Part 22 (2/2)
He looked at me with a hard eye ”You put the cart before the horse, I think,” says he ”That which I had given was a portion of , which your thankless nature does not seeiven, nor (to be exact) is it yet offered” He paused a bit ”And I warn you, you do not know yourself,” he added ”Youth is a hasty season; you will think better of all this before a year”
”Well, and I would like to be that kind of youth!” I cried ”I have seen tooadvocates that fawn upon your lordshi+p and are even at the pains to fawn on me And I have seen it in the old ones also They are all for by-ends, the whole clan of them! It's this thatWhy would I think that you would like me? But ye told me yourself ye had an interest!”
I stopped at this, confounded that I had run so far; he was observing me with an unfathomable face
”My lord, I ask your pardon,” I resuue I think it would be only decent-like if I would go to seeyou et that; and if it's for your lordshi+p's good, here I'll stay That's barely gratitude”
”This riracious, to say a plain Scots 'ay'”
”Ah, but, my lord, I think ye take me not yet entirely!” cried I ”For your sake, for my life-safe, and the kindness that ye say ye bear to ht be co ed by; I will lose by it, I will never gain I would rather make a shi+pwreck wholly than to build on that foundation”
He was a minute serious, then s nose,” said he; ”was you to see the moon by a telescope you would see David Balfour there! But you shall have your way of it I will ask at you one service, and then set you free: My clerks are overdriven; be so good as copy es, and when that is done, I shall bid you God speed! I would never charge myself with Mr David's conscience; and if you could cast so, you would find yourself to ride much easier without it”
”Perhaps not just entirely in the sah, my lord!” says I
”And you shall have the last word, too!” cries he gaily
Indeed, he had soain his purpose To lessen the weight of the memorial, or to have a readier answer at his hand, he desired I should appear publicly in the character of his intimate But if I were to appear with the same publicity as a visitor to Catriona in her prison the world would scarce stint to draw conclusions, and the true nature of James More's escape must become evident to all This was the little problem I had to set him of a sudden, and to which he had so briskly found an answer I was to be tethered in Glasgow by that job of copying, which inthese hours of eot rid of I think shaoodnesses He was kind to ht him as false as a cracked bell
CHAPTER XIX-I AM MUCH IN THE HANDS OF THE LADIES
The copying was a weary business, the ency in the an very early to consider ot to horse, used what re at last fairly benighted, slept in a house by Alain before the day, and the Edinburgh booths were just opening when I clattered in by the West Bow and drew up a s horse at , ht to be in all his secrets-a worthy little plain man, all fat and snuff and self-sufficiency Him I found already at his desk and already bedabbled with maccabaw, in the same anteroom where I rencountered with Jah like a chapter in his Bible
”H' ahint-hand, Mr Balfour The bird's flaen-we hae letten her out”
”Miss Drummond is set free?” I cried
”Achy!” said he ”What would we keep her for, ye ken? To hae made a steer about the bairn would has pleased naebody”
”And where'll she be now?” says I
”Gude kens!” says Doig, with a shrug
”She'll have gone ho,” said I
”That'll be it,” said he
”Then I'll gang there straight,” says I
”But ye'll be for a bite or ye go?” said he
”Neither bite nor sup,” said I ”I had a good wauch of”But ye'll can leave your horse here and your bags, for it seems we're to have your up-put”