Robert Falconer. George MacDonald
of her neck. Her gray hair peeped a little way from under this cap. A clear but short-sighted eye of a light hazel shone under a smooth thoughtful forehead; a straight and well-elevated, but rather short nose, which left the firm upper lip long and capable of expressing a world of dignified offence, rose over a well-formed mouth, revealing more moral than temperamental sweetness; while the chin was rather deficient than otherwise, and took little share in indicating the remarkable character possessed by the old lady.
After gazing at Robert for some time, she took a piece of oat-cake from a plate by her side, the only luxury in which she indulged, for it was made with cream instead of water—it was very little she ate of anything—and held it out to Robert in a hand white, soft, and smooth, but with square finger tips, and squat though pearly nails. ‘Ha’e, Robert,’ she said; and Robert received it with a ‘Thank you, grannie’; but when he thought she did not see him, slipped it under the table and into his pocket. She saw him well enough, however, and although she would not condescend to ask him why he put it away instead of eating it, the endeavour to discover what could have been his reason for so doing cost her two hours of sleep that night. She would always be at the bottom of a thing if reflection could reach it, but she generally declined taking the most ordinary measures to expedite the process.
When Robert had finished his tea, instead of rising to get his books and betake himself to his lessons, in regard to which his grandmother had seldom any cause to complain, although she would have considered herself guilty of high treason against the boy’s future if she had allowed herself once to acknowledge as much, he drew his chair towards the fire, and said:
‘Grandmamma!’
‘He’s gaein’ to tell me something,’ said Mrs. Falconer to herself. ‘Will ‘t be aboot the puir barfut crater they ca’ Shargar, or will ‘t be aboot the piece he pat intil ‘s pooch?’
‘Weel, laddie?’ she said aloud, willing to encourage him.
‘Is ‘t true that my gran’father was the blin’ piper o’ Portcloddie?’
‘Ay, laddie; true eneuch. Hoots, na! nae yer grandfather, but yer father’s grandfather, laddie—my husband’s father.’
‘Hoo cam that aboot?’
‘Weel, ye see, he was oot i’ the Forty-five; and efter the battle o’ Culloden, he had to rin for ‘t. He wasna wi’ his ain clan at the battle, for his father had broucht him to the Lawlands whan he was a lad; but he played the pipes till a reg’ment raised by the Laird o’ Portcloddie. And for ooks (weeks) he had to hide amo’ the rocks. And they tuik a’ his property frae him. It wasna muckle—a wheen hooses, and a kailyard or twa, wi’ a bit fairmy on the tap o’ a cauld hill near the sea-shore; but it was eneuch and to spare; and whan they tuik it frae him, he had naething left i’ the warl’ but his sons. Yer grandfather was born the verra day o’ the battle, and the verra day ‘at the news cam, the mother deed. But yer great grandfather wasna lang or he merried anither wife. He was sic a man as ony woman micht hae been prood to merry. She was the dother (daughter) o’ an episcopalian minister, and she keepit a school in Portcloddie. I saw him first mysel’ whan I was aboot twenty—that was jist the year afore I was merried. He was a gey (considerably) auld man than, but as straucht as an ellwand, and jist pooerfu’ beyon’ belief. His shackle-bane (wrist) was as thick as baith mine; and years and years efter that, whan he tuik his son, my husband, and his grandson, my Anerew—’
‘What ails ye, grannie? What for dinna ye gang on wi’ the story?’
After a somewhat lengthened pause, Mrs. Falconer resumed as if she had not stopped at all.
‘Ane in ilka han’, jist for the fun o’ ‘t, he kneipit their heids thegither, as gin they hed been twa carldoddies (stalks of ribgrass). But maybe it was the lauchin’ o’ the twa lads, for they thocht it unco fun. They were maist killed wi’ lauchin’. But the last time he did it, the puir auld man hostit (coughed) sair efterhin, and had to gang and lie doon. He didna live lang efter that. But it wasna that ‘at killed him, ye ken.’
‘But hoo cam he to play the pipes?’
‘He likit the pipes. And yer grandfather, he tuik to the fiddle.’
‘But what for did they ca’ him the blin’ piper o’ Portcloddie?’
‘Because he turned blin’ lang afore his en’ cam, and there was naething ither he cud do. And he wad aye mak an honest baubee whan he cud; for siller was fell scarce at that time o’ day amo’ the Falconers. Sae he gaed throu the toon at five o’clock ilka mornin’ playin’ his pipes, to lat them ‘at war up ken they war up in time, and them ‘at warna, that it was time to rise. And syne he played them again aboot aucht o’clock at nicht, to lat them ken ‘at it was time for dacent fowk to gang to their beds. Ye see, there wasna sae mony clocks and watches by half than as there is noo.’
‘Was he a guid piper, grannie?’
‘What for speir ye that?’
‘Because I tauld that sunk, Lumley—’
‘Ca’ naebody names, Robert. But what richt had ye to be speikin’ to a man like that?’
‘He spak to me first.’
‘Whaur saw ye him?’
‘At The Boar’s Heid.’
‘And what richt had ye to gang stan’in’ aboot? Ye oucht to ha’ gane in at ance.’
‘There was a half-dizzen o’ fowk stan’in’ aboot, and I bude (behoved) to speik whan I was spoken till.’
‘But ye budena stop an’ mak’ ae fule mair.’
‘Isna that ca’in’ names, grannie?’
‘’Deed, laddie, I doobt ye hae me there. But what said the fallow Lumley to ye?’
‘He cast up to me that my grandfather was naething but a blin’ piper.’
‘And what said ye?’
‘I daured him to say ‘at he didna pipe weel.’
‘Weel dune, laddie! And ye micht say ‘t wi’ a gude conscience, for he wadna hae been piper till ‘s regiment at the battle o’ Culloden gin he hadna pipit weel. Yon’s his kilt hingin’ up i’ the press i’ the garret. Ye’ll hae to grow, Robert, my man, afore ye fill that.’
‘And whase was that blue coat wi’ the bonny gowd buttons upo’ ‘t?’ asked Robert, who thought he had discovered a new approach to an impregnable hold, which he would gladly storm if he could.
‘Lat the coat sit. What has that to do wi’ the kilt? A blue coat and a tartan kilt gang na weel thegither.’
‘Excep’ in an auld press whaur naebody sees them. Ye wadna care, grannie, wad ye, gin I was to cut aff the bonnie buttons?’
‘Dinna lay a finger upo’ them. Ye wad be gaein’ playin’ at pitch and toss or ither sic ploys wi’ them. Na, na, lat them sit.’
‘I wad only niffer them for bools (exchange them for marbles).’
‘I daur ye to touch the coat or onything ‘ither that’s i’ that press.’
‘Weel, weel, grannie. I s’ gang and get my lessons for the morn.’
‘It’s time, laddie. Ye hae been jabberin’ ower muckle. Tell Betty to come and tak’ awa’ the tay-things.’
Robert went to the kitchen, got a couple of hot potatoes and a candle, and carried them up-stairs to Shargar, who was fast asleep. But the moment the light shone upon his face, he started up, with his eyes, if not his senses, wide awake.
‘It wasna me, mither! I tell ye it wasna me!’
And he covered his head with both arms, as if to defend it from a shower of blows.
‘Haud yer tongue, Shargar. It’s me.’
But before Shargar could come to his senses, the light of the candle falling upon the blue coat made the buttons flash confused suspicions into his mind.
‘Mither,