The Jolly Roger Tales: 60+ Pirate Novels, Treasure-Hunt Tales & Sea Adventures. Лаймен Фрэнк БаумЧитать онлайн книгу.
dress, called a mantilla; as it would exactly fit the size of Mrs. Baby Yellowley, and was very well suited for the fogs of the climate of Zetland, he entreated her to wear it for his sake.” The lady, with as much condescending sweetness as her countenance was able to express, not only consented to receive this mark of gallantry, but permitted the donor to arrange the mantilla upon her projecting and bony shoulder-blades, where, said Claud Halcro, “it hung, for all the world, as if it had been stretched betwixt a couple of cloak-pins.”
While the Captain was performing this piece of courtesy, much to the entertainment of the company, which, it may be presumed, was his principal object from the beginning, Mordaunt Mertoun made purchase of a small golden chaplet, with the private intention of presenting it to Brenda, when he should find an opportunity. The price was fixed, and the article laid aside. Claud Halcro also showed some desire of possessing a silver box of antique shape, for depositing tobacco, which he was in the habit of using in considerable quantity. But the bard seldom had current coin in promptitude, and, indeed, in his wandering way of life, had little occasion for any; and Bryce, on the other hand, his having been hitherto a ready-money trade, protested, that his very moderate profits upon such rare and choice articles, would not allow of his affording credit to the purchaser. Mordaunt gathered the import of this conversation from the mode in which they whispered together, while the bard seemed to advance a wishful finger towards the box in question, and the cautious pedlar detained it with the weight of his whole hand, as if he had been afraid it would literally make itself wings, and fly into Claud Halcro’s pocket. Mordaunt Mertoun at this moment, desirous to gratify an old acquaintance, laid the price of the box on the table, and said he would not permit Master Halcro to purchase that box, as he had settled in his own mind to make him a present of it.
“I cannot think of robbing you, my dear young friend,” said the poet; “ but the truth is, that that same box does remind me strangely of glorious John’s, out of which I had the honour to take a pinch at the Wits’ Coffeehouse, for which I think more highly of my righthand finger and thumb than any other part of my body; only you must allow me to pay you back the price when my Urkaster stockfish come to market.”
“Settle that as you like betwixt you,” said the jagger, taking up Mordaunt’s money; “ the box is bought and sold.”
“And how dare you sell over again,” said Captain Cleveland, suddenly interfering, “what you already have sold to me?”
All were surprised at this interjection, which was hastily made, as Cleveland, having turned from Mrs. Baby, had become suddenly, and, as it seemed, not without emotion, aware what articles Bryce Snailsfoot was now disposing of. To this short and fierce question, the jagger, afraid to contradict a customer of his description, answered only by stammering, that the “Lord knew he meant nae offence.”
“How, sir! no offence!” said the seaman, “and dispose of my property? “ extending his hand at the same time to the box and chaplet; “ restore the young gentleman’s money, and learn to keep your course on the meridian of honesty.”
The jagger, confused and reluctant, pulled out his leathern pouch to repay to Mordaunt the money he had just deposited in it; but the youth was not to be so satisfied.
“The articles,” he said, “ were bought and sold — these were your own words, Bryce Snailsfoot, in Master Halcro’s hearing; and I will suffer neither you or any other to deprive me of my property.”
“Your property, young man? “ said Cleveland; “ it is mine, — I spoke to Bryce respecting them an instant before I turned from the table.”
“I — I — I had not just heard distinctly,” said Bryce, evidently unwilling to offend either party.
“Come, come,” said the Udaller, “ we will have no quarrelling about baubles; we shall be summoned presently to the rigging-loft,” — so he used to call the apartment used as a ballroom, — ”and we must all go in good-humour. The things shall remain with Bryce for tonight, and tomorrow I will myself settle whom they shall belong to.”
The laws of the Udaller in his own house were absolute as those of the Medes. The two young men, regarding each other with looks of sullen displeasure, drew off in different directions.
It is seldom that the second day of a prolonged festival equals the first. The spirits, as well as the limbs, are jaded, and unequal to the renewed expenditure of animation and exertion; and the dance at Burgh-Westra was sustained with much less mirth than on the preceding evening. It was yet an hour from midnight, when even the reluctant Magnus Troil, after regretting the degeneracy of the times, and wishing he could transfuse into the modern Hialtlanders some of the vigour which still animated his own frame, found himself compelled to give the signal for general retreat.
Just as this took place, Halcro, leading Mordaunt Mertoun a little aside, said he had a message to him from Captain Cleveland.
“A message!” said Mordaunt, his heart beating somewhat thick as he spoke — ” A challenge, I suppose?”
• “ A challenge!” repeated Halcro; “who ever heard of a challenge in our quiet islands? Do you think that I look like a carrier of challenges, and to you of all men living? — I am none of those fighting fools, as glorious John calls them; and it was not quite a message I had to deliver — only thus far — this Captain Cleveland, I find, hath set his heart upon having these articles you looked at.”
“He shall not have them, I swear to you,” replied Mordaunt Mertoun.
“Nay, but hear me,” said Halcro; “ it seems that, by the marks or arms that are upon them, he knows that they were formerly his property. Now, were you to give me the box, as you promised, I fairly tell you, I should give the man back his own.”
“And Brenda might do the like,” thought Mordaunt to himself, and instantly replied aloud, “ I have thought better of it, my friend. Captain Cleveland shall have the toys he sets such store by, but it is on one sole condition.”
“Nay, you will spoil all with your conditions,” said Halcro; “for, as glorious John says, conditions are but—”
“Hear me, I say, with patience. — My condition is, that he keeps the toys in exchange for the rifle-gun I accepted from him, which will leave no obligation between us on either side.”
“I see where you would be — this is Sebastian and Dorax all over. Well, you may let the jagger know he is to deliver the things to Cleveland — I think he is mad to have them — and I will let Cleveland know the conditions annexed, otherwise honest Bryce might come by two payments instead of one; and I believe his conscience would not choke upon it.”
With these words, Halcro went to seek out Cleveland, while Mordaunt, observing Snailsfoot, who, as a sort of privileged person, had thrust himself into the crowd at the bottom of the dancingroom, wfent up to him, and gave him directions to deliver thfe disputed articles to Cleveland as soon as he had an opportunity.
“Ye are in the right, Maister Mordaunt,” said the jagger; “ ye are a prudent and a sensible lad — a calm answer turneth away wrath — and mysell, I sail be willing to please you in ony trifling matters in my sma’ way; for, between the Udaller of Burgh-Westra and Captain Cleveland, a man’ is, as it were, atween the deil and the deep sea; and it was like that the Udaller, in the end, would have taken your part in the dispute, for he is a man that loves justice.”
“Which apparently you care very little about, Master Snailsfoot,” said Mordaunt, “otherwise there would have been no dispute whatever, the right being so clearly on my side, if you had pleased to bear witness according to the dictates of truth.”
“Maister Mordaunt,” said the jagger, “I must own there was, as it were, a colouring or shadow of justice on your side; but then, the justice that I meddle with, is only justice in the way of trade, to have an ellwand of due length, if it be not something worn out with leaning on it in my lang and painful journeys, and to buy and sell by just weight and measure, twentyfour merks to the lispund; but I have nothing to do, to do justice betwixt man and man, like a Fowd or a Lawright-man at a lawting lang syne.”
“No