To sum the whole — the close of all.
Dean Swift.
As Glossin died without heirs, and without payment of the price, the estate of Ellangowan was again thrown upon the hands of Mr. Godfrey Bertram’s creditors1, the right of most of whom was, however, defeasible in case Henry Bertram should establish his character of heir of entail2. This young gentleman put his affairs into the hands of Mr. Pleydell and Mr. Mac-Morlan, with one single proviso, that, though he himself should be obliged again to go to India, every debt justly and honourably3 due by his father should be made good to the claimant. Mannering, who heard this declaration, grasped him kindly4 by the hand, and from that moment might be dated a thorough understanding between them.
The hoards5 of Miss Margaret Bertram, and the liberal assistance of the Colonel, easily enabled the heir to make provision for payment of the just creditors of his father, while the ingenuity6 and research of his law friends detected, especially in the accounts of Glossin, so many overcharges as greatly diminished the total amount. In these circumstances the creditors did not hesitate to recognise Bertram’s right, and to surrender to him the house and property of his ancestors. All the party repaired from Woodbourne to take possession, amid the shouts of the tenantry and the neighbourhood; and so eager was Colonel Mannering to superintend certain improvements which he had recommended to Bertram, that he removed with his family from Woodbourne to Ellangowan, although at present containing much less and much inferior accommodation.
The poor Dominie’s brain was almost turned with joy on returning to his old habitation. He posted upstairs, taking three steps at once, to a little shabby attic7, his cell and dormitory in former days, and which the possession of his much superior apartment at Woodbourne had never banished8 from his memory. Here one sad thought suddenly struck the honest man — the books! no three rooms in Ellangowan were capable to contain them. While this qualifying reflection was passing through his mind, he was suddenly summoned by Mannering to assist in calculating some proportions relating to a large and splendid house which was to be built on the site of the New Place of Ellangowan, in a style corresponding to the magnificence of the ruins in its vicinity. Among the various rooms in the plan, the Dominie observed that one of the largest was entitled The Library; and close beside was a snug9, well — proportioned chamber10, entitled Mr. Sampson’s Apartment. ‘Prodigious11, prodigious, pro-di-gi-ous!’ shouted the enraptured12 Dominie.
Mr. Pleydell had left the party for some time; but he returned, according to promise, during the Christmas recess13 of the courts. He drove up to Ellangowan when all the family were abroad but the Colonel, who was busy with plans of buildings and pleasure — grounds, in which he was well skilled, and took great delight.
‘Ah ha!’ said the Counsellor, ‘so here you are! Where are the ladies? where is the fair Julia?’
‘Walking out with young Hazlewood, Bertram, and Captain Delaserre, a friend of his, who is with us just now. They are gone to plan out a cottage at Derncleugh. Well, have you carried through your law business?’
‘With a wet finger,’ answered the lawyer; ‘got our youngster’s special service retoured into Chancery. We had him served heir before the macers.’
‘Macers? who are they?’
‘Why, it is a kind of judicial14 Saturnalia. You must know, that one of the requisites15 to be a macer, or officer in attendance upon our supreme16 court, is, that they shall be men of no knowledge.’
‘Very well!’
‘Now, our Scottish legislature, for the joke’s sake I suppose, have constituted those men of no knowledge into a peculiar17 court for trying questions of relationship and descent, such as this business of Bertram, which often involve the most nice and complicated questions of evidence.’
‘The devil they have! I should think that rather inconvenient,’ said Mannering.
‘O, we have a practical remedy for the theoretical absurdity18. One or two of the judges act upon such occasions as prompters and assessors to their own doorkeepers. But you know what Cujacius says, “Multa sunt in moribus dissentanea, multa sine ratione.”34 However, this Saturnalian court has done our business; and a glorious batch19 of claret we had afterwards at Walker’s. Mac-Morlan will stare when he sees the bill.’
‘Never fear,’ said the Colonel, ‘we’ll face the shock, and entertain the county at my friend Mrs. Mac-Candlish’s to boot.’
‘And choose Jock Jabos for your master of horse?’ replied the lawyer.
‘Perhaps I may.’
‘And where is Dandie, the redoubted Lord of Liddesdale?’ demanded the advocate.
‘Returned to his mountains; but he has promised Julia to make a descent in summer, with the goodwife, as he calls her, and I don’t know how many children.’
‘O, the curly-headed varlets! I must come to play at Blind Harry20 and Hy Spy with them. But what is all this?’ added Pleydell, taking up the plans. ‘Tower in the centre to be an imitation of the Eagle Tower at Caernarvon — corps21 de logis — the devil! Wings — wings! Why, the house will take the estate of Ellangowan on its back and fly away with it!’
‘Why, then, we must ballast it with a few bags of sicca rupees,’ replied the Colonel.
‘Aha! sits the wind there? Then I suppose the young dog carries off my mistress Julia?’
‘Even so, Counsellor.’
‘These rascals22, the post-nati, get the better of us of the old school at every turn,’ said Mr. Pleydell. ‘But she must convey and make over her interest in me to Lucy.’
‘To tell you the truth, I am afraid your flank will be turned there too,’ replied the Colonel.
‘Indeed?’
‘Here has been Sir Robert Hazlewood,’ said Mannering, ‘upon a visit to Bertram, thinking and deeming and opining — ’
‘O Lord! pray spare me the worthy24 Baronet’s triads!’
‘Well, sir,’ continued Mannering, ‘to make short, he conceived that, as the property of Singleside lay like a wedge between two farms of his, and was four or five miles separated from Ellangowan, something like a sale or exchange or arrangement might take place, to the mutual25 convenience of both parties.’
‘Well, and Bertram — ’
‘Why, Bertram replied, that he considered the original settlement of Mrs. Margaret Bertram as the arrangement most proper in the circumstances of the family, and that therefore the estate of Singleside was the property of his sister.’
‘The rascal23!’ said Pleydell, wiping his spectacles. ‘He’ll steal my heart as well as my mistress. Et puis?’
‘And then Sir Robert retired26, after many gracious speeches; but last week he again took the field in force, with his coach and six horses, his laced scarlet27 waistcoat, and best bob-wig — all very grand, as the good-boy books say.’
‘Ay! and what was his overture28?’
‘Why, he talked with great form of an attachment29 on the part of Charles Hazlewood to Miss Bertram.’
‘Ay, ay; he respected the little god Cupid when he saw him perched on the Dun of Singleside. And is poor Lucy to keep house with that old fool and his wife, who is just the knight30 himself in petticoats?’
‘No; we parried that. Singleside House is to be repaired for the young people, and to be called hereafter Mount Hazlewood.’
‘And do you yourself, Colonel, propose to continue at Woodbourne?’
‘Only till we carry these plans into effect. See, here’s the plan of my bungalow31, with all convenience for being separate and sulky when I please.’
‘And, being situated32, as I see, next door to the old castle, you may repair Donagild’s tower for the nocturnal contemplation of the celestial33 bodies? Bravo, Colonel!’
‘No, no, my dear Counsellor! Here ends The Astrologer.’
The End
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1
creditors
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| n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 ) | |
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entail
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| vt.使承担，使成为必要，需要 | |
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honourably
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| adv.可尊敬地，光荣地，体面地 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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hoards
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| n.（钱财、食物或其他珍贵物品的）储藏，积存( hoard的名词复数 )v.积蓄并储藏（某物）( hoard的第三人称单数 ) | |
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ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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attic
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| n.顶楼，屋顶室 | |
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banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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enraptured
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| v.使狂喜( enrapture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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recess
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| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
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14
judicial
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| adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的 | |
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requisites
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| n.必要的事物( requisite的名词复数 ) | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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batch
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| n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量 | |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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rascals
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| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
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rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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overture
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| n.前奏曲、序曲，提议，提案，初步交涉 | |
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attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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31
bungalow
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| n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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