Redgauntlet [66]
in the rental- book. Weel, away he trots to the castle, to tell his story, and there he is introduced to Sir John, sitting in his father's chair, in deep mourning, with weepers and hanging cravat, and a small wallring rapier by his side, instead of the auld broadsword that had a hundredweight of steel about it, what with blade, chape, and basket-hilt. I have heard their communing so often tauld ower, that I almost think I was there mysell, though I couldna be born at the time. (In fact, Alan, my companion mimicked, with a good deal of humour, the flattering, conciliating tone of the tenant's address, and the hypocritical melancholy of the laird's reply. His grandfather, he said, had, while he spoke, his eye fixed on the rental-book, as if it were a mastiff-dog that he was afraid would spring up and bite him).
'I wuss ye joy, sir, of the head seat, and the white loaf, and the braid lairdship. Your father was a kind man to friends and followers; muckle grace to you, Sir John, to fill his shoon--his boots, I suld say, for he seldom wore shoon, unless it were muils when he had the gout.'
'Aye, Steenie,' quoth the laird, sighing deeply, and putting his napkin to his een, 'his was a sudden call, and he will be missed in the country; no time to set his house in order--weel prepared Godward, no doubt, which is the root of the matter--but left us behind a tangled heap to wind, Steenie.--Hem! hem! We maun go to business, Steenie; much to do, and little time to do it in.'
Here he opened the fatal volume. I have heard of a thing they call Doomsday Book--I am clear it has been a rental of back- ganging tenants.
'Stephen,' said Sir John, still in the same soft, sleekit tone of voice--'Stephen Stevenson, or Steenson, ye are down here for a year's rent behind the hand--due at last term.'
STEPHEN. 'Please your honour, Sir John, I paid it to your father.'
SIR JOHN. 'Ye took a receipt, then, doubtless, Stephen; and can produce it?'
STEPHEN. 'Indeed I hadna time, an it like your honour; for nae sooner had I set doun the siller, and just as his honour, Sir Robert, that's gaen, drew it till him to count it, and write out the receipt, he was ta'en wi' the pains that removed him.'
'That was unlucky,' said Sir John, after a pause. 'But ye maybe paid it in the presence of somebody, I want but a TALIS QUALIS evidence, Stephen. I would go ower strictly to work with no poor man.'
STEPHEN. 'Troth, Sir John, there was naebody in the room but Dougal MacCallum the butler. But, as your honour kens, he has e'en followed his auld master.
'Very unlucky again, Stephen,' said Sir John, without altering his voice a single note. (The man to whom ye paid the money is dead--and the man who witnessed the payment is dead too--and the siller, which should have been to the fore, is neither seen nor heard tell of in the repositories. How am I to believe a' this?'
STEPHEN. 'I dinna, ken, your honour; but there is a bit memorandum note of the very coins; for, God help me! I had to borrow out of twenty purses; and I am sure that ilka man there set down will take his grit oath for what purpose I borrowed the money.'
SIR JOHN. 'I have little doubt ye BORROWED the money, Steenie. It is the PAYMENT to my father that I want to have some proof of.'
STEPHEN. 'The siller maun be about the house, Sir John. And since your honour never got it, and his honour that was canna have taen it wi' him, maybe some of the family may have seen it.'
SIR JOHN. 'We will examine the servants, Stephen; that is but reasonable.'
But lackey and lass, and page and groom, all denied stoutly that they had ever seen such a bag of money as my gudesire described. What was waur, he had unluckily not mentioned to any living soul of them his purpose of paying his rent. Ae quean had noticed something under his arm, but she took it for the pipes.
Sir John Redgauntlet ordered the servants out of the room, and then said to my gudesire, 'Now, Steenie, ye see ye have fair play; and, as I have little doubt ye ken better where to find the siller
'I wuss ye joy, sir, of the head seat, and the white loaf, and the braid lairdship. Your father was a kind man to friends and followers; muckle grace to you, Sir John, to fill his shoon--his boots, I suld say, for he seldom wore shoon, unless it were muils when he had the gout.'
'Aye, Steenie,' quoth the laird, sighing deeply, and putting his napkin to his een, 'his was a sudden call, and he will be missed in the country; no time to set his house in order--weel prepared Godward, no doubt, which is the root of the matter--but left us behind a tangled heap to wind, Steenie.--Hem! hem! We maun go to business, Steenie; much to do, and little time to do it in.'
Here he opened the fatal volume. I have heard of a thing they call Doomsday Book--I am clear it has been a rental of back- ganging tenants.
'Stephen,' said Sir John, still in the same soft, sleekit tone of voice--'Stephen Stevenson, or Steenson, ye are down here for a year's rent behind the hand--due at last term.'
STEPHEN. 'Please your honour, Sir John, I paid it to your father.'
SIR JOHN. 'Ye took a receipt, then, doubtless, Stephen; and can produce it?'
STEPHEN. 'Indeed I hadna time, an it like your honour; for nae sooner had I set doun the siller, and just as his honour, Sir Robert, that's gaen, drew it till him to count it, and write out the receipt, he was ta'en wi' the pains that removed him.'
'That was unlucky,' said Sir John, after a pause. 'But ye maybe paid it in the presence of somebody, I want but a TALIS QUALIS evidence, Stephen. I would go ower strictly to work with no poor man.'
STEPHEN. 'Troth, Sir John, there was naebody in the room but Dougal MacCallum the butler. But, as your honour kens, he has e'en followed his auld master.
'Very unlucky again, Stephen,' said Sir John, without altering his voice a single note. (The man to whom ye paid the money is dead--and the man who witnessed the payment is dead too--and the siller, which should have been to the fore, is neither seen nor heard tell of in the repositories. How am I to believe a' this?'
STEPHEN. 'I dinna, ken, your honour; but there is a bit memorandum note of the very coins; for, God help me! I had to borrow out of twenty purses; and I am sure that ilka man there set down will take his grit oath for what purpose I borrowed the money.'
SIR JOHN. 'I have little doubt ye BORROWED the money, Steenie. It is the PAYMENT to my father that I want to have some proof of.'
STEPHEN. 'The siller maun be about the house, Sir John. And since your honour never got it, and his honour that was canna have taen it wi' him, maybe some of the family may have seen it.'
SIR JOHN. 'We will examine the servants, Stephen; that is but reasonable.'
But lackey and lass, and page and groom, all denied stoutly that they had ever seen such a bag of money as my gudesire described. What was waur, he had unluckily not mentioned to any living soul of them his purpose of paying his rent. Ae quean had noticed something under his arm, but she took it for the pipes.
Sir John Redgauntlet ordered the servants out of the room, and then said to my gudesire, 'Now, Steenie, ye see ye have fair play; and, as I have little doubt ye ken better where to find the siller