Crabbed age and youth Cannot live together:--Youth is full of pleasance, Age is full of care;Youth like summer morn, Age like winter weather;Youth like summer brave, Age like winter bare.
Shakspeare.
In the morning of the following day, the Antiquary, who was something of a sluggard, was summoned from his bed a full hour earlier than his custom by Caxon.``What's the matter now?''
he exclaimed, yawning and stretching forth his hand to the huge gold repeater, which, bedded upon his India silk handkerchief, was laid safe by his pillow--``what's the matter now, Caxon?--it can't be eight o'clock yet.''
``Na, sir,--but my lord's man sought me out, for he fancies me your honour's valley-de-sham,--and sae I am, there's nae doubt o't, baith your honour's and the minister's--at least ye hae nae other that I ken o'--and I gie a help to Sir Arthur too, but that's mair in the way o' my profession.''
``Well, well--never mind that,'' said the Antiquary--``happy is he that is his own valley-de-sham, as you call it--But why disturb my morning's rest?''
``Ou, sir, the great man's been up since peep o' day, and he's steered the town to get awa an express to fetch his carriage, and it will be here briefly, and he wad like to see your honour afore he gaes awa.''
``Gadso!'' ejaculated Oldbuck, ``these great men use one's house and time as if they were their own property.Well, it's once and away.Has Jenny come to her senses yet, Caxon?''
``Troth, sir, but just middling,'' replied the barber; ``she's been in a swither about the jocolate this morning, and was like to hae toomed it a' out into the slap-bason, and drank it hersell in her ecstacies--but she's won ower wi't, wi' the help o' Miss M`Intyre.''
``Then all my womankind are on foot and scrambling, and Imust enjoy my quiet bed no longer, if I would have a well-regulated house--Lend me my gown.And what are the news at Fairport?''
``Ou, sir, what can they be about but this grand news o' my lord,'' answered the old man, ``that hasna been ower the door-stane, they threep to me, for this twenty years--this grand news of his coming to visit your honour?''
``Aha!'' said Monkbarns; ``and what do they say of that, Caxon?''
``'Deed, sir, they hae various opinions.Thae fallows, that are the democraws, as they ca' them, that are again' the king and the law, and hairpowder and dressing o' gentlemen's wigs --a wheen blackguards--they say he's come doun to speak wi'
your honour about bringing doun his hill lads and Highland tenantry to break up the meetings of the Friends o' the People;--and when I said your honour never meddled wi' the like o'
sic things where there was like to be straiks and bloodshed, they said, if ye didna, your nevoy did, and that he was weel ken'd to be a kingsman that wad fight knee-deep, and that ye were the head and he was the hand, and that the Yerl was to bring out the men and the siller.''
``Come,'' said the Antiquary, laughing--``I am glad the war is to cost me nothing but counsel.''
``Na, na,'' said Caxon--``naebody thinks your honour wad either fight yoursell, or gie ony feck o' siller to ony side o' the question.''
``Umph! well, that's the opinion of the democraws, as you call them--What say the rest o' Fairport?''
``In troth,'' said the candid reporter, ``I canna say it's muckle better.Captain Coquet, of the volunteers--that's him that's to be the new collector,--and some of the other gentlemen of the Blue and a' Blue Club, are just saying it's no right to let popists, that hae sae mony French friends as the Yerl of Glenallan, gang through the country, and--but your honour will maybe be angry?''
``Not I, Caxon,'' said Oldbuck; ``fire away as if you were Captain Coquet's whole platoon--I can stand it.''
``Weel then, they say, sir, that as ye didna encourage the petition about the peace, and wadna petition in favour of the new tax, and as you were again' bringing in the yeomanry at the meal mob, but just for settling the folk wi' the constables --they say ye're no a gude friend to government; and that thae sort o' meetings between sic a powerfu' man as the Yerl, and sic a wise man as you,--Od they think they suld be lookit after; and some say ye should baith be shankit aff till Edinburgh Castle.''
``On my word,'' said the Antiquary, ``I am infinitely obliged to my neighbours for their good opinion of me! And so I, that have never interfered with their bickerings, but to recommend quiet and moderate measures, am given up on both sides as a man very likely to commit high treason, either against King or People?--Give me my coat, Caxon--give me my coat;--it's lucky I live not in their report.Have you heard anything of Taffril and his vessel?''
Caxon's countenance fell.--``Na, sir, and the winds hae been high, and this is a fearfu' coast to cruise on in thae eastern gales,--the headlands rin sae far out, that a veshel's embayed afore I could sharp a razor; and then there's nae harbour or city of refuge on our coast--a' craigs and breakers;--a veshel that rins ashore wi' us flees asunder like the powther when I shake the pluff--and it's as ill to gather ony o't again.I aye tell my daughter thae things when she grows wearied for a letter frae Lieutenant Taffril--It's aye an apology for him.Ye sudna blame him, says I, hinny, for ye little ken what may hae happened.''
``Ay, ay, Caxon, thou art as good a comforter as a valet-de-chambre.
--Give me a white stock, man,--dye think I can go down with a handkerchief about my neck when I have company?''
``Dear sir, the Captain says a three-nookit hankercher is the maist fashionable overlay, and that stocks belang to your honour and me that are auld warld folk.I beg pardon for mentioning us twa thegither, but it was what he said.''
``The Captain's a puppy, and you are a goose, Caxon.''
``It's very like it may be sae,'' replied the acquiescent barber:
``I am sure your honour kens best.''
