The Monastery

Chapter 13

On the present occasion, however, the wrath of good Dame Elspeth

soared higher than usual. It was not merely on account of the special

tup's head and trotters, the haggis and the side of mutton, with which

her table was set forth, but also because of the arrival of no less a

person than Hob Miller, as he was universally termed, though the man's

name was Happer.

The object of the Miller's visit to the Tower of Glendearg was like

the purpose of those embassies which potentates send to each other's

courts, partly ostensible, partly politic. In outward show, Hob came

to visit his friends of the Halidome, and share the festivity common

among country folk, after the barn-yard has been filled, and to renew

old intimacies by new conviviality. But in very truth he also came to

have an eye upon the contents of each stack, and to obtain such

information respecting the extent of the crop reaped and gathered in

by each feuar, as might prevent the possibility of _abstracted

multures_.

All the world knows that the cultivators of each barony or regality,

temporal or spiritual, in Scotland, are obliged to bring their corn to

be grinded at the mill of the territory, for which they pay a heavy

charge, called the _intown multures_. I could speak to the

thirlage of _invecta et illata_ too, but let that pass. I have

said enough to intimate that I talk not without book. Those of the

_Sucken_, or enthralled ground, were liable in penalties, if,

deviating from this thirlage, (or thraldom,) they carried their grain

to another mill. Now such another mill, erected on the lands of a

lay-baron, lay within a tempting and convenient distance of Glendearg;

and the Miller was so obliging, and his charges so moderate, that it

required Hob Miller's utmost vigilance to prevent evasions of his

right of monopoly.

The most effectual means he could devise was this show of good

fellowship and neighbourly friendship,--under colour of which he made

his annual cruise through the barony--numbered every corn-stack, and

computed its contents by the boll, so that he could give a shrewd hint

afterwards whether or not the grist came to the right mill.

Dame Elspeth, like her compeers, was obliged to take these domiciliary

visits in the sense of politeness; but in her case they had not

occurred since her husband's death, probably because the Tower of

Glendearg was distant, and there was but a trifling quantity of arable

or _infield_ land attached to it. This year there had been, upon

some speculation of old Martin's, several bolls sown in the

exit-field, which, the season being fine, had ripened remarkably well.

Perhaps this circumstance occasioned the honest Miller's including

Glendearg, on this occasion, in his annual round Dame Glendinning

received with pleasure a visit which she used formerly only to endure

with patience; and she had changed her view of the matter chiefly, if

not entirely, because Hob had brought with him his daughter Mysie, of

whose features she could give so slight an account, but whose dress

she had described so accurately to the Sub-Prior.

Hitherto this girl had been an object of very trifling consideration

in the eyes of the good widow; but the Sub-Prior's particular and

somewhat mysterious inquiries had set her brains to work on the

subject of Mysie of the Mill; and she had here asked a broad question,

and there she had thrown out an innuendo, and there again she had

gradually led on to a conversation on the subject of poor Mysie. And

from all inquiries and investigations she had collected, that Mysie

was a dark-eyed, laughter-loving wench, with cherry-cheeks, and a skin

as white as her father's finest bolted flour, out of which was made

the Abbot's own wastel-bread. For her temper, she sung and laughed

from morning to night; and for her fortune, a material article,

besides that which the Miller might have amassed by means of his

proverbial golden thumb, Mysie was to inherit a good handsome lump of

land, with a prospect of the mill and mill-acres descending to her

husband on an easy lease, if a fair word were spoken in season to the

Abbot, and to the Prior, and to the Sub-Prior, and to the Sacristan,

and so forth.

By turning and again turning these advantages over in her own mind,

Elspeth at length came to be of opinion, that the only way to save her

son Halbert from a life of "spur, spear, and snaffle," as they called

that of the border-riders, from the dint of a cloth-yard shaft, or the

loop of an inch-cord, was, that he should marry and settle, and that

Mysie Happer should be his destined bride.

As if to her wish, Hob Miller arrived on his strong-built mare,

bearing on a pillion behind him the lovely Mysie, with cheeks like a

peony-rose, (if Dame Glendinning had ever seen one,) spirits all

afloat with rustic coquetry, and a profusion of hair as black as

ebony. The _beau-ideal_ which Dame Glendinning had been bodying

forth in her imagination, became unexpectedly realized in the buxom

form of Mysie Happer, whom, in the course of half an hour, she settled

upon as the maiden who was to fix the restless and untutored Halbert.

True, Mysie, as the dame soon saw, was like to love dancing round a

May-pole as well as managing a domestic establishment, and Halbert was

like to break more heads than he would grind stacks of corn. But then

a miller should always be of manly make, and has been described so

since the days of Chaucer and James I. [Footnote: The verse we have

chosen for a motto, is from a poem imputed to James I. of Scotland. As

for the Miller who figures among the Canterbury pilgrims, besides his

sword and buckler, he boasted other attributes, all of which, but

especially the last, show that he relied more on the strength of the

outside than that of the inside of his skull.

The hoarse voice of the Miller at this moment recalled the dame from

her reverie, and compelled her to remember that if she meant to

realize her airy castle, she must begin by laying the foundation in

civility to her guest and his daughter, whom she was at that moment

most strangely neglecting, though her whole plan turned on

conciliating their favour and good opinion, and that, in fact, while

arranging matters for so intimate a union with her company, she was

suffering them to sit unnoticed, and in their riding gear, as if about

to resume their journey. "And so I say, dame," concluded the Miller,

(for she had not marked the beginning of his speech,) "an ye be so

busied with your housekep, or ought else, why, Mysie and I will trot

our way down the glen again to Johnnie Broxmouth's, who pressed us

right kindly to bide with him."

Starting at once from her dream of marriages and intermarriages,

mills, mill-lands, and baronies, Dame Elspeth felt for a moment like

the milk-maid in the fable, when she overset the pitcher, on the

contents of which so many golden dreams were founded. But the

foundation of Dame Glendinning's hopes was only tottering, not

overthrown, and she hastened to restore its equilibrium. Instead of

attempting to account for her absence of mind and want of attention to

her guests, which she might have found something difficult, she

assumed the offensive, like an able general when he finds it

necessary, by a bold attack, to disguise his weakness.

A loud exclamation she made, and a passionate complaint she set up

against the unkindness of her old friend, who could for an instant

doubt the heartiness of her welcome to him and to his hopeful

daughter; and then to think of his going back to Johnny Broxmouth's,

when the auld tower stood where it did, and had room in it for a

friend or two in the worst of times--and he too a neighbour that his

umquhile gossip Simon, blessed be his cast, used to think the best

friend he had in the Halidome! And on she went, urging her complaint

with so much seriousness, that she had well-nigh imposed on herself as

well as upon Hob Miller, who had no mind to take any thing in dudgeon;

and as it suited his plans to pass the night at Glendearg, would have

been equally contented to do so even had his reception been less

vehemently hospitable.

To all Elspeth's expostulations on the unkindness of his proposal to

leave her dwelling, he answered composedly, "Nay, dame, what could I

tell? ye might have had other grist to grind, for ye looked as if ye

scarce saw us--or what know I? ye might bear in mind the words Martin

and I had about the last barley ye sawed--for I ken dry multures

[Footnote: Dry multures were a fine, or compensation in money, for not

grinding at the mill of the thirl. It was, and is, accounted a

vexatious exaction.] will sometimes stick in the throat. A man seeks

but his awn, and yet folk shall hold him for both miller and miller's

man, that is millar and knave, [Footnote: The under miller is, in the

language of thirlage, called the knave, which, indeed, signified

originally his lad. (_Knabe_--German,) but by degrees came to be

taken in a worse sense. In the old translation of the Bible, Paul is

made to term himself the knave of our Saviour. The allowance of meal

taken by the miller's servant was called knave-ship.] all the country

over."

"Alas, that you will say so, neighbour Hob," said Dame Elspeth, "or

that Martin should have had any words with you about the mill-dues! I

will chide him roundly for it, I promise you, on the faith of a true

widow. You know full well that a lone woman is sore put upon by her

servants."

"Nay, dame," said the miller, unbuckling the broad belt which made

fast his cloak, and served, at the same time, to suspend by his side a

swinging Andrea Ferrara, "bear no grudge at Martin, for I bear none--I

take it on me as a thing of mine office, to maintain my right of

multure, lock, and gowpen. [Note: The multure was the regular

exaction for grinding the meal. The _lock_, signifying a small

quantity, and the _gowpen_, a handful, were additional

perquisites demanded by the miller, and submitted to or resisted by

the _Suckener_ as circumstances permitted. These and other petty

dues were called in general the _Sequels_.] And reason good, for

as the old song says,

With that the Miller hung his ample cloak without farther ceremony

upon a huge pair of stag's antlers, which adorned at once the naked

walls of the tower, and served for what we vulgarly call cloak-pins.

In the meantime Dame Elspeth assisted to disembarrass the damsel whom

she destined for her future daughter-in-law, of her hood, mantle, and

the rest of her riding gear, giving her to appear as beseemed the

buxom daughter of the wealthy Miller, gay and goodly, in a white

kirtle, the seams of which were embroidered with green silken lace or

fringe, entwined with some silver thread. An anxious glance did

Elspoth cast upon the good-humoured face, which was now more fully

shown to her, and was only obscured by a quantity of raven black hair,

which the maid of the mill had restrained by a snood of green silk,

embroidered with silver, corresponding to the trimmings of her kirtle.

The countenance itself was exceedingly comely--the eyes black, large,

and roguishly good-humoured--the mouth was small--the lips well

formed, though somewhat full--the teeth were pearly white--and the

chin had a very seducing dimple in it. The form belonging to this

joyous face was full and round, and firm and fair. It might become

coarse and masculine some years hence, which is the common fault of

Scottish beauty; but in Mysie's sixteenth year she had the shape of a

Hebe. The anxious Elspeth, with all her maternal partiality, could not

help admitting within herself, that a better man than Halbert might go

farther and fare worse. She looked a little giddy, and Halbert was

not nineteen; still it was time he should be settled, for to that

point the dame always returned; and here was an excellent opportunity.

The simple cunning of Dame Elspeth now exhausted itself in

commendations of her fair guest, from the snood, as they say, to the

single-soled shoe. Mysie listened and blushed with pleasure for the

first five minutes; but ere ten had elapsed, she began to view the old

lady's compliments rather as subjects of mirth than of vanity, and was

much more disposed to laugh at than to be flattered with them, for

Nature had mingled the good-humour with which she had endowed the

damsel with no small portion of shrewdness. Even Hob himself began to

tire of hearing his daughter's praises, and broke in with, "Ay, ay,

she is a clever quean enough; and, were she five years older, she

shall lay a loaded sack on an _aver_ [Note: _Aver_--properly

a horse of labour.] with e'er a lass in the Halidome. But I have been

looking for your two sons, dame. Men say downby that Halbert's turned

a wild springald, and that we may have word of him from Westmoreland

one moonlight night or another."

"God forbid, my good neighbour; God, in his mercy, forbid!" said Dame

Glendinning, earnestly; for it was touching the very key-note of her

apprehensions, to hint any probability that Halbert might become one

of the marauders so common in the age and country. But, fearful of

having betrayed too much alarm on this subject, she immediately added,

"That though, since the last rout at Pinkiecleuch, she had been all of

a tremble when a gun or a spear was named, or when men spoke of

fighting; yet, thanks to God and our Lady, her sons were like to live

and die honest and peaceful tenants to the Abbey, as their father

might have done, but for that awful hosting which he went forth to

with mony a brave man that never returned."

"Ye need not tell me of it, dame," said the Miller, "since I was there

myself, and made two pair of legs (and these were not mine, but my

mare's,) worth one pair of hands. I judged how it would be, when I saw

our host break ranks, with rushing on through that broken ploughed

field, and so as they had made a pricker of me, I e'en pricked off

with myself while the play was good."

"Ay, ay, neighbour," said the dame, "ye were aye a wise and a wary

man; if my Simon had had your wit, he might have been here to speak

about it this day; but he was aye cracking of his good blood and his

high kindred, and less would not serve him than to bide the bang to

the last, with the earls, and knights, and squires, that had no wives

to greet for them, or else had wives that cared not how soon they were

widows; but that is not for the like of us. But touching my son

Halbert, there is no fear of him; for if it should be his misfortune

to be in the like case, he has the best pair of heels in Halidome, and

could run almost as fast as your mare herself."

"Is this he, neighbour?" quoth the Miller.

"No," replied the mother; "that is my youngest son, Edward, who can

read and write like the Lord Abbot himself, if it were not a sin to

say so."

"Ay," said the Miller; "and is that the young clerk the Sub-Prior

thinks so much of? they say he will come far ben that lad; wha kens

but he may come to be Sub-Prior himself?--as broken a ship has come to

land."

"To be a Prior, neighbour Miller," said Edward, "a man must first be

a priest, and for that I judge I have little vocation."

"He will take to the pleugh-pettle, neighbour," said the good dame;

"and so will Halbert too, I trust. I wish you saw Halbert.--Edward,

where is your brother?"

"Hunting, I think," replied Edward; "at least he left us this morning

to join the Laird of Colmslie and his hounds. I have heard them

baying in the glen all day."

"And if I had heard that music," said the Miller, "it would have done

my heart good, ay, and may be taken me two or three miles out of my

road. When I was the Miller of Morebattle's knave, I have followed

the hounds from Eckford to the foot of Hounam-law--followed them on

foot, Dame Glendinning, ay, and led the chase when the Laird of

Cessford and his gay riders were all thrown out by the mosses and

gills. I brought the stag on my back to Hounam Cross, when the dogs

had pulled him down. I think I see the old gray knight, as he sate so

upright on his strong war-horse, all white with foam; and 'Miller,'

said he to me, 'an thou wilt turn thy back on the mill, and wend with

me, I will make a man of thee.' But I chose rather to abide by clap

and happer, and the better luck was mine; for the proud Percy caused

hang five of the Laird's henchmen at Alnwick for burning a rickle of

houses some gate beyond Fowberry, and it might have been my luck as

well as another man's."

"Ah, neighbour, neighbour," said Dame Glendinning, "you were aye wise

and wary; but if you like hunting, I must say Halbert's the lad to

please you. He hath all those fair holiday terms of hawk and hound as

ready in his mouth as Tom with the tod's tail, that is the Lord

Abbot's ranger."

"Ranges he not homeward at dinner-time, dame," demanded the Miller;

"for we call noon the dinner-hour at Kennaquhair?"

The widow was forced to admit that, even at this important period of

the day, Halbert was frequently absent; at which the Miller shook his

head, intimating, at the same time, some allusion to the proverb of

MacFarlane's geese, which "liked their play better than their

meat." [Footnote: A brood of wild-geese, which long frequented one of

the uppermost islands in Loch-Lomond, called Inch-Tavoe, were supposed

to have some mysterious connexion with the ancient family of

MacFarlane of that ilk, and it is said were never seen after the ruin

and extinction of that house. The MacFarlanes had a house and garden

upon that same island of Inch-Tavoe. Here James VI. was, on one

occasion, regaled by the chieftain. His Majesty had been previously

much amused by the geese pursuing each other on the Loch. But, when

one which was brought to table, was found to be tough and ill fed,

James observed--"that MacFarlane's geese liked their play better than

their meat," a proverb which has been current ever since.]

That the delay of dinner might not increase the Miller's disposition

to prejudge Halbert, Dame Glendinning called hastily on Mary Avenel to

take her task of entertaining Mysie Happer, while she herself rushed

to the kitchen, and, entering at once into the province of Tibb

Tacket, rummaged among trenchers and dishes, snatched pots from the

fire, and placed pans and gridirons on it, accompanying her own feats

of personal activity with such a continued list of injunctions to

Tibb, that Tibb at length lost patience, and said, "Here was as muckle

wark about meating an auld miller, as if they had been to banquet the

blood of Bruce." But this, as it was supposed to be spoken aside, Dame

Glendinning did not think it convenient to hear.