But I'll be perfec'ly honest with ye:forby that,he was to have the selling of the lad in Caroliny,whilk would be as muckle mair,but no from my pocket,ye see.""Thank you,Mr.Thomson.That will do excellently well,"said the lawyer,stepping forward;and then mighty civilly,"Good-evening,Mr.Balfour,"said he.
And,"Good-evening,Uncle Ebenezer,"said I.
And,"It's a braw nicht,Mr.Balfour"added Torrance.
Never a word said my uncle,neither black nor white;but just sat where he was on the top door-step and stared upon us like a man turned to stone.Alan filched away his blunderbuss;and the lawyer,taking him by the arm,plucked him up from the doorstep,led him into the kitchen,whither we all followed,and set him down in a chair beside the hearth,where the fire was out and only a rush-light burning.
There we all looked upon him for a while,exulting greatly in our success,but yet with a sort of pity for the man's shame.
"Come,come,Mr.Ebenezer,"said the lawyer,"you must not be down-hearted,for I promise you we shall make easy terms.In the meanwhile give us the cellar key,and Torrance shall draw us a bottle of your father's wine in honour of the event."Then,turning to me and taking me by the hand,"Mr.David,"says he,"Iwish you all joy in your good fortune,which I believe to be deserved."And then to Alan,with a spice of drollery,"Mr.Thomson,I pay you my compliment;it was most artfully conducted;but in one point you somewhat outran my comprehension.Do Iunderstand your name to be James?or Charles?or is it George,perhaps?""And why should it be any of the three,sir?"quoth Alan,drawing himself up,like one who smelt an offence.
"Only,sir,that you mentioned a king's name,"replied Rankeillor;"and as there has never yet been a King Thomson,or his fame at least has never come my way,I judged you must refer to that you had in baptism."This was just the stab that Alan would feel keenest,and I am free to confess he took it very ill.Not a word would he answer,but stepped off to the far end of the kitchen,and sat down and sulked;and it was not till I stepped after him,and gave him my hand,and thanked him by title as the chief spring of my success,that he began to smile a bit,and was at last prevailed upon to join our party.
By that time we had the fire lighted,and a bottle of wine uncorked;a good supper came out of the basket,to which Torrance and I and Alan set ourselves down;while the lawyer and my uncle passed into the next chamber to consult.They stayed there closeted about an hour;at the end of which period they had come to a good understanding,and my uncle and I set our hands to the agreement in a formal manner.By the terms of this,my uncle bound himself to satisfy Rankeillor as to his intromissions,and to pay me two clear thirds of the yearly income of Shaws.
So the beggar in the ballad had come home;and when I lay down that night on the kitchen chests,I was a man of means and had a name in the country.Alan and Torrance and Rankeillor slept and snored on their hard beds;but for me who had lain out under heaven and upon dirt and stones,so many days and nights,and often with an empty belly,and in fear of death,this good change in my case unmanned me more than any of the former evil ones;and I lay till dawn,looking at the fire on the roof and planning the future.
[34]Dealings.
[35]Troublesome.