The Pirate
still farther, Mordaunt thought it would have been but polite if the
stranger had sent him some sort of message in token of remembrance.
These subjects of reflection were connected with another still more
unpleasant, and more difficult to account for. Until the arrival of this
person, scarce a week had passed without bringing him some kind
greeting, or token of recollection, from Burgh-Westra; and pretences
were scarce ever wanting for maintaining a constant intercourse. Minna
wanted the words of a Norse ballad; or desired to have, for her various
collections, feathers, or eggs, or shells, or specimens of the rarer
sea-weeds; or Brenda sent a riddle to be resolved, or a song to be
learned; or the honest old Udaller,--in a rude manuscript, which might
have passed for an ancient Runic inscription,--sent his hearty greetings
to his good young friend, with a present of something to make good
cheer, and an earnest request he would come to Burgh-Westra as soon, and
stay there as long, as possible. These kindly tokens of remembrance were
often sent by special message; besides which, there was never a
passenger or a traveller, who crossed from the one mansion to the other,
who did not bring to Mordaunt some friendly greeting from the Udaller
and his family. Of late, this intercourse had become more and more
infrequent; and no messenger from Burgh-Westra had visited Jarlshof for
several weeks. Mordaunt both observed and felt this alteration, and it
dwelt on his mind, while he questioned Bryce as closely as pride and
prudence would permit, to ascertain, if possible, the cause of the
change. Yet he endeavoured to assume an indifferent air while he asked
the jagger whether there were no news in the country.
"Great news," the jagger replied; "and a gay mony of them. That
crackbrained carle, the new factor, is for making a change in the
_bismars_ and the _lispunds_;[34] and our worthy Fowd, Magnus Troil, has
sworn, that, sooner than change them for the still-yard, or aught else,
he'll fling Factor Yellowley from Brassa-craig."
"Is that all?" said Mordaunt, very little interested.
"All? and eneugh, I think," replied the pedlar. "How are folks to buy
and sell, if the weights are changed on them?"
"Very true," replied Mordaunt; "but have you heard of no strange vessels
on the coast?"
"Six Dutch doggers off Brassa; and, as I hear, a high-quartered galliot
thing, with a gaff mainsail, lying in Scalloway Bay. She will be from
Norway."
"No ships of war, or sloops?"
"None," replied the pedlar, "since the Kite Tender sailed with the
impress men. If it was His will, and our men were out of her, I wish the
deep sea had her!"
"Were there no news at Burgh-Westra?--Were the family all well?"
"A' weel, and weel to do--out-taken, it may be, something ower muckle
daffing and laughing--dancing ilk night, they say, wi' the stranger
captain that's living there--him that was ashore on Sumburgh-head the
tother day,--less daffing served him then."
"Daffing! dancing every night!" said Mordaunt, not particularly well
satisfied--"Whom does Captain Cleveland dance with?"
"Ony body he likes, I fancy," said the jagger; "at ony rate, he gars a'
body yonder dance after his fiddle. But I ken little about it, for I am
no free in conscience to look upon thae flinging fancies. Folk should
mind that life is made but of rotten yarn."
"I fancy that it is to keep them in mind of that wholesome truth, that
you deal in such tender wares, Bryce," replied Mordaunt, dissatisfied as
well with the tenor of the reply, as with the affected scruples of the
respondent.
"That's as muckle as to say, that I suld hae minded you was a flinger
and a fiddler yoursell, Maister Mordaunt; but I am an auld man, and maun
unburden my conscience. But ye will be for the dance, I sall warrant,
that's to be at Burgh-Westra, on John's Even, (_Saunt_ John's, as the
blinded creatures ca' him,) and nae doubt ye will be for some warldly
braws--hose, waistcoats, or sic like? I hae pieces frae Flanders."--With
that he placed his movable warehouse on the table, and began to unlock
it.
"Dance!" repeated Mordaunt--"Dance on St. John's Even?--Were you desired
to bid me to it, Bryce?"
"Na--but ye ken weel eneugh ye wad be welcome, bidden or no bidden. This
captain--how ca' ye him?--is to be skudler, as they ca't--the first of
the gang, like."
"The devil take him!" said Mordaunt, in impatient surprise.
"A' in gude time," replied the jagger; "hurry no man's cattle--the devil
will hae his due, I warrant ye, or it winna be for lack of seeking. But
it's true I'm telling you, for a' ye stare like a wild-cat; and this
same captain,--I watna his name,--bought ane of the very waistcoats that
I am ganging to show ye--purple, wi' a gowd binding, and bonnily
broidered; and I have a piece for you, the neighbour of it, wi' a green
grund; and if ye mean to streek yoursell up beside him, ye maun e'en buy
it, for it's gowd that glances in the lasses' een now-a-days. See--look
till't," he added, displaying the pattern in various points of view;
"look till _it_ through the light, and till the light through
_it_--_wi'_ the grain, and _against_ the grain--it shows ony gate--cam
frae Antwerp a' the gate--four dollars is the price; and yon captain was
sae weel pleased that he flang down a twenty shilling Jacobus, and bade
me keep the change and be d----d!--poor silly profane creature, I pity
him."
Without enquiring whether the pedlar bestowed his compassion on the
worldly imprudence or the religious deficiencies of Captain Cleveland,
Mordaunt turned from him, folded his arms, and paced the apartment,
muttering to himself, "Not asked--A stranger to be king of the
feast!"--Words which he repeated so earnestly, that Bryce caught a part
of their import.
"As for asking, I am almaist bauld to say, that ye will be asked,
Maister Mordaunt."
"Did they mention my name, then?" said Mordaunt.
"I canna preceesely say that," said Bryce Snailsfoot;--"but ye needna
turn away your head sae sourly, like a sealgh when he leaves the shore;
for, do you see, I heard distinctly that a' the revellers about are to
be there; and is't to be thought they would leave out you, an auld kend
freend, and the lightest foot at sic frolics (Heaven send you a better
praise in His ain gude time!) that ever flang at a fiddle-squeak,
between this and Unst? Sae I consider ye altogether the same as
invited--and ye had best provide yourself wi' a waistcoat, for brave and
brisk will every man be that's there--the Lord pity them!"
He thus continued to follow with his green glazen eyes the motions of
young Mordaunt Mertoun, who was pacing the room in a very pensive
manner, which the jagger probably misinterpreted, as he thought, like
Claudio, that if a man is sad, it must needs be because he lacks money.
Bryce, therefore, after another pause, thus accosted him. "Ye needna be
sad about the matter, Maister Mordaunt; for although I got the just
price of the article from the captain-man, yet I maun deal freendly wi'
you, as a kend freend and customer, and bring the price, as they say,
within your purse-mouth--or it's the same to me to let it lie ower till
Martinmas, or e'en to Candlemas. I am decent in the warld, Maister
Mordaunt--forbid that I should hurry ony body, far mair a freend that
has paid me siller afore now. Or I wad be content to swap the garment
for the value in feathers or sea-otters' skins, or ony kind of
peltrie--nane kens better than yoursell how to come by sic ware--and I
am sure I hae furnished you wi' the primest o' powder. I dinna ken if I
tell'd ye it was out o' the kist of Captain Plunket, that perished on
the Scaw of Unst, wi' the armed brig Mary, sax years syne. He was a
prime fowler himself, and luck it was that the kist came ashore dry. I
sell that to nane but gude marksmen. And so, I was saying, if ye had ony
wares ye liked to coup[35] for the waistcoat, I wad be ready to trock
wi' you, for assuredly ye will be wanted at Burgh-Westra, on Saint
John's Even; and ye wadna like to look waur than the Captain--that wadna
be setting."
"I will be there at least, whether wanted or not," said Mordaunt,
stopping short in his walk, and taking the waistcoat-piece hastily out
of the pedlar's hand; "and, as you say, will not disgrace them."
"Haud a care--haud a care, Maister Mordaunt," exclaimed the pedlar; "ye
handle it as it were a bale of coarse wadmaal--ye'll fray't to bits--ye
might weel say my ware is tender--and ye'll mind the price is four
dollars--Sall I put ye in my book for it?"
"No," said Mordaunt, hastily; and, taking out his purse, he flung down
the money.
"Grace to ye to wear the garment," said the joyous pedlar, "and to me
to guide the siller; and protect us from earthly vanities, and earthly
covetousness; and send you the white linen raiment, whilk is mair to be
desired than the muslins, and cambrics, and lawns, and silks of this
world; and send me the talents which avail more than much fine Spanish
gold, or Dutch dollars either--and--but God guide the callant, what for
is he wrapping the silk up that gate, like a wisp of hay?"
At this moment, old Swertha the housekeeper entered, to whom, as if
eager to get rid of the subject, Mordaunt threw his purchase, with
something like careless disdain; and, telling her to put it aside,
snatched his gun, which stood in the corner, threw his shooting
accoutrements about him, and, without noticing Bryce's attempt to enter
into conversation upon the "braw seal-skin, as saft as doe-leather,"
which made the sling and cover of his fowlingpiece, he left the
apartment abruptly.
The jagger, with those green, goggling, and gain-descrying kind of
optics, which we have already described, continued gazing for an instant
after the customer, who treated his wares with such irreverence.
Swertha also looked after him with some surprise. "The callant's in a
creel," quoth she.
"In a creel!" echoed the pedlar; "he will be as wowf as ever his father
was. To guide in that gate a bargain that cost him four dollars!--very,
very Fifish, as the east-country fisher-folk say."
"Four dollars for that green rag!" said Swertha, catching at the words
which the jagger had unwarily suffered to escape--"that was a bargain
indeed! I wonder whether he is the greater fule, or you the mair rogue,
Bryce Snailsfoot."
"I didna say it cost him preceesely four dollars," said Snailsfoot; "but
if it had, the lad's siller's his ain, I hope; and he is auld eneugh to
make his ain bargains. Mair by token the gudes are weel worth the money,
and mair."
"Mair by token," said Swertha, coolly, "I will see what his father
thinks about it."
"Ye'll no be sae ill-natured, Mrs. Swertha," said the jagger; "that will
be but cauld thanks for the bonny owerlay that I hae brought you a' the
way frae Lerwick."
"And a bonny price ye'll be setting on't," said Swertha; "for that's the
gate your good deeds end."
"Ye sall hae the fixing of the price yoursell; or it may lie ower till
ye're buying something for the house, or for your master, and it can
make a' ae count."
"Troth, and that's true, Bryce Snailsfoot, I am thinking we'll want some
napery sune--for it's no to be thought we can spin, and the like, as if
there was a mistress in the house; and sae we make nane at hame."
"And that's what I ca' walking by the word," said the jagger. "'Go unto
those that buy and sell;' there's muckle profit in that text."
"There is a pleasure in dealing wi' a discreet man, that can make profit
of ony thing," said Swertha; "and now that I take another look at that
daft callant's waistcoat piece, I think it _is_ honestly worth four
dollars."
FOOTNOTES:
[34] These are weights of Norwegian origin, still used in Zetland.
[35] Barter.
CHAPTER X.