Maister Mordaunt; but I am an auld man, and maun unburden my conscience. But ye will be for the dance, I sail warrant, that’s to be at Burgh-Westra on John’s Even (Saunt John’s, as the blinded creatures ca’ him), and nae doubt ye will be for some warldly braws — hose, waistcoats, or sic like? I hae pieces frae Flanders” — With that he placed his movable warehouse on the table, and began to unlock it.
“Dance!” repeated Mordaunt — ”Dance on St, John’s Even? — Were you desired to bid me to it, Bryce?”
“Na — but ye ken weel eneugh ye wad be welcome, bidden or no bidden. This Captain — how ca’ ye him? — is to be skudler, as they ca’t — the first of the gang, like.”
“The devil take him!” said Mordaunt, in impatient surprise.
“A’ in gude time,” replied the jagger; “ hurry no man’s cattle — the devil will hae his due, I warrant ye, or it winna be for lack of seeking. But it’s true I’m telling you, for a’ ye stare like a wildcat; and this same Captain, — I watna his name, — bought ane of the very waistcoats that I am ganging to show ye — purple, wi’ a gowd binding, and bonnily broidered; and I have a piece for you, the neighbour of it, wi’ a green grund; and if ye mean to streek yoursell up beside him, ye maun e’en buy it, for it’s gowd that glances in the lasses’ een nowadays. See — look till’t,” he added, displaying the pattern in various points of view; “look till it through the light, and till the light through it — wV the grain, and against the grain — it shows ony gate — cam frae Antwerp a’ the gate — four dollars is the price; and yon captain was sae weel pleased that he flang down a twenty shilling Jacobus, and bade me keep the change and be d — d! — poor silly profane creature, I pity him.”
Without inquiring whether the pedlar bestowed his compassion on the worldly imprudence or the religious deficiencies of Captain Cleveland, Mordaunt turned from him, folded his arms, and paced the apartment, muttering to himself, “Not asked — A stranger to be king of the feast!” — Words which he repeated so earnestly, that Bryce caught a part of their import. ‘
“As for asking, I am almaist bauld to say, that ye will be asked, Maister Mordaunt.”
“Did they mention my name, then? “ said Mordaunt.
“I canna preceesely say that,” said Bryce Snailsfoot; — ” but ye needna turn away your head sae sourly, like a sealgh when he leaves the shore; for, do you see, I heard distinctly that a’ the revellers about are to be there; and is’t to be thought they would leave out you, an auld kend freend, and the lightest foot at sic frolics (Heaven send you a better praise in His ain gude time!) that ever flang at a fiddle-squeak, between this and Unst? Sae I consider ye altogether the same as invited — and ye had best provide yourself wi’ a waist coat, for brave and brisk will every man be that’s there — the Lord pity them!”
He then continued to follow with his green glazen eyes the motions of young Mordaunt Mertoun, who was pacing the room in a very pensive manner, which the jagger probably misinterpreted, as he thought, like Claudio, that if a man is sad, it must needs be because he lacks money. Bryce, therefore, after another pause, thus accosted him. “ Ye needna be sad about the matter, Maister Mordaunt; for although I got the just price of the article from the captain-man, yet I maun deal freendly wi’ you, as a kend freend and customer, and bring the price, as they say, within your purse* mouth — or it’s the same to me to let it lie ower till Martinmas, or e’en to Candlemas. I am decent in the warld, Maister Mordaunt — forbid that I should hurry onybody, far mair a freend that has paid me siller afore now. Or I wad be content to swap the garment for the value in feathers or sea-otters’ skins, or ony kind of peltrie — nane kens better than yoursell how to come by sic ware — and I am sure I hae furnished you wi’ the primest o’ powder. I dinna ken if I tell’d ye it was out o’ the kist of Captain Plunket, that perished on the Scaw of Unst, wi’ the armed brig Mary, sax years syne. He was a prime fowler himself, and luck it was that the kist came ashore dry. I sell that to nane but gude marksmen. And so, I was saying, if ye had ony wares ye like to coup for the waistcoat, I wad be ready to trock wi’ you, for assuredly ye will be wanted at Burgh-Westra, on Saint John’s Even; and ye wadna like to look waur than the Captain — that wadna be setting.”
“I will be there at least, whether wanted or not,” said Mordaunt, stopping short in his walk, and taking the waistcoat-piece hastily out of the pedlar’s hand; “and, as you say, will not disgrace them.”
“Haud a care — haud a care, Maister Mordaunt,” exclaimed the pedlar; “ye handle it as it were a bale of coarse wadmaal — ye’ll fray’t to bits — ye might weel say my ware is tender — and ye’ll mind the price is four dollars — Sail I put ye in my book for it?”
“No,” said Mordaunt hastily; and, taking out his purse, he flung down the money.
“Grace to ye to wear the garment,” said the joyous pedlar, “ and to me to guide the siller; and protect us from earthly vanities, and earthly covetousness; and send you the white linen raiment, whilk is mair to be desired than the muslins and cambrics, and lawns, and silks of this world; and send me the talents which avail more than much fine Spanish gold, or Dutch dollars either — and — but God guide the callant, what for is he wrapping the silk up that gate, like a wisp of hay?”
At this moment, old Swertha the housekeeper, entered, tc whom, as if eager to get rid of the subject, Mordaunt threw his purchase, with something like careless disdain; and, telling her to put it aside, snatched his gun, which stood in the corner, threw his shooting accoutrements about him, and, without noticing Bryce’s attempt to enter into conversation upon the “ braw sealskin, as saft as doe-leather,” which made the sling and cover of his fowlingpiece, he left the apartment abruptly.
The jagger, with those green, goggling, and gain-descrying kind of optics, which we have already described, continued gazing for an instant after the customer, who treated his wares with such irreverence.
Swertha also looked after him with some surprise. “ The callant’s in a creel,” quoth she.
“In a creel! “ echoed the pedlar; “ he will be as wowf as ever his father was. To guide in that gate a bargain that cost him four dollars! — very, very Fifish, as the east-country fisher-folk say.”
“Four dollars for that green rag!” said Swertha, catching at the words which the jagger had unwarily suffered to escape — ” that was a bargain indeed! I wonder whether he is the greater fule, or you the mair rogue, Bryce Snailsfoot.”
“I didna say it cost him preceesely four dollars,” said Snailsfoot; “but if it had, the lad’s siller’s his ain, I hope; and he is auld eneugh to make his ain bargains. Mair by token, the gudes are weel worth the money, and mair.”
“Mair by token,” said Swertha coolly, “ I will see what his father thinks about it.”
“Ye’ll no be sae ill-natured, Mistress Swertha,” said the jagger; “ that will be but cauld thanks for the bonny owerlay that I hae brought you a’ the way frae Lerwick.”
“And a bonny price ye’ll be setting on’t,” said Swertha; “ for that’s the gate your good deeds end.”
“Ye sail hae the fixing of the price yoursell; or it may lie ower till ye’re buying something for the house, or for your master, and it can make a’ ae count.”
“Troth, and that’s true, Bryce Snailsfoot, I am thinking we’ll want some napery sune — for it’s no to be thought we can spin, and the like, as if there was a mistress in the house; and sae we make nane at hame.”
“And that’s what I ca’ walking by the Word,” said the jagger. “‘Go unto those that buy and sell;’ there’s muckle profit in that text.”
“There is a pleasure in dealing with a discreet man, that can make profit of onything,” said Swertha; “ and now that I take another look at that daft callant’s waistcoat piece, I think it is honestly worth four dollars.”
Chapter