Guy Mannering, Or, the Astrologer — Complete
Page 21
CHAPTER XIX
Which sloping hills around inclose, Where many a beech and brown oak grows Beneath whose dark and branching bowers Its tides a far-fam'd river pours, By natures beauties taught to please, Sweet Tusculan of rural easel
WARTON.
Woodbourne, the habitation which Mannering, by Mr. Mac-Morlan'smediation, had hired for a season, was a large comfortable mansion,snugly situated beneath a hill covered with wood, which shrouded thehouse upon the north and east; the front looked upon a little lawnbordered by a grove of old trees; beyond were some arable fields,extending down to the river, which was seen from the windows of thehouse. A tolerable, though old-fashioned garden, a well-stockeddove-cot, and the possession of any quantity of ground which theconvenience of the family might require, rendered the place in everyrespect suitable, as the advertisements have it, 'for the accommodationof a genteel family.'
Here, then, Mannering resolved, for some time at least, to set up thestaff of his rest. Though an East-Indian, he was not partial to anostentatious display of wealth. In fact, he was too proud a man to be avain one. He resolved, therefore, to place himself upon the footing ofa country gentleman of easy fortune, without assuming, or permittinghis household to assume, any of the faste which then was considered ascharacteristic of a nabob.
He had still his eye upon the purchase of Ellangowan, which Mac-Morlanconceived Mr. Glossin would be compelled to part with, as some of thecreditors disputed his title to retain so large a part of thepurchase-money in his own hands, and his power to pay it was muchquestioned. In that case Mac-Morlan was assured he would readily giveup his bargain, if tempted with something above the price which he hadstipulated to pay. It may seem strange that Mannering was so muchattached to a spot which he had only seen once, and that for a shorttime, in early life. But the circumstances which passed there had laida strong hold on his imagination. There seemed to be a fate whichconjoined the remarkable passages of his own family history with thoseof the inhabitants of Ellangowan, and he felt a mysterious desire tocall the terrace his own from which he had read in the book of heaven afortune strangely accomplished in the person of the infant heir of thatfamily, and corresponding so closely with one which had been strikinglyfulfilled in his own. Besides, when once this thought had gotpossession of his imagination, he could not, without great reluctance,brook the idea of his plan being defeated, and by a fellow likeGlossin. So pride came to the aid of fancy, and both combined tofortify his resolution to buy the estate if possible.
Let us do Mannering justice. A desire to serve the distressed had alsoits share in determining him. He had considered the advantage whichJulia might receive from the company of Lucy Bertram, whose genuineprudence and good sense could so surely be relied upon. This idea hadbecome much stronger since Mac-Morlan had confided to him, under thesolemn seal of secrecy, the whole of her conduct towards youngHazlewood. To propose to her to become an inmate in his family, ifdistant from the scenes of her youth and the few whom she calledfriends, would have been less delicate; but at Woodbourne she mightwithout difficulty be induced to become the visitor of a season,without being depressed into the situation of an humble companion. LucyBertram, with some hesitation, accepted the invitation to reside a fewweeks with Miss Mannering. She felt too well that, however theColonel's delicacy might disguise the truth, his principal motive was agenerous desire to afford her his countenance and protection, which hishigh connexions, and higher character, were likely to renderinfluential in the neighbourhood.
About the same time the orphan girl received a letter from Mrs.Bertram, the relation to whom she had written, as cold and comfortlessas could well be imagined. It inclosed, indeed, a small sum of money,but strongly recommended economy, and that Miss Bertram should boardherself in some quiet family, either at Kippletringan or in theneighbourhood, assuring her that, though her own income was veryscanty, she would not see her kinswoman want. Miss Bertram shed somenatural tears over this cold-hearted epistle; for in her mother's timethis good lady had been a guest at Ellangowan for nearly three years,and it was only upon succeeding to a property of about L400 a year thatshe had taken farewell of that hospitable mansion, which otherwisemight have had the honour of sheltering her until the death of itsowner. Lucy was strongly inclined to return the paltry donation, which,after some struggles with avarice, pride had extorted from the oldlady. But on consideration she contented herself with writing that sheaccepted it as a loan, which, she hoped in a short time to repay, andconsulted her relative upon the invitation she had received fromColonel and Miss Mannering. This time the answer came in course ofpost, so fearful was Mrs. Bertram that some frivolous delicacy, ornonsense, as she termed it, might induce her cousin to reject such apromising offer, and thereby at the same time to leave herself still aburden upon her relations. Lucy, therefore, had no alternative, unlessshe preferred continuing a burden upon the worthy Mac-Morlans, who weretoo liberal to be rich. Those kinsfolk who formerly requested thefavour of her company had of late either silently, or with expressionsof resentment that she should have preferred Mac-Morlan's invitation totheirs, gradually withdrawn their notice.
The fate of Dominie Sampson would have been deplorable had it dependedupon any one except Mannering, who was an admirer of originality, for aseparation from Lucy Bertram would have certainly broken his heart.Mac-Morlan had given a full account of his proceedings towards thedaughter of his patron. The answer was a request from Mannering to knowwhether the Dominie still possessed that admirable virtue oftaciturnity by which he was so notably distinguished at Ellangowan.Mac-Morlan replied in the affirmative. 'Let Mr. Sampson know,' said theColonel's next letter, 'that I shall want his assistance to catalogueand put in order the library of my uncle, the bishop, which I haveordered to be sent down by sea. I shall also want him to copy andarrange some papers. Fix his salary at what you think befitting. Letthe poor man be properly dressed, and accompany his young lady toWoodbourne.'
Honest Mac-Morlan received this mandate with great joy, but ponderedmuch upon executing that part of it which related to newly attiring theworthy Dominie. He looked at him with a scrutinising eye, and it wasbut too plain that his present garments were daily waxing moredeplorable. To give him money, and bid him go and furnish himself,would be only giving him the means of making himself ridiculous; forwhen such a rare event arrived to Mr. Sampson as the purchase of newgarments, the additions which he made to his wardrobe by the guidanceof his own taste usually brought all the boys of the village after himfor many days. On the other hand, to bring a tailor to measure him, andsend home his clothes, as for a school-boy, would probably giveoffence. At length Mac-Morlan resolved to consult Miss Bertram, andrequest her interference. She assured him that, though she could notpretend to superintend a gentleman's wardrobe, nothing was more easythan to arrange the Dominie's.
'At Ellangowan,' she said, 'whenever my poor father thought any part ofthe Dominie's dress wanted renewal, a servant was directed to enter hisroom by night, for he sleeps as fast as a dormouse, carry off the oldvestment, and leave the new one; nor could any one observe that theDominie exhibited the least consciousness of the change put upon him onsuch occasions.'
Mac-Morlan, in conformity with Miss Bertram's advice, procured askilful artist, who, on looking at the Dominie attentively, undertookto make for him two suits of clothes, one black and one raven-grey, andeven engaged that they should fit him--as well at least (so the tailorqualified his enterprise) as a man of such an out-of-the-way buildcould be fitted by merely human needles and shears. When this fashionerhad accomplished his task, and the dresses were brought home,Mac-Morlan, judiciously resolving to accomplish his purpose by degrees,withdrew that evening an important part of his dress, and substitutedthe new article of raiment in its stead. Perceiving that this passedtotally without notice, he next ventured on the waistcoat, and lastlyon the coat. When fully metamorphosed, and arrayed for the first timein his life in a decent dress, they did observe that the Dominie seemedto have
some indistinct and embarrassing consciousness that a changehad taken place on his outward man. Whenever they observed this dubiousexpression gather upon his countenance, accompanied with a glance thatfixed now upon the sleeve of his coat, now upon the knees of hisbreeches, where he probably missed some antique patching and darning,which, being executed with blue thread upon a black ground, hadsomewhat the effect of embroidery, they always took care to turn hisattention into some other channel, until his garments, 'by the aid ofuse, cleaved to their mould.' The only remark he was ever known to makeon the subject was, that 'the air of a town like Kippletringan seemedfavourable unto wearing apparel, for he thought his coat looked almostas new as the first day he put it on, which was when he went to standtrial for his license as a preacher.'
When the Dominie first heard the liberal proposal of Colonel Mannering,he turned a jealous and doubtful glance towards Miss Bertram, as if hesuspected that the project involved their separation; but when Mr.Mac-Morlan hastened to explain that she would be a guest at Woodbournefor some time, he rubbed his huge hands together, and burst into aportentous sort of chuckle, like that of the Afrite in the tale of 'TheCaliph Vathek.' After this unusual explosion of satisfaction, heremained quite passive in all the rest of the transaction.
It had been settled that Mr. and Mrs. Mac-Morlan should take possessionof the house a few days before Mannering's arrival, both to puteverything in perfect order and to make the transference of MissBertram's residence from their family to his as easy and delicate aspossible. Accordingly, in the beginning of the month of December theparty were settled at Woodbourne.