CHAPTER XXXI
AN EXAMINATION
Major Melville of Cairnvreckan, an elderly gentleman, who had spent hisyouth in the military service, received Mr. Morton with great kindness,and our hero with civility, which the equivocal circumstances whereinEdward was placed rendered constrained and distant.
The nature of the smith's hurt was inquired into, and, as the actualinjury was likely to prove trifling, and the circumstances in which itwas received rendered the infliction on Edward's part a natural act ofself-defence, the Major conceived he might dismiss that matter onWaverley's depositing in his hands a small sum for the benefit of thewounded person.
'I could wish, sir,' continued the Major, 'that my duty terminatedhere; but it is necessary that we should have some further inquiry intothe cause of your journey through the country at this unfortunate anddistracted time.'
Mr. Ebenezer Cruickshanks now stood forth, and communicated to themagistrate all he knew or suspected from the reserve of Waverley andthe evasions of Callum Beg. The horse upon which Edward rode, he said,he knew to belong to Vich Ian Vohr, though he dared not tax Edward'sformer attendant with the fact, lest he should have his house andstables burnt over his head some night by that godless gang, theMac-Ivors. He concluded by exaggerating his own services to kirk andstate, as having been the means, under God (as he modestly qualifiedthe assertion), of attaching this suspicious and formidable delinquent.He intimated hopes of future reward, and of instant reimbursement forloss of time, and even of character, by travelling on the statebusiness on the fast-day.
To this Major Melville answered, with great composure, that so far fromclaiming any merit in this affair, Mr. Cruickshanks ought to deprecatethe imposition of a very heavy fine for neglecting to lodge, in termsof the recent proclamation, an account with the nearest magistrate ofany stranger who came to his inn; that, as Mr. Cruickshanks boasted somuch of religion and loyalty, he should not impute this conduct todisaffection, but only suppose that his zeal for kirk and state hadbeen lulled asleep by the opportunity of charging a stranger withdouble horse-hire; that, however, feeling himself incompetent to decidesingly upon the conduct of a person of such importance, he shouldreserve it for consideration of the next quarter-sessions. Now ourhistory for the present saith no more of him of the Candlestick, whowended dolorous and malcontent back to his own dwelling.
Major Melville then commanded the villagers to return to their homes,excepting two, who officiated as constables, and whom he directed towait below. The apartment was thus cleared of every person but Mr.Morton, whom the Major invited to remain; a sort of factor, who actedas clerk; and Waverley himself. There ensued a painful and embarrassedpause, till Major Melville, looking upon Waverley with much compassion,and often consulting a paper or memorandum which he held in his hand,requested to know his name.
'Edward Waverley.'
'I thought so; late of the--dragoons, and nephew of Sir EverardWaverley of Waverley-Honour?'
'The same.'
'Young gentleman, I am extremely sorry that this painful duty hasfallen to my lot.'
'Duty, Major Melville, renders apologies superfluous.'
'True, sir; permit me, therefore, to ask you how your time has beendisposed of since you obtained leave of absence from your regiment,several weeks ago, until the present moment?'
'My reply,' said Waverley, 'to so general a question must be guided bythe nature of the charge which renders it necessary. I request to knowwhat that charge is, and upon what authority I am forcibly detained toreply to it?'
'The charge, Mr. Waverley, I grieve to say, is of a very high nature,and affects your character both as a soldier and a subject. In theformer capacity you are charged with spreading mutiny and rebellionamong the men you commanded, and setting them the example of desertion,by prolonging your own absence from the regiment, contrary to theexpress orders of your commanding officer. The civil crime of which youstand accused is that of high treason and levying war against the king,the highest delinquency of which a subject can be guilty.'
'And by what authority am I detained to reply to such heinouscalumnies?'
'By one which you must not dispute, nor I disobey.'
He handed to Waverley a warrant from the Supreme Criminal Court ofScotland, in full form, for apprehending and securing the person ofEdward Waverley, Esq., suspected of treasonable practices and otherhigh crimes and misdemeanours.
The astonishment which Waverley expressed at this communication wasimputed by Major Melville to conscious guilt, while Mr. Morton wasrather disposed to construe it into the surprise of innocence unjustlysuspected. There was something true in both conjectures; for althoughEdward's mind acquitted him of the crime with which he was charged, yeta hasty review of his own conduct convinced him he might have greatdifficulty in establishing his innocence to the satisfaction of others.
'It is a very painful part of this painful business,' said MajorMelville, after a pause, 'that, under so grave a charge, I mustnecessarily request to see such papers as you have on your person.'
'You shall, sir, without reserve,' said Edward, throwing hispocket-book and memorandums upon the table; 'there is but one withwhich I could wish you would dispense.'
'I am afraid, Mr. Waverley, I can indulge you with no reservation,'
'You shall see it then, sir; and as it can be of no service, I beg itmay be returned.'
He took from his bosom the lines he had that morning received, andpresented them with the envelope. The Major perused them in silence,and directed his clerk to make a copy of them. He then wrapped the copyin the envelope, and placing it on the table before him, returned theoriginal to Waverley, with an air of melancholy gravity.
After indulging the prisoner, for such our hero must now be considered,with what he thought a reasonable time for reflection, Major Melvilleresumed his examination, premising that, as Mr. Waverley seemed toobject to general questions, his interrogatories should be as specificas his information permitted. He then proceeded in his investigation,dictating, as he went on, the import of the questions and answers tothe amanuensis, by whom it was written down.
'Did Mr. Waverley know one Humphry Houghton, a non-commissioned officerin Gardiner's dragoons?'
'Certainly; he was sergeant of my troop, and son of a tenant of myuncle.'
'Exactly--and had a considerable share of your confidence, and aninfluence among his comrades?'
'I had never occasion to repose confidence in a person of hisdescription,' answered Waverley. 'I favoured Sergeant Houghton as aclever, active young fellow, and I believe his fellow-soldiersrespected him accordingly.'
'But you used through this man,' answered Major Melville, 'tocommunicate with such of your troop as were recruited uponWaverley-Honour?'
'Certainly; the poor fellows, finding themselves in a regiment chieflycomposed of Scotch or Irish, looked up to me in any of their littledistresses, and naturally made their countryman and sergeant theirspokesman on such occasions.'
'Sergeant Houghton's influence,' continued the Major, 'extended, then,particularly over those soldiers who followed you to the regiment fromyour uncle's estate?'
'Surely; but what is that to the present purpose?'
'To that I am just coming, and I beseech your candid reply. Have you,since leaving the regiment, held any correspondence, direct orindirect, with this Sergeant Houghton?'
'I!--I hold correspondence with a man of his rank and situation! How,or for what purpose?'
'That you are to explain. But did you not, for example, send to him forsome books?'
'You remind me of a trifling commission,' said Waverley, 'which I gaveSergeant Houghton, because my servant could not read. I do recollect Ibade him, by letter, select some books, of which I sent him a list, andsend them to me at Tully-Veolan.'
'And of what description were those books?'
'They related almost entirely to elegant literature; they were designedfor a lady's perusal.'
'Were there not, Mr. Waverley, treasonable tracts an
d pamphlets amongthem?'
'There were some political treatises, into which I hardly looked. Theyhad been sent to me by the officiousness of a kind friend, whose heartis more to be esteemed than his prudence or political sagacity; theyseemed to be dull compositions.'
'That friend,' continued the persevering inquirer, 'was a Mr. Pembroke,a nonjuring clergyman, the author of two treasonable works, of whichthe manuscripts were found among your baggage?'
'But of which, I give you my honour as a gentleman,' replied Waverley,'I never read six pages.'
'I am not your judge, Mr. Waverley; your examination will betransmitted elsewhere. And now to proceed. Do you know a person thatpasses by the name of Wily Will, or Will Ruthven?'
'I never heard of such a name till this moment.'
'Did you never through such a person, or any other person, communicatewith Sergeant Humphry Houghton, instigating him to desert, with as manyof his comrades as he could seduce to join him, and unite with theHighlanders and other rebels now in arms under the command of the YoungPretender?'
'I assure you I am not only entirely guiltless of the plot you havelaid to my charge, but I detest it from the very bottom of my soul, norwould I be guilty of such treachery to gain a throne, either for myselfor any other man alive.'
'Yet when I consider this envelope in the handwriting of one of thosemisguided gentlemen who are now in arms against their country, and theverses which it enclosed, I cannot but find some analogy between theenterprise I have mentioned and the exploit of Wogan, which the writerseems to expect you should imitate.'
Waverley was struck with the coincidence, but denied that the wishes orexpectations of the letter-writer were to be regarded as proofs of acharge otherwise chimerical.
'But, if I am rightly informed, your time was spent, during yourabsence from the regiment, between the house of this Highland Chieftainand that of Mr. Bradwardine of Bradwardine, also in arms for thisunfortunate cause?'
'I do not mean to disguise it; but I do deny, most resolutely, beingprivy to any of their designs against the government.'
'You do not, however, I presume, intend to deny that you attended yourhost Glennaquoich to a rendezvous, where, under a pretence of a generalhunting match, most of the accomplices of his treason were assembled toconcert measures for taking arms?'
'I acknowledge having been at such a meeting,' said Waverley; 'but Ineither heard nor saw anything which could give it the character youaffix to it.'
'From thence you proceeded,' continued the magistrate, 'withGlennaquoich and a part of his clan to join the army of the YoungPretender, and returned, after having paid your homage to him, todiscipline and arm the remainder, and unite them to his bands on theirway southward?'
'I never went with Glennaquoich on such an errand. I never so much asheard that the person whom you mention was in the country.'
He then detailed the history of his misfortune at the hunting match,and added, that on his return he found himself suddenly deprived of hiscommission, and did not deny that he then, for the first time, observedsymptoms which indicated a disposition in the Highlanders to take arms;but added that, having no inclination to join their cause, and nolonger any reason for remaining in Scotland, he was now on his returnto his native country, to which he had been summoned by those who had aright to direct his motions, as Major Melville would perceive from theletters on the table.
Major Melville accordingly perused the letters of Richard Waverley, ofSir Everard, and of Aunt Rachel; but the inferences he drew from themwere different from what Waverley expected. They held the language ofdiscontent with government, threw out no obscure hints of revenge, andthat of poor Aunt Rachel, which plainly asserted the justice of theStuart cause, was held to contain the open avowal of what the othersonly ventured to insinuate.
'Permit me another question, Mr. Waverley,' said Major Melville. 'Didyou not receive repeated letters from your commanding officer, warningyou and commanding you to return to your post, and acquainting you withthe use made of your name to spread discontent among your soldiers?'
'I never did, Major Melville. One letter, indeed, I received from him,containing a civil intimation of his wish that I would employ my leaveof absence otherwise than in constant residence at Bradwardine, as towhich, I own, I thought he was not called on to interfere; and,finally, I received, on the same day on which I observed myselfsuperseded in the "Gazette," a second letter from Colonel Gardiner,commanding me to join the regiment, an order which, owing to myabsence, already mentioned and accounted for, I received too late to beobeyed. If there were any intermediate letters, and certainly from theColonel's high character I think it probable that there were, they havenever reached me.'
'I have omitted, Mr. Waverley,' continued Major Melville, 'to inquireafter a matter of less consequence, but which has nevertheless beenpublicly talked of to your disadvantage. It is said that a treasonabletoast having been proposed in your hearing and presence, you, holdinghis Majesty's commission, suffered the task of resenting it to devolveupon another gentleman of the company. This, sir, cannot be chargedagainst you in a court of justice; but if, as I am informed, theofficers of your regiment requested an explanation of such a rumour, asa gentleman and soldier I cannot but be surprised that you did notafford it to them.'
This was too much. Beset and pressed on every hand by accusations, inwhich gross falsehoods were blended with such circumstances of truth ascould not fail to procure them credit,--alone, unfriended, and in astrange land, Waverley almost gave up his life and honour for lost,and, leaning his head upon his hand, resolutely refused to answer anyfurther questions, since the fair and candid statement he had alreadymade had only served to furnish arms against him.
Without expressing either surprise or displeasure at the change inWaverley's manner, Major Melville proceeded composedly to put severalother queries to him.
'What does it avail me to answer you?' said Edward sullenly. 'Youappear convinced of my guilt, and wrest every reply I have made tosupport your own preconceived opinion. Enjoy your supposed triumph,then, and torment me no further. If I am capable of the cowardice andtreachery your charge burdens me with, I am not worthy to be believedin any reply I can make to you. If I am not deserving of yoursuspicion--and God and my own conscience bear evidence with me that itis so--then I do not see why I should, by my candour, lend my accusersarms against my innocence. There is no reason I should answer a wordmore, and I am determined to abide by this resolution.'
And again he resumed his posture of sullen and determined silence.
'Allow me,' said the magistrate, 'to remind you of one reason that maysuggest the propriety of a candid and open confession. The inexperienceof youth, Mr. Waverley, lays it open to the plans of the more designingand artful; and one of your friends at least--I mean Mac-Ivor ofGlennaquoich--ranks high in the latter class, as, from your apparentingenuousness, youth, and unacquaintance with the manners of theHighlands, I should be disposed to place you among the former. In sucha case, a false step or error like yours, which I shall be happy toconsider as involuntary, may be atoned for, and I would willingly actas intercessor. But, as you must necessarily be acquainted with thestrength of the individuals in this country who have assumed arms, withtheir means and with their plans, I must expect you will merit thismediation on my part by a frank and candid avowal of all that has cometo your knowledge upon these heads; in which case, I think I canventure to promise that a very short personal restraint will be theonly ill consequence that can arise from your accession to theseunhappy intrigues.'
Waverley listened with great composure until the end of thisexhortation, when, springing from his seat with an energy he had notyet displayed, he replied, 'Major Melville, since that is your name, Ihave hitherto answered your questions with candour, or declined themwith temper, because their import concerned myself alone; but, as youpresume to esteem me mean enough to commence informer against others,who received me, whatever may be their public misconduct, as a guestand friend, I declare to you
that I consider your questions as aninsult infinitely more offensive than your calumnious suspicions; andthat, since my hard fortune permits me no other mode of resenting themthan by verbal defiance, you should sooner have my heart out of mybosom than a single syllable of information on subjects which I couldonly become acquainted with in the full confidence of unsuspectinghospitality.'
Mr. Morton and the Major looked at each other; and the former, who, inthe course of the examination, had been repeatedly troubled with asorry rheum, had recourse to his snuff-box and his handkerchief.
'Mr. Waverley,' said the Major, 'my present situation prohibits mealike from giving or receiving offence, and I will not protract adiscussion which approaches to either. I am afraid I must sign awarrant for detaining you in custody, but this house shall for thepresent be your prison. I fear I cannot persuade you to accept a shareof our supper?--(Edward shook his head)--but I will order refreshmentsin your apartment.'
Our hero bowed and withdrew, under guard of the officers of justice, toa small but handsome room, where, declining all offers of food or wine,he flung himself on the bed, and, stupified by the harassing events andmental fatigue of this miserable day, he sunk into a deep and heavyslumber. This was more than he himself could have expected; but it ismentioned of the North-American Indians, when at the stake of torture,that on the least intermission of agony they will sleep until the fireis applied to awaken them.