Read Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer — Complete Page 5

  CHAPTER II

  Comes me cranking in, And cuts me from the best of all my land A huge half-moon, a monstrous cantle, out

  Henry IV, Part 1.The company in the parlour at Ellangowan consisted of the Laird and asort of person who might be the village schoolmaster, or perhaps theminister's assistant; his appearance was too shabby to indicate theminister, considering he was on a visit to the Laird.

  The Laird himself was one of those second-rate sort of persons that areto be found frequently in rural situations. Fielding has described oneclass as feras consumere nati; but the love of field-sports indicates acertain activity of mind, which had forsaken Mr. Bertram, if ever hepossessed it. A good-humoured listlessness of countenance formed the onlyremarkable expression of his features, although they were rather handsomethan otherwise. In fact, his physiognomy indicated the inanity ofcharacter which pervaded his life. I will give the reader some insightinto his state and conversation before he has finished a long lecture toMannering upon the propriety and comfort of wrapping his stirrup-ironsround with a wisp of straw when he had occasion to ride in a chillevening.

  Godfrey Bertram of Ellangowan succeeded to a long pedigree and a shortrent-roll, like many lairds of that period. His list of forefathersascended so high that they were lost in the barbarous ages of Galwegianindependence, so that his genealogical tree, besides the Christian andcrusading names of Godfreys, and Gilberts, and Dennises, and Rolandswithout end, bore heathen fruit of yet darker ages--Arths, and Knarths,and Donagilds, and Hanlons. In truth, they had been formerly the stormychiefs of a desert but extensive domain, and the heads of a numeroustribe called Mac-Dingawaie, though they afterwards adopted the Normansurname of Bertram. They had made war, raised rebellions, been defeated,beheaded, and hanged, as became a family of importance, for manycenturies. But they had gradually lost ground in the world, and, frombeing themselves the heads of treason and traitorous conspiracies, theBertrams, or Mac-Dingawaies, of Ellangowan had sunk into subordinateaccomplices. Their most fatal exhibitions in this capacity took place inthe seventeenth century, when the foul fiend possessed them with a spiritof contradiction, which uniformly involved them in controversy with theruling powers. They reversed the conduct of the celebrated Vicar of Bray,and adhered as tenaciously to the weaker side as that worthy divine tothe stronger. And truly, like him, they had their reward.