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By John Galt
The Rev. Dr Swapkirk
having had an apoplexy, the magistrates were obligated to get Mr Pittle
to be his helper. Whether it was that, by our being used to Mr Pittle,
we had ceased to have a right respect for his parts and talents, or that
in reality he was but a weak brother, I cannot in conscience take it on
me to say ; but the certainty is, that when the Doctor departed this
life, there was hardly one of the bearers who thought Mr Pittle would
ever be their placed minister, and it was as far at first from the
unanimous mind of the magistrates, who are the patrons of the parish, as
anything could well be, for he was a man of no smeddum in discourse. In
verity, as Mrs Pawkie, my wife, said, his sermons in the warm summer
afternoons were just a perfect hushabaa, that no mortal could hearken to
without sleeping. Moreover, he had a sorning way with him, that the
genteeler sort couldna abide, for he was for ever going from house to
house about tea-time, to save his ain canister. As for the young ladies,
they couldna endure him at all, for he had aye the sough and sound of
love in his mouth, and a round-about ceremonial of joking concerning the
same, that was just a fasherie to them to hear. The commonality,
however, were his greatest adversaries; for he was, notwithstanding the
spareness of his abilities, a prideful creature, taking no interest in
their hamely affairs, and seldom visiting the aged or the sick among
them.
Shortly, however, before the death of the Doctor, Mr Pittle had been
very attentive to my wife’s full cousin, Miss Lizzie Pinkie,—I’ll no say
on account of the legacy of seven hundred pounds left her by an uncle,
that made his money in foreign parts, and died at Portsmouth of the
liver complaint, when he was coming home to enjoy himself ; and Mrs
Pawkie told me, that as soon as Mr Pittle could get a kirk, I needna be
surprised if I heard o’ a marriage between him and Miss Lizzie.
Had I been a sordid and interested man, this news could never have given
me the satisfaction it did, for Miss Lizzie was very fond of my bairns,
and it was thought that Peter would have been her heir; but so far from
being concerned at what I heard, I rejoiced thereat, and resolved in
secret thought, whenever a vacancy happened (Dr Swapkirk being then fast
wearing away), to exert the best of my ability to get the kirk for Mr
Pittle,—not, however, unless he was previously married to Miss Lizzie;
for, to speak out, she was beginning to stand in need of a protector,
and both me and Mrs Pawkie had our fears that she might outlive her
income, and in her old age become a cess upon us. And it couldna be said
that this was any groundless fear ; for Miss Lizzie, living a lonely
maiden life by herself, with only a bit lassie to run her errands, and
no being naturally of an active or eydent turn, aften wearied, and to
keep up her spirits, gaed, maybe, now and then, oftener to the gardevin
than was just necessar, by which, as we thought, she had a tavert look.
Howsoever, as Mr Pittle had taken a notion of her, and she pleased his
fancy, it was far from our hand to misliken one that was sib to us ; on
the contrary, it was a duty laid on me by the ties of blood and
relationship to do all in my power to further their mutual affection
into matrimonial fruition; and what I did towards that end is the burden
of this narrative.
Dr Swapkirk, in whom the spark of life was long fading, closed his eyes,
and it went utterly out, as to this world, on a Saturday night, between
the hours of eleven and twelve. We had that afternoon got an inkling
that he was drawing near to his end. At the latest, Mrs Pawkie herself
went over to the manse, and stayed till she saw him die.
"It was a pleasant end,” she said, for he was a godly, patient man ; and
we were both sorely grieved, though it was a thing for which we had been
long pre-pared, and, indeed, to his family and connections, except for
the loss of the stipend, it was a very gentle dispensation, for he had
been long a heavy handful, having been for years but, as it were, a
breathing lump of mortality, groosy and oozy, and doozy, his faculties
being shut up and locked in by a dumb palsy.
Having had this early intimation of the Doctor’s removal to a better
world, on the Sabbath morning when I went to join the magistrates in the
council-chamber, as the usage is, to go to the laft, with the
town-officers carrying their halberts before us, according to the
ancient custom of all royal burghs, my mind was in a degree prepared to
speak to them anent the successor. Little, however, passed at that time,
and it so happened that, by some wonder of inspiration (there were,
however, folk that said it was taken out of a book of sermons, by one
Barrow, an English divine), Mr Pittle that forenoon preached a discourse
that made an impression, insomuch that, on our way back to the
council-chamber, I said to Provost Vintner that then was----
"Really, Mr Pittle seems, if he would exert himself, to have a nerve. I
could not have thought it was in the power of his capacity to have given
us such a sermon.”
The provost thought as I did; so I replied--
"We canna, I think, do better than keep him among us. It would, indeed,
provost, no be doing justice to the young man to pass another over his
head.”
I could see that the provost wasna quite sure of what I had been saying;
for he replied, that it was a matter that needed consideration.
When we separated at the council-chamber, I threw myself in the way of
Bailie Weezle, and walked home with him, our talk being on the subject
of the vacancy; and I rehearsed to him what had passed between me and
the provost, saying, that the provost had made no objection to prefer Mr
Pittle, which was the truth.
Bailie Weezle was a man no overladen with worldly wisdom, and had been
chosen into the council principally on account of being easily managed.
In his business, he was originally by trade a baker in Glasgow, where he
made a little money, and came to settle among us with his wife, who was
a native of the town, and had her relations here. Being. therefore, an
idle man, living on his money, and of a soft and quiet nature, he was,
for the reason aforesaid, chosen into the council, where he always voted
on the provost’s side ; for in controverted questions every one is
beholden to take a part, and he thought it his duty to side with the
chief magistrate.
Having convinced the bailie that Mr Pittle had already, as it were, a
sort of infeffment in the kirk, I called in the evening on my old
predecessor in the guildry, Bailie M‘Lucre, who was not a hand to be so
easily dealt with; but I knew his inclinations, and therefore I resolved
to go roundly to work with him. So I asked him out to take a walk, and I
led him towards the town moor, conversing loosely about one thing and
another, and touching softly here and there on the vacancy.
When we were well on into the middle of the moor, I stopped, and,
looking round me, said,-
"Bailie, surely it’s• a great neglec’ of the magistrates and council to
let this braw broad piece of land, so near the town, lie in a state o’
nature, and giving pasturage to only twa-three of the poor folks’ cows.
I wonder you, that’s now a rich man, and with een worth pearls and
diamonds,—that ye dinna think of asking a tack of this land ; ye might
make a great thing o’t."
The fish nibbled, and told me that he had for some time entertained a
thought - on the subject ; but he was afraid that I would be over
extortionate.
"I wonder to hear you, bailie,” said I; "I trust and hope no one will
ever find me out of the way of justice; and to convince you that I can
do a friendly turn, I’ll no objec’ to gie you a’ my influence free
gratis, if ye’ll gie Mr Pittle a lift into the kirk; for, to be plain
with you, the worthy young man, who, as ye heard to-day, is no without
an ability, has long been fond of Mrs Pawkie’s cousin, Miss Lizzie
Pinkie; and I would fain do all that lies in my power to help on the
match.
The bailie was well pleased with my frankness, and before returning
home, we came to a satisfactory understanding ; so that the next thing I
had to do was to see Mr Pittle himself on the subject, Accordingly, in
the gloaming, I went over to where he stayed : it was with Miss Jenny
Killfuddy, an elderly maiden lady, whose father was the minister of
Braehill, and the same that is spoken of in the chronicle of Dalmailing,
as having had his eye almost put out by a clash of glaur, at the stormy
placing of Mr Balwhidder.
"Mr Pittle,” said I, as soon as I was in, and the door closed, "I’m come
to you as a friend. Both Mrs Pawkie and me have long discerned that ye
have had a look more than common towards our friend Miss Lizzie, and we
think it our duty to inquire your intents, before matters gang to
greater length."
He looked a little dumfoundered at this salutation, and was at a loss
for an answer; so I continued--
"If your designs be honourable, and no doubt they are, now’s your time;
—strike while the iron’s hot. By the death of the Doctor, the kirk’s
vacant, the town-council have the patronage; and if ye marry Miss
Lizzie, my interest and influence shall not be slack in helping you into
the poopit.”
In short, out of what passed that night, on the Monday following, Mr
Pittle and Miss Lizzie were married; and by my dexterity, together with
the able help I had in Bailie M'Lucre, he was in due season placed and
settled in the parish; and the next year, more than fifty acres of the
town-moor were inclosed, on a nine hundred and ninety-nine years’ tack,
at an easy rate, between me and the bailie, he paying the half of the
expense of the ditching and rooting out of the whins; and it was
acknowledged, by every one that saw it, that there had not been a
greater improvement for many years in all the countryside. But to the
best actions there will be adverse and discontented spirits; and, on
this occasion, there were not wanting persons naturally of a disloyal
opposition temper, who complained of the inclosure as a usurpation of
the rights and property of the poorer burghers. Such revilings, however,
are what all persons in authority must suffer ; and they had émaly the
effect of making me button my coat, and look out the crooser to the
blast. — “The Provost.” |
