Part 7 (1/2)
”It 'll pe a coot 'oman, Mistress Kertope,” he said as he came back; ”and it 'll no pe to plame her for forgifing Glenlyon, for he did not kill her creat crandmother. Put it'll pe fery paad preeding to request her nainsel, Tuncan MacPhail, to be forgifing ta rascal.
Only she'll pe put a voman, and it'll not pe knowing no petter to her.--You'll be minding you'll be firing ta cun at six o'clock exackly, Malcolm, for all she says; for my lord peing put shust come home to his property, it might be a fex to him if tere was any mistake so soon. Put inteed, I yonder he hasn't been sending for old Tuncan to be gifing him a song or two on ta peeps; for he'll pe hafing ta oceans of fery coot highland plood in his own feins; and his friend, ta Prince of Wales, who has no more rights to it than a maackerel fish, will pe wearing ta kilts at Holyrood. So mind you pe firing ta cun at sax, my son.”
For some years, young as he was, Malcolm had hired himself to one or other of the boat proprietors of the Seaton or of Scaurnose, for the herring fis.h.i.+ng--only, however, in the immediate neighbourhood, refusing to go to the western islands, or any station whence he could not return to sleep at his grandfather's cottage. He had thus on every occasion earned enough to provide for the following winter, so that his grandfather's little income as piper, and other small returns, were acc.u.mulating in various concealments about the cottage; for, in his care for the future, Duncan dreaded lest Malcolm should buy things for him, without which, in his own sightless judgment, he could do well enough.
Until the herring season should arrive, however, Malcolm made a little money by line fis.h.i.+ng; for he had bargained, the year before, with the captain of a schooner for an old s.h.i.+p's boat, and had patched and caulked it into a sufficiently serviceable condition. He sold his fish in the town and immediate neighbourhood, where a good many housekeepers favoured the handsome and cheery young fisherman.
He would now be often out in the bay long before it was time to call his grandfather, in his turn to rouse the sleepers of Portlossie.
But the old man had as yet always waked about the right time, and the inhabitants had never had any ground of complaint--a few minutes one way or the other being of little consequence. He was the c.o.c.k which woke the whole yard: morning after morning his pipes went crowing through the streets of the upper region, his music ending always with his round. But after the inst.i.tution of the gun signal, his custom was to go on playing where he stood until he heard it, or to stop short in the midst of his round and his liveliest reveille the moment it reached his ear. Loath as he might be to give over, that sense of good manners which was supreme in every highlander of the old time, interdicted the fingering of a note after the marquis's gun had called aloud.
When Malcolm meant to go fis.h.i.+ng, he always loaded the swivel the night before, and about sunset the same evening he set out for that purpose. Not a creature was visible on the border of the curving bay except a few boys far off on the gleaming sands whence the tide had just receded: they were digging for sand eels--lovely little silvery fishes--which, as every now and then the spade turned one or two up, they threw into a tin pail for bait. But on the summit of the long sandhill, the lonely figure of a man was walking to and fro in the level light of the rosy west; and as Malcolm climbed the near end of the dune, it was turning far off at the other: halfway between them was the embrasure with the bra.s.s swivel, and there they met. Although he had never seen him before, Malcolm perceived at once it must be Lord Lossie, and lifted his bonnet.
The marquis nodded and pa.s.sed on, but the next moment, hearing the noise of Malcolm's proceedings with the swivel, turned and said-- ”What are you about there with that gun, my lad?”
”I'm jist ga'in' to dicht her oot an' lod her, my lord,” answered Malcolm.
”And what next? You're not going to fire the thing?”
”Ay--the morn's mornin', my lord.”
”What will that be for?”
”Ow, jist to wauk yer lords.h.i.+p.”
”Hm!” said his lords.h.i.+p, with more expression than articulation.
”Will I no lod her?” asked Malcolm, throwing down the ramrod, and approaching the swivel, as if to turn the muzzle of it again into the embrasure.
”Oh, yes! load her by all means. I don't want to interfere with any of your customs. But if that is your object, the means, I fear, are inadequate.”
”It's a comfort to hear that, my lord; for I canna aye be sure o'
my auld watch, an' may weel be oot a five minutes or twa whiles.
Sae, in future, seem' it's o' sic sma' consequence to yer lords.h.i.+p, I s' jist let her aff whan it's convenient. A feow minutes winna maitter muckle to the bailie bodies.”
There was something in Malcolm's address that pleased Lord Lossie --the mingling of respect and humour, probably--the frankness and composure, perhaps. He was not self conscious enough to be shy, and was so free from design of any sort that he doubted the good will of no one.
”What's your name?” asked the marquis abruptly.
”Malcolm MacPhail, my lord.”
”MacPhail? I heard the name this very day! Let me see.”
”My gran'father's the blin' piper, my lord.”
”Yes, yes. Tell him I shall want him at the House. I left my own piper at Ceanglas.”
”I'll fess him wi' me the morn, gien ye like, my lord, for I'll be ower wi' some fine troot or ither, gien I haena the waur luck, the morn's mornin': Mistress Courthope says she'll be aye ready for ane to fry to yer lords.h.i.+p's brakfast. But I'm thinkin' that'll be ower ear' for ye to see him.”
”I'll send for him when I want him. Go on with your brazen serpent there, only mind you don't give her too much supper.”
”Jist look at her ribs, my lord! she winna rive!” was the youth's response; and the marquis was moving off with a smile, when Malcolm called after him.