CHAPTER XVIII.
--Last scene of all, To close this strange eventful history.--AS YOU LIKE IT.
On the next morning, Mr. Ratcliffe presented Miss Vere with a letterfrom her father, of which the following is the tenor:--
"MY DEAREST CHILD, The malice of a persecuting government will compelme, for my own safety, to retreat abroad, and to remain for some timein foreign parts. I do not ask you to accompany, or follow me; you willattend to my interest and your own more effectually by remaining whereyou are. It is unnecessary to enter into a minute detail concerning thecauses of the strange events which yesterday took place. I think I havereason to complain of the usage I have received from Sir Edward Mauley,who is your nearest kinsman by the mother's side; but as he has declaredyou his heir, and is to put you in immediate possession of a large partof his fortune, I account it a full atonement. I am aware he has neverforgiven the preference which your mother gave to my addresses, insteadof complying with the terms of a sort of family compact, which absurdlyand tyrannically destined her to wed her deformed relative. The shockwas even sufficient to unsettle his wits (which, indeed, were neverover-well arranged), and I had, as the husband of his nearest kinswomanand heir, the delicate task of taking care of his person and property,until he was reinstated in the management of the latter by those who, nodoubt, thought they were doing him justice; although, if some parts ofhis subsequent conduct be examined, it will appear that he ought,for his own sake, to have been left under the influence of a mild andsalutary restraint.
"In one particular, however, he showed a sense of the ties of blood,as well as of his own frailty; for while he sequestered himself closelyfrom the world, under various names and disguises, and insisted onspreading a report of his own death (in which to gratify him I willinglyacquiesced), he left at my disposal the rents of a great proportion ofhis estates, and especially all those, which, having belonged to yourmother, reverted to him as a male fief. In this he may have thoughtthat he was acting with extreme generosity, while, in the opinion of allimpartial men, he will only be considered as having fulfilled a naturalobligation, seeing that, in justice, if not in strict law, you mustbe considered as the heir of your mother, and I as your legaladministrator. Instead, therefore, of considering myself as loadedwith obligations to Sir Edward on this account, I think I had reasonto complain that these remittances were only doled out to me at thepleasure of Mr. Ratcliffe, who, moreover, exacted from me mortgagesover my paternal estate of Ellieslaw for any sums which I required as anextra advance; and thus may be said to have insinuated himself into theabsolute management and control of my property. Or, if all this seemingfriendship was employed by Sir Edward for the purpose of obtaining acomplete command of my affairs, and acquiring the power of ruining meat his pleasure, I feel myself, I must repeat, still less bound by thealleged obligation.
"About the autumn of last year, as I understand, either his own crazedimagination, or the accomplishment of some such scheme as I have hinted,brought him down to this country. His alleged motive, it seems, was adesire of seeing a monument which he had directed to be raised in thechapel over the tomb of your mother. Mr. Ratcliffe, who at this timehad done me the honour to make my house his own, had the complaisance tointroduce him secretly into the chapel. The consequence, as he informsme, was a frenzy of several hours, during which he fled into theneighbouring moors, in one of the wildest spots of which he chose, whenhe was somewhat recovered, to fix his mansion, and set up for a sort ofcountry empiric, a character which, even in his best days, he was fondof assuming. It is remarkable, that, instead of informing me of thesecircumstances, that I might have had the relative of my late wife takensuch care of as his calamitous condition required, Mr. Ratcliffe seemsto have had such culpable indulgence for his irregular plans as topromise and even swear secrecy concerning them. He visited Sir Edwardoften, and assisted in the fantastic task he had taken upon him ofconstructing a hermitage. Nothing they appear to have dreaded more thana discovery of their intercourse.
"The ground was open in every direction around, and a small subterraneancave, probably sepulchral, which their researches had detected nearthe great granite pillar, served to conceal Ratcliffe, when any oneapproached his master. I think you will be of opinion, my love, thatthis secrecy must have had some strong motive. It is also remarkable,that while I thought my unhappy friend was residing among the Monks ofLa Trappe, he should have been actually living, for many months, in thisbizarre disguise, within five miles of my house, and obtaining regularinformation of my most private movements, either by Ratcliffe, orthrough Westburnflat or others, whom he had the means to bribe to anyextent. He makes it a crime against me that I endeavoured to establishyour marriage with Sir Frederick. I acted for the best; but if SirEdward Mauley thought otherwise, why did he not step manfully forward,express his own purpose of becoming a party to the settlements, and takethat interest which he is entitled to claim in you as heir to his greatproperty?
"Even now, though your rash and eccentric relation is somewhat tardy inannouncing his purpose, I am far from opposing my authority againsthis wishes, although the person he desires you to regard as your futurehusband be young Earnscliff; the very last whom I should have thoughtlikely to be acceptable to him, considering a certain fatal event. But Igive my free and hearty consent, providing the settlements are drawn insuch an irrevocable form as may secure my child from suffering bythat state of dependence, and that sudden and causeless revocation ofallowances, of which I have so much reason to complain. Of Sir FrederickLangley, I augur, you will hear no more. He is not likely to claim thehand of a dowerless maiden. I therefore commit you, my dear Isabella, tothe wisdom of Providence and to your own prudence, begging you to loseno time in securing those advantages, which the fickleness of yourkinsman has withdrawn from me to shower upon you.
"Mr. Ratcliffe mentioned Sir Edward's intention to settle a considerablesum upon me yearly, for my maintenance in foreign parts; but this myheart is too proud to accept from him. I told him I had a dear child,who, while in affluence herself, would never suffer me to be in poverty.I thought it right to intimate this to him pretty roundly, that whateverincrease be settled upon you, it may be calculated so as to cover thisnecessary and natural encumbrance. I shall willingly settle upon youthe castle and manor of Ellieslaw, to show my parental affection anddisinterested zeal for promoting your settlement in life. The annualinterest of debts charged on the estate somewhat exceeds the income,even after a reasonable rent has been put upon the mansion and mains.But as all the debts are in the person of Mr. Ratcliffe, as yourkinsman's trustee, he will not be a troublesome creditor. And here Imust make you aware, that though I have to complain of Mr. Ratcliffe'sconduct to me personally, I, nevertheless, believe him a just andupright man, with whom you may safely consult on your affairs, not tomention that to cherish his good opinion will be the best way to retainthat of your kinsman. Remember me to Marchie--I hope he will not betroubled on account of late matters. I will write more fully from theContinent. Meanwhile, I rest your loving father, RICHARD VERE."
The above letter throws the only additional light which we have beenable to procure upon the earlier part of our story. It was Hobbie'sopinion, and may be that of most of our readers, that the Recluseof Mucklestane-Moor had but a kind of a gleaming, or twilightunderstanding; and that he had neither very clear views as to what hehimself wanted, nor was apt to pursue his ends by the clearest and mostdirect means; so that to seek the clew of his conduct, was likened, byHobbie, to looking for a straight path through a common, over which area hundred devious tracks, but not one distinct line of road.
When Isabella had perused the letter, her first enquiry was after herfather. He had left the castle, she was informed, early in the morning,after a long interview with Mr. Ratcliffe, and was already far on hisway to the next port, where he might expect to find shipping for theContinent.
"Where was Sir Edward Mauley?"
No one had seen the Dwarf since the eventful scene of the precedi
ngevening.
"Odd, if onything has befa'en puir Elshie," said Hobbie Elliot, "I wadrather I were harried ower again."
He immediately rode to his dwelling, and the remaining she-goat camebleating to meet him, for her milking time was long past. The Solitarywas nowhere to be seen; his door, contrary to wont, was open, his fireextinguished, and the whole hut was left in the state which it exhibitedon Isabella's visit to him. It was pretty clear that the means ofconveyance which had brought the Dwarf to Ellieslaw on the precedingevening, had removed him from it to some other place of abode. Hobbiereturned disconsolate to the castle.
"I am doubting we hae lost Canny Elshie for gude an' a'."
"You have indeed," said Ratcliffe, producing a paper, which he put intoHobbie's hands; "but read that, and you will perceive you have been noloser by having known him."
It was a short deed of gift, by which "Sir Edward Mauley, otherwisecalled Elshender the Recluse, endowed Halbert or Hobbie Elliot, andGrace Armstrong, in full property, with a considerable sum borrowed byElliot from him."
Hobbie's joy was mingled with feelings which brought tears down hisrough cheeks.
"It's a queer thing," he said; "but I canna joy in the gear, unless Ikend the puir body was happy that gave it me."
"Next to enjoying happiness ourselves," said Ratcliffe, "is theconsciousness of having bestowed it on others. Had all my master'sbenefits been conferred like the present, what a different return wouldthey have produced! But the indiscriminate profusion that would glutavarice, or supply prodigality, neither does good, nor is rewarded bygratitude. It is sowing the wind to reap the whirlwind."
"And that wad be a light har'st," said Hobbie; "but, wi' my youngleddie's leave, I wad fain take down Eishie's skeps o' bees, and setthem in Grace's bit flower yard at the Heugh-foot--they shall ne'er besmeekit by ony o' huz. And the puir goat, she would be negleckit about agreat toun like this; and she could feed bonnily on our lily lea by theburn side, and the hounds wad ken her in a day's time, and never fashher, and Grace wad milk her ilka morning wi' her ain hand, for Elshie'ssake; for though he was thrawn and cankered in his converse, he likeitdumb creatures weel."
Hobbie's requests were readily granted, not without some wonder atthe natural delicacy of feeling which pointed out to him this mode ofdisplaying his gratitude. He was delighted when Ratcliffe informed himthat his benefactor should not remain ignorant of the care which he tookof his favourite.
"And mind be sure and tell him that grannie and the titties, and,abune a', Grace and mysell, are weel and thriving, and that it's a' hisdoing--that canna but please him, ane wad think."
And Elliot and the family at Heugh-foot were, and continued to be, asfortunate and happy as his undaunted honesty, tenderness, and gallantryso well merited.
All bar between the marriage of Earnscliff and Isabella was now removed,and the settlements which Ratcliffe produced on the part of Sir EdwardMauley, might have satisfied the cupidity of Ellieslaw himself. But MissVere and Ratcliffe thought it unnecessary to mention to Earnscliff thatone great motive of Sir Edward, in thus loading the young pair withbenefits, was to expiate his having, many years before, shed the bloodof his father in a hasty brawl. If it be true, as Ratcliffe asserted,that the Dwarf's extreme misanthropy seemed to relax somewhat, underthe consciousness of having diffused happiness among so many, therecollection of this circumstance might probably be one of his chiefmotives for refusing obstinately ever to witness their state ofcontentment.
Mareschal hunted, shot, and drank claret--tired of the country, wentabroad, served three campaigns, came home, and married Lucy Ilderton.
Years fled over the heads of Earnscliff and his wife, and found and leftthem contented and happy. The scheming ambition of Sir FrederickLangley engaged him in the unfortunate insurrection of 1715. He was madeprisoner at Preston, in Lancashire, with the Earl of Derwentwater,and others. His defence, and the dying speech which he made at hisexecution, may be found in the State Trials. Mr. Vere, supplied byhis daughter with an ample income, continued to reside abroad, engageddeeply in the affair of Law's bank during the regency of the Duke ofOrleans, and was at one time supposed to be immensely rich. But, on thebursting of that famous bubble, he was so much chagrined at beingagain reduced to a moderate annuity (although he saw thousands of hiscompanions in misfortune absolutely starving), that vexation of mindbrought on a paralytic stroke, of which he died, after lingering underits effects a few weeks.
Willie of Westburnflat fled from the wrath of Hobbie Elliot, as hisbetters did from the pursuit of the law. His patriotism urged him toserve his country abroad, while his reluctance to leave his native soilpressed him rather to remain in the beloved island, and collect purses,watches, and rings on the highroads at home. Fortunately for him, thefirst impulse prevailed, and he joined the army under Marlborough;obtained a commission to which he was recommended by his services incollecting cattle for the commissariat; returned home after manyyears, with some money (how come by Heaven only knows),--demolishedthe peel-house at Westburnflat, and built, in its stead, a high narrowONSTEAD, of three stories, with a chimney at each end--drank brandy withthe neighbours, whom, in his younger days, he had plundered--died in hisbed, and is recorded upon his tombstone at Kirkwhistle (still extant),as having played all the parts of a brave soldier, a discreet neighbour,and a sincere Christian.
Mr. Ratcliffe resided usually with the family at Ellieslaw, butregularly every spring and autumn he absented himself for about a month.On the direction and purpose of his periodical journey he remainedsteadily silent; but it was well understood that he was then inattendance on his unfortunate patron. At length, on his return fromone of these visits, his grave countenance, and deep mourning dress,announced to the Ellieslaw family that their benefactor was no more. SirEdward's death made no addition to their fortune, for he had divestedhimself of his property during his lifetime, and chiefly in theirfavour. Ratcliffe, his sole confidant, died at a good old age, butwithout ever naming the place to which his master had finally retired,or the manner of his death, or the place of his burial. It was supposedthat on all these particulars his patron had enjoined him strictsecrecy.
The sudden disappearance of Elshie from his extraordinary hermitagecorroborated the reports which the common people had spread concerninghim. Many believed that, having ventured to enter a consecratedbuilding, contrary to his paction with the Evil One, he had been bodilycarried off while on his return to his cottage; but most are of opinionthat he only disappeared for a season, and continues to be seen fromtime to time among the hills. And retaining, according to custom, amore vivid recollection of his wild and desperate language, than of thebenevolent tendency of most of his actions, he is usually identifiedwith the malignant demon called the Man of the Moors, whose feats werequoted by Mrs. Elliot to her grandsons; and, accordingly, is generallyrepresented as bewitching the sheep, causing the ewes to KEB, that is,to cast their lambs, or seen loosening the impending wreath of snowto precipitate its weight on such as take shelter, during the storm,beneath the bank of a torrent, or under the shelter of a deep glen. Inshort, the evils most dreaded and deprecated by the inhabitants of thatpastoral country, are ascribed to the agency of the BLACK DWARF.
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