1811.

THE COUNTRY LAIRD.

A TALE BY JOHN MILLER.

“I TELL you this will never do George, said the old lady to her son, who was now grown to a man; if you sit poring upon your books late and early in this manner, you will not only neglect your estate, but what is worse, injure your constitution and fall into listless inactivity: Why won't you look after your labourers daily, and your farmers occasionally, like other gentlemen?" "Our farmers are all doing very well mother," said he," and pay their rents regularly, and as for our farm servants, they have each of them filled the same situation so long, and so creditably, that I really feel quite awkward when superintending them; it looks as if I suspected their diligence which has been so often proved. Our wealth you know mother is annually increasing; at least as fast as necessary, and I wish that every one under us may be as easy and comfortable as possible." This was a fact, for the old Lady being extremely economical, their riches had increased rapidly since the death of the old Laird; and as for George, he never spent any thing, unless what he laid out in books and in relieving the poor; the article of dress he left entirely to his mother; whatever she bought, or made for him, he approved; and whatever clothes

No. XXIV.

or linen she laid down in his chamber,. he put them on without any observations. He acted upon the same principle with regard to his meals, but he sometimes was obliged to insist on a

66

little addition being made to the comforts of the family servants, all of whom loved him as a friend and benefactor. "But then my dear George," returned the old Lady, you might amuse yourself with fowling, or fishing, like others of your age and station; some exercise in the field is absolutely necessary to keep your manly form robust, your colour fresh, and your mind active; and you must not be displeased if I insist upon it while the weather is so fine." "As for fowling mother, I will never indulge in a sport which it gives me so much pain to see others pursuing; I think the pleasure arising from it can scarcely originate

in

any other thing than a principle of cruelty. Fishing is very little better; I never regret killing an ox, or a sheep, where we have so much necessary food for one life; but I think it hard to take a precious life for a single mouthful. Yet I have seen children who would cry bitterly if a lamb or bird was going to lose its life, who would think it. good sport to see a trout or salmon, weltering and gasping to death on the: bank:"" Well, but George, as you say, no body feels for fish; do take your father's rod and go a fishing, there is

plenty of every necessary article; we never wanted trouts for the table a day at this season, when he was alive." She then ordered John the barnman to put his master's rod and line in order, for he was going to fish in the afternoon. This was soon accomplished, and away went George to the fishing for the first time in his life; and an experienced angler could never have found better amusement than in contemplating his manner; he pulled out the line and threw it in again so fast, that he ap peared more like one threshing than angling; he fixed always upon the smoothest pools, where no trout in his right senses could possibly be inveigled. But the far greater part of his employment consisted in loosing the hook from every thing that came within its reach. At one time he was stooping to the arm-pits in the middle of the water, disengaging it from some abominable sod or twig; at another, climbing a tree and cutting the branch with his knife, upon the top of which it had fastened; at one time it fastened in his pantaloons, and after picking about it a long time, he was obliged to cut out the hold; the very next moment it fastened in the neck of his coat; he laid down the rod, threw off his coat, and cut it out without ceremony.

He went through all this without being the least disconcerted, or showing any impatience; and towards evening, the trouts being abundant, and John, who was a good fisher, having put on a fly that answered the weather, he caught sundry excellent ones, and it was thought he might have got many more, if he had been diligent; but the first trout that

he drew, he sat about half an hour, seemingly very busy examining the structure of his mouth and gills, and at times fixing his eyes on him in steady and profound contemplation.

The next day he needed little persua sion to try the same amusement, but went farther up the water, thinking he had cleaned it of trouts completely, where he had been the preceding evening. In these places being less incommoded with trees, he got excellent sport, and tender as his heart was, he soon began to feel considerable pleasure in winding the larger trouts ashore; as for the little ones, though of the kinds which never grow any larger, he always extricated them from the hook as tenderly as possible, and put them again into the water without hesitation, observing to them, that he thought they would take care how they jumped at a long-tailed fly again. On going over a little ridge, he came to a deep clear pool where the farmers had lately been washing their flocks, and by the side of it a most interesting female about his own age, gathering the small morsels of wool in her apron, which had fallen from the sheep in washing; and a child about two years old playing on the grass beside her. He was close upon her before either of them were aware, and it is hard to say, which of the two were most surprised. She blushed like scarlet, but pretended to gather on, as if wishing he would pass without taking any notice of them; but George was riveted to to spot; he expected no such thing, and had never seen any woman half so beautiful, and in such poor array. Her form was symmetry itself; her dark hair was tucked up behind with a comb,

and hung waving in ringlets over her lovely cheeks and brow, " like shadows on the mountain snow," "What are you going to do with that wool, my pretty girl?" said George," it has been trampled among the clay and sand, and is certainly quite useless." "It will easily clean again Sir", said she," and then it will be as good as ever." "It is certainly for no use whatever he said." "It is not for much use Sir, but if it is for any, I may as well gather it as let it lye and rot here." The child now rolled himself over to get his face turned towards them, and fixing his large blue eyes upon George, looked at him with the utmost seriousness. "Are you gathering that wool for yourself, or for your mother?" said George, " I have neither father nor mother, Sir." "But your husband I hope will supply both their places: you have a husband, have not you?" "No Sir." She blushed; but George coloured ten times deeper; his heart was wrung for his imprudence, when he cast his eyes upon the child: what was his business whether she was married or not, or how she came by the child! Anxious to put an end to this conversation as soon as possible, she took the wool below one arm, and the child in the other: "You will shake hands with me before you go my pretty dear," said George; "Ay!" said the child, stretching out his little hand; George shook it kindly, and then put a half crown into it. "Ah! dear Sir," said she," don't give him that; you are much too good Sir,-George, will not you thank the gentleman my dear?" "Hank ye sil," said the child; "gate mukil shillin mammy!" "That's my good boy," said she kissing him ;" will

66

not you like the gentleman for that?” Ay! an you like him too mammy; vely bonny shillin mammy;" Ay ! 'tis a very bonny shilling dear;" said she, and went away, casting a look to George, while the tears rolled in her fine dark blue eyes. George pretended to be very busy fishing, but minded the trouts no more than the stones in the river; and was heartily vexed when he hooked a large one immediately after, which drew his eyes from this rural beauty. Good God! said he to himself, how hard it is to know these women! who would not have sworn that that was a virtuous and innocent young woman, from her appearance, and yet she has a stout boy running by her side and calling her mammy. Alas! poor girl! no doubt some tender parent rejoiced over her, and anticipated better things of her. She is, however, a most engaging creature; and I fear from the cast of her countenance and gentle appearance, that she has not been too well used.

George kept a sidelong glance constantly upon her, till he saw her enter a little cottage near the side of the water; there were sundry other houses inhabited by poor people in the hamlet, and the farm house stood at the head. of the cluster.. The ground belonged to George, and the farmer was a quiet sober man, with a small family. George now went up the water a fishing every day, and though he often hovered a good while about the washing-pool, and at the crook opposite the cot, he could never get another sight of the amiable wool-gatherer, though he desired it above all things; for some way or other, he pitied her, and felt an interest for

her so deeply impressed on his heart, he could scarcely account for it. On On the second and third day that he went up, his little naine-sake came out to meet him at the water side, when he always sent him in again with a trout in one hand and a shilling in the other. But after this he came out no more, which George easily conceived to be occasioned by the girl's diffidence, who could not think of her little man turning a beggar so soon.

The same course was continued, and still with the same success; at least with regard to the beautiful young mother, which was now the first motive for his errands up the water, the trouts being only a secondary one. After three weeks, it chanced to come on a heavy rain one day, when he was about a mile above the steading; the farmer expecting he would fly for shelter, was standing without his own door to receive him; but George kept aloof, passed by and took shelter in the lovely wool-gatherer's cottage; though not without some scruples as to the prudence of the step he was taking. When he went in, she was singing a melodious Scottish air, and plying at her wheel. She surely must be some thoughtless creature, said he to himself, and little conscious of the state to which she is fallen. He desired her to go on with her song; but she quitted both that and her wheel instantly, set a chair for him, and sitting down on a little stool herself, laid sticks on the fire to dry him; at the same time speaking and looking with the utmost cheerfulness, and as kind as if he had been an old and intimate acquaintance. This was the very manner that delighted

George, and indeed, he was delighted in the highest degree by this fair mystery. He would gladly have learned her history, but durst not hint at it for fear of giving her pain; and he had too much delicacy to enquire after such a woman at any other person. He observed, that though there was but little furniture in the house, yet it was not in the least like any he had ever seen in such a cottage, and seemed very lately to have occupied a more respectable situation little George was eating at a lump of dry pease bannock, making very slow progress; he said nothing, but when his benefactor had sat some time in a painfully pleasing contemplation, he came round, and leaping at once upon his knee with a bounce, smiled in his face, as much as to say, "you are not minding George;" "ah! my little fellow are you there? Will you have a muckle shilling to-day? "Na tweel no, mammy vedy angry.” Well, well, since you have never come to help me to catch the trouts for so long a time, I will only give you a little one." "Dear Sir, don't mind him, said she, he is a little impudent brat : go off the gentleman George;" George clapped both his hands upon his head, and went back without hesitation; "nay," but said the other," you must always suffer me to give my little namesake something; for as Burns says to the mouse, "I'll get a blessing wi' the lave an never miss't." So saying he put a guinea into the child's hand; "hank ye sil, said George, no be angry mammy; only ittle wee bawbee, vely bonny bawbee mammy; as cleal as yalli gowan ;" "Oh Sir," said the cottage beauty," your kindness really dis

ઃ

tresses me, and I cannot prevent it, else I would; I have little need of money, Sir, and what can he do with it ;" No, no, but that is nothing betwixt || two friends like George and me; it will buy him a new suit before winter." George went home that night rather pleased with himself, but bewildered in conjecture with regard to the causes which had so successfully combined to reduce such a lovely female to a state so humiliating. He had pictured to himself all the insinuating evils, the flattery, and the vows that had been practised on her unsuspecting youth, which raised a groan from the deepest recess of his breast. "Alas! my brethren of the human race, said he to himself, how I must blush for the laxity of morals, and the unfeeling barbarity which so deeply, and so generally mark your characters, during the best season of your lives; yea, during that very season, when all the walks of virtue, innocence, and devotion, are enjoyed with the sweetest relish, and the pangs of remorse felt most bitterly. That a rational and accountable mortal should be so far deprived of all sensibility, as to disregard the admonitions of his own conscience, violate the laws of moral rectitude, and entail certain shame, misery, and ruin, upon a lovely and loving creature, who hath trusted her all to his honour; and all this for a momentary and sensual gratification! It is, indeed, heinous, and though it occurs almost daily, yet is certainly a refinement in cruelty, and often a first step to utter reprobation. O shame, shame, to humanity! What can in the least repair the loss she has sustained? No, the world cannot grant a compen

sation for that; a young woman's ho nour is like a sheet of white paper, the fairer the more easily sullied; cannot be handled without being fouled, and when once blotted, where is the fountain, even though filled with repentant tears that will ever clean it again? no, never in this world; but the Everlasting hath an eye upon all his creatures, and the injurer of innocence, sooner or later will receive his recompence."

But what astonished George most of all was, the cheerful serenity which she displayed under all her misfortunes; he did not know whether to blame or approve of her for this. However, he still went up the water a trouting every day, and for the most part called at the cot. He meant no ill, and suspected as little; but scandal is a busy vixen, and no body can make fame fly so fast upon an errand as she.

Robin, the farmer, was hurt that day when George passed by his house, and took shelter in the cot, and mentioned it in such a way, that the servants and cottars took notice of it; and the visits being so frequently repeated, it was not merely left for them to conjecture what was going on; it was with them all a certainty; when he was seen to go in, an event that was well watched, the lasses would smile to each other; the plowmen broke coarse jests upon it; and Meg, the farmer's old maiden sister used to say, "Hay, wow Sirs, I wonder what our young gentry will turn to by and by: I believe we'll hae to gie o'er marrying a' thegither, and lieve a' through ither like the Tarterers."

The old lady (George's mother) con gratulated herself mightily upon the