Transcript

026 - Chapter 4 · Pirate

0:00
Speaker 1: Chapter four of the Pirate by Sir Walter Scott. This
0:05
Speaker 1: liprivox recording is in the public domain read by Dion
0:10
Speaker 1: Jine's Salt Lake City, Utah. But this sad evil which
0:16
Speaker 1: doth her invest doth course of natural cause far exceed
0:23
Speaker 1: and housed, is within her hollow breast, that either seems
0:28
Speaker 1: some cursed witch is deed or evil sprite, that in
0:33
Speaker 1: her doth such torment breed Fairy Queen, Book three Conto. Three.
0:41
Speaker 1: The term had now elapsed by several days when Mordaunt Mertown,
0:46
Speaker 1: as he had promised at his departure, should have returned
0:50
Speaker 1: to his father's abode at Draushoff, But there were no
0:55
Speaker 1: tidings of his arrival. Such delay might at another time
1:00
Speaker 1: have excited little curiosity and no anxiety for Oldswertha, who
1:06
Speaker 1: took upon her the office of thinking and conjecturing for
1:11
Speaker 1: the little household, would have concluded that he had remained
1:15
Speaker 1: behind the other guests upon some party of sport or pleasure.
1:21
Speaker 1: But she knew that Mordaunt had not been lately in
1:25
Speaker 1: favor with Magnus Troyle. She knew that he proposed his
1:30
Speaker 1: stay at Burguestra should be a short one. Upon account
1:34
Speaker 1: of his father's health, to whom, notwithstanding the little encouragement
1:40
Speaker 1: which his filial piety received, he paid uniform attention. Swartha
1:46
Speaker 1: knew all this, and she became anxious. She watched the
1:50
Speaker 1: looks of her master, the elder mer town, but wrapped
1:54
Speaker 1: in dark and stern uniformity of composure, his countenance, like
1:59
Speaker 1: the surface of a midnight lake, enabled no one to
2:03
Speaker 1: penetrate into what was beneath his studies. His solitary meals,
2:10
Speaker 1: his lonely walks, succeeded each other in unvaried rotation, and
2:16
Speaker 1: seemed undisturbed by the least thought about Mordaunt's absence. At length,
2:22
Speaker 1: such reports reached Swartha's ear from various quarters that she
2:27
Speaker 1: became totally unable to conceal her anxiety, and resolved at
2:33
Speaker 1: the risk of provoking her master into fury, or perhaps
2:38
Speaker 1: that of losing her place in his household, to force
2:42
Speaker 1: upon his notice the doubts which afflicted her own mind.
2:46
Speaker 1: Mordaunt's good humor and goodly person must indeed have made
2:51
Speaker 1: no small impression on the withered and selfish heart of
2:56
Speaker 1: the poor old woman to induce her to take course
3:00
Speaker 1: so desperate and from which her friend, the Ransalman endeavored
3:05
Speaker 1: in vain to deter her. Still, however, conscious that a
3:11
Speaker 1: miscarriage in the matter would, like the loss of Trinculo's
3:15
Speaker 1: bottle in the horsepool, be attendant not only with dishonor,
3:20
Speaker 1: but with infinite loss, she determined to proceed on her
3:25
Speaker 1: high emprise with as much caution as was consistent with
3:30
Speaker 1: the attempt. We have already mentioned that it seemed a
3:34
Speaker 1: part of the very nature of this reserved and unsocial being,
3:39
Speaker 1: at least since his retreat into the utter solitude of Drashoff,
3:44
Speaker 1: to endure no one to start a subject of conversation,
3:49
Speaker 1: or to put any question to him that did not
3:52
Speaker 1: arise out of urgent and pressing emergency. Swertha was sensible, therefore,
4:00
Speaker 1: that in order to open the discourse favorably which she
4:04
Speaker 1: proposed to hold with her master, she must contrive that
4:08
Speaker 1: it should originate with himself. To accomplish this purpose, while
4:14
Speaker 1: busied in preparing the table for mister Murtown's simple and
4:18
Speaker 1: solitary dinner meal, she formerly adorned the table with two
4:24
Speaker 1: covers instead of one, and made all her other preparations
4:29
Speaker 1: as if he was to have a guest or companion
4:32
Speaker 1: at dinner. The artifice succeeded for Murtown, on coming from
4:38
Speaker 1: his study, No sooner saw the table thus arranged than
4:43
Speaker 1: he asked Swertha, who, waiting the effect of her stratagem
4:48
Speaker 1: as a fisher watches his ground baits, was fiddling up
4:52
Speaker 1: and down the room. Whether Mordaunt was returned from Burguestra.
4:58
Speaker 1: This question was the cue, and she answered in a
5:02
Speaker 1: voice of sorrowful anxiety, half real, half affected. Na, Na,
5:09
Speaker 1: no sick divot had dunted at their door. It would
5:13
Speaker 1: be blithe news, indeed, to ken that young Master Mordaunt
5:18
Speaker 1: poor dear Bern were safe at home. And if he
5:23
Speaker 1: be not at home, why should you lay a cover
5:26
Speaker 1: for him, you doting fool, replied Mertown, in a tone
5:31
Speaker 1: well calculated to stop the old woman's proceedings. But she
5:36
Speaker 1: replied boldly that indeed somebody should take thought about Master Mordaunt.
5:42
Speaker 1: All that she could do was to have seat and
5:45
Speaker 1: plait ready for him when he came. But she thought
5:49
Speaker 1: the dear Bern had been over long away, and if
5:53
Speaker 1: she must speak out, she had her own fears when
5:58
Speaker 1: and whether he might ever come home. Your fears, said Mertown.
6:04
Speaker 1: His eyes flashing, as they usually did when his hour
6:08
Speaker 1: of ungovernable passion approached. Do you speak of your idle
6:13
Speaker 1: fears to me? Who know that all of your sex
6:17
Speaker 1: that is not fickleness and folly, and self conceit and
6:22
Speaker 1: self will is a bundle of idiotical fears, vapors and tremors.
6:28
Speaker 1: What are your fears to me, you foolish old hag.
6:33
Speaker 1: It is an admirable quality in womankind that when a
6:38
Speaker 1: breach of the laws of natural affection comes under their observation,
6:43
Speaker 1: the whole sex is in arms. Let a rumor arise
6:47
Speaker 1: in the street of a parent that has misused a child,
6:52
Speaker 1: or a child that has insulted a parent. I say
6:56
Speaker 1: nothing of the case of husband and wife, where the
7:00
Speaker 1: interest may be accounted for in sympathy, and all the
7:04
Speaker 1: women within hearing will take animated and decided part with
7:09
Speaker 1: the sufferer. Swertha, notwithstanding her greed and avarice, had her
7:15
Speaker 1: share of the generous feeling which does so much honor
7:19
Speaker 1: to her sex, and was on this occasion so much
7:23
Speaker 1: carried on by its impulse, that she confronted her master
7:28
Speaker 1: and upbraided him with his hard hearted indifference, with a
7:33
Speaker 1: boldness at which she herself was astonished. To be sure,
7:38
Speaker 1: it wasn't her that should be fearing for her young
7:42
Speaker 1: master Master Mordaunt, even though he was, as she might
7:46
Speaker 1: well say, the very sea calf of her heart. But
7:50
Speaker 1: any other father but his Honor himself would have had
7:55
Speaker 1: spearings made after the poor lad and him gone eight
8:00
Speaker 1: days from Burgwestra and nobody can when or where he
8:05
Speaker 1: had gone. There was not a baron in the house,
8:09
Speaker 1: but was maaning for him, and he made all their
8:12
Speaker 1: bits of boats with his knife. There wouldn't be a
8:16
Speaker 1: dry eye in the parish if aught worse than well
8:20
Speaker 1: should befall him, No, no one, unless it might be
8:25
Speaker 1: his Honor's own. Mertown had been much struck and even
8:30
Speaker 1: silenced by the insolent volubility of his insurgent housekeeper, But
8:36
Speaker 1: at the last sarcasm he imposed on her silence in
8:41
Speaker 1: her turn with an audible voice, accompanied with one of
8:45
Speaker 1: the most terrific glances which his dark eye and stern
8:49
Speaker 1: features could express. But Swartha, who as she afterwards acquainted
8:55
Speaker 1: the Ransallman, was wonderfully supported during the whole scene, would
9:00
Speaker 1: not be controlled by the loud voice and furious look
9:05
Speaker 1: of her master, that proceeded in the same tone as before.
9:10
Speaker 1: His honor, she said, had made an unco work, because
9:14
Speaker 1: a weaning bits of kiss and duds that nobody had
9:18
Speaker 1: used for had been gathered on the beach by the
9:22
Speaker 1: poor bodies of the township. And here was the bravest
9:26
Speaker 1: lad in the country, lost and cast away as it were,
9:31
Speaker 1: before his eyeing and no our asking what was come
9:35
Speaker 1: of him? What should come of him? But good, you
9:39
Speaker 1: old fool, answered mister Murtown, as far at least as
9:44
Speaker 1: there can be good in any of the follies he
9:47
Speaker 1: spends his time in. This was spoken rather in a
9:51
Speaker 1: scornful than an angry tone, and Swertha, who had got
9:56
Speaker 1: into the spirit of the dialogue, was resolved not to
10:00
Speaker 1: let it drop now that the fire of her opponent
10:03
Speaker 1: seemed to slacken. Oh, I to be sure, I am
10:08
Speaker 1: an old fool. But if Master Mordaunt should have settled
10:12
Speaker 1: down in the roost, as more than one boat had
10:16
Speaker 1: been lost in that weariful squall the other morning, by
10:20
Speaker 1: good luck it was short as it was sharp, or
10:24
Speaker 1: nothing could have lived in it, Or if he were
10:27
Speaker 1: drowned in a lock coming home on foot, or if
10:31
Speaker 1: he were killed by miss a footing on a crag
10:35
Speaker 1: the whole island can how venturesome he was, who said
10:39
Speaker 1: Sertha will be the old fool? Then, and she added
10:44
Speaker 1: a pathetic ejaculation that God would protect the poor motherless bairn,
10:50
Speaker 1: for if he had had a mother, there would have
10:53
Speaker 1: been search made after him before. Now this last sarcasm
10:59
Speaker 1: affected Merchant powerfully. His jaw quivered, his face grew pale,
11:04
Speaker 1: and he muttered to Swartha to go into his study,
11:08
Speaker 1: where she was scarcely ever permitted to enter, and fetch
11:12
Speaker 1: him a bottle which stood there. Oh ho, quoth Swartha
11:16
Speaker 1: to herself, as she hastened on the commission. My master
11:21
Speaker 1: knows where to find a cup of comfort to qualify
11:25
Speaker 1: his water upon fitting occasions. There was indeed a case
11:30
Speaker 1: of such bottles as were usually employed to hold strong waters,
11:35
Speaker 1: but the dust and cobwebs in which they were enveloped
11:40
Speaker 1: showed that they had not been touched for many years.
11:44
Speaker 1: With some difficulty, Swartha extracted the cork of one of
11:48
Speaker 1: them by the help of a fork, for corkscrew was
11:52
Speaker 1: there none at Jarlshoff, and, having ascertained by smell and
11:58
Speaker 1: in case of any mistake by a moderate mouthful that
12:02
Speaker 1: it contained wholesome Barbadoes waters. She carried it into the room,
12:07
Speaker 1: where her master still continued to struggle with his faintness.
12:12
Speaker 1: She then began to pour a small quantity into the
12:16
Speaker 1: nearest cup that she could find, wisely judging that upon
12:20
Speaker 1: a person so much unacquainted to the use of spirituous liquors,
12:26
Speaker 1: a little might produce a strong effect. But the patient
12:30
Speaker 1: signed to her impatiently to fill the cup, which might
12:34
Speaker 1: hold more than the third of an English pint measure,
12:39
Speaker 1: up to the very brim, and swallowed it down without hesitation.
12:44
Speaker 1: Now the saints above have a care on us, said Swertha.
12:49
Speaker 1: He will be drunk as well as mad, and what
12:53
Speaker 1: is to guide him? Then, I wonder? But Mertown's breath
12:57
Speaker 1: and color returned without the slightest symptom of intoxication. On
13:03
Speaker 1: the contrary, Swartha afterwards reported that although she had always
13:09
Speaker 1: had a firm opinion in favor of a dram yet
13:13
Speaker 1: she never saw one work such miracles. He spoke more
13:17
Speaker 1: like a man of the Middle world than she had
13:21
Speaker 1: ever heard him since she had entered his service. Swartha,
13:25
Speaker 1: he said, you are right in this matter, and I
13:29
Speaker 1: was wrong. Go down to the Ransellman directly tell him
13:33
Speaker 1: to come and speak with me without an instant's delay,
13:38
Speaker 1: and bring me special word what boats and people he
13:41
Speaker 1: can command. I will employ them all in the search,
13:45
Speaker 1: and they shall be plentifully rewarded. Stimulated by the spur
13:50
Speaker 1: which maketh the old woman proverbially to trot, Swartha posted
13:56
Speaker 1: down to the hamlet with all the speed of three score,
14:00
Speaker 1: rejoicing that her sympathetic feelings were likely to achieve their
14:05
Speaker 1: own reward, having given rise to a quest which promised
14:10
Speaker 1: to be so lucrative, and in the profits thereof, she
14:14
Speaker 1: was determined to have her share, shouting out as she went,
14:19
Speaker 1: and long before she got within hearing the names of
14:23
Speaker 1: Neil Ronaldson, Swain Ericksson, and other friends and confederates who
14:29
Speaker 1: were interested in her mission to say the truth. Notwithstanding
14:34
Speaker 1: that the good Dame really felt a deep interest in
14:37
Speaker 1: mordaunt Mertown and was mentally troubled on account of his absence,
14:43
Speaker 1: perhaps few things would have disappointed her more than if
14:48
Speaker 1: he had, at this moment started up in her path,
14:52
Speaker 1: safe and sound, and rendered unnecessary by his appearance. The
14:57
Speaker 1: expense and the bustle of search after him. Soon did
15:02
Speaker 1: Swertha accomplish her business in the village and adjust with
15:06
Speaker 1: the senators of the township her own little share of
15:11
Speaker 1: percentage upon the prophets likely to accrue on her mission.
15:16
Speaker 1: And speedily did she return to Charleshoff, with Neil Ronaldson
15:21
Speaker 1: by her side, schooling him to the best of her
15:24
Speaker 1: skill in all the peculiarities of her master at Boon.
15:29
Speaker 1: All things she said, never make him wait for an answer,
15:34
Speaker 1: and speak loud and distinct, as if you were hailing
15:37
Speaker 1: a boat, for he down't abide to say the same
15:41
Speaker 1: thing twice over. And if he asks about distance, ye
15:46
Speaker 1: may make leagues for miles, for he cans nothing about
15:50
Speaker 1: the face of the earth that he lives upon. And
15:53
Speaker 1: if he speak of siller, ye may ask dollars for shillings,
15:58
Speaker 1: for he minds them no more than sclat stones. Thus tutored,
16:04
Speaker 1: Neil Ronaldson was introduced into the presence of Murtown, but
16:09
Speaker 1: was utterly confounded to find that he could not act
16:13
Speaker 1: upon the system of deception which had been projected. When
16:18
Speaker 1: he attempted, by some exaggeration of distance and peril to
16:23
Speaker 1: enhance the hire of the boats and of the men,
16:26
Speaker 1: for the search was to be by sea and land.
16:30
Speaker 1: He found himself at once cut short by Murtown, who
16:34
Speaker 1: showed not only the most perfect knowledge of the country,
16:38
Speaker 1: but of distances, tides, currents, and all belonging to the
16:43
Speaker 1: navigation of those seas. Although these were topics with which
16:48
Speaker 1: he had hitherto appeared to be totally unacquainted. The Ransomen
16:54
Speaker 1: therefore trembled when they came to speak of the recompense
16:58
Speaker 1: to be afforded for their exertions in the surge, for
17:02
Speaker 1: it was not more unlikely that Mertown should be well
17:06
Speaker 1: informed of what was just and proper upon this head
17:11
Speaker 1: than upon others. And Neil remembered the storm of his
17:15
Speaker 1: fury when, at an early period after he had settled
17:19
Speaker 1: at Jarlshoff, he drove Swertha and swain Erickson from his presence. As, however,
17:26
Speaker 1: he stood hesitating betwixt the opposite fears of asking too
17:31
Speaker 1: much or too little, Murtown stopped his mouth and ended
17:35
Speaker 1: his uncertainty by promising him a recompense beyond what he
17:41
Speaker 1: dared have ventured to ask, with an additional gratuity in
17:45
Speaker 1: case they returned with the pleasing intelligence that his son
17:50
Speaker 1: was safe. When this great point was settled, Neil Ronaldson,
17:55
Speaker 1: like a man of conscience, began to consider earnestly the
17:59
Speaker 1: various places where search should be made after the young man,
18:04
Speaker 1: And having undertaken faithfully that the enquiry should be prosecuted
18:09
Speaker 1: at all the houses of the gentry, both in this
18:13
Speaker 1: and the neighboring islands, he added that, after all, if
18:18
Speaker 1: his honor would not be angry, there was one not
18:21
Speaker 1: far off that if anybody dared spear her a question,
18:26
Speaker 1: and if she liked to answer, it could tell more
18:29
Speaker 1: about Master Mordaunt than anybody else. Could Ye will ken
18:34
Speaker 1: what I mean? Swartha her that was down at the
18:38
Speaker 1: haven this morning? Thus he concluded, addressing himself with a
18:43
Speaker 1: mysterious look to the housekeeper, which she answered with a
18:47
Speaker 1: nod and a wink. How mean you, said, Mertown, Speak
18:51
Speaker 1: out short and open. Whom do you speak of? It
18:56
Speaker 1: is Norna of the fitful head, said Swartha, that theman
19:00
Speaker 1: is thinking about, for she has gone up to Saint
19:04
Speaker 1: Rigan's Kirk this morning on business of her own. And
19:08
Speaker 1: what can this person know of? My son? Said Murtown.
19:13
Speaker 1: She is I believe a wandering madwoman or impostor. If
19:18
Speaker 1: she wanders, said Swerte, it is for no lack of
19:22
Speaker 1: means at home, and that is well known. Plenty of
19:26
Speaker 1: all things has she of her own? For by that
19:30
Speaker 1: the foul himself would let her want nothing. But what
19:35
Speaker 1: is that to my son, said Mertown impatiently. I didn't
19:39
Speaker 1: can She took unco pleasure in Master Mordaunt from the
19:44
Speaker 1: time she first saw him, and many a broad thing
19:48
Speaker 1: she gave him at one time or another. For by
19:51
Speaker 1: the gold chain that hangs about his Bonnie Craig folks
19:56
Speaker 1: say it is of fairy gold. I cannot what go
20:00
Speaker 1: it is, but Bryce Snelsfoot says that the value will
20:04
Speaker 1: mount to an hundred pounds English. And that is no
20:08
Speaker 1: deaf nuts, Oh, Ronaldson, said Murtown or else, send someone
20:14
Speaker 1: to seek this woman out if you think there be
20:17
Speaker 1: a chance of her knowing anything of my son. She
20:21
Speaker 1: cans all things that happen in these islands, said Neil Ronaldson,
20:26
Speaker 1: Muckle sooner than other folk, and that is Heaven's truth.
20:31
Speaker 1: But as to going to the kirk or the kirkyard
20:34
Speaker 1: to spear after her, there is not a man in
20:37
Speaker 1: Zeeland will do it for meed or for money, And
20:41
Speaker 1: that's Heaven's truth as well as the other cowardly, superstitious fools,
20:48
Speaker 1: said Murtown, But give me my cloaks. Where the this
20:52
Speaker 1: woman has been at Bergwestra. She is related to Troyle's family.
20:57
Speaker 1: She may know something of Mordaunt's since and its cause
21:02
Speaker 1: I will seek her myself. She is at the Crosskirk,
21:06
Speaker 1: you say, no, not at the Crosskirk, but at the
21:10
Speaker 1: old kirk of Saint Ringan's. It's a dowy bit and
21:15
Speaker 1: far from being cannie. And if your honor added Swertha
21:19
Speaker 1: would walk by my rule, I would wait until she
21:23
Speaker 1: came back, and no trouble her, when she may be
21:26
Speaker 1: more busied with the dead for anything that we can
21:31
Speaker 1: than she is with the living. The like of her
21:35
Speaker 1: care not to have other folks eyeing on them when
21:39
Speaker 1: they are good, saying us doing their own particular turns.
21:44
Speaker 1: Mertown made no answer, but throwing his cloak loosely around him,
21:49
Speaker 1: for the day was misty. With passing showers and leaving
21:53
Speaker 1: the decayed mansion of Dralshoff, he walked at a pace
21:57
Speaker 1: much faster than was usual, with him taking the direction
22:02
Speaker 1: of the ruinous church, which stood, as he well knew,
22:06
Speaker 1: within three or four miles of his dwelling. The Ransoman
22:11
Speaker 1: and Swartha stood gazing after him in silence until he
22:15
Speaker 1: was fairly out of earshot. When looking seriously on each
22:20
Speaker 1: other and shaking their sagacious heads in the same boding
22:25
Speaker 1: degree of vibration, they uttered their remarks in the same breath.
22:30
Speaker 1: Fools are eye fleet and fame, said Swartha. Fay folk
22:36
Speaker 1: run fast, added the Ransomen. And the thing that we
22:40
Speaker 1: are born to we cannot win by. I have known
22:44
Speaker 1: them that tried to stop folk that were fay. You
22:48
Speaker 1: have heard of Helen embersom of Camsie, how she stopped
22:53
Speaker 1: all the bulls and windows about the house that her
22:56
Speaker 1: good man might not see daylight and ride to the
23:00
Speaker 1: hof fishing because she feared foul weather, And how the
23:05
Speaker 1: boat he should have sailed in was lost in the roost,
23:09
Speaker 1: And how she came back rejoicing in her good man's safety,
23:13
Speaker 1: but never may care, for there she found him drowned
23:17
Speaker 1: in his own masking, fat within the ways of his
23:21
Speaker 1: own biggin. And moreover, but hereswarther reminded the Ransoman that
23:27
Speaker 1: he must go down to the haven to get off
23:30
Speaker 1: the fishing boats, for both that my heart is sore
23:34
Speaker 1: for the bonny lad, and that I am feared he
23:38
Speaker 1: cast up of his own accord before you are at sea.
23:43
Speaker 1: And as I have often told ye, my master may lead,
23:47
Speaker 1: but he went a drive. And if ye do not
23:50
Speaker 1: his bidding and get out to sea, then never a
23:54
Speaker 1: bottle of boat higher will ye see? Well, Well, good dame,
23:59
Speaker 1: said the ransom man. We will launch as fast as
24:02
Speaker 1: we can, and by good luck, neither Clawson's boat nor
24:07
Speaker 1: Peter Grotz is out to the half this morning. For
24:11
Speaker 1: a rabbit ran across the path as they were going
24:14
Speaker 1: on board, and they came back. Like wise, men kenning,
24:18
Speaker 1: they would be called to other work this day. And
24:22
Speaker 1: a marvel it is to thinkswortha how few real judicious
24:27
Speaker 1: men are left in this land. There is our great
24:31
Speaker 1: u Dollar is well enough when he is fresh, but
24:35
Speaker 1: he makes over many voyages in his ship, and his
24:39
Speaker 1: yeawl to be long. So and now they say his daughter,
24:43
Speaker 1: mistress Minna, is sore out of sorts. Then there is
24:48
Speaker 1: Norna can smuckle more than other folk. But wise woman,
24:53
Speaker 1: ye cannot call her our taxman. Here, master murtown, his
24:58
Speaker 1: wit is sprung in the boast. I doubt his son
25:02
Speaker 1: is a daft gowug. And I can few of consequence hereabouts,
25:07
Speaker 1: excepting always myself, and may be use with a But
25:12
Speaker 1: what may, in some sense or other be called fools?
25:16
Speaker 1: That may be Neil Ronaldson, said the dame. But if
25:20
Speaker 1: you do not hasten the faster to the shore, you
25:24
Speaker 1: will lose tide. And as I said to my master
25:28
Speaker 1: some short time since, who will be the fool? Then?
25:33
Speaker 1: End of chapter four