The Master of Ballantrae: A Winter's Tale

never concerned ourselves to ask until next day. If we had done so, and by any chance found out, it might have changed all. But as all we did was done in ignorance, and shou

parts of my narrative, and must engag

the windows of the house or trotting on the frozen turf like things distracted. About noon there came a blink of sunshine, showing a very pretty, wintry, frosty landscape of white hills and woods, with Crail's lugger waiting for a wind under the Cra

d to seek the warmth of bed. The three thus left together had neither love nor courtesy to share; not one of us would have sat up one instant to oblige another; yet from the influence of custom, and as the cards had just been dealt, we continued the form of playing out the round. I should say we were late sitters; and t

he door closed behind my lord, and without the smallest change of

rusticity. You play, Jacob, like a bonnet laird, or a sailor in a tavern. The same dulness, the same petty greed, cette lenteur d'hebété qui me fait rager; it is strange I s

ds, as though very maturely considerin

ror. I tell you these things for your good, I assure you; and besides, Square-toes" (looking at me and stifling a yawn), "it is one of my diversions in this very dreary spot to toast you and your master at the fire like chestnuts. I have great pleasure in your case, for I observe the nickname (rustic as it is) has always the power to make you writhe. But sometimes I have more trouble with this

le like a person in deep thought. "You coward!" he said gently, as if to himself. And

I had never seen the man so beautiful. "A blow!" he

Henry. "Do you wish my father

," I cried, and sough

at arm's length, and still addressing his br

iberate act of my li

must have blood for

pair of swords that hung there with others, naked. These he presented to the Master by t

Master, taking one of the swords at r

bed," said Mr. Henry. "We must g

place in the long shrub

oth! Sons of the same mother, would yo

ry, with the same perfect quietude

I will preve

blade against my bosom; I saw the light run along the steel; and I threw up my a

him," said the Master. "It is a good

Mr. Henry, as though ther

ring a pair of candl

linded with the flashing of that bare sw

breath of air. Come, get to your feet, take a pair of lights, and go bef

rring; a windless stricture of frost had bound the air; and as we went forth in the shine of the candles, the blackness was like a roof over our heads. Never a word was said; there was never a sound but the creaking of our steps along

said the Master. "S

s steady as in a chamber, in the midst of the frosted t

ething in my eyes

g his ground, "for I think you are about to die." He spoke ra

But see how strong is my situation! If you fall, I shift out of this country to where my money is before me. If I fall, where are you? My father, your wife-who is in love with me, as you ver

ry, but saluted too, and

t brought the light once more against his eyes. To it they went again, on the fresh ground; but now methought closer, Mr. Henry pressing more outrageously, the Master beyond doubt with shaken confidence. For it is beyond doubt he now recognised himself for lost, and had some taste of the cold agony of fear; or he had never attempted the foul stroke. I can

body was already fallen to the ground, where it writhed

left hand," s

l bloody,

inside?"

on the insi

said he, and t

s; the heart was quite st

Mr. Henry!" sai

n with a rising tone, "Dead? dead?" says he, an

e yourself, sir. It is too la

"Oh, Mackellar!" says he, an

s sake, for all our sakes, be more c

face with the s

ut, with his hand to his brow, as if he had never remembered; and, turning

e frosty ground and the body lying in their light under the trees. But run as I pleased, he had the start of me, and was got into the house,

" I said, "this will b

n looking upon me with a countenance that I shall

a glass of brandy. "Drink that," said I, "drink it down." I forced him to swallow it li

told." And he fell suddenly in a seat-my old lord's s

, I set forth out of the room in the dark house. There was no movement; I must suppose that all had gone unobserved; and I was now to consider how to s

ty happened," she cri

he passage; and do you get as quickly as you c

ting. Ere I had time to prepare a word of that which I mus

must go elsewhere; for if no one helps me to-ni

he looked at me with a sort of smile, v

me to a du

repeated. "A d

of which you know nothing, which you would not believe if I shou

aid she.

h, "do you ask me such a question? Indeed, then,

fended you," said she. "Forgive

the doubt, and under the sense of impotence it brought with

you have been always kind; to the other, as God sees me and judges between us two, I think not always: has his love ever failed you? To-night one of these two men told the other, in my hearing-the hearing of a hir

g exclamation; and then a second time in a whisper to herself: "Great God!-In the

d I. "Whatever it was, you sha

ng her hands, "this man will drive me mad

I cried. "I think of none b

h her hand to her he

oice," said I

eadful tidings," said I at length, when her silence began to put me in some fear; "and you and I behove to be the more bold if the house is to be saved.

, I had no sooner spoken than a sound passed her lips, the like of it I never heard; it was as though she had

spered. "It was not-" and

part," said I. "As for the other, he wa

w!" she

knows, I would have stopped the fighting, had I dared. It is my shame I did not. But when I saw him fall,

marked; but her next

l be my pa

to him as you have

not some one else to thin

else?" she

with a countenance illegible. "Are you

en her hand went to her he

the hall; speak to him-it matters not what you say; give him your hand

ke you merciful," said she.

there," said I, ta

," she said, with a shudder, an

m. It seems hard to say why, but I could not burst in on the old man as I could on the young woman; with whatever reluct

emed frail and little, and his face (the wig being laid aside) not bigger than a child's. This daunted me; nor less, the haggard surmise of misfortu

is very well known to you that

aid he. "That you love my son sincerely

e, we must look the fact in its bare countenance. A partisan I am; partisans we have all been; it is as a part

whether of the day or night, for I would be always sure you had a reason

aced. You know with what generosity, he has always met your other-met your wishes," I corrected myself, stum

my lord, rising in be

feeling taunts; twits him-pardon me, my lord-twits him with your partiality, calls him Jacob, calls him clown, pursues him with ungenerous raillery, not to be borne by man. And let but one of you appear, instantly he changes; and my master must smile and courtesy to

ow aside the clothes and rise. "If t

ying?" I interrupted, c

ve told me at

d you may well hate the face of t

he, "at once." And again

nce. Your own best word, my lord, was only gratitude. Oh, but he was your son, too! He had no other father. He was hated in the country, Go

vourable light; he has suffered under his misfortunes; and we can only remember how great and how unmerited these were. And even now his is the more affectionate nature. But I will not speak of him. All that you say of Henry is most true; I do not wonder, I know him to b

have been abused by a devilish dissembler. You saw yourself how he had deceived you in the matter of his danger; he has deceived you through

he, "two sons-I

d at me with a changed face. "There is much worse behind

o Mr. Henry: 'I have never known a woman who did not prefer

to stop me in this direction, I conclude his eyes were not so dull as I had

said in my hearing to Mr. Henry; and if you find them not yet plain eno

quarrelle

odd

e said, beginning once

ied, holding f

said he. "These a

e you understand,

sought me f

have none of us strengthened as we could; think of him, not of yourself; he is the other sufferer-think of him! That is the door for sorrow-Christ's door, God's door: oh! it

myself. His voice shook like a sail in the wind, yet he spoke with a goo

speech," said he

hrubbery,

nd when I had told him he kn

James?"

ying," said I, "be

n to the window, opened it, and looked a

by at such an h

said. "One might. Hark!"

ery guardedly rowing in t

r; put these candles out. I will dress in the meanwhile

ned steadily by itself, and made a broad space of light upon the frosted ground. All within that circle seemed, by the force of contrast and the overhanging blackness, brighter than by day. And there was the bloodstain in the midst; and a little farther off Mr. Henry's sword, the pommel of which was of silver; but of the body, not a trace. My heart thumped upon my ribs,

went back to the house of Durrisdeer, with my chin upon my shoulder, startling, as I went, with craven supposi

told him?"

," said I. "It is gone

she repeated.

. "Why are you not

"You cannot have l

ght now," said

n standing here so long-so long,"

ubbery hand in hand, a

of the bloo

ied, and starte

be," said I. "I a

"nothing! Have y

to God we h

then, with an instant courage, handled it the second time, and thrust it to the hilt into the frozen ground. "I will take it

," said I, and then remembering: "

aid she; "he will

I repeated. "Oh! y

oubt me," she replied,

," I cried, "God knows I am not so hard as I appear; on this dreadful night who

u should hesitate abo

il, how nobly she had borne this unnatural

and tell this to

not face,"

the least moved of

annot face h

an return to Mr. Henry

the sword-a strange burthen for that woman-she had

ord decid

chamber. He heard me with a frown. "The free

id I, and paused, a

ot living?" he asked. "Oh! here is a great door of hope. It must be given out that

ly were plunged in irremediable sorrow, it was strange how we turned to that conjoint abstraction of the family its

ll Mr. Henry?

st to visit him; then I go forth with

ack from him, her hand at her mouth; it was plain she could not move him. My old lord walked very steadily to where his son was sitting;

him; you know I loved him in the beginning; I could have died for him-you know that! I would have given my life for him and you. Oh! say you know that. Oh! say you can forgive me. O father, fat

ees. "And O my lass," he cried, "you must forgive me, too! Not your husband-I have only been the ruin of your life. But you knew me when I was a lad; there

him. At the first cry, which was indeed enough to call the house about us, he

wife now," says he. "Brin

ces, and the flame of the candle shook. We made the more speed, I believe, being surrounded by this bustle; visited the scene of the duel, where my lord looked upon the blood with stoicism; and passing farther on toward the landing-place, came at last upon some evidences of the truth. For, first of all, where there was a p

arrying it in my lord's hat; and as we were thus engaged there

the best thing that we could hope. Let us g

e of a strong pattering noise about us in the night; and when we

ether dead or alive we were still left to our conjectures; the rain would, long before day, wipe out all marks of the transaction; by this we must profit. The Master had unexpectedly come after the fall of night; it must now he given out he had as suddenly dep

ashed upon me some suspicion of the truth. The man had been going, after all; he had but waited upon Crail, as Crail waited upon the wind; early in the night the seamen had perceived the weather changing; the boat had come to give notice of the change and call the passenger aboard, and the boat's crew had stumbled on him dying in his blood. Nay, and there was more behind. This pre-arranged departure shed some light upon his inconceivable insult of the night before; it was a p

he "Henriade" of M. de Voltaire, a book upon the Indies, one on the mathematics, far beyond where I have studied: these were what I observed with very mingled feelings. But in the open portmanteau, no papers of any description. This set me musing. It

t deal of gallant correspondence, chiefly of his Paris days; and, what was more to the purpose, here were the copies of his own reports to the English Secretary, and the originals of the Secretary's answers: a most damning series: such as to publish would be to wreck the Master's honour and to set a price upon his life. I chuckled to myself as I ran through the documents; I rubbed my hands, I s

at his hand which was all bloodied, like a man stupid. Upon their coming, he would seem to have found his mind, bade them carry him aboard, and hold their tongues; and on the captain asking how he had come in such a pickle, replied with a burst of passionate swearing, and incontinently fainted. They held some debate, but they were momently looking for a wind, they were highly paid to smuggle him to France, and did not care to delay. Besides which, he was well enough liked by these abominable wretches: they supposed him under capital sentence, knew not in what mischief he might have got