Chronicles of the Canongate, 1st SeriesScott, Walter
General
Chronicles of the Canongate, 1st Series
Scott, Walter
Scotland -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Scots -- Foreign countries -- Fiction
The feelings which arose in Wakefield’s mind would have induced him
to resist Mr. Ireby’s decision; but every Englishman has a tolerably
accurate sense of law and justice, and John Fleecebumpkin, the bailiff,
having acknowledged that he had exceeded his commission, Wakefield saw
nothing else for it than to collect his hungry and disappointed charge,
and drive them on to seek quarters elsewhere. Robin Oig saw what had
happened with regret, and hastened to offer to his English friend
to share with him the disputed possession. But Wakefield’s pride was
severely hurt, and he answered disdainfully, “Take it all, man--take it
all; never make two bites of a cherry. Thou canst talk over the gentry,
and blear a plain man’s eye. Out upon you, man. I would not kiss any
man’s dirty latchets for leave to bake in his oven.”
Robin Oig, sorry but not surprised at his comrade’s displeasure,
hastened to entreat his friend to wait but an hour till he had gone to
the Squire’s house to receive payment for the cattle he had sold, and
he would come back and help him to drive the cattle into some convenient
place of rest, and explain to him the whole mistake they had both of
them fallen into. But the Englishman continued indignant: “Thou hast
been selling, hast thou? Ay, ay; thou is a cunning lad for kenning the
hours of bargaining. Go to the devil with thyself, for I will ne’er see
thy fause loon’s visage again--thou should be ashamed to look me in the
face.”
“I am ashamed to look no man in the face,” said Robin Oig, something
moved; “and, moreover, I will look you in the face this blessed day, if
you will bide at the Clachan down yonder.”
“Mayhap you had as well keep away,” said his comrade; and turning
his back on his former friend, he collected his unwilling associates,
assisted by the bailiff, who took some real and some affected interest
in seeing Wakefield accommodated.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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