第117章

Ochiltree, thus rejected from the society of the Catholic mendicants, or those who called themselves such, went to station himself with the paupers of the communion of the church of England, to whom the noble donor allotted a double portion of his charity.But never was a poor occasional conformist more roughly rejected by a High-church congregation, even when that matter was furiously agitated in the days of good Queen Anne.

``See to him wi' his badge!'' they said;--``he hears ane o'

the king's Presbyterian chaplains sough out a sermon on the morning of every birth-day, and now he would pass himsell for ane o' the Episcopal church! Na, na!--we'll take care o'

that.''

Edie, thus rejected by Rome and Prelacy, was fain to shelter himself from the laughter of his brethren among the thin group of Presbyterians, who had either disdained to disguise their religious opinions for the sake of an augmented dole, or perhaps knew they could not attempt the imposition without a certainty of detection.

The same degree of precedence was observed in the mode of distributing the charity, which consisted in bread, beef, and a piece of money, to each individual of all the three classes.The almoner, an ecclesiastic of grave appearance and demeanour, superintended in person the accommodation of the Catholic mendicants, asking a question or two of each as he delivered the charity, and recommending to their prayers the soul of Joscelind, late Countess of Glenallan, mother of their benefactor.The porter, distinguished by his long staff headed with silver, and by the black gown tufted with lace of the same colour, which he had assumed upon the general mourning in the family, overlooked the distribution of the dole among the prelatists.The less-favoured kirk-folk were committed to the charge of an aged domestic.

As this last discussed some disputed point with the porter, his name, as it chanced to be occasionally mentioned, and then his features, struck Ochiltree, and awakened recollections of former times.The rest of the assembly were now retiring, when the domestic, again approaching the place where Edie still lingered, said, in a strong Aberdeenshire accent, ``Fat is the auld feel-body deeing, that he canna gang avay, now that he's gotten baith meat and siller?''

``Francis Macraw,'' answered Edie Ochiltree, ``d'ye no mind Fontenoy, and `keep thegither front and rear?' ''

``Ohon! ohon!'' cried Francie, with a true north-country yell of recognition, ``naebody could hae said that word but my auld front-rank man, Edie Ochiltree! But I'm sorry to see ye in sic a peer state, man.''

``No sae ill aff as ye may think, Francis.But I'm laith to leave this place without a crack wi' you, and I kenna when Imay see you again, for your folk dinna mak Protestants welcome, and that's ae reason that I hae never been here before.''

``Fusht, fusht,'' said Francie, ``let that flee stick i' the wa'--when the dirt's dry it will rub out;--and come you awa wi' me, and I'll gie ye something better thau that beef bane, man.''

Having then spoke a confidential word with the porter (probably to request his connivance), and having waited until the almoner had returned into the house with slow and solemn steps, Francie Macraw introduced his old comrade into the court of Glenallan House, the gloomy gateway of which was surmounted by a huge scutcheon, in which the herald and undertaker had mingled, as usual, the emblems of human pride and of human nothingness,--the Countess's hereditary coat-of-arms, with all its numerous quarterings, disposed in a lozenge, and surrounded by the separate shields of her paternal and maternal ancestry, intermingled with scythes, hour glasses, skulls, and other symbols of that mortality which levels all distinctions.Conducting his friend as speedily as possible along the large paved court, Macraw led the way through a side-door to a small apartment near the servants' hall, which, in virtue of his personal attendance upon the Earl of Glenallan, he was entitled to call his own.To produce cold meat of various kinds, strong beer, and even a glass of spirits, was no difficulty to a person of Francis's importance, who had not lost, in his sense of conscious dignity, the keen northern prudence which recommended a good understanding with the butler.Our mendicant envoy drank ale, and talked over old stories with his comrade, until, no other topic of conversation occurring, he resolved to take up the theme of his embassy, which had for some time escaped his memory.

``He had a petition to present to the Earl,'' he said;--for he judged it prudent to say nothing of the ring, not knowing, as he afterwards observed, how far the manners of a single soldier

* A single soldier means, in Scotch, a private soldier.

might have been corrupted by service in a great house.

``Hout, tout, man,'' said Francie, ``the Earl will look at nae petitions--but I can gie't to the almoner.''

``But it relates to some secret, that maybe my lord wad like best to see't himsell.''