登陆注册
14820400000031

第31章

Hugh sat looking at David, who supported the look with that perfect calmness that comes of unconscious simplicity. At length Hugh's eye sank before David's, as he said:

"I wish I had known your father, then, David.""My father was sic a ane as I tauld ye the ither day, Mr. Sutherlan'. I'm a' richt there. A puir, semple, God-fearin' shepherd, 'at never gae his dog an ill-deserved word, nor took the skin o' ony puir lammie, wha's woo' he was clippin', atween the shears. He was weel worthy o' the grave 'at he wan till at last.

An' my mither was jist sic like, wi' aiblins raither mair heid nor my father. They're her beuks maistly upo' the skelf there abune yer ain, Mr. Sutherlan'. I honour them for her sake, though I seldom trouble them mysel'. She gae me a kin' o' a scunner at them, honest woman, wi' garrin' me read at them o' Sundays, till they near scomfisht a' the guid 'at was in me by nater. There's doctrine for ye, Mr. Sutherlan'!" added David, with a queer laugh.

"I thought they could hardly be your books," said Hugh.

"But I hae ae odd beuk, an' that brings me upo' my pedigree, Mr. Sutherlan'; for the puirest man has as lang a pedigree as the greatest, only he kens less aboot it, that's a'. An' I wat, for yer lords and ladies, it's no a' to their credit 'at's tauld o' their hither-come; an' that's a' against the breed, ye ken. A wilfu' sin in the father may be a sinfu' weakness i' the son; an' that's what Ica' no fair play."

So saying, David went to his bedroom, whence he returned with a very old-looking book, which he laid on the table before Hugh. He opened it, and saw that it was a volume of Jacob B渉men, in the original language. He found out afterwards, upon further inquiry, that it was in fact a copy of the first edition of his first work, The Aurora, printed in 1612. On the title-page was written a name, either in German or old English character, he was not sure which;but he was able to read it--Martin Elginbrodde. David, having given him time to see all this, went on:

"That buik has been in oor family far langer nor I ken. I needna say I canna read a word o't, nor I never heard o' ane 'at could.

But I canna help tellin' ye a curious thing, Mr. Sutherlan', in connexion wi' the name on that buik: there's a gravestane, a verra auld ane--hoo auld I canna weel mak' out, though I gaed ends-errand to Aberdeen to see't--an' the name upo' that gravestane is Martin Elginbrod, but made mention o' in a strange fashion; an' I'm no sure a'thegither aboot hoo ye'll tak' it, for it soun's rather fearsome at first hearin' o't. But ye'se hae't as I read it:

"'Here lie I, Martin Elginbrodde:

Hae mercy o' my soul, Lord God;

As I wad do, were I Lord God, And ye were Martin Elginbrodde.'"Certainly Hugh could not help a slight shudder at what seemed to him the irreverence of the epitaph, if indeed it was not deserving of a worse epithet. But he made no remark; and, after a moment's pause, David resumed:

"I was unco ill-pleased wi't at the first, as ye may suppose, Mr. Sutherlan'; but, after a while, I begude (began) an' gaed through twa or three bits o' reasonin's aboot it, in this way: By the natur' o't, this maun be the man's ain makin', this epitaph; for no ither body cud ha' dune't; and he had left it in's will to be pitten upo' the deid-stane, nae doot: I' the contemplation o' deith, a man wad no be lik'ly to desire the perpetuation o' a blasphemy upo' a table o' stone, to stan' against him for centuries i' the face o' God an' man: therefore it cudna ha' borne the luik to him o' the presumptuous word o' a proud man evenin' himsel' wi' the Almichty.

Sae what was't, then, 'at made him mak' it? It seems to me--though I confess, Mr. Sutherlan', I may be led astray by the nateral desire 'at a man has to think weel o' his ain forbears--for 'at he was a forbear o' my ain, I canna weel doot, the name bein' by no means a common ane, in Scotland ony way--I'm sayin', it seems to me, that it's jist a darin' way, maybe a childlike way, o' judgin', as Job micht ha' dune, 'the Lord by himsel';' an' sayin', 'at gin he, Martin Elginbrod, wad hae mercy, surely the Lord was not less mercifu' than he was. The offspring o' the Most High was, as it were, aware o' the same spirit i' the father o' him, as muved in himsel'. He felt 'at the mercy in himsel' was ane o' the best things; an' he cudna think 'at there wad be less o't i' the father o' lichts, frae whom cometh ilka guid an' perfeck gift. An' may be he remembered 'at the Saviour himsel' said: 'Be ye perfect as your father in Heaven is perfect;' and that the perfection o' God, as He had jist pinted oot afore, consisted in causin' his bonny sun to shine on the evil an' the good, an' his caller rain to fa' upo' the just an' the unjust."It may well be doubted whether David's interpretation of the epitaph was the correct one. It will appear to most of my readers to breathe rather of doubt lighted up by hope, than of that strong faith which David read in it. But whether from family partiality, and consequent unwillingness to believe that his ancestor had been a man who, having led a wild, erring, and evil life, turned at last towards the mercy of God as his only hope, which the words might imply; or simply that he saw this meaning to be the best; this was the interpretation which David had adopted.

"But," interposed Hugh, "supposing he thought all that, why should he therefore have it carved on his tombstone?""I hae thocht aboot that too," answered David. "For ae thing, a body has but feow ways o' sayin' his say to his brithermen. Robbie Burns cud do't in sang efter sang; but maybe this epitaph was a' that auld Martin was able to mak'. He michtna hae had the gift o' utterance.

同类推荐
  • Hell Inferno, Divine Comedy

    Hell Inferno, Divine Comedy

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 名公书判清明集

    名公书判清明集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 冷斋夜话

    冷斋夜话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 会真集

    会真集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 从政遗规

    从政遗规

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 围城错

    围城错

    [仙侠轮回言情文,此坑慎入,非穿越女强流]——那一碗只苦不甜的孟婆汤,拉出了上古之乱的阴影中的箫染。——那一把搅碎人心的鸣心琴,惊醒了轮回的茫然中的风转清绝。——那一世有花无果的痴情怨,是被尘封的上古之乱的最好见证。前世她是上神,前世他是魔神。今生她是魔根祸种,今生他是落绝宫主。情似围城,谁入再不能出。那一场跨越千年的恩爱仇怨,谁搅得断情江无水,谁惊得莲虚山无蝶。
  • 加油吧!灰姑娘

    加油吧!灰姑娘

    灰姑娘成长罗曼史,大家跟我一起来见证吧!
  • 中国历代张天师评传(第1卷)

    中国历代张天师评传(第1卷)

    本书共写第一至第十二代张天师的生平情况。作为开创道教的老祖张陵天师,作者着墨最多,占全书近一半篇幅,对张陵在道教史上的文化历史地位,及其所开创的正一道派于中国宗教文化史的影响均进行了全面的阐释。
  • EXO月迹之皇诺

    EXO月迹之皇诺

    都暻汐的故事是我写作的起源,所以,两年后,我觉定带她回来。
  • 网游之封印再起

    网游之封印再起

    陈旧的封印再起,一款游戏再出江湖,一个人因为这款游戏而改变了一生,国家游戏局的目的究竟何在,游戏和现实的双重交替,一位剑士的快速崛起,打破了国家游戏局的束缚,跳出掌控,为自己而活,称霸游戏,只要听到他的名字,无数人心惊胆战,剑指天下,谁与争锋。
  • 听见它们的声音

    听见它们的声音

    鹿河那天被一条美人鱼救起来之后,发现可以和动物说话了!嗯!一个轻松的故事吧!应该是的!
  • 邂逅缘分

    邂逅缘分

    她惨遭她的男朋友和“好”闺蜜联手策划谋杀,辛亏她命不该绝,被总统先生救下,住在了总统先生的家,与总统先生的儿子擦出爱的火花,邂逅一次完美青春.
  • 学霸的恋爱笔记

    学霸的恋爱笔记

    谁说学霸就不能谈恋爱了!!!身为普普通通的学生一枚,莫陌表示,为了有朝一日能当上主角,遇见真爱,只能勤奋学习了。“我爱学习,学习使我快乐。”终于,她变得优秀,自己也变得活泼开朗,然后在最美好的时光里,遇见了最好的他。“我喜欢你,很喜欢。”故事,又会如何结尾呢?
  • The Theory of Leisure Class

    The Theory of Leisure Class

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 我在美国读高三

    我在美国读高三

    我在美国读高3》就是以日记的形式细致而真实地描述了这样一位中国高中生在美国留学上高三直至顺利高中毕业前前后后的学习、生活经历。优美而朴实的文字中无不透露出美国的高中教育更注重培养学生的创造性和独立思考的能力、美国高中生丰富多彩的课外生活、作者和接待家庭一起快乐的生活等等。