lord,’ said the boy, ‘I have an engagement of great importance to-day, and the time is at hand. I cannot get out at the door by reason of the crowd, who must not see this. Will it please you to let me pass by your own private door into the city?’
Douglas cursed him for a troublesome imp, and forthwith opened the door into the concealed way; and as all who came from the door passed unquestioned, the page quickly vanished in the suburbs of the city.
The officer and his guard waited and waited until the time was on the point of expiring, and at last grew quite impatient, wondering what the boy could be doing so long with the commander. But at length, to their mortal astonishment, they beheld the stripling coming swaggering up from the high street of the city behind them, putting a number of new and ridiculous airs in practice, and quite unlike one going to be delivered up to enemies to be thrown into a dungeon, or perhaps hanged like a dog in a day or two.
The officer knew nothing of the concealed door and passage, and was lost in amazement how the page should have escaped from them all without being visible; but he wondered still more how the elf, being once at liberty, should have thought of coming strutting back to deliver himself up again.
‘Where the devil have you been, master, an it be your will?’ said the officer.
‘Eh? What d’ye say, mun?’ said the unaccountable puppy. ‘What do I say mun!’ replied the officer, quite unable to account either for the behaviour of the prisoner or his address; ‘I say I trow ye hae seen sic a man as Michael Scott some time in your days? Ye hae gi’en me the glaiks aince by turning invisible; but be ye deil, be ye fairy, I sal secure ye now. Ye hae nearly gart me brik my pledge o’ honour, whilk I wadna hae done for ten sic necks as yours.’
‘Your pledge o’ honour? What’s that, mun? Is that your bit sword? Stand back out o’ my gate.’
‘Shakel my knackers,’ said the officer laughing, ‘if I do not crack thy fool’s pate! What does the green-kail-worm mean? You, sir, I suppose are presuming to transact a character? You are playing a part in order to get off, but your silly stratagem will fail you. Pray, my young master, what character do you at present appear in?’
‘Character me no characters!’ said the page – ‘it is not with you that I transact – nor such as you! Do not you see who I am, and what commission I bear? Bide a great way back out o’ my gate an ye please; and show me where I am to deliver this.’
‘And who is that bald epistle for, master Quipes? Please to open your sweet mouth, and read me the inscription.’
‘Do you not see, saucy axe-man? Cannot you spell it? “To James, Earl of Douglas and Mar, with greeting, These.” Herald me to your commander, nadkin; but keep your distance – due proportioned distance, if you please.’
‘No, no, my little crab cherry; you cheated me by escaping from the tent invisible before, but shall not do it again. We’ll get your message done for you; your time is expired, and some more to boot, I fear; come along with us.’ – And forthwith one of their number waited on the chief with the letter, while the rest hauled off the unfortunate page, and delivered him back to the English.
CHAPTER NINE
His doublet was sae trim and neat,
Wi’ reid goud to the chin,
Ye wad hae sworn, had ye been there,
That a maiden stood within.
The tears they trickled to his chin,
And fell down on his knee;
O had he wist before he kissed,
That the boy was a fair ladye.
Song of May Marley
Who’s she, this dame that comes in such a guise,
Such face of import, and unwonted speech?
Tell me, Cornaro. For methinks I see
Some traits of hell about her.
Trag. of the Prioress
IN THIS PERILOUS situation were placed the two most beautiful ladies of England and Scotland, at the close of that memorable year; and in this situation stood the two chiefs with relation to those they valued dearest in life; the one quite unconscious of the misery that awaited him, but the other prepared to stand the severest of trials. Success had for some time past made a show of favouring the Scots, but she had not yet declared herself, and matters with them soon began to look worse. As a commencement of their misfortunes, on that very night the battle took place, the English received a supply of thirty horse-loads of provisions, with assurances that Sir Thomas Musgrave, the governor of Berwick, was setting out with a strong army to their succour.
The supply was received in this way. There was a bridge over the Teviot, which communicated only with the castle, the north end of it being within the draw-bridge, and that bridge the English kept possession of all the time of the seige. It being of no avail to the Scots, they contented themselves by keeping a guard at the convent of Maisondieu, to prevent any communication between the fortress and the Border. But the English barons to the eastward, whose castles lay contiguous to the Tweed, taking advantage of the great flood, came with a strong body of men, and attacking this post by surprise, they beat them, and, chasing them a considerable way up the river, got the convoy along the bridge into the castle.
This temporary relief raised the spirits of the English, or rather cheered their prospects, for higher in inveterate opposition their spirits could not be raised. On the day following, likewise, a flying party of Sir Thomas Musgrave’s horse made their appearance on the height above Hume castle, and blew their horns, and tossed their banners abroad on the wind, that the besieged might see them, and understand that their friends were astir to make a diversion in their favour.
On the same day a new gibbet was erected on the top of the Bush law, with a shifting wooden battery, to protect the executioners; and all within the castle feared that the stern and unyielding Douglas was going to put his threat respecting the life of Sir Richard Musgrave into execution. Therefore, to prevent their captain from seeing the scene, and, if possible, his mind from recurring to it, they contrived to get a council of war called, at which they intentionally argued and contended about matters of importance, in order to detain him until the sufferings of his brother were past.
The Bush-law, on which the Scots had a strong fortification, rises abruptly over against the western tower of the castle of Roxburgh; they were separated only by the moat, and, though at a great height, were so near each other, that men could with ease converse across, and see distinctly what was done. On the top of this battery was the new gibbet erected, the more to gall the English by witnessing the death of their friends.
At noon, the Scots, to the number of two hundred, came in procession up from the city, with their prisoner dressed in his knightly robes; and, as they went by, they flouted the English that looked on from the walls – but the latter answered them not, either good or bad. By a circular rout to the westward they reached the height, where they exposed the prisoner to the view of the garrison on a semicircular platform, for a few minutes, until a herald made proclamation, that unless the keys of the castle were instantly delivered at the draw-bridge, the life of the noble prisoner was forfeited, and the sentence would momently be put in execution; and then he concluded by calling, in a louder voice, ‘Answer, Yes or no – once – twice.’ He paused for the
