St. Ronan's Well, page 27
“Yet, for all I have told you, this trout was not easily tickled; nor should I have made much of him, had he not, in the plenitude of his northern conceit, entertained that notion of my being a good subject of plunder, which you had contrived (blessings on your contriving brain!) to insinuate into him by means of Wolverine. He commenced this hopeful experiment, and, as you must have anticipated, caught a Tartar with a vengeance. Of course, I used my victory only so far as to secure his interest in accomplishing my principal object; and yet, I could see my gentleman's pride was so much injured in the course of the negotiation, that not all the advantages which the match offered to his damned family, were able entirely to subdue the chagrin arising from his defeat. He did gulp it down, though, and we are friends and allies, for the present at least—not so cordially so, however, as to induce me to trust him with the whole of the strangely complicated tale. The circumstance of the will it was necessary to communicate, as affording a sufficiently strong reason for urging my suit; and this partial disclosure enabled me for the present to dispense with farther confidence.
“You will observe, that I stand by no means secure; and besides the chance of my cousin's reappearance—a certain event, unless he is worse than I dare hope for—I have perhaps to expect the fantastic repugnance of Clara herself, or some sulky freak on her brother's part.—In a word—and let it be such a one as conjurers raise the devil with—Harry Jekyl, I want you.
“As well knowing the nature of my friend, I can assure you that his own interest, as well as mine, may be advanced by his coming hither on duty. Here is a blockhead, whom I already mentioned, Sir Bingo Binks, with whom something may be done worth your while, though scarce worth mine. The Baronet is a perfect buzzard, and when I came here he was under Mowbray's training. But the awkward Scot had plucked half-a-dozen penfeathers from his wing with so little precaution, that the Baronet has become frightened and shy, and is now in the act of rebelling against Mowbray, whom he both hates and fears—the least backing from a knowing hand like you, and the bird becomes your own, feathers and all.—Moreover,
——‘by my life, This Bingo hath a mighty pretty wife.’
A lovely woman, Harry—rather plump, and above the middle size—quite your taste—A Juno in beauty, looking with such scorn on her husband, whom she despises and hates, and seeming, as if she could look so differently on any one whom she might like better, that, on my faith, 'twere sin not to give her occasion. If you please to venture your luck, either with the knight or the lady, you shall have fair play, and no interference—that is, provided you appear upon this summons; for, otherwise, I may be so placed, that the affairs of the knight and the lady may fall under my own immediate cognizance. And so, Harry, if you wish to profit by these hints, you had best make haste, as well for your own concerns, as to assist me in mine.—Yours, Harry, as you behave yourself,
“Etherington.”
Having finished this eloquent and instructive epistle, the young Earl demanded the attendance of his own valet Solmes, whom he charged to put it into the post-office without delay, and with his own hand.
GLOSSARY.
A', all
“A. B. Memorial,” a legal statement which does not give the names of the parties concerned.
Abee, alone.
Ae, one.
Aff, off.
Afterhend, afterwards.
Ain, own.
Airn, iron.
Ajee, awry.
Amaist, almost.
Andrew Ferrara, a sword.
Ane, one.
Assoilzie, to acquit.
Asteer, astir.
Atween, between.
Aught, possession; to own, to possess.
Auld, old. “Auld lang syne,” the days of long ago.
Aw, all.
Awa, away.
Awing, owing, or bill.
Awmry, a cupboard.
Bairn, a child.
Baith, both.
Ballant, a ballad.
Bane, a bone.
Bangster, a victor
Bawbee, a halfpenny.
Bee—“to hae a bee in one's bonnet,” to be harebrained.
Beltane, a festival on the first of May, hence Whitsuntide.
“Bent, to take the,” to provide for one's safety, to flee country.
Bide, to stay, to remain; to bear, to endure.
Bigg, to build.
Bind, one's ability or power.
Bink, a plate-rack.
Birl, to turn, to toss.
“Blaw in my lug,” a flatterer.
Blude, bluid, blood.
Bodle, a small copper coin.
Bogle, a scarecrow.
Bombazine, the silk and worsted stuff of which a lawyer's gown was made.
Bonnet-laird, a small proprietor or freeholder who farms his own land.
“Bow Street runners,” London detectives.
Braw, brave, fine.
Bruick, possessed.
“By ordinar,” out of the common run.
Ca', to call. Ca'd, called.
Callant, a lad.
Caller, fresh.
Canna, cannot.
Cantle, the crown of the head.
Canty, lively, cheerful.
Capillaire, a syrup made from maidenhair fern.
Cappie, a kind of beer.
Carle, a fellow.
Carline, a witch.
Carvy, carraway.
Cauld, cold.
Cheek-haffit, side of the cheek.
Chucky, a pebble.
Claithes, clothes.
Claver, gossip.
Claw, to beat.
Cleck, clack or hatch.
Cleeket, cleiket, caught, ensnared, taken.
Clink, to chime, to rhyme.
Clouted, patched, and so strengthened.
Cock-a-leeky, cockie-leekie, soup made of a cock boiled with leeks.
Cock-bree, cock-broth.
Cockernonnie, a top-knot.
Cogue, a wooden measure.
Condiddling, appropriating.
Courie, cowry, a shell used as money in parts of Southern Asia and Africa.
Coventry. To send one to Coventry is to refuse to have anything to do with him socially, not even to speak to him.
Cowt, a colt.
Craig, a rock.
Crap, a wig of rough short hair.
Craw, a crow.
Cuitle, to wheedle.
Cumbers, drawbacks, vexations.
Cutty, a jade.
Daffing, frolicking.
Daft, crazy.
Daur, to dare.
“Day, the,” to-day.
Decerniture, a decree of the court.
Deil, the devil. “Deil's buckie,” devil's imp.
Deleerit, distracted.
Diet-loaf, a kind of spongecake.
Dinna, don't.
Doited, dotard.
Donnart, stupid.
Dookit, ducked.
Douce, quiet, sensible.
Dought, was able.
Doun, down.
Dowcot, a dovecot.
Drap, a drop.
Drappie, a drop of spirits.
Dree'd, endured.
Drogs, drugs.
Dung, knocked, beaten.
Ee, the eye
Een, eyes.
Eneugh, enough.
Fa'an, fallen.
Fash, trouble.
Fashious, troublesome.
Faut, fault.
Feck, part, the greater part.
Feckless, spiritless.
Fend, defence.
Fern-seed. Certain kinds were supposed to render invisible those who carried it on their person.
Feuar, one who holds lands in feu—i.e., on lease.
File, foul.
Flee, a fly.
Fleeching, flattering.
Flesher, a butcher.
Flichtering, fluttering, fussing.
Flight—“hail flight,” the whole lot.
Flyting, scolding.
Follies, ornaments, laces, &c.
Forbears, ancestors.
Forby, besides.
Fou, full.
Fouest, fullest.
Frae, from.
Fu', full.
Fule, a fool.
Gaed, went.
Gaen, gone.
Galliard, sprightly.
Gane, gone.
Gang, go.
Ganging, going.
Gar, to force, to make.
Gate, way, direction.
Gaun, going.
Geisen'd, leaking.
Gie, give.
Gill-flirt, a giddy flirt.
Girning, crabbed, ill-tempered.
Gled, a kite.
Gnostic, knowing, sharp.
Gomeril, an ass, a fool.
Goupin, a double handful.
Gowd, gold.
Gowk, a fool.
Gree, to agree.
Grosert, a gooseberry.
Gude, good.
Gudes, possessions, property.
Gully, a large knife.
Ha', a hall.
Hae, have.
Hail, haill, whole.
Harns, brains.
Haud, hold. “Neither to haud nor to bind,” a proverbial phrase expressive of violent excitement.
Haugh, low-lying flat ground, properly on the border of a river, and such as is sometimes overflowed.
Haverils, foolish chatterers.
Heather-tap, a tuft or bunch of heather.
Hellicate, giddy, wild.
Hempie, roguish, romping.
Het, hot.
Holm, the level low ground on the banks of a river.
Hooly, softly, slowly.
Hotch, to jerk oneself along in a sitting posture.
Hottle, an hotel.
“Hout fie! hout awa!” expressions of dissatisfaction.
Howff, a favourite resort.
Howk, to dig.
Hurley-hacket, a badly hung carriage.
Huzzie, a jade.
Ilk, ilka, each, every.
I'se, I shall.
Jaugs, saddle bags.
Jer-falcon, a species of hawk.
Jirbling, emptying liquids from vessel to vessel.
Kale, broth.
Ken, to know.
Ken'd, knew.
Kitchen-fee, dripping.
Kittle, to tickle, to manage.
Kittled, were born.
Knap, to break in two; also, to speak after the manner of the English.
Kouscousou, a Moorish dish of various compounds.
Laird, a squire, lord of the manor.
Lamer, amber.
Landlouper, a charlatan, an adventurer.
Lang, long.
Lave, the remainder.
Lawing, a tavern reckoning.
Lea-rig, unploughed land or hill-side.
Lee, a lie.
Leeving, living.
“Let abee,” let alone.
Lick, to beat, to overcome.
Linking, walking arm in arm.
Linkit, linked.
“Link out,” to pay down smartly.
Lippen, to trust.
Loon, a fellow, a person.
Loot, allowed.
Loup, leap.
Lug, the ear.
Mailing, a farm.
Mair, more.
Maist, most.
Mansworn, perjured.
Mask, to brew.
Maun, must. Maunna, must not.
Mawkin, a hare.
Mazareen, mazarin, a deep blue colour.
Meith, a mark.
Mell, to maul, to meddle with.
“Minced collops,” meat cut up very fine.
Mind, to remember.
Muckle, much.
Muir, a moor.
Multiplepoinding, a method of settling rival claims to the same fund.
Multure, the miller's fee for grinding grain.
Murgeons, mouths, distorted gestures.
Mutch, a woman's cap.
Mutchkin, a measure equal to an English pint.
Na, nae, no, not.
Naig, a nag.
Neist, next.
Odd-come-shortlies, chance times not far off.
Ony, any.
Or, before. “Or they wan hame,” before they get home.
Ower, over.
Owerta'en, overtaken.
Palinode, in Scotch libel cases a formal recantation exacted in addition to damages.
Parritch, porridge.
Pat, put.
Pawky, shrewd.
Pice, an Indian coin.
Plack, a small copper coin = ⅓d.
Pock, a poke, a bag.
Poney, £25.
Pootry, poultry.
Pow, the head.
Pownie, a pony.
Prieve, proof, legal probation.
Puir, poor.
Pyot, a magpie.
Quaigh, a whisky measure.
Raff, a worthless fellow, a nobody.
Rattan, a cane or walking-stick.
Rax, to stretch.
Redd, to tidy. “An ill-red-up house,” an untidy house.
Reekie, smoky.
Reise-sac, a travelling-bag.
Rin, run.
Rouleau, a roll of coined money.
Row, roll.
Sae, so.
Sair, sore.
“Salam alicum!” The usual Mohammedan greeting, meaning, Peace be with you!
Sall, shall.
Sasine, a mode of investiture in lands, according to ancient Scottish law.
Saumon, salmon.
Sax, six.
Scart, scratch.
Scate-rumple, skate-tail.
“Scauff and raff,” tag-rag and bobtail.
Sclate, slate.
Scouthered, slightly toasted or singed.
Seeven, seven.
Shave, a slice.
Shool, a shovel.
Shouther, the shoulder.
Sib, related by blood.
Sic, such.
Siller, money.
Skeely, skilful.
Skylarked, tricked.
Slaister, a mess.
Sloan, a rebuff.
Smoor, to smother.
Snap, a small biscuit.
Sneck-drawing, crafty.
Snooded, bound up with a snood or fillet for the hair.
Sorn, to spunge, to live upon.
Sort, to arrange, to manage.
Sough, a sigh. “To keep a calm sough,” to keep a quiet tongue.
Speer, to inquire.
Steer, stir.
Steered, disturbed.
Streekit, stretched (applied to a corpse).
Suld, should.
Syllabub, a curd made of wins or cider with milk or cream.
Synd, to rinse.
Syne, since, ago.
Tailzie, a bond of entail.
Tane, the one.
Tappet-hen, a large measure of claret holding three magnums or Scots pints.
Tauld, told.
Taupie, tawpie, an awkward girl, a tomboy.
Thae, these, those.
Thrawn, thwarted or twisted.
Threepit, averred, persisted.
Till't, to it.
Tither, the other.
Toom, empty.
Topping, excellent.
Trankums, flimsy ornaments, laces, &c.
Trewed, believed.
Twa, two.
Twal, twelve.
Unco, very, particular, uncommon.
Vilipend, to slight, to undervalue.
Wad, would.
Wadna, would not.
Wae, woful, sad.
Walth, wealth.
Wame-fou, bellyful.
“Wan to,” reached.
Warld, world.
Waur, worse.
Weel, well.
Weird, destiny.
Wha, who.
“What for no?” why not?
Wheen, a few.
Whiles, sometimes.
Whilk, which.
Whully-whaing, flattery.
Wi', with.
Winna, will not.
Wud, mad. “Ance wud and aye waur,” increasing in insanity—applied to one who, being in a passion, still waxes more furious.
Wull, will.
Wuss, wish.
Yanking, smart, active.
Yont, beyond.
VOLUME II
A merry place, 'tis said, in days of yore;
But something ails it now,—the place is cursed.
Wordsworth.
CHAPTER I.
THEATRICALS.
——The play's the thing.
Hamlet.
The important day had now arrived, the arrangement for which had for some time occupied all the conversation and thoughts of the good company at the Well of St. Ronan's. To give it, at the same time, a degree of novelty and consequence, Lady Penelope Penfeather had long since suggested to Mr. Mowbray, that the more gifted and accomplished part of the guests might contribute to furnish out entertainment for the rest, by acting a few scenes of some popular drama; an accomplishment in which her self-conceit assured her that she was peculiarly qualified to excel. Mr. Mowbray, who seemed on this occasion to have thrown the reins entirely into her ladyship's hands, made no objection to the plan which she proposed, excepting that the old-fashioned hedges and walks of the garden at Shaws-Castle must necessarily serve for stage and scenery, as there was no time to fit up the old hall for the exhibition of the proposed theatricals.[1] But upon enquiry among the company, this plan was wrecked upon the ordinary shelve, to wit, the difficulty of finding performers who would consent to assume the lower characters of the drama. For the first parts there were candidates more than enough; but most of these were greatly too high-spirited to play the fool, except they were permitted to top the part. Then amongst the few unambitious underlings, who could be coaxed or cajoled to undertake subordinate characters, there were so many bad memories, and short memories, and treacherous memories, that at length the plan was resigned in despair.
