Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume 05
General
Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume 05
Scottish Borders (Scotland) -- Fiction
Jumping to the floor with considerable agility, and opening the shutters
with a bang, in the hope that noise and daylight would bring him
courage, the first objects that met his astonished gaze, were a shabby
brown greatcoat and a shocking bad hat, lying carelessly on a chair. Had
any one asked Andrew to shave his head without soap, or give sixpence
for a penny loaf, he could not have been more amazed or terror-stricken
than he was at that moment. That the shabby brown greatcoat and the
shocking bad hat belonged to the mysterious man with the black whiskers,
and that the mysterious man with the black whiskers, and he who had sat
beside the damsel with the bright eyes at the play, were one and the
same individual, Mr. Andrew Micklewhame had not the smallest doubt, and
thereupon he began to get a little fidgetty regarding his watch. The
curtains of the bed were closely drawn--so closely that Andrew could not
see in; and he did not just like at first to open the curtains and
disturb the whiskered youth in the same manner as the whiskered youth
had disturbed him. No. Andrew was a more generous-minded man than that.
He paced the room for some time, fancying all sorts of things about the
owner of the shabby brown greatcoat, but never taking his eye off the
curtains, resolved to rush forward on the first appearance of their
opening.
"'Tis for no good this fellow lives here," thought Andrew. "All a sham,
too, his being connected with these players. I have no doubt in my own
mind that he is either the murderer of Begbie in disguise, or a
resurrectionist. Ah! perhaps he has run away from the world, and come
here for the purpose of committing suicide in a quiet way. But, no; why
should he? That's quite improbable." And, after thinking all this, he
paused for about five minutes, then exclaimed, not aloud, however--"I
can bear this suspense no longer. Ecod! I'll ask the fellow who he is,
and, at the same time, claim my watch!"
So saying, he rushed forward with a determined air, drew the curtains,
and discovered--the bed was empty!
"He can't have gone far, for he has left his coat and hat behind him,"
were Andrew's reflections; and as he said this, he looked for his watch,
and then for his clothes. Amazement! they were all gone; watch, shirt,
coat, vest, and inexpressibles--all had vanished. In a paroxysm of fury
he rang the bell; and, presently, the voice of Kirsty, from without,
inquired, as she half-opened the door, and thrust forward a pair of well
worn Wellingtons, which Andrew recognised as not belonging to him--"D'ye
please to want onything else?"
"Anything else!" roared Andrew, choking with rage, and utterly
regardless of the respect due to the sex of the speaker. "Come in here,
and help me to find my trowsers!"
"O you--ye'll wait awhile, I'm thinkin, or I do siccan a thing."
"Zounds! that infernal fellow must have carried them off!" muttered
Andrew.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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