Catriona

Page 76

On the morning of October 1st I was awakened by the clattering in

of an express; and getting to my window almost before he had

dismounted, I saw the messenger had ridden hard. Somewhile after I

was called to Prestongrange, where he was sitting in his bedgown

and nightcap, with his letters round him.

"Mr. David," add he, "I have a piece of news for you. It concerns

some friends of yours, of whom I sometimes think you are a little

ashamed, for you have never referred to their existence."

I suppose I blushed.

"See you understand, since you make the answering signal," said he.

"And I must compliment you on your excellent taste in beauty. But

do you know, Mr. David? this seems to me a very enterprising lass.

She crops up from every side. The Government of Scotland appears

unable to proceed for Mistress Katrine Drummond, which was somewhat

the case (no great while back) with a certain Mr. David Balfour.

Should not these make a good match? Her first intromission in

politics--but I must not tell you that story, the authorities have

decided you are to hear it otherwise and from a livelier narrator.

This new example is more serious, however; and I am afraid I must

alarm you with the intelligence that she is now in prison."

I cried out.

"Yes," said he, "the little lady is in prison. But I would not

have you to despair. Unless you (with your friends and memorials)

shall procure my downfall, she is to suffer nothing."

"But what has she done? What is her offence?" I cried.

"It might be almost construed a high treason," he returned, "for

she has broke the king's Castle of Edinburgh."

"The lady is much my friend," I said. "I know you would not mock

me if the thing were serious."

"And yet it is serious in a sense," said he; "for this rogue of a

Katrine--or Cateran, as we may call her--has set adrift again upon

the world that very doubtful character, her papa."

Here was one of my previsions justified: James More was once again

at liberty. He had lent his men to keep me a prisoner; he had

volunteered his testimony in the Appin case, and the same (no

matter by what subterfuge) had been employed to influence the jury.

Now came his reward, and he was free. It might please the

authorities to give to it the colour of an escape; but I knew

better--I knew it must be the fulfilment of a bargain. The same

course of thought relieved me of the least alarm for Catriona. She

might be thought to have broke prison for her father; she might

have believed so herself. But the chief hand in the whole business

was that of Prestongrange; and I was sure, so far from letting her

come to punishment, he would not suffer her to be even tried.

Whereupon thus came out of me the not very politic ejaculation:

"Ah! I was expecting that!"

"You have at times a great deal of discretion, too!" says

Prestongrange.

"And what is my lord pleased to mean by that?" I asked.

"I was just marvelling", he replied, "that being so clever as to

draw these inferences, you should not be clever enough to keep them

to yourself. But I think you would like to hear the details of the

affair. I have received two versions: and the least official is

the more full and far the more entertaining, being from the lively

pen of my eldest daughter. 'Here is all the town bizzing with a

fine piece of work,' she writes, 'and what would make the thing

more noted (if it were only known) the malefactor is a protegee of

his lordship my papa. I am sure your heart is too much in your

duty (if it were nothing else) to have forgotten Grey Eyes. What

does she do, but get a broad hat with the flaps open, a long hairy-

like man's greatcoat, and a big gravatt; kilt her coats up to GUDE

KENS WHAUR, clap two pair of boot-hose upon her legs, take a pair

of CLOUTED BROGUES {15} in her hand, and off to the Castle! Here

she gives herself out to be a soutar {16} in the employ of James

More, and gets admitted to his cell, the lieutenant (who seems to

have been full of pleasantry) making sport among his soldiers of

the soutar's greatcoat.

Robert Louis Stevenson
Classic Literature Library

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