Chapter Chapter 14 · A DISCOVERY—WAVERLEY BECOMES DOMESTICATED AT TULLY-VEOLAN

. A DISCOVERY—WAVERLEY BECOMES DOMESTICATED AT TULLY-VEOLAN

The next day Edward arose betimes, and in a morning walk around the

house and its vicinity came suddenly upon a small court in front of the

dog-kennel, where his friend Davie was employed about his four-footed

charge. One quick glance of his eye recognised Waverley, when,

instantly turning his back, as if he had not observed him, he began to

sing part of an old ballad:—

“Young men will love thee more fair and more fast

(_Heard ye so merry the little bird sing?_);

Old men’s love the longest will last

(_And the throstle-cock’s head is under his wing_).

“The young man’s wrath is like light straw on fire

(_Heard ye so merry the little bird sing?_);

But like red-hot steel is the old man’s ire,

(_And the throstle-cock’s head is under his wing_).

“The young man will brawl at the evening board

(_Heard ye so merry the little bird sing?_);

But the old man will draw at the dawning the sword,

(_And the throstle-cock’s head is under his wing_).”

Waverley could not avoid observing that Davie laid something like a

satirical emphasis on these lines. He therefore approached, and

endeavoured, by sundry queries, to elicit from him what the innuendo

might mean; but Davie had no mind to explain, and had wit enough to

make his folly cloak his knavery. Edward could collect nothing from

him, excepting that the Laird of Balmawhapple had gone home yesterday

morning “wi’ his boots fu’ o’ bluid.” In the garden, however, he met

the old butler, who no longer attempted to conceal that, having been

bred in the nursery line with Sumack and Co. of Newcastle, he sometimes

wrought a turn in the flower-borders to oblige the Laird and Miss Rose.

By a series of queries, Edward at length discovered, with a painful

feeling of surprise and shame, that Balmawhapple’s submission and

apology had been the consequence of a _rencontre_ with the Baron before

his guest had quitted his pillow, in which the younger combatant had

been disarmed and wounded in the sword arm.

Greatly mortified at this information, Edward sought out his friendly

host, and anxiously expostulated with him upon the injustice he had

done him in anticipating his meeting with Mr. Falconer, a circumstance

which, considering his youth and the profession of arms which he had

just adopted, was capable of being represented much to his prejudice.

The Baron justified himself at greater length than I choose to repeat.

He urged that the quarrel was common to them, and that Balmawhapple

could not, by the code of honour, _evite_ giving satisfaction to both,

which he had done in his case by an honourable meeting, and in that of

Edward by such a _palinode_ as rendered the use of the sword

unnecessary, and which, being made and accepted, must necessarily

_sopite_ the whole affair.

With this excuse, or explanation, Waverley was silenced, if not

satisfied; but he could not help testifying some displeasure against

the Blessed Bear, which had given rise to the quarrel, nor refrain from

hinting that the sanctified epithet was hardly appropriate. The Baron

observed, he could not deny that “the Bear, though allowed by heralds

as a most honourable ordinary, had, nevertheless, somewhat fierce,

churlish, and morose in his disposition (as might be read in Archibald

Simson, pastor of Dalkeith’s “Hieroglyphica Animalium”) and had thus

been the type of many quarrels and dissensions which had occurred in

the house of Bradwardine; of which,” he continued, “I might commemorate

mine own unfortunate dissension with my third cousin by the mother’s

side, Sir Hew Halbert, who was so unthinking as to deride my family

name, as if it had been _quasi Bear-Warden,_ a most uncivil jest, since

it not only insinuated that the founder of our house occupied such a

mean situation as to be a custodier of wild beasts, a charge which, ye

must have observed, is only entrusted to the very basest plebeians;

but, moreover, seemed to infer that our coat-armour had not been

achieved by honourable actions in war, but bestowed by way of

_paranomasia_, or pun, upon our family appellation,—a sort of bearing

which the French call _armoires parlantes_, the Latins _arma

cantantia_, and your English authorities canting heraldry, being indeed

a species of emblazoning more befitting canters, gaberlunzies, and such

like mendicants, whose gibberish is formed upon playing upon the word,

than the noble, honourable, and useful science of heraldry, which

assigns armorial bearings as the reward of noble and generous actions,

and not to tickle the ear with vain quodlibets, such as are found in

jestbooks.”[12] Of his quarrel with Sir Hew he said nothing more than

that it was settled in a fitting manner.

Having been so minute with respect to the diversions of Tully-Veolan on

the first days of Edward’s arrival, for the purpose of introducing its

inmates to the reader’s acquaintance, it becomes less necessary to

trace the progress of his intercourse with the same accuracy. It is

probable that a young man, accustomed to more cheerful society, would

have tired of the conversation of so violent an assertor of the “boast

of heraldry” as the Baron; but Edward found an agreeable variety in

that of Miss Bradwardine, who listened with eagerness to his remarks

upon literature, and showed great justness of taste in her answers. The

sweetness of her disposition had made her submit with complacency, and

even pleasure, to the course of reading prescribed by her father,

although it not only comprehended several heavy folios of history, but

certain gigantic tomes in high-church polemics. In heraldry he was

fortunately contented to give her only such a slight tincture as might

be acquired by perusal of the two folio volumes of Nisbet. Rose was

indeed the very apple of her father’s eye. Her constant liveliness, her

attention to all those little observances most gratifying to those who

would never think of exacting them, her beauty, in which he recalled

the features of his beloved wife, her unfeigned piety, and the noble

generosity of her disposition, would have justified the affection of

the most doting father.

[Illustration]

His anxiety on her behalf did not, however, seem to extend itself in

that quarter where, according to the general opinion, it is most

efficiently displayed, in labouring, namely, to establish her in life,

either by a large dowry or a wealthy marriage. By an old settlement,

almost all the landed estates of the Baron went, after his death, to a

distant relation; and it was supposed that Miss Bradwardine would

remain but slenderly provided for, as the good gentleman’s cash matters

had been too long under the exclusive charge of Bailie Macwheeble to

admit of any great expectations from his personal succession. It is

true, the said Bailie loved his patron and his patron’s daughter next

(though at an incomparable distance) to himself. He thought it was

possible to set aside the settlement on the male line, and had actually

procured an opinion to that effect (and, as he boasted, without a fee)

from an eminent Scottish counsel, under whose notice he contrived to

bring the point while consulting him regularly on some other business.

But the Baron would not listen to such a proposal for an instant. On

the contrary, he used to have a perverse pleasure in boasting that the

barony of Bradwardine was a male fief, the first charter having been

given at that early period when women were not deemed capable to hold a

feudal grant; because, according to _Les coustusmes de Normandie, c’est

l’homme ki se bast et ki conseille_, or, as is yet more ungallantly

expressed by other authorities, all of whose barbarous names he

delighted to quote at full length, because a woman could not serve the

superior, or feudal lord, in war, on account of the decorum of her sex,

nor assist him with advice, because of her limited intellect, nor keep

his counsel, owing to the infirmity of her disposition. He would

triumphantly ask, how it would become a female, and that female a

Bradwardine, to be seen employed _in servitio exuendi, seu detrahendi,

caligas regis post battaliam?_ that is, in pulling off the king’s boots

after an engagement, which was the feudal service by which he held the

barony of Bradwardine. “No,” he said, “beyond hesitation, _procul

dubio_, many females, as worthy as Rose, had been excluded, in order to

make way for my own succession, and Heaven forbid that I should do

aught that might contravene the destination of my forefathers, or

impinge upon the right of my kinsman, Malcolm Bradwardine of

Inchgrabbit, an honourable, though decayed branch of my own family.”

The Bailie, as prime minister, having received this decisive

communication from his sovereign, durst not press his own opinion any

farther, but contented himself with deploring, on all suitable

occasions, to Saunderson, the minister of the interior, the laird’s

self-willedness, and with laying plans for uniting Rose with the young

Laird of Balmawhapple, who had a fine estate, only moderately burdened,

and was a faultless young gentleman, being as sober as a saint—if you

keep brandy from him and him from brandy—and who, in brief, had no

imperfection but that of keeping light company at a time; such as

Jinker, the horse-couper, and Gibby Gaethroughwi’t, the piper o’ Cupar;

“o’ whilk follies, Mr. Saunderson, he’ll mend, he’ll mend,” pronounced

the Bailie.

“Like sour ale in simmer,” added Davie Gellatley, who happened to be

nearer the conclave than they were aware of.

Miss Bradwardine, such as we have described her, with all the

simplicity and curiosity of a recluse, attached herself to the

opportunities of increasing her store of literature which Edward’s

visit afforded her. He sent for some of his books from his quarters,

and they opened to her sources of delight of which she had hitherto had

no idea. The best English poets, of every description, and other works

on belles-lettres, made a part of this precious cargo. Her music, even

her flowers, were neglected, and Saunders not only mourned over, but

began to mutiny against, the labour for which he now scarce received

thanks. These new pleasures became gradually enhanced by sharing them

with one of a kindred taste. Edward’s readiness to comment, to recite,

to explain difficult passages, rendered his assistance invaluable; and

the wild romance of his spirit delighted a character too young and

inexperienced to observe its deficiencies. Upon subjects which

interested him, and when quite at ease, he possessed that flow of

natural, and somewhat florid eloquence, which has been supposed as

powerful even as figure, fashion, fame, or fortune, in winning the

female heart. There was, therefore, an increasing danger in this

constant intercourse to poor Rose’s peace of mind, which was the more

imminent as her father was greatly too much abstracted in his studies,

and wrapped up in his own dignity, to dream of his daughter’s incurring

it. The daughters of the house of Bradwardine were, in his opinion,

like those of the house of Bourbon or Austria, placed high above the

clouds of passion which might obfuscate the intellects of meaner

females; they moved in another sphere, were governed by other feelings,

and amenable to other rules than those of idle and fantastic affection.

In short, he shut his eyes so resolutely to the natural consequences of

Edward’s intimacy with Miss Bradwardine, that the whole neighbourhood

concluded that he had opened them to the advantages of a match between

his daughter and the wealthy young Englishman, and pronounced him much

less a fool than he had generally shown himself in cases where his own

interest was concerned.

If the Baron, however, had really meditated such an alliance, the

indifference of Waverley would have been an insuperable bar to his

project. Our hero, since mixing more freely with the world, had learned

to think with great shame and confusion upon his mental legend of Saint

Cecilia, and the vexation of these reflections was likely, for some

time at least, to counterbalance the natural susceptibility of his

disposition. Besides, Rose Bradwardine, beautiful and amiable as we

have described her, had not precisely the sort of beauty or merit which

captivates a romantic imagination in early youth. She was too frank,

too confiding, too kind; amiable qualities, undoubtedly, but

destructive of the marvellous, with which a youth of imagination

delights to dress the empress of his affections. Was it possible to

bow, to tremble, and to adore, before the timid, yet playful little

girl, who now asked Edward to mend her pen, now to construe a stanza in

Tasso, and now how to spell a very—very long word in her version of it?

All these incidents have their fascination on the mind at a certain

period of life, but not when a youth is entering it, and rather looking

out for some object whose affection may dignify him in his own eyes

than stooping to one who looks up to him for such distinction. Hence,

though there can be no rule in so capricious a passion, early love is

frequently ambitious in choosing its object; or, which comes to the

same, selects her (as in the case of Saint Cecilia aforesaid) from a

situation that gives fair scope for _le beau idéal_, which the reality

of intimate and familiar life rather tends to limit and impair. I knew

a very accomplished and sensible young man cured of a violent passion

for a pretty woman, whose talents were not equal to her face and

figure, by being permitted to bear her company for a whole afternoon.

Thus, it is certain, that had Edward enjoyed such an opportunity of

conversing with Miss Stubbs, Aunt Rachel’s precaution would have been

unnecessary, for he would as soon have fallen in love with the

dairy-maid. And although Miss Bradwardine was a very different

character, it seems probable that the very intimacy of their

intercourse prevented his feeling for her other sentiments than those

of a brother for an amiable and accomplished sister; while the

sentiments of poor Rose were gradually, and without her being

conscious, assuming a shade of warmer affection.

I ought to have said that Edward, when he sent to Dundee for the books

before mentioned, had applied for, and received permission, extending

his leave of absence. But the letter of his commanding officer

contained a friendly recommendation to him not to spend his time

exclusively with persons who, estimable as they might be in a general

sense, could not be supposed well affected to a government which they

declined to acknowledge by taking the oath of allegiance. The letter

further insinuated, though with great delicacy, that although some

family connections might be supposed to render it necessary for Captain

Waverley to communicate with gentlemen who were in this unpleasant

state of suspicion, yet his father’s situation and wishes ought to

prevent his prolonging those attentions into exclusive intimacy. And it

was intimated, that, while his political principles were endangered by

communicating with laymen of this description, he might also receive

erroneous impressions in religion from the prelatic clergy, who so

perversely laboured to set up the royal prerogative in things sacred.

This last insinuation probably induced Waverley to set both down to the

prejudices of his commanding officer. He was sensible that Mr.

Bradwardine had acted with the most scrupulous delicacy, in never

entering upon any discussion that had the most remote tendency to bias

his mind in political opinions, although he was himself not only a

decided partisan of the exiled family, but had been trusted at

different times with important commissions for their service. Sensible,

therefore, that there was no risk of his being perverted from his

allegiance, Edward felt as if he should do his uncle’s old friend

injustice in removing from a house where he gave and received pleasure

and amusement, merely to gratify a prejudiced and ill-judged suspicion.

He therefore wrote a very general answer, assuring his commanding

officer that his loyalty was not in the most distant danger of

contamination, and continued an honoured guest and inmate of the house

of Tully-Veolan.