Part 20 (1/2)

Adam did not like to confess it; but he was so wearied that he could speak no more without pain, and so thanking the Corporal, he turned round to sleep.

CHAPTER XXIII

CORPORAL d.i.c.k AT THE MANSE

Adam had received his pension-paper, which required to be signed by the parish minister, as certifying that the claimant was in life. d.i.c.k was glad of this opportunity of calling upon the minister to obtain for his friend the required signature. He was known to Mr. Porteous, who had met him once before in Adam's house, and had attacked him rather sharply on his Haldanite principles, the sect being, as he alleged, an uncalled-for opposition to the regular parish clergy.

A short walk brought d.i.c.k to the manse. After a few words of greeting he presented the Sergeant's paper. Mr. Porteous inquired, with rather a sceptical expression on his countenance--

”Is Mr. Mercer really unwell, and unable to come?”

”I have told you the truth, sir,” was the Corporal's dignified and short reply.

Mr. Porteous asked what was wrong with him? The Corporal replied that he did not know, but that he was feverish, he thought, and was certainly confined to bed.

”Your friend, the Sergeant, as you are probably aware,” remarked the minister, signing the paper and returning it to the Corporal, ”has greatly surprised and annoyed me. He seems quite a changed man--changed, I fear, for the worse. Oh! yes, Mr. d.i.c.k,” he continued in reply to a protesting wave of the Corporal's hand, ”he is indeed. He has become proud and obstinate--very.”

”Meek as a lamb, sir, in time of peace, but brave as a lion in time of war, I can a.s.sure you, Mr. Porteous,” replied the Corporal.

”I know better!” said the minister.

”Not better than me, sir,” replied d.i.c.k; ”for tho' ye have kent him as well as me, perhaps, in peace, yet ye didna ken him at all in war, and a truer, better, n.o.bler sodger than Adam Mercer never raised his arms to fight or to pray, for he did baith--that I'll say before the worl', and defy contradiction!”

”Remember, Corporal, you and I belong to different Churches, and we judge men differently. We must have discipline. All Churches are not equally pure.”

”There's nane o' them pure, wi' your leave, neither yours nor mine!”

exclaimed the Corporal. ”I'm no' pure mysel', and accordingly when I joined my kirk it was pure nae langer; and, wi' a' respec' to you, sir, I'm no' sure if your ain kirk wasna fashed wi' the same diffeeculty when _ye_ joined it.”

”Discipline, I say, must be maintained--_must_ be,” said Mr. Porteous; ”and Adam has come under it most deservedly. _First_ pure, _then_ peaceable, you know.”

”If ever a man kept discipline in a regiment, he did! My certes!” said d.i.c.k, ”I wad like to see him that wad raggle the regiment when Adam was in't!”

”I am talking of _Church_ discipline, sir!” said the minister, rather irate. ”_Church_ discipline, you observe; which--as I hold yours to be not a properly const.i.tuted Church, but a mere self-const.i.tuted sect--you cannot have.”

”We're a kin' o' volunteers, I suppose?” interrupted d.i.c.k with a laugh; ”the Haldanite volunteers, as ye wad ca' us; but maybe after a' we'll fecht agin the enemy, an' its three corps o' the deevil, the worl', and the flesh, as weel as yours.”

”You are not the regular army, anyhow,” said the minister, ”and I do not recognise your Church.”

”The mair's the pity,” replied the Corporal, ”for I consider it a great blin'ness and misfortin' when ae regiment dislikes anither. An army, minister, is no' ae regiment, but mony. There's cavalry and artillery, light troops and heavy troops, field guns and siege guns in an army, and ilka pairt does its ain wark sae lang as it obeys the commander-in-chief, and fechts for the kingdom. What's the use, then, o' fechtin' agin each ither? In my opinion it's real daft like!”

The minister looked impatiently at his watch, but d.i.c.k went on to say--

”In Spain, I can tell ye, we were a hantle the better o' thae wild chiels the guerillas. Altho' they didna enlist into the gand or ony regular drilled regiment, Scotch or English, the Duke himsel' was thankfu' for them. Noo, Mr. Porteous, altho' ye think us a sort o'

guerillas, let us alane,--let us alane!--dinna forbid us tho' we dinna follow _your_ flag, but fecht the enemy under oor ain.”

”Well, well, d.i.c.k, we need not argue about it. My principles are too firm, too long made up, to be shaken at this time of day by the Haldanites,” said Mr. Porteous, rising and looking out of the window.

”Weel, weel!” said d.i.c.k. ”I'm no' wantin' to shake your principles, but to keep my ain.”