Catriona

Page 73

"To-morrow," he resumed, "our business here is to be finished, and

I proceed by Glasgow. I would be very glad to have you of my

party, Mr David."

"My lord . . ." I began.

"I do not deny it will be of service to me," he interrupted. "I

desire even that, when we shall come to Edinburgh, you should

alight at my house. You have very warm friends in the Miss Grants,

who will be overjoyed to have you to themselves. If you think I

have been of use to you, you can thus easily repay me, and so far

from losing, may reap some advantage by the way. It is not every

strange young man who is presented in society by the King's

Advocate."

Often enough already (in our brief relations) this gentleman had

caused my head to spin; no doubt but what for a moment he did so

again now. Here was the old fiction still maintained of my

particular favour with his daughters, one of whom had been so good

as to laugh at me, while the other two had scarce deigned to remark

the fact of my existence. And now I was to ride with my lord to

Glasgow; I was to dwell with him in Edinburgh; I was to be brought

into society under his protection! That he should have so much

good-nature as to forgive me was surprising enough; that he could

wish to take me up and serve me seemed impossible; and I began to

seek some ulterior meaning. One was plain. If I became his guest,

repentance was excluded; I could never think better of my present

design and bring any action. And besides, would not my presence in

his house draw out the whole pungency of the memorial? For that

complaint could not be very seriously regarded, if the person

chiefly injured was the guest of the official most incriminated.

As I thought upon this I could not quite refrain from smiling.

"This is in the nature of a countercheck to the memorial?" said I.

"You are cunning, Mr. David," said he, "and you do not wholly guess

wrong the fact will be of use to me in my defence. Perhaps,

however, you underrate friendly sentiments, which are perfectly

genuine. I have a respect for you, David, mingled with awe," says

he, smiling.

"I am more than willing, I am earnestly desirous to meet your

wishes," said I. "It is my design to be called to the Bar, where

your lordship's countenance would be invaluable; and I am besides

sincerely grateful to yourself and family for different marks of

interest and of indulgence. The difficulty is here. There is one

point in which we pull two ways. You are trying to hang James

Stewart, I am trying to save him. In so far as my riding with you

would better your lordship's defence, I am at your lordships

orders; but in so far as it would help to hang James Stewart, you

see me at a stick."

I thought he swore to himself. "You should certainly be called;

the Bar is the true scene for your talents," says he, bitterly, and

then fell a while silent. "I will tell you," he presently resumed,

"there is no question of James Stewart, for or against, James is a

dead man; his life is given and taken--bought (if you like it

better) and sold; no memorial can help--no defalcation of a

faithful Mr. David hurt him. Blow high, blow low, there will be no

pardon for James Stewart: and take that for said! The question is

now of myself: am I to stand or fall? and I do not deny to you

that I am in some danger. But will Mr. David Balfour consider why?

It is not because I pushed the case unduly against James; for that,

I am sure of condonation. And it is not because I have sequestered

Mr. David on a rock, though it will pass under that colour; but

because I did not take the ready and plain path, to which I was

pressed repeatedly, and send Mr. David to his grave or to the

gallows. Hence the scandal--hence this damned memorial," striking

the paper on his leg. "My tenderness for you has brought me in

this difficulty. I wish to know if your tenderness to your own

conscience is too great to let you help me out of it."

No doubt but there was much of the truth in what he said; if James

was past helping, whom was it more natural that I should turn to

help than just the man before me, who had helped myself so often,

and was even now setting me a pattern of patience? I was besides

not only weary, but beginning to be ashamed, of my perpetual

attitude of suspicion and refusal

"If you will name the time and place, I will be punctually ready to

attend your lordship," said I.

Robert Louis Stevenson
Classic Literature Library

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