登陆注册
14820400000030

第30章

And like his father of face and of stature, And false of love--it came him of nature;As doth the fox Renard, the fox's son;

Of kinde, he coud his old father's wone, Without lore, as can a drake swim, When it is caught, and carried to the brim.

CHAUCER.--Legend of Phillis.

Of course, the yet more lengthened absences of Hugh from the house were subjects of remark as at the first; but Hugh had made up his mind not to trouble himself the least about that. For some time Mrs. Glasford took no notice of them to himself; but one evening, just as tea was finished, and Hugh was rising to go, her restraint gave way, and she uttered one spiteful speech, thinking it, no doubt, so witty that it ought to see the light.

"Ye're a day-labourer it seems, Mr. Sutherlan', and gang hame at night.""Exactly so, madam," rejoined Hugh. "There is no other relation between you and me, than that of work and wages. You have done your best to convince me of that, by making it impossible for me to feel that this house is in any sense my home."With this grand speech he left the room, and from that time till the day of his final departure from Turriepuffit, there was not a single allusion made to the subject.

He soon reached the cottage. When he entered the new room, which was always called Mr. Sutherland's study, the mute welcome afforded him by the signs of expectation, in the glow of the waiting fire, and the outspread arms of the elbow-chair, which was now called his, as well as the room, made ample amends to him for the unfriendliness of Mrs. Glasford. Going to the shelves to find the books he wanted, he saw that they had been carefully arranged on one shelf, and that the others were occupied with books belonging to the house. He looked at a few of them. They were almost all old books, and such as may be found in many Scotch cottages; for instance, Boston's Fourfold State, in which the ways of God and man may be seen through a fourfold fog; Erskine's Divine Sonnets, which will repay the reader in laughter for the pain it costs his reverence, producing much the same effect that a Gothic cathedral might, reproduced by the pencil and from the remembrance of a Chinese artist, who had seen it once; Drelincourt on Death, with the famous ghost-hoax of De Foe, to help the bookseller to the sale of the unsaleable; the Scots Worthies, opening of itself at the memoir of Mr. Alexander Peden;the Pilgrim's Progress, that wonderful inspiration, failing never save when the theologian would sometimes snatch the pen from the hand of the poet; Theron and Aspasio; Village Dialogues; and others of a like class. To these must be added a rare edition of Blind Harry. It was clear to Hugh, unable as he was fully to appreciate the wisdom of David, that it was not from such books as these that he had gathered it; yet such books as these formed all his store.

He turned from them, found his own, and sat down to read. By and by David came in.

"I'm ower sune, I doubt, Mr. Sutherlan'. I'm disturbin' ye.""Not at all," answered Hugh. "Besides, I am not much in a reading mood this evening: Mrs. Glasford has been annoying me again.""Poor body! What's she been sayin' noo?"

Thinking to amuse David, Hugh recounted the short passage between them recorded above. David, however, listened with a very different expression of countenance from what Hugh had anticipated; and, when he had finished, took up the conversation in a kind of apologetic tone.

"Weel, but ye see," said he, folding his palms together, "she hasna' jist had a'thegither fair play. She does na come o' a guid breed.

Man, it's a fine thing to come o' a guid breed. They hae a hantle to answer for 'at come o' decent forbears.""I thought she brought the laird a good property," said Hugh, not quite understanding David.

"Ow, ay, she brocht him gowpenfu's o' siller; but hoo was't gotten?

An' ye ken it's no riches 'at 'ill mak' a guid breed--'cep' it be o' maggots. The richer cheese the mair maggots, ye ken. Ye maunna speyk o' this; but the mistress's father was weel kent to hae made his siller by fardins and bawbees, in creepin', crafty ways. He was a bit merchan' in Aberdeen, an' aye keepit his thoom weel ahint the peint o' the ellwan', sae 'at he made an inch or twa upo' ilka yard he sauld. Sae he took frae his soul, and pat intill his siller-bag, an' had little to gie his dochter but a guid tocher. Mr. Sutherlan', it's a fine thing to come o' dacent fowk. Noo, to luik at yersel': I ken naething aboot yer family; but ye seem at eesicht to come o' a guid breed for the bodily part o' ye. That's a sma' matter; but frae what I ha'e seen--an' I trust in God I'm no' mista'en--ye come o' the richt breed for the min' as weel. I'm no flatterin' ye, Mr. Sutherlan'; but jist layin' it upo' ye, 'at gin ye had an honest father and gran'father, an' especially a guid mither, ye hae a heap to answer for; an' ye ought never to be hard upo' them 'at's sma' creepin' creatures, for they canna help it sae weel as the like o' you and me can."David was not given to boasting. Hugh had never heard anything suggesting it from his lips before. He turned full round and looked at him. On his face lay a solemn quiet, either from a feeling of his own responsibility, or a sense of the excuse that must be made for others. What he had said about the signs of breed in Hugh's exterior, certainly applied to himself as well. His carriage was full of dignity, and a certain rustic refinement; his voice was wonderfully gentle, but deep; and slowest when most impassioned. He seemed to have come of some gigantic antediluvian breed: there was something of the Titan slumbering about him. He would have been a stern man, but for an unusual amount of reverence that seemed to overflood the sternness, and change it into strong love. No one had ever seen him thoroughly angry; his simple displeasure with any of the labourers, the quality of whose work was deficient, would go further than the laird's oaths.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 豪门强娶:误惹神秘冷少

    豪门强娶:误惹神秘冷少

    淘宝美男,七天无条件退换,更是洗衣做饭哄开心,外加高大粗。魏雨雪欢欢喜喜抢购,可是谁知美男驾到,整天无所事事,只会吸干她的钱包。第六天,她蹲在墙角洗衣服,才幡然醒悟,自己是花钱享受,为何要受这样的鸟气?不行不行,上网退货。可是谁知道,原本存在的网站,却忽然消失,美男赖在家里不肯走,更是指使她做这做那。第七天早上,打包好他的衣物扔在门外,姑奶奶不玩了。“饶子轩,给你两个选择,要不换你来伺候我,要不,拿着你的东西,从哪来的回哪去?”美男呆滞片刻,咬牙答应。“好。”魏雨雪听他答应,一脸欢喜。“给我洗衣做饭打扫整间屋子,做不好不准吃饭。”说完,不顾美男一脸的黑线,吃水果吹空调看电视。
  • 相思谋:妃常难娶

    相思谋:妃常难娶

    某日某王府张灯结彩,婚礼进行时,突然不知从哪冒出来一个小孩,对着新郎道:“爹爹,今天您的大婚之喜,娘亲让我来还一样东西。”说完提着手中的玉佩在新郎面前晃悠。此话一出,一府宾客哗然,然当大家看清这小孩与新郎如一个模子刻出来的面容时,顿时石化。此时某屋顶,一个绝色女子不耐烦的声音响起:“儿子,事情办完了我们走,别在那磨矶,耽误时间。”新郎一看屋顶上的女子,当下怒火攻心,扔下新娘就往女子所在的方向扑去,吼道:“女人,你给本王站住。”一场爱与被爱的追逐正式开始、、、、、、、
  • 清迷少年时

    清迷少年时

    只见那男子缓缓睁开眼,如墨般黑的眼睛竟璀璨夺目,散发着光芒。“在下司云千寂,今日一时不长眼碍着小姐施法,请小姐赎罪咯~”司云千寂痞痞地做完自我介绍后,满是嫌弃地看着南宫尚轩和竺璃的衣服。......太暴露了有木有......千寂......到底有多寂寞啊?还有施法......施法......施法......这到底是什么节奏?!“小姐?你全家才是小姐!”竺璃好不容易反应过来,劈头盖脸地朝司云千寂骂去。哼,他才是小姐呢!
  • 穿越异界做王储

    穿越异界做王储

    他是修真界的一代奇才,却又是一代废柴,通晓各种杂学,却又无法修炼,在偶得上古传承,穿越异界之后,一切都变得不一样了,这是一片神奇的大陆,没有魔法与斗气,有的只是灵道师与灵武者,剑道、御兽术、丹道、阵法、军团、战阵……将在这里被一一呈现。
  • 魂王兵

    魂王兵

    这是一个发生在历史与仙侠并存的世界里,有关绝世兵器、有关称王做霸、有关魂者无敌的故事。
  • 染爱成婚:老婆大人晚上见

    染爱成婚:老婆大人晚上见

    【萌宠文】他冷若冰霜,跺跺脚,地都要晃三晃。惹恼他的人只有死路一条。却偏偏--只不过是应个聘,就把大总裁的裤子拽了下来,还露出了里面的粉色维尼熊。大总裁不但被扑被吻,还被抓,最后还被吃干净抹了嘴。“该死的女人,你往哪里抓?”“对不起,对不起,我给你擦擦。”一不小心又抓到了不该抓的东西。女孩泪牛满面,这不是真的。多年后,她被逼迫在厕所的墙上,“你不是很喜欢抓我的裤子吗?我让你抓个够。”她咬了牙强撑,“我不喜欢吃第二次。”“那可由不得你。”她被吃了一遍又一遍,腿脚酸软,谁让她惹上了恶魔。
  • 崛起北国

    崛起北国

    一段架空的历史,一个血与火的年代,没有永远强大的军队也没有永远强大的民族。丹真族,人如龙马如虎上山如猿下水如蛟。本该大有作为,却分裂数百年。纷乱之中,一少年率众而出,发下了他的誓言:马蹄踏处,既为牧场。弯刀所向,无不臣服。
  • 净琉璃

    净琉璃

    雨打梨花深闭门,忘了青春,误了青春。赏心乐事共谁论?花下销魂,月下销魂。愁聚眉峰尽日颦,千点啼痕,万点啼痕。晓看天色暮看云,行也思君,坐也思君。
  • 小狐妖家的高冷上仙

    小狐妖家的高冷上仙

    作为一个游历人间,游山戏水的小狐妖。本不该受这情爱之苦。更不该把这苦给了一个男的。上仙本就离他遥远,干嘛试着去接近,丢了心,丢了命!
  • 我以为你是我的全世界

    我以为你是我的全世界

    10年的暗恋到头来如一场梦生日当天准备告白的她却遭遇了一场还没恋爱就已经失恋的感情后来遇见了一个人又让她重新对爱情充满希望可他却又出现在她的世界里她究竟会做出如何选择....