CHAPTER XXVII How like a hateful ape, Detected grinning 'midst his pilfer'd hoard, A cunning man appears, whose secret frauds Are open'd to the day!
Count Basil
There was a great movement at Woodbourne early on the following morningto attend the examination at Kippletringan. Mr. Pleydell, from theinvestigation which he had formerly bestowed on the dark affair ofKennedy's death, as well as from the general deference due to hisprofessional abilities, was requested by Mr. Mac-Morlan and Sir RobertHazlewood, and another justice of peace who attended, to take thesituation of chairman and the lead in the examination. Colonel Manneringwas invited to sit down with them. The examination, being previous totrial, was private in other respects.
The Counsellor resumed and reinterrogated former evidence. He thenexamined the clergyman and surgeon respecting the dying declaration ofMeg Merrilies. They stated that she distinctly, positively, andrepeatedly declared herself an eye-witness of Kennedy's death by thehands of Hatteraick and two or three of his crew; that her presence wasaccidental; that she believed their resentment at meeting him, when theywere in the act of losing their vessel through the means of hisinformation, led to the commission of the crime; that she said there wasone witness of the murder, but who refused to participate in it, stillalive--her nephew, Gabriel Faa; and she had hinted at another person whowas an accessory after, not before, the fact; but her strength therefailed her. They did not forget to mention her declaration that she hadsaved the child, and that he was torn from her by the smugglers for thepurpose of carrying him to Holland. All these particulars were carefullyreduced to writing.
Dirk Hatteraick was then brought in, heavily ironed; for he had beenstrictly secured and guarded, owing to his former escape. He was askedhis name; he made no answer. His profession; he was silent. Several otherquestions were put, to none of which he returned any reply. Pleydellwiped the glasses of his spectacles and considered the prisoner veryattentively. 'A very truculent-looking fellow,' he whispered toMannering; 'but, as Dogberry says, I'll go cunningly to work with him.Here, call in Soles--Soles the shoemaker. Soles, do you remembermeasuring some footsteps imprinted on the mud at the wood of Warrochon--November 17--, by my orders?' Soles remembered the circumstanceperfectly. 'Look at that paper; is that your note of the measurement?'Soles verified the memorandum. 'Now, there stands a pair of shoes on thattable; measure them, and see if they correspond with any of the marks youhave noted there.' The shoemaker obeyed, and declared 'that they answeredexactly to the largest of the footprints.'
'We shall prove,' said the Counsellor, aside to Mannering, 'that theseshoes, which were found in the ruins at Derncleugh, belonged to Brown,the fellow whom you shot on the lawn at Woodbourne. Now, Soles, measurethat prisoner's feet very accurately.'
Mannering observed Hatteraick strictly, and could notice a visibletremor. 'Do these measurements correspond with any of the footprints?'
The man looked at the note, then at his foot-rule and measure, thenverified his former measurement by a second. 'They correspond,' he said,'within a hair-breadth to a foot-mark broader and shorter than theformer.'
Hatteraick's genius here deserted him. 'Der deyvil!' he broke out, 'howcould there be a footmark on the ground, when it was a frost as hard asthe heart of a Memel log?'
'In the evening, I grant you, Captain Hatteraick,' said Pleydell, 'butnot in the forenoon. Will you favour me with information where you wereupon the day you remember so exactly?'
Hatteraick saw his blunder, and again screwed up his hard features forobstinate silence. 'Put down his observation, however,' said Pleydell tothe clerk.
At this moment the door opened, and, much to the surprise of mostpresent, Mr. Gilbert Glossin made his appearance. That worthy gentlemanhad, by dint of watching and eavesdropping, ascertained that he was notmentioned by name in Meg Merrilies's dying declaration--a circumstancecertainly not owing to any favourable disposition towards him, but to thedelay of taking her regular examination, and to the rapid approach ofdeath. He therefore supposed himself safe from all evidence but such asmight arise from Hatteraick's confession; to prevent which he resolved topush a bold face and join his brethren of the bench during hisexamination. 'I shall be able,' he thought, 'to make the rascal sensiblehis safety lies in keeping his own counsel and mine; and my presence,besides, will be a proof of confidence and innocence. If I must lose theestate, I must; but I trust better things.'
He entered with a profound salutation to Sir Robert Hazlewood. SirRobert, who had rather begun to suspect that his plebeian neighbour hadmade a cat's paw of him, inclined his head stiffly, took snuff, andlooked another way.
'Mr. Corsand,' said Glossin to the other yokefellow of justice, 'yourmost humble servant.'
'Your humble servant, Mr. Glossin,' answered Mr. Corsand drily, composinghis countenance regis ad exemplar, that is to say, after the fashion ofthe Baronet.
'Mac-Morlan, my worthy friend,' continued Glossin, 'how d' ye do; alwayson your duty?'
'Umph,' said honest Mac-Morlan, with little respect either to thecompliment or salutation.
'Colonel Mannering (a low bow slightly returned), and Mr. Pleydell(another low bow), I dared not have hoped for your assistance to poorcountry gentlemen at this period of the session.'
Pleydell took snuff, and eyed him with a glance equally shrewd andsarcastic. 'I'll teach him,' he said aside to Mannering, 'the value ofthe old admonition, Ne accesseris in consilium antequam voceris.'
'But perhaps I intrude, gentlemen?' said Glossin, who could not fail toobserve the coldness of his reception. 'Is this an open meeting?'
'For my part,' said Mr. Pleydell, 'so far from considering yourattendance as an intrusion, Mr. Glossin, I was never so pleased in mylife to meet with you; especially as I think we should, at any rate, havehad occasion to request the favour of your company in the course of theday.'
'Well, then, gentlemen,' said Glossin, drawing his chair to the table,and beginning to bustle about among the papers, 'where are we? how farhave we got? where are the declarations?'
'Clerk, give me all these papers,' said Mr. Pleydell. 'I have an odd wayof arranging my documents, Mr. Glossin, another person touching them putsme out; but I shall have occasion for your assistance by and by.'
Glossin, thus reduced to inactivity, stole one glance at Dirk Hatteraick,but could read nothing in his dark scowl save malignity and hatred to allaround. 'But, gentlemen,' said Glossin, 'is it quite right to keep thispoor man so heavily ironed when he is taken up merely for examination?'
This was hoisting a kind of friendly signal to the prisoner. 'He hasescaped once before,' said Mac-Morlan drily, and Glossin was silenced.
Bertram was now introduced, and, to Glossin's confusion, was greeted inthe most friendly manner by all present, even by Sir Robert Hazlewoodhimself. He told his recollections of his infancy with that candour andcaution of expression which afforded the best warrant for his good faith.'This seems to be rather a civil than a criminal question,' said Glossin,rising; 'and as you cannot be ignorant, gentlemen, of the effect whichthis young person's pretended parentage may have on my patrimonialinterest, I would rather beg leave to retire.'
'No, my good sir,' said Mr. Pleydell, 'we can by no means spare you. Butwhy do you call this young man's claims pretended? I don't mean to fishfor your defences against them, if you have any, but--'
'Mr. Pleydell,' replied Glossin, 'I am always disposed to actabove-board, and I think I can explain the matter at once. This youngfellow, whom I take to be a natural son of the late Ellangowan, has goneabout the country for some weeks under different names, caballing with awretched old mad-woman, who, I understand, was shot in a late scuffle,and with other tinkers, gipsies, and persons of that description, and agreat brute farmer from Liddesdale, stirring up the tenants against theirlandlords, which, as Sir Robert Hazlewood of Hazlewood knows--'
'Not to interrupt you, Mr. Glossin,' said Pleydell, 'I ask who you saythis young man is?'
'Why, I say,
' replied Glossin, 'and I believe that gentleman (looking atHatteraick) knows, that the young man is a natural son of the lateEllangowan, by a girl called Janet Lightoheel, who was afterwards marriedto Hewit the shipwright, that lived in the neighbourhood of Annan. Hisname is Godfrey Bertram Hewit, by which name he was entered on board theRoyal Caroline excise yacht.'
'Ay?' said Pleydell, 'that is a very likely story! But, not to pause uponsome difference of eyes, complexion, and so forth--be pleased to stepforward, sir.' (A young seafaring man came forward.) 'Here,' proceededthe Counsellor, 'is the real Simon Pure; here's Godfrey Bertram Hewit,arrived last night from Antigua via Liverpool, mate of a West-Indian, andin a fair way of doing well in the world, although he came somewhatirregularly into it.'
While some conversation passed between the other justices and this youngman, Pleydell lifted from among the papers on the table Hatteraick's oldpocket-book. A peculiar glance of the smuggler's eye induced the shrewdlawyer to think there was something here of interest. He thereforecontinued the examination of the papers, laying the book on the table,but instantly perceived that the prisoner's interest in the research hadcooled. 'It must be in the book still, whatever it is,' thought Pleydell;and again applied himself to the pocket-book, until he discovered, on anarrow scrutiny, a slit between the pasteboard and leather, out of whichhe drew three small slips of paper. Pleydell now, turning to Glossin,requested the favour that he would tell them if he had assisted at thesearch for the body of Kennedy and the child of his patron on the daywhen they disappeared.
'I did not--that is, I did,' answered the conscience-struck Glossin.
'It is remarkable though,' said the Advocate, 'that, connected as youwere with the Ellangowan family, I don't recollect your being examined,or even appearing before me, while that investigation was proceeding?'
'I was called to London,' answered Glossin, 'on most important businessthe morning after that sad affair.'
'Clerk,' said Pleydell, 'minute down that reply. I presume the business,Mr. Glossin, was to negotiate these three bills, drawn by you on Messrs.Vanbeest and Vanbruggen, and accepted by one Dirk Hatteraick in theirname on the very day of the murder. I congratulate you on their beingregularly retired, as I perceive they have been. I think the chances wereagainst it.' Glossin's countenance fell. 'This piece of real evidence,'continued Mr. Pleydell, 'makes good the account given of your conduct onthis occasion by a man called Gabriel Faa, whom we have now in custody,and who witnessed the whole transaction between you and that worthyprisoner. Have you any explanation to give?'
'Mr. Pleydell,' said Glossin, with great composure, 'I presume, if youwere my counsel, you would not advise me to answer upon the spur of themoment to a charge which the basest of mankind seem ready to establish byperjury.'
'My advice,' said the Counsellor, 'would be regulated by my opinion ofyour innocence or guilt. In your case, I believe you take the wisestcourse; but you are aware you must stand committed?'
'Committed? for what, sir?' replied Glossin. 'Upon a charge of murder?'
'No; only as art and part of kidnapping the child.'
'That is a bailable offence.'
'Pardon me,' said Pleydell, 'it is plagium, and plagium is felony.'
'Forgive me, Mr. Pleydell, there is only one case upon record, Torrenceand Waldie. They were, you remember, resurrection-women, who had promisedto procure a child's body for some young surgeons. Being upon honour totheir employers, rather than disappoint the evening lecture of thestudents, they stole a live child, murdered it, and sold the body forthree shillings and sixpence. They were hanged, but for the murder, notfor the plagium [Footnote: This is, in its circumstances and issue,actually a case tried and reported.]--Your civil law has carried you alittle too far.'
'Well, sir, but in the meantime Mr. Mac-Morlan must commit you to thecounty jail, in case this young man repeats the same story. Officers,remove Mr. Glossin and Hatteraick, and guard them in differentapartments.'
Gabriel, the gipsy, was then introduced, and gave a distinct account ofhis deserting from Captain Pritchard's vessel and joining the smugglersin the action, detailed how Dirk Hatteraick set fire to his ship when hefound her disabled, and under cover of the smoke escaped with his crew,and as much goods as they could save, into the cavern, where theyproposed to lie till nightfall. Hatteraick himself, his mate VanbeestBrown, and three others, of whom the declarant was one, went into theadjacent woods to communicate with some of their friends in theneighbourhood. They fell in with Kennedy unexpectedly, and Hatteraick andBrown, aware that he was the occasion of their disasters, resolved tomurder him. He stated that he had seen them lay violent hands on theofficer and drag him through the woods, but had not partaken in theassault nor witnessed its termination; that he returned to the cavern bya different route, where he again met Hatteraick and his accomplices; andthe captain was in the act of giving an account how he and Brown hadpushed a huge crag over, as Kennedy lay groaning on the beach, whenGlossin suddenly appeared among them. To the whole transaction by whichHatteraick purchased his secrecy he was witness. Respecting youngBertram, he could give a distinct account till he went to India, afterwhich he had lost sight of him until he unexpectedly met with him inLiddesdale. Gabriel Faa farther stated that he instantly sent notice tohis aunt Meg Merrilies, as well as to Hatteraick, who he knew was thenupon the coast; but that he had incurred his aunt's displeasure upon thelatter account. He concluded, that his aunt had immediately declared thatshe would do all that lay in her power to help young Ellangowan to hisright, even if it should be by informing against Dirk Hatteraick; andthat many of her people assisted her besides himself, from a belief thatshe was gifted with supernatural inspirations. With the same purpose, heunderstood his aunt had given to Bertram the treasure of the tribe, ofwhich she had the custody. Three or four gipsies, by the express commandof Meg Merrilies, mingled in the crowd when the custom-house wasattacked, for the purpose of liberating Bertram, which he had himselfeffected. He said, that in obeying Meg's dictates they did not pretend toestimate their propriety or rationality, the respect in which she washeld by her tribe precluding all such subjects of speculation. Uponfarther interrogation, the witness added, that his aunt had always saidthat Harry Bertram carried that round his neck which would ascertain hisbirth. It was a spell, she said, that an Oxford scholar had made for him,and she possessed the smugglers with an opinion that to deprive him of itwould occasion the loss of the vessel.
Bertram here produced a small velvet bag, which he said he had worn roundhis neck from his earliest infancy, and which he had preserved, firstfrom superstitious reverence, and latterly from the hope that it mightserve one day to aid in the discovery of his birth. The bag, beingopened, was found to contain a blue silk case, from which was drawn ascheme of nativity. Upon inspecting this paper, Colonel Manneringinstantly admitted it was his own composition; and afforded the strongestand most satisfactory evidence that the possessor of it must necessarilybe the young heir of Ellangowan, by avowing his having first appeared inthat country in the character of an astrologer.
'And now,' said Pleydell, 'make out warrants of commitment for Hatteraickand Glossin until liberated in due course of law. Yet,' he said, 'I amsorry for Glossin.'
'Now, I think,' said Mannering, 'he's incomparably the least deserving ofpity of the two. The other's a bold fellow, though as hard as flint.'
'Very natural, Colonel,' said the Advocate, 'that you should beinterested in the ruffian and I in the knave, that's all professionaltaste; but I can tell you Glossin would have been a pretty lawyer had henot had such a turn for the roguish part of the profession.'
'Scandal would say,' observed Mannering, 'he might not be the worselawyer for that.'
'Scandal would tell a lie, then,' replied Pleydell, 'as she usually does.Law's like laudanum: it's much more easy to use it as a quack does thanto learn to apply it like a physician.'