CHAPTER LIII
FERGUS A SUITOR
Waverley had, indeed, as he looked closer into the state of theChevalier's court, less reason to be satisfied with it. It contained,as they say an acorn includes all the ramifications of the future oak,as many seeds of tracasserie and intrigue as might have done honour tothe court of a large empire. Every person of consequence had someseparate object, which he pursued with a fury that Waverley consideredas altogether disproportioned to its importance. Almost all had theirreasons for discontent, although the most legitimate was that of theworthy old Baron, who was only distressed on account of the commoncause.
'We shall hardly,' said he one morning to Waverley when they had beenviewing the Castle--'we shall hardly gain the obsidional crown, whichyou wot well was made of the roots or grain which takes root within theplace besieged, or it may be of the herb woodbind, parietaria, orpellitory; we shall not, I say, gain it by this same blockade orleaguer of Edinburgh Castle.' For this opinion he gave most learned andsatisfactory reasons, that the reader may not care to hear repeated.
Having escaped from the old gentleman, Waverley went to Fergus'slodgings by appointment, to await his return from Holyrood House. 'I amto have a particular audience to-morrow,' said Fergus to Waverleyovernight, 'and you must meet me to wish me joy of the success which Isecurely anticipate.'
The morrow came, and in the Chief's apartment he found EnsignMaccombich waiting to make report of his turn of duty in a sort ofditch which they had dug across the Castle-hill and called a trench. Ina short time the Chief's voice was heard on the stair in a tone ofimpatient fury: 'Callum! why, Callum Beg! Diaoul!' He entered the roomwith all the marks of a man agitated by a towering passion; and therewere few upon whose features rage produced a more violent effect. Theveins of his forehead swelled when he was in such agitation; hisnostril became dilated; his cheek and eye inflamed; and hislook that ofa demoniac. These appearances of half-suppressed rage were the morefrightful because they were obviously caused by a strong effort totemper with discretion an almost ungovernable paroxysm of passion, andresulted from an internal conflict of the most dreadful kind, whichagitated his whole frame of mortality.
As he entered the apartment he unbuckled his broadsword, and throwingit down with such violence that the weapon rolled to the other end ofthe room, 'I know not what,' he exclaimed, 'withholds me from taking asolemn oath that I will never more draw it in his cause. Load mypistols, Callum, and bring them hither instantly--instantly!' Callum,whom nothing ever startled, dismayed, or disconcerted, obeyed verycoolly. Evan Dhu, upon whose brow the suspicion that his Chief had beeninsulted called up a corresponding storm, swelled in sullen silence,awaiting to learn where or upon whom vengeance was to descend.
'So, Waverley, you are there,' said the Chief, after a moment'srecollection. 'Yes, I remember I asked you to share my triumph, and youhave come to witness my disappointment we shall call it.' Evan nowpresented the written report he had in his hand, which Fergus threwfrom him with great passion. 'I wish to God,' he said, 'the old denwould tumble down upon the heads of the fools who attack and the knaveswho defend it! I see, Waverley, you think I am mad. Leave us, Evan, butbe within call.'
'The Colonel's in an unco kippage,' said Mrs. Flockhart to Evan as hedescended; 'I wish he may be weel,--the very veins on his brent broware swelled like whipcord; wad he no tak something?'
'He usually lets blood for these fits,' answered the Highland ancientwith great composure.
When this officer left the room, the Chieftain gradually reassumed somedegree of composure. 'I know, Waverley,' he said, 'that Colonel Talbothas persuaded you to curse ten times a day your engagement with us;nay, never deny it, for I am at this moment tempted to curse my own.Would you believe it, I made this very morning two suits to the Prince,and he has rejected them both; what do you think of it?'
'What can I think,' answered Waverley,'till I know what your requestswere?' 'Why, what signifies what they were, man? I tell you it was Ithat made them--I to whom he owes more than to any three who havejoined the standard; for I negotiated the whole business, and broughtin all the Perthshire men when not one would have stirred. I am notlikely, I think, to ask anything very unreasonable, and if I did, theymight have stretched a point. Well, but you shall know all, now that Ican draw my breath again with some freedom. You remember my earl'spatent; it is dated some years back, for services then rendered; andcertainly my merit has not been diminished, to say the least, by mysubsequent behaviour. Now, sir, I value this bauble of a coronet aslittle as you can, or any philosopher on earth; for I hold that thechief of such a clan as the Sliochd nan Ivor is superior in rank to anyearl in Scotland. But I had a particular reason for assuming thiscursed title at this time. You must know that I learned accidentallythat the Prince has been pressing that old foolish Baron of Bradwardineto disinherit his male heir, or nineteenth or twentieth cousin, who hastaken a command in the Elector of Hanover's militia, and to settle hisestate upon your pretty little friend Rose; and this, as being thecommand of his king and overlord, who may alter the destination of afief at pleasure, the old gentleman seems well reconciled to.'
'And what becomes of the homage?'
'Curse the homage! I believe Rose is to pull off the queen's slipper onher coronation-day, or some such trash. Well, sir, as Rose Bradwardinewould always have made a suitable match for me but for this idioticalpredilection of her father for the heir-male, it occurred to me therenow remained no obstacle unless that the Baron might expect hisdaughter's husband to take the name of Bradwardine (which you knowwould be impossible in my case), and that this might be evaded by myassuming the title to which I had so good a right, and which, ofcourse, would supersede that difficulty. If she was to be alsoViscountess Bradwardine in her own right after her father's demise, somuch the better; I could have no objection.'
'But, Fergus,' said Waverley, 'I had no idea that you had any affectionfor Miss Bradwardine, and you are always sneering at her father.'
'I have as much affection for Miss Bradwardine, my good friend, as Ithink it necessary to have for the future mistress of my family and themother of my children. She is a very pretty, intelligent girl, and iscertainly of one of the very first Lowland families; and, with a littleof Flora's instructions and forming, will make a very good figure. Asto her father, he is an original, it is true, and an absurd one enough;but he has given such severe lessons to Sir Hew Halbert, that deardefunct the Laird of Balmawhapple, and others, that nobody dare laughat him, so his absurdity goes for nothing. I tell you there could havebeen no earthly objection--none. I had settled the thing entirely in myown mind.'
'But had you asked the Baron's consent,' said Waverley, 'or Rose's?'
'To what purpose? To have spoke to the Baron before I had assumed mytitle would have only provoked a premature and irritating discussion onthe subject of the change of name, when, as Earl of Glennaquoich, I hadonly to propose to him to carry his d--d bear and bootjack party perpale, or in a scutcheon of pretence, or in a separate shieldperhaps--any way that would not blemish my own coat of arms. And as toRose, I don't see what objection she could have made if her father wassatisfied.'
'Perhaps the same that your sister makes to me, you being satisfied.'
Fergus gave a broad stare at the comparison which this suppositionimplied, but cautiously suppressed the answer which rose to his tongue.'O, we should easily have arranged all that. So, sir, I craved aprivate interview, and this morning was assigned; and I asked you tomeet me here, thinking, like a fool, that I should want yourcountenance as bride's-man. Well, I state my pretension--they are notdenied; the promises so repeatedly made and the patent granted--theyare acknowledged. But I propose, as a natural consequence, to assumethe rank which the patent bestowed. I have the old story of thejealousy of C---- and M---- trumped up against me. I resist thispretext, and offer to procure their written acquiescence, in virtue ofthe date of my patent as prior to their silly claims; I assure you Iwould have had such a consent from them, if it had b
een at the point ofthe sword. And then out comes the real truth; and he dares to tell meto my face that my patent must be suppressed for the present, for fearof disgusting that rascally coward and faineant (naming the rival chiefof his own clan), who has no better title to be a chieftain than I tobe Emperor of China, and who is pleased to shelter his dastardlyreluctance to come out, agreeable to his promise twenty times pledged,under a pretended jealousy of the Prince's partiality to me. And, toleave this miserable driveller without a pretence for his cowardice,the Prince asks it as a personal favour of me, forsooth, not to pressmy just and reasonable request at this moment. After this, put yourfaith in princes!'
'And did your audience end here?'
'End? O no! I was determined to leave him no pretence for hisingratitude, and I therefore stated, with all the composure I couldmuster,--for I promise you I trembled with passion,--the particularreasons I had for wishing that his Royal Highness would impose upon meany other mode of exhibiting my duty and devotion, as my views in lifemade what at any other time would have been a mere trifle at thiscrisis a severe sacrifice; and then I explained to him my full plan.'
'And what did the Prince answer?'
'Answer? why--it is well it is written, "Curse not the king, no, not inthy thought!"--why, he answered that truly he was glad I had made himmy confidant, to prevent more grievous disappointment, for he couldassure me, upon the word of a prince, that Miss Bradwardine'saffections were engaged, and he was under a particular promise tofavour them. "So, my dear Fergus," said he, with his most gracious castof smile, "as the marriage is utterly out of question, there need be nohurry, you know, about the earldom." And so he glided off and left meplante la.'
'And what did you do?'
'I'll tell you what I COULD have done at that moment--sold myself tothe devil or the Elector, whichever offered the dearest revenge.However, I am now cool. I know he intends to marry her to some of hisrascally Frenchmen or his Irish officers, but I will watch them close;and let the man that would supplant me look well to himself. Bisognacoprirsi, Signor.'
After some further conversation, unnecessary to be detailed, Waverleytook leave of the Chieftain, whose fury had now subsided into a deepand strong desire of vengeance, and returned home, scarce able toanalyse the mixture of feelings which the narrative had awakened in hisown bosom.