by Walter Scott
CHAPTER LVII
THE MARCH
It is not our purpose to intrude upon the province of history. Weshall therefore only remind our readers that about the beginningof November the Young Chevalier, at the head of about six thousandmen at the utmost, resolved to peril his cause on an attempt topenetrate into the centre of England, although aware of the mightypreparations which were made for his reception. They set forwardon this crusade in weather which would have rendered any othertroops incapable of marching, but which in reality gave theseactive mountaineers advantages over a less hardy enemy. Indefiance of a superior army lying upon the Borders, under Field-Marshal Wade, they besieged and took Carlisle, and soon afterwardsprosecuted their daring march to the southward.
As Colonel Mac-Ivor's regiment marched in the van of the clans, heand Waverley, who now equalled any Highlander in the endurance offatigue, and was become somewhat acquainted with their language,were perpetually at its head. They marked the progress of thearmy, however, with very different eyes. Fergus, all air and fire,and confident against the world in arms, measured nothing but thatevery step was a yard nearer London. He neither asked, expected,nor desired any aid except that of the clans to place the Stuartsonce more on the throne; and when by chance a few adherents joinedthe standard, he always considered them in the light of newclaimants upon the favours of the future monarch, who, heconcluded, must therefore subtract for their gratification so muchof the bounty which ought to be shared among his Highlandfollowers.
Edward's views were very different. He could not but observe thatin those towns in which they proclaimed James the Third, 'no mancried, God bless him.' The mob stared and listened, heartless,stupefied, and dull, but gave few signs even of that boisterousspirit which induces them to shout upon all occasions for the mereexercise of their most sweet voices. The Jacobites had been taughtto believe that the north-western counties abounded with wealthysquires and hardy yeomen, devoted to the cause of the White Rose.But of the wealthier Tories they saw little. Some fled from theirhouses, some feigned themselves sick, some surrendered themselvesto the government as suspected persons. Of such as remained, theignorant gazed with astonishment, mixed with horror and aversion,at the wild appearance, unknown language, and singular garb of theScottish clans. And to the more prudent their scanty numbers,apparent deficiency in discipline, and poverty of equipment seemedcertain tokens of the calamitous termination of their rashundertaking. Thus the few who joined them were such as bigotry ofpolitical principle blinded to consequences, or whose brokenfortunes induced them to hazard all on a risk so desperate.
The Baron of Bradwardine, being asked what he thought of theserecruits, took a long pinch of snuff, and answered drily,'that hecould not but have an excellent opinion of them, since theyresembled precisely the followers who attached themselves to thegood King David at the cave of Adullam--videlicet, every one thatwas in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every onethat was discontented, which the vulgate renders bitter of soul;and doubtless,' he said, 'they will prove mighty men of theirhands, and there is much need that they should, for I have seenmany a sour look cast upon us.'
But none of these considerations moved Fergus. He admired theluxuriant beauty of the country, and the situation of many of theseats which they passed. 'Is Waverley-Honour like that house,Edward?'
'It is one-half larger.'
'Is your uncle's park as fine a one as that?'
'It is three times as extensive, and rather resembles a forestthan a mere park.'
'Flora will be a happy woman.'
'I hope Miss Mac-Ivor will have much reason for happinessunconnected with Waverley-Honour.'
'I hope so too; but to be mistress of such a place will be apretty addition to the sum total.'
'An addition, the want of which, I trust, will be amply suppliedby some other means.'
'How,' said Fergus, stopping short and turning upon Waverley--'howam I to understand that, Mr. Waverley? Had I the pleasure to hearyou aright?'
'Perfectly right, Fergus.'
'And am I to understand that you no longer desire my alliance andmy sister's hand?'
'Your sister has refused mine,' said Waverley, 'both directly andby all the usual means by which ladies repress undesiredattentions.'
'I have no idea,' answered the Chieftain, 'of a lady dismissing ora gentleman withdrawing his suit, after it has been approved of byher legal guardian, without giving him an opportunity of talkingthe matter over with the lady. You did not, I suppose, expect mysister to drop into your mouth like a ripe plum the first momentyou chose to open it?'
'As to the lady's title to dismiss her lover, Colonel,' repliedEdward, 'it is a point which you must argue with her, as I amignorant of the customs of the Highlands in that particular. Butas to my title to acquiesce in a rejection from her without anappeal to your interest, I will tell you plainly, without meaningto undervalue Miss Mac-Ivor's admitted beauty and accomplishments,that I would not take the hand of an angel, with an empire for herdowry, if her consent were extorted by the importunity of friendsand guardians, and did not flow from her own free inclination.'
'An angel, with the dowry of an empire,' repeated Fergus, in atone of bitter irony, 'is not very likely to be pressed upon a ----shire squire. But, sir,' changing his tone, 'if Flora Mac-Ivorhave not the dowry of an empire, she is MY sister; and that issufficient at least to secure her against being treated withanything approaching to levity.'
'She is Flora Mac-Ivor, sir,' said Waverley, with firmness, 'whichto me, were I capable of treating ANY woman with levity, would bea more effectual protection.'
The brow of the Chieftain was now fully clouded; but Edward felttoo indignant at the unreasonable tone which he had adopted toavert the storm by the least concession. They both stood stillwhile this short dialogue passed, and Fergus seemed half disposedto say something more violent, but, by a strong effort, suppressedhis passion, and, turning his face forward, walked sullenly on. Asthey had always hitherto walked together, and almost constantlyside by side, Waverley pursued his course silently in the samedirection, determined to let the Chief take his own time inrecovering the good-humour which he had so unreasonably discarded,and firm in his resolution not to bate him an inch of dignity.
After they had marched on in this sullen manner about a mile,Fergus resumed the discourse in a different tone. 'I believe I waswarm, my dear Edward, but you provoke me with your want ofknowledge of the world. You have taken pet at some of Flora'sprudery, or high-flying notions of loyalty, and now, like achild, you quarrel with the plaything you have been crying for,and beat me, your faithful keeper, because my arm cannot reach toEdinburgh to hand it to you. I am sure, if I was passionate, themortification of losing the alliance of such a friend, after yourarrangement had been the talk of both Highlands and Lowlands, andthat without so much as knowing why or wherefore, might wellprovoke calmer blood than mine. I shall write to Edinburgh and putall to rights; that is, if you desire I should do so; as indeed Icannot suppose that your good opinion of Flora, it being such asyou have often expressed to me, can be at once laid aside.'
'Colonel Mac-Ivor,' said Edward, who had no mind to be hurriedfarther or faster than he chose in a matter which he had alreadyconsidered as broken off, 'I am fully sensible of the value ofyour good offices; and certainly, by your zeal on my behalf insuch an affair, you do me no small honour. But as Miss Mac-Ivorhas made her election freely and voluntarily, and as all myattentions in Edinburgh were received with more than coldness, Icannot, in justice either to her or myself, consent that sheshould again be harassed upon this topic. I would have mentionedthis to you some time since, but you saw the footing upon which westood together, and must have understood it. Had I thoughtotherwise I would have earlier spoken; but I had a naturalreluctance to enter upon a subject so painful to us both.'
'O, very well, Mr. Waverley,' said Fergus, haughtily, 'the thingis at an end. I have no occasion to press my sister upon any man.'
'Nor have I any occasion to court
repeated rejection from the sameyoung lady,' answered Edward, in the same tone.
'I shall make due inquiry, however,' said the Chieftain, withoutnoticing the interruption, 'and learn what my sister thinks of allthis, we will then see whether it is to end here.'
'Respecting such inquiries, you will of course be guided by yourown judgment,' said Waverley. 'It is, I am aware, impossible MissMac-Ivor can change her mind; and were such an unsupposable caseto happen, it is certain I will not change mine. I only mentionthis to prevent any possibility of future misconstruction.'
Gladly at this moment would Mac-Ivor have put their quarrel to apersonal arbitrement, his eye flashed fire, and he measured Edwardas if to choose where he might best plant a mortal wound. Butalthough we do not now quarrel according to the modes and figuresof Caranza or Vincent Saviola, no one knew better than Fergus thatthere must be some decent pretext for a mortal duel. For instance,you may challenge a man for treading on your corn in a crowd, orfor pushing you up to the wall, or for taking your seat in thetheatre; but the modern code of honour will not permit you tofound a quarrel upon your right of compelling a man to continueaddresses to a female relative which the fair lady has alreadyrefused. So that Fergus was compelled to stomach this supposedaffront until the whirligig of time, whose motion he promisedhimself he would watch most sedulously, should bring about anopportunity of revenge.
Waverley's servant always led a saddle-horse for him in the rearof the battalion to which he was attached, though his masterseldom rode. But now, incensed at the domineering and unreasonableconduct of his late friend, he fell behind the column and mountedhis horse, resolving to seek the Baron of Bradwardine, and requestpermission to volunteer in his troop instead of the Mac-Ivorregiment.
'A happy time of it I should have had,' thought he, after he wasmounted, 'to have been so closely allied to this superb specimenof pride and self-opinion and passion. A colonel! why, he shouldhave been a generalissimo. A petty chief of three or four hundredmen! his pride might suffice for the Cham of Tartary--the GrandSeignior--the Great Mogul! I am well free of him. Were Flora anangel, she would bring with her a second Lucifer of ambition andwrath for a brother-in-law.'
The Baron, whose learning (like Sancho's jests while in the SierraMorena) seemed to grow mouldy for want of exercise, joyfullyembraced the opportunity of Waverley's offering his service in hisregiment, to bring it into some exertion. The good-natured oldgentleman, however, laboured to effect a reconciliation betweenthe two quondam friends. Fergus turned a cold ear to hisremonstrances, though he gave them a respectful hearing; and asfor Waverley, he saw no reason why he should be the first incourting a renewal of the intimacy which the Chieftain had sounreasonably disturbed. The Baron then mentioned the matter to thePrince, who, anxious to prevent quarrels in his little army,declared he would himself remonstrate with Colonel Mac-Ivor on theunreasonableness of his conduct. But, in the hurry of their march,it was a day or two before he had an opportunity to exert hisinfluence in the manner proposed.
In the meanwhile Waverley turned the instructions he had receivedwhile in Gardiner's dragoons to some account, and assisted theBaron in his command as a sort of adjutant. 'Parmi les aveugles unborgne est roi,' says the French proverb; and the cavalry, whichconsisted chiefly of Lowland gentlemen, their tenants andservants, formed a high opinion of Waverley's skill and a greatattachment to his person. This was indeed partly owing to thesatisfaction which they felt at the distinguished Englishvolunteer's leaving the Highlanders to rank among them; for therewas a latent grudge between the horse and foot, not only owing tothe difference of the services, but because most of the gentlemen,living near the Highlands, had at one time or other had quarrelswith the tribes in their vicinity, and all of them looked with ajealous eye on the Highlanders' avowed pretensions to superiorvalour and utility in the Prince's service.