The Secretar. Founded on the story of the Casket Letters

Front matter

JF ounoco on tf. c %torp of tbe Casket Hesters BY W. BEATTY. ALEXANDER GARDNER publisher to 9er M3ajestg the Queen PAISLEY ; and 26 PATERNOSTER SQUARE, LONDON 1S97 CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I. — On the Crags, .... .... .... .... 9 II. — The Breaking of the New Day, .... 14 III. — The Silver-Gilt Casket,.... .... .... 22 IV. — The Escape, 30 V. — A Swim in the Nor Loch, 39 VI. — The Fox and the Lion, 43 VII. — De Nihilo Nihil Fit, 52 VIII. — A Woman's Wit and a Man's Way, 60 IX. — The Meeting at the Pend, 68 X.— Sowing, .... .... .... .... .... 75 XI. — The Brulzie at the Black Turnpike, 85 XII. — A Night in the Towbooth, .... 90 XIII. — What Chanced in the Towbooth, .... 96 XIV. — Some Spirits that Walked and Talked in the St. Giles' Kirkyard, .... 104 XV. — What Chanced in the Greyfriars, .... 113 XVI. — I Meet an Old Acquaintance, .... 122 XVII.— Red Pow, 134 XVIII. — The Trepanning of Mary Ainslie, 147 XIX. — Wha Maun to Cupar Will to Cupar, 158 XX. — Jack o' Lanthron, 167 XXI. — Little France, 179 XXII. — A Fule, a Motley Fule ! — a Miserable World, 187 XXIII. —Patrick Bonny, .... 195 XXIV.— Chased, 202 XXV. — Bonny has an Idea, 209 XXVI.— At Maister Twiddell's, ....

CONTENTS. 8 CHAPTEK PAGE XXVII. — Mistress Fleming and the Trick She Played, .... .... .... .... .... 219 XXVIII. — The Lion's Den and what befell Me therein, .... ... .... .... 226 XXIX. — A Kittle Position, 234 XXX. — Two Fules, 243 XXXI. — White Fish in the Net, 252 XXXII.— The Duel, 260 XXXIII. — The Lion Trapped, 270 XXXIV. — The Finding of the Band, 278 XXXV. — How I made my Escape, 284 XXXVI. — At Ledington, 287 XXXVII — Listeners never Hear any Gude of Themselves, .... .... .... .... 299 XXXVIII. — I am Tempted and Fall 305 XXXIX.— The Change House, 311 XL. — My Quest after the Band,.... .... 318 XLI. — I have Visions and begin to grow Ambitious, 324 XLII. — The Turn of the Tide, .... .... 334 XLIII. — The Burning, 344 XLIV. — The Crossing of the South Esk, .... 353 XLV. — I thraw Mistress Fleming and get the Worst of it, .... .... .... .... 365 XLVI. — A Hair of the Dog that Bit Me, 368 XLVII. — The Blind God, 376 XLVIII. — Needs Must when the Deil Drives, .... 385 XLIX. — A Straggler from the Field, .... 396 L. — To the End, .... .... LI. — The Bird in the Cage, .... 413 LII. — The Setting Sun, 42

Chapter I

on the crags. Little thought had I, John Kilgour, as I looked down that summer afternoon on the grey old Toun at my feet, of the hand I had in the bringing about of the great events then afoot. Yet, strange as it may seem, with much that was then doing, and more that was done in the days that followed, I, in some part, was unwittingly enow, in a manner connected. Now whether the king's murther, the taking of the queen at the Almond Brig, her bewitchment thereafter, her marriage to Bodwell, and, as I was to learn anon, the affair of Carberry, would not have happed as they did, gif I, John Kilgour, had stayed at the Knock, I wot not. But I have often thought since, that gif Father Clement had but guessed to what end his labour tended, he would have torn his tongue out by the roots, or burned his hands ower a slow fire, aye, and his beloved books and parchments too, ere he learned me a word of Latin, or French either.

Nay more, he would rather have suffered the torture than have taught me the cunning of a fairer hand than his own. It is, methinks, after all, despite the fiery zeal of Maister Knox, or the devotion of the queen to her faith, but a world of chance this, when one considers that the most obscure and peaceful of -men, or the vilest of smaiks, may be the means of dinging down the great. Of a truth, I can well understand how a man may irip ower a straw, gif these be the kind that are to be met. How long I had wandered about the Crags I had no means of kenning save by the sun ; but from that, it being low in the heavens, I was warned that I had overstayed my time. Yet I was loath to descend. Up there with the free cauler air fresh from the sea blowing all about me I felt another man. My brain and my lungs, and my heart too, were sweetened, so that I could ill brook the thought of return to the close, dark lanes and offensive alleys of the Toun.

I say I was loath, but I was something more. The strange nature of the work I had been so late employed upon, and the comings and goings of the last few days, together with the air of secrecy which characterized the conferences between Hugh Ainslie and those who visited him, as well as what I kend of the men themselves, was matter enow to render me uneasy. For three days and two nights, save for an hour or two of sleep, I had been engaged transcrib ing certain papers furnished me ; sonnets, love-letters and what not. This work — the commission of some court gallant as I understood — having only been finished that afternoon, I was now, by Ainslie's permission, enjoying a breath of fresh air, and an hour or so of liberty. Howbeit there was no other way for it, descend I must ; for this reason, that I had the writings with me, having brought them away to go ower them in quiet, ere I handed them to maister Hugh Ainslie, who had required me to have the work done that very day, and for another, my time was almost spent ; for I, John Kilgour, what was I but a hewer of wood and a drawer of water.

Well, hardly of water, of ale I should say, albeit Hugh Ainslie's stuff but ill deserved the name. But ale or muddy water it matters little, I was but a Drawer of Tippeny at the sign of the Golden Sun. It was a beggarly employment enow to one who had stomach for better things ; but it was meat and drink whilk, in these ON THE CRAGS. 11 days, was something. Nay, it was more, for my condition — as the condition of the Kilgours has ever been — when I first came to know Hugh Ainslie, was mean in the extreme, and rather like to grow worse than better. In truth I will be candid and say, once for all, that but for the sweet compassion of a woman, it would have been altogether desperate if not beyond mending. Too many mouths for the meal-poke it was, as much as a natural discontent, and the desire to rove, that had driven me to seek service and fortune at the court.

Had I kent then what I kend later on I might have saved myself a weary travel and a tight belt, for after much importuning and many rebuffs I found that neither service nor fortune was to be had. The meal-poke at Holyrude was just as small every whit, considering what it had to do, as that at the Knock, and the mouths were larger and more numerous, so that, as the Secretar had said, the queen had scarce enow left to buy her a pair of new shoon. For a while I had minded my ill-fortune but little, being, as most young and healthy folks are, of a sanguine temperament, spending my time for the most part in making acquaintance with my new surroundings, and in feasting my een — hungrier then than my stomach — upon the many gudely shews of the Capital, of whilk there was ever, to one landward bred, a wealth.

Now I would gang to hear Maister Knox preach in the St. Giles, anon to the Grass Market to see some poor wretch justified, or to the Market Cross to listen to some proclamation by the queen or the lords of the Congrega tion — neither, it would seem, being so happy as when fighting one another with sword or pen — or, as I had been that day, to the Crags. But time passing and I coming no nearer bettering myself, and the bony fingers of hunger gripping me, I soon ceased to care for pomps and shews, for it is ill looking at things with a toom stomach. From enow I came little by little to cakes and ale, and from that to nothing at all. One morning I woke to the knowledge that my pockets were empty, and pride, or, as Maister Knox merrylie puts it, stinking pride, whilk ever goeth before a fall, arose within my breast and bade me pack, so that I had, willy nilly, to do as I was bidden.

For two weary days, days whilk I am loath to recall, I wandered starving about the Toun, too proud to beg, and yet not bold enow to steal, wandered about so maddened with the gnawing pain within, that once I disputed with a street cur for possession of a bit of bone whilk lay amid a heap of offal tuimmed in front of a flesher's stall, wandered on until, what with the cold of the March wind, whilk has ever a bitter tooth in this Toun, want of sleep and hunger, I fell into so low a state that I scarce heeded whither I went or what bechanced, so that when, as it came about, I was set upon one night by a gang of gutterbloods, who designed to rob me, I made sic a poor shift to help myself that I was presently knocked down and left for dead foment Hugh Ainslie's door. That was the manner of my introduction to the Golden Sun and my present way of life, for Mary Ainslie, who, as it so happed, was awakened by the brawl, had risen and begged her father to assist the unfortunate who was being waylaid ; but for her, as I say, my case had else been altogether desperate, if not ended.

From that night — somewhere about the time of Davie's slaughter — until now I had remained at the Tavern, undisputed possessor of the honourable post of Drawer and House Knave ; in whilk occupation, as will presently appear, I made acquaint ance with some notable characters, and did something more than draw ale. Why, misliking my low employment as I did, I should have refused service elsewhere when it was offered me I did not guess at then, albeit I came at the reason after. I seem, when I look back at that time, to have been content to remain, simply because I had no desire to gang away. I did not like Hugh Ainslie ; but I liked his daughter. She was a merrie conceit ON THE CRAGS. 13 with dancing een, ever ready at a word to sparkle into joyousitie and mirth, yet, withal, not light-headed or heartless, but a woman to whom, at a pinch, a child or a grown man might gang with the certainty of finding help and comfortable words.

She was not one of those silly butterflies that shew only with the sun, that flit now here, now there with every passing air of fancy, not one to smile on you to-day and gloom at you to-morrow, but one whose friendship and liking was as a rock. I liked her, I say, and there were few that did not ; but her father was of a different nature. Hugh Ainslie was what I call a dark man, and by that I mean that he was one of those men whose natures are inscrut able, one, to be plain, if it is possible to be so in describing sic a person, whose character was so ambiguous that he was ever getting the benefit of the doubt, for gude or for evil. Howbeit I had never, as yet, been able to say what it was about him I misliked, and so I take it, as with me, it was with others. How sic a man ever came by sic a daughter, I wot not, but true it is, no two could have been more different than they; indeed the contrast was as marked almost in every way in their case as it was between Maister Knox and the laird of Ledington.

The daughter was bright and winsome, and ever ready to join in wholesome mirth, but the father was dull, slow, impassable, and reserved, grave even to a degree beyond the proverbial gravity of the Scot. One peculiarity, whilk I could never abide, he had to perfection. He would listen to those who addressed him with an unmoved countenance that neither assented or dissented, but whilk, nevertheless, by its very unresponsiveness seemed to imply, as doubtless he intended it should, his acquiescence with what was said. That was all that I kend of the Ainslies, and all that they were like to ken of me; yet before long we were to be better acquainted. Howbeit as I stood that evening on the summit of the Crags watching the reek from the Toun lums smooring the golden lift, I had no thought of that or of the new day that was preparing ; — as yet I was but uneasy.

The longer, however, I reflected, that I put off returning, the more unpleasant would grow the prospect ; nevertheless, albeit I had no great desire to pass a night in the open air, it was unwillingly enow that I was constrained to take my way downwards. But descend I must, so down I went and after a dilatory circumbendibus at length found myself picking my steps through the filth and offal that littered the causey. For two reasons, however, this was no easy thing to do : in the first place, because of the darkness of some of the narrower ways, and in the second, from the great concourse of people that was about, a thing that surprised me, for usually at that hour — ten of the clock — the street was deserted.

Chapter II. The Breaking Of The New Day

As I say, it was waxing late when I started ; indeed, as I had begun the descent the sun was already dipping beyond Cor storphine, yet so perturbed was I in spirit that I had neither noted whither I had gone nor the lapse of time, so that when I arrived within the Toun the gloaming was set in. This, how ever, I minded little, indeed the dark suited my mood then better than the light, for, gif the truth be told, I had a pitiful sort of pride about me that caused me to feel ashamed of my torn cloak and threadbare hose, the real reason for whilk I was then slow to understand, but whilk also was afterwards made clear to me. I had little cause, however, on that occasion, gif indeed I ever had cause at any time, to fear the curious, for I might as well have been invisible as of gudely flesh and blood, so far as any heed that was taken of me went, for the crowd, as I saw, seemed to have matter of greater moment than the affairs of John Kilgour to engage its attention.

What that matter was, the press growing ever greater and my further progress finally barred altogether, I learned anon from a worthy citizen at my elbow, for here, said he, the lords would presently pass, bringing in the queen a prisoner. "Matter that, I think, great enow and amazing enow to occupy a man's thoughts to the exclusion of self, or warrant such a throng as I saw about me. Howsoever, not being like to get away soon from where I was I gave myself up to watching the crowd, whilk, in all save its elbows, was orderly enow, no great outcry as yet being made, but only a low hum to be heard all adown the street. From the grim, set, moody faces, however, whilk I saw about me, I guessed that the poor queen would meet with but a cold greeting. Alack ! poor lady, gif she had thought her subjects grave at her first coming among them, when as yet they were not set against her, what must she now think them, for sure, sic faces as they presently wore would shake many a brave man, let alone a weak and helpless woman.

I cannot say, noting their sour and sanctimonious counte nances as I did, that I had much pride in my countrymen that evening, nor, could I be sworn, had one or two others I picked out. Notably one personage, a gentleman of noble bearing, who stood at a window opposite silently contemplating the scene. It was just then — the light as yet being clear enow — that as I caught sight of this man's keen, maisterful face, whilk, behind its sagacious, politic calm, had a suggestion of mockage — it was just then, I say, that there fell upon our lugs a wave of sound whilk. gathering in volume and sinister significance as the lords and their following approached, presently rolled ower our heids and broke in a storm of imprecation and vile abuse. It was on that wave, as I could not help foreboding — the tide of a nation's anger — that the frail barque of Marie Stuart's fortune was being swept inexorably onwards to destruction.

Yet how many of that crowd who looked on, as I did, in silence admired with me how much of the queen's sinning was to be laid to the charge of the fierce, unscrupulous, turbulent schemers about her? Few indeed ; but the crowd, at least our Scot one, is ever an ill thing to trust, for, as Randolph has well said, we are, it cannot be gainsaid, an unruly, cumbersome, and inconstant people. Besides this presage of disaster whilk I had, I was of a sudden assailed by another feeling to whilk I was equally strange. My life was not sic as to allow me to suffer too keenly the rush of shame, for service makes a man hard of visage, but gif ever I felt it I felt it then. Aye, and I think as I viewed the miserable spectacle that I shewed it too, for there were angry faces about me anon, and threats to keep them company, but I heeded neither the one or the other as I stood on the forestairs, where I had taken my stance, looking ower the heids of the throng, following with burning een the fair, dejected, yet withal, dignified figure of the queen.

Pale, weary and dispirited, in sooth, she was, poor lady, as with begritten face and dusty robe, she rode sadly up the street between Athole and the dark and dangerous Morton. Yet through all her trouble she shewed that she was as dauntless and unsubdued as ever, as was proved even then, for when the lord Lindsay rid up and would have spoke to her, she would none of him, but turned her horse away, flashing sic a lightning glance of contempt and wrath upon him as browbeat even that savage, ruthless man. But, alack ! her boldness did her little gude, nay only served, indeed, to draw upon her devoted heid a still greater outcry before whilk, at length, she quailed, for I think it was then she began to see in what bad odour she was with the common people, and how hopeless her case was. At any rate she drooped her een, and so held them until she was gone past.

It was not far that she had to gang, no further, as I learned, than the house ofMmon Preston the Provost, where she was to bide that night, but it must have been a weary ride to her, with that hateful banner, on whilk was painted the corse of Henry, ever flaunting before her. Aye, and a long one too, with the ribald shouts and beastly jests of the men, and — strange as it seems — the coarser cries of the women ringing in her lugs. Once they had blessed her and praised her bonnie face ; now they cursed her. But when at length the procession had gone by and I was free to move, I came down from my stance so swollen with indignation, to the blinding of all sense of common prudence, having come as I think under the spell of her beauty, that I took occasion to pick a quarrel with a low fellow standing near, who had been most besy in reviling her with a bitter and un savourie tongue.

I came off but ill from the encounter, receiv ing a clour on the crown from some cowardly loon hidden in the press, yet I had some cause sor contentation, for besides that I gave more than I gat, I unpacked my breast of some thing of its ire ; so with that ease of mind whilk follows het foot upon exertion I elbowed my way back to the Tavern. I was mista'en, however, in thinking myself rid of my spleen, for I had no sooner come within the Golden Sun, whilk was now thronged with people, chiefly of the common sort, besily engaged discussing the event and their ale, both of whilk engrossed their attention, the drink for its own sake, and the stir without because it led to the drink, than my choler was again roused. I had indeed, after speaking with Ainslie, but gotten to my work when the coals were blown into a low.

A fellow named Dalglish, a man of Cullen's troop and a follower of Bodwell's, who had frequented the Tavern much, what time his maister was staying at the castell, and whom I had always suspected to be too well inclined towards Mistress Ainslie, chanced in at that moment in company with a certain Maister Howart, a Burgess of the city — the same, indeed, who, but sor the intercession of Dalglish's maister, would have suffered for having a hand in the slaughter of Davie. This Dalglish was one of those bold, self-assertive sort of men who have a credit for courage because of a loud voice and rude and savage manners, a kind of courage whilk experience has since taught me, quails before a steady e'e and a cool tongue. I disliked the man no more or less than others of his trade, but having just then enow on my hands, for that cause I left him to one of the lads.

Still, as I kept drawing the ale I could not help admiring how it came about that the fellow, a known follower of the Duke's, had dared to show his face there in sic a public way so soon after the defeat of his party. I was yet thinking when a chance word near me solved the matter. I called to mind what, as I came along, I had heard bruited about the street anent the desertion from the queen's side to the lords, and I concluded, rightly enow as it turned out, that Dalglish had used the occasion to come in on his maister's business. It was a thing of little moment to me. what his purpose was, but unhappily the rascal's e'e caught mine, and upon me he straitly poured the vials of his wrath. Rattling his sword hilt upon the board and assuming his most truculent air, he rated me for a knave and lazy varlet ; finally winding up his dittay by asking why I had not done his bidding.

I answered he had not bid me do anything, whereupon he retorted that I lied, and that I did not know how to serve my betters, but that he would teach me. To this I replied, and I looked him squarely in the face as I spoke : — " If you mean, sir, to teach me to serve my betters as you ■have served the queen and Bodwell this day, I had rather have another maister." The loud guffaw with whilk my rejoinder was received dis concerted my opponent not a little, and he hesitated, so that I thought he had had enow, and doubtless he would have swallowed the insult, for he saw he would have little backing, had it not been for the ringing laugh of Mistress Ainslie, who had stopped, ■9 trencher in hand, to hear what was ado. Then I kend what I riad to expect, and I was none too quick, for the brute, but for my springing backwards, had spitted me where I stood.

As it was he reached me and gave my doublet a slash it little needed. I was, as can be guessed, in a mortal fright at this pother, for I had never looked at steel in that way before, at least with sic a face as the braggart now wore behind it. But what made things worse was the looks of those around ; even in the short space between my words and his thrusting at me I gathered that the crowd was friendly to neither of us and that they would lat us be : it was enow for them that one had been, and the other seemed, a queen's man. I saw the next lounge coming, but beyond throwing a quart pot feebly at the villain's head, I could do naught. Be*r"-e Vii . point reached me. however, a friendly blade flashed past me, and parried it, and a voice said : — " Fye, sir ; a soldier, and draw upon an unarmed man.

For shame, sir ; come, put up your blade ; 'tis ower soon to tarnish the honour you have won this day." With these words the man — no other than the Secretar him self, whose quick e'e and steady hand stood me in sic gude stead — lightly flicked aside the sword, whilk the fellow still kept doubtfully at guard, and turned to Ainslie. Now whether Ledington had only meant what his words seemed to bear, or whether he hid a jibe beneath them, for he had a fell tongue when he liked, it would have been hard to tell from his face, but I saw that as the man drew back his brow was of a dull, coppery red, and his e'e wicked, from whilk signs I judged he had put on the cap whilk fitted him. " And you, sir," said the Secretar to Ainslie, " I recommend to keep a more orderly house, else the magistrates may look to it."

Having thus spoke he passed in and ascended to an upper chamber, where he was speedily joined by Morton, Lindsay, Ruthven, and others of the lords, who, having left their prisoner — for prisoner she was — safely bestowed, were evidently come together to decide what was next to be done. Whatever it was they were not long in coming to a agreement, for in something short of half an hour they all descended again, perhaps a shade more stern and grave like in their demeanour than when they entered, and so departed each to his own lodging. Now it so happened I was in the buttery when they came down, but having some call to go into the common room, I was there when Morton, who was last to gang, passed out. As I turned from what I was about I observed Ainslie and he standing together talking, and, if their een could be trusted, talking about me.

As Morton made to go he placed something in Ainslie's hand. At the same instant Mistress Ainslie came down the stairs at their back, and her step being light, was upon her father ere he was aware. I thought it strange that he should start as he did and turn so white, used as he was to meeting her suddenly in all corners of the house. But his daughter presently breaking out into a pleasant lilt as she went here and there redding up sor the nigttt, I took no more heed, but I could not help thinking what a gudely thing it was that some be gifted, as she was, with a cheerful, sunny temper ; for, Lord ! thought I, gif she had but looked glum, I had not slept a wink for thinking of that dark look from Morton's een. Howbeit, the other knaves being gone, work done for the night and my inner man sharp set by reason of my outing, I bethought me of my supper, whilk was always set aside for me by Ainslie himself, and whilk I usually enjoyed in the solitude of my own room under the roof.

As I was coming back from the buttery, my supper dish in one hand, and a rush light in the other, I came upon Mistress Ainslie standing at the door of her chamber, with her hand pressed ower her heart, looking very white. "John," said she, quieter than her wont, and before I could ask her will, " you have a ready wit ; you answered that knave well this night and deserve reward, so hand me that you have and I will give you a treat." " Sleepily enow I gave up the dish I carried, whilk she took within ; but when she came back with the treat it was served upon another and a cleaner trencher. "Gude night, John," she said, with a queer nod, and, as I thought, a scared look in her een as I gave her thanks, "gude night," then, as if it was forced on her, she quickly added. " And be sure and bolt your door ; promise me you will remember that."