redgauntlet-第39节
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ut of which he had been drinking the small beer。 'What is it; usquebaugh?BRANDY; as I am an honest man! I had almost forgotten the name and taste of brandy。 Mr。 Fairford elder; your good health' (a mouthful of brandy); 'Mr。 Alan Fairford; wishing you well through your arduous undertaking' (another go…down of the comfortable liquor)。 'And now; though you have given a tolerable breviate of this great lawsuit; of whilk everybody has heard something that has walked the boards in the Outer House (here's to ye again; by way of interim decreet) yet ye have omitted to speak a word of the arrestments。'
'I was just coming to that point; Mr。 Peebles。'
'Or of the action of suspension of the charge on the bill。'
'I was just coming to that。'
'Or the advocation of the Sheriff…Court process。'
'I was just coming to it。'
'As Tweed comes to Melrose; I think;' said the litigant; and then filling his goblet about a quarter full of brandy; as if in absence of mind; 'Oh; Mr。 Alan Fairford; ye are a lucky man to buckle to such a cause as mine at the very outset! it is like a specimen of all causes; man。 By the Regiam; there is not a REMEDIUM JURIS in the practiques but ye'll find a spice o't。 Here's to your getting weel through with itPshutI am drinking naked spirits; I think。 But if the heathen he ower strong; we'll christen him with the brewer' (here he added a little small beer to his beverage; paused; rolled his eyes; winked; and proceeded);'Mr。 Fairfordthe action of assault and battery; Mr。 Fairford; when I compelled the villain Plainstanes to pull my nose within two steps of King Charles's statue; in the Parliament Closethere I had him in a hose…net。 Never man could tell me how to shape that processno counsel that ever selled mind could condescend and say whether it were best to proceed by way of petition and complaint; AD VINDICTAM PUBLICAM; with consent of his Majesty's advocate; or by action on the statute for battery PENDENTE LITE; whilk would be the winning my plea at once; and so getting a back…door out of court。By the Regiam; that beef and brandy is unco het at my heartI maun try the ale again' (sipped a little beer); 'and the ale's but cauld; I maun e'en put in the rest of the brandy。'
He was as good as his word; and proceeded in so loud and animated a style of elocution; thumping the table; drinking and snuffing alternately; that my father; abandoning all attempts to interrupt him; sat silent and ashamed; suffering; and anxious for the conclusion of the scene。
'And then to come back to my pet process of allmy battery and assault process; when I had the good luck to provoke him to pull my nose at the very threshold of the court; whilk was the very thing I wantedMr。 Pest; ye ken him; Daddie Fairford? Old Pest was for making it out HAMESUCKEN; for he said the court might be saidsaidugh!to be my dwelling…place。 I dwell mair there than ony gate else; and the essence of hamesucken is to strike a man in his dwelling…placemind that; young advocateand so there's hope Plainstanes may be hanged; as many has for a less matter; for; my lords;will Pest say to the Justiciary bodies; my lords; the Parliament House is Peebles' place of dwelling; says hebeing COMMUNE FORUM; and COMMUNE FORUM EST COMMUNE DOMICILIUMLass; fetch another glass of and score ittime to gae hameby the practiques; I cannot find the jugyet there's twa of them; I think。 By the Regiam; FairfordDaddie Fairford lend us twal pennies to buy sneeshing; mine is doneMacer; call another cause。'
The box fell from his hands; and his body would at the same time have fallen from the chair; had not I supported him。
'This is intolerable;' said my father'Call a chairman; James Wilkinson; to carry this degraded; worthless; drunken beast home。'
When Peter Peebles was removed from this memorable consultation; under the care of an able…bodied Celt; my father hastily bundled up the papers; as a showman; whose exhibition has miscarried; hastes to remove his booth。 'Here are my memoranda; Alan;' he said; in a hurried way; 'look them carefully overcompare them with the processes; and turn it in your head before Tuesday。 Many a good speech has been made for a beast of a client; and hark ye; lad; hark yeI never intended to cheat you of your fee when all was done; though I would have liked to have heard the speech first; but there is nothing like corning the horse before the journey。 Here are five goud guineas in a silk purseof your poor mother's netting; Alanshe would have been a blithe woman to have seen her young son with a gown on his backbut no more of thatbe a good boy; and to the work like a tiger。'
I did set to work; Darsie; for who could resist such motives? With my father's assistance; I have mastered the details; confused as they are; and on Tuesday I shall plead as well for Peter Peebles as I could for a duke。 Indeed; I feel my head so clear on the subject as to be able to write this long letter to you; into which; however; Peter and his lawsuit have insinuated themselves so far as to show you how much they at present occupy my thoughts。 Once more; be careful of yourself; and mindful of me; who am ever thine; while ALAN FAIRFORD。
From circumstances; to be hereafter mentioned; it was long ere this letter reached the person to whom it was addressed。
*
CHAPTER I
NARRATIVE
The advantage of laying before the reader; in the words of the actors themselves; the adventures which we must otherwise have narrated in our own; has given great popularity to the publication of epistolary correspondence; as practised by various great authors; and by ourselves in the preceding chapters。 Nevertheless; a genuine correspondence of this kind (and Heaven forbid it should be in any respect sophisticated by interpolations of our own!) can seldom be found to contain all in which it is necessary to instruct the reader for his full comprehension of the story。 Also it must often happen that various prolixities and redundancies occur in the course of an interchange of letters; which must hang as a dead weight on the progress of the narrative。 To avoid this dilemma; some biographers have used the letters of the personages concerned; or liberal extracts from them; to describe particular incidents; or express the sentiments which they entertained; while they connect them occasionally with such portions of narrative; as may serve to carry on the thread of the story。
It is thus that the adventurous travellers who explore the summit of Mont Blanc now move on through the crumbling snowdrift so slowly; that their progress is almost imperceptible; and anon abridge their journey by springing over the intervening chasms which cross their path; with the assistance of their pilgrim… staves。 Or; to make a briefer simile; the course of story… telling which we have for the present adopted; resembles the original discipline of the dragoons; who were trained to serve either on foot or horseback; as the emergencies of the service required。 With this explanation; we shall proceed to narrate some circumstances which Alan Fairford did not; and could not; write to his correspondent。
Our reader; we trust; has formed somewhat approaching to a distinct idea of the principal characters who have appeared before him during our narrative; but in case our good opinion of his sagacity has been exaggerated; and in order to satisfy such as are addicted to the laudable practice of SKIPPING (with whom we have at times a strong fellow…feeling); the following particulars may not be superfluous。
Mr。 Saunders Fairford; as he was usually called; was a man of business of the old school; moderate in his charges; economical and even niggardly in his expenditure; strictly honest in conducting his own affairs and those of his clients; but taught by long experience to be wary and suspicious in observing the motions of others。 Punctual as the clock of Saint Giles tolled nine; the neat dapper form of the little hale old gentleman was seen at the threshold of the court hall; or at farthest; at the head of the Back Stairs; trimly dressed in a complete suit of snuff…coloured brown; with stockings of silk or woollen as; suited the weather; a bob…wig; and a small cocked hat; shoes blacked as Warren would have blacked them; silver shoe…buckles; and a gold stock…buckle。 A nosegay in summer; and a sprig of holly in winter; completed his well…known dress and appearance。 His manners corresponded with his attire; for they were scrupulously civil; and not a little formal。 He was an elder of the kirk; and; of course; zealous for King George and the Government even to slaying; as he had showed by taking up arms in their cause。 But then; as he had clients and connexions of business among families of opposite political tenets; he was particularly cautious to use all the conventional phrases which the civility of the time had devised; as an admissible mode of language betwixt the two parties。 Thus he spoke sometimes of the Chevalier; but never either of the Prince; which would have been sacrificing his own principles; or of the Pretender; which would have been offensive to those of others。 Again; he usually designated the Rebellion as the AFFAIR of 1745; and spoke of any one engaged in it as a person who had be