with a pipe in his mouth!--But, hark ye, Hatteraick; what will all the tulips, and flower-gardens, and pleasure-houses in the Netherlands do for you, if you are hanged here in Scotland?"
Hatteraick's countenance fell. "Der deyvil! hanged?"
"Ay, hanged, meinheer Captain. The devil can scarce save Dirk Hatteraick from being hanged for a murderer and kidnapper, if the younker of Ellangowan should settle in this country, and if the gallant Captain chances to be caught here re-establishing his fair trade! And I won't say, but, as peace is now so much talked of, their High Mightinesses may not hand him over to oblige their new allies, even if he remained in faderiand."
"Poz bagel blitzen and donner! I--I doubt you say true."
"Not," said Glossin, perceiving he had made the desired impression, "not that I am against being civil;" and he slid into Hatteraick's passive hand a bank-note of some value.
"Is this all?" said the smuggler; "you had the price of half a cargo for winking at our job, and made us do your business too."
"But, my good friend, you forget--in this case you will recover all your own goods."
"Ay, at the risk of all our own necks--we could do that without you."
"I doubt that, Captain Hatteraick," said Glossin dryly, "because you would probably find a dozen red-coats at the Custom-house, whom it must be my business, if we agree about this matter, to have removed. Come, come, I will be as liberal as I can, but you should have a conscience."
"Now strafe mich der deyfel!--this provokes me more than all the rest.--You rob and you murder, and you want me to rob and murder, and play the silver-cooper, or kidnapper, as you call it, a dozen times over, and then, hagel and wind-sturm! you speak to me of conscience!--Can you think of no fairer way of getting rid of this unlucky lad?"
"No, meinheer; but as I commit him to your charge--"
"To my charge--to the charge of steel and gunpowder! and--well, if it must be, it must--but you have a tolerably good guess what's like to come of it."
"Oh, my dear friend, I trust no degree of severity will be necessary," replied Glossin.
"Severity!" said the fellow, with a kind of groan, I wish you had had my dreams when I first came to this dog-hole, and tried to sleep among the dry seaweed.--First, there was that d-d fellow there, with his broken back, sprawling as he did when I hurled the rock over atop on him--ha, ha, you would have sworn he was lying on the floor where you stand, wriggling like a crushed frog--and then--"
"Nay, my friend," said Glossin, interrupting him, what signifies going over this nonsense?--If you are turned chicken-hearted, why, the game's up, that's all--the game's up with us both."
"Chicken-hearted?--No. I have not lived so long upon the account to start at last, neither for Devil nor Dutchman."
Well then, take another schnaps--the cold's at your heart still.--And now tell me, are any of your old crew with you?"
"Nein--all
"Why, is it not your interest as well as mine?" said Glossin; "besides, I set you free this morning."
"You set me free!--Donner and deyvil! I set myself free. Besides, it was all in the way of your profession, and happened a long time ago, ha, ha, ha!"
"Pshaw! pshaw! don't let us jest; I am not against making a handsome compliment--but it's your affair as well as mine."
"What do you talk of my affair? is it not you that keep the bouncer's whole estate from him? Dirk Hatteraick never touched a stiver of his rents."
"Hush-hush--I tell you it shall be a joint business."
"Why, will ye give me half the kit?"
"What, half the estate?--d'ye mean . Ye should set up house together at Ellangowan, and take the barony, ridge about?"
"Sturm-wetter, no! but you might give me half the value--half the gelt. Live with you? Nein--I would have a lusthaus of mine own on the Middleburgh dyke, and a blumengarten like a burgomaster's."
"Ay, and a wooden lion at the door, and a painted sentinel in the garden, with a pipe in his mouth!--But, hark ye, Hatteraick; what will all the tulips, and flower-gardens, and pleasure-houses in the Netherlands do for you, if you are hanged here in Scotland?"
Hatteraick's countenance fell. "Der deyvil! hanged?"
"Ay, hanged, meinheer Captain. The devil can scarce save Dirk Hatteraick from being hanged for a murderer and kidnapper, if the younker of Ellangowan should settle in this country, and if the gallant Captain chances to be caught here re-establishing his fair trade! And I won't say, but, as peace is now so much talked of, their High Mightinesses may not hand him over to oblige their new allies, even if he remained in faderiand."
"Poz bagel blitzen and donner! I--I doubt you say true."
"Not," said Glossin, perceiving he had made the desired impression, "not that I am against being civil;" and he slid into Hatteraick's passive hand a bank-note of some value.
"Is this all?" said the smuggler; "you had the price of half a cargo for winking at our job, and made us do your business too."
"But, my good friend, you forget--in this case you will recover all your own goods."
"Ay, at the risk of all our own necks--we could do that without you."
"I doubt that, Captain Hatteraick," said Glossin dryly, "because you would probably find a dozen red-coats at the Custom-house, whom it must be my business, if we agree about this matter, to have removed. Come, come, I will be as liberal as I can, but you should have a conscience."
"Now strafe mich der deyfel!--this provokes me more than all the rest.--You rob and you murder, and you want me to rob and murder, and play the silver-cooper, or kidnapper, as you call it, a dozen times over, and then, hagel and wind-sturm! you speak to me of conscience!--Can you think of no fairer way of getting rid of this unlucky lad?"
"No, meinheer; but as I commit him to your charge--"
"To my charge--to the charge of steel and gunpowder! and--well, if it must be, it must--but you have a tolerably good guess what's like to come of it."
"Oh, my dear friend, I trust no degree of severity will be necessary," replied Glossin.
"Severity!" said the fellow, with a kind of groan, I wish you had had my dreams when I first came to this dog-hole, and tried to sleep among the dry seaweed.--First, there was that d-d fellow there, with his broken back, sprawling as he did when I hurled the rock over atop on him--ha, ha, you would have sworn he was lying on the floor where you stand, wriggling like a crushed frog--and then--"
"Nay, my friend," said Glossin, interrupting him, what signifies going over this nonsense?--If you are turned chicken-hearted, why, the game's up, that's all--the game's up with us both."
"Chicken-hearted?--No. I have not lived so long upon the account to start at last, neither for Devil nor Dutchman."
Well then, take another schnaps--the cold's at your heart still.--And now tell me, are any of your old crew with you?"
"Nein--all