[Contents]CHAPTER XLII.The Lovely English Damosel.“So,” said Rory Spears to his daughter, as she saw him out into the court-yard of the Castle, previous to his departure, “my lady the Countess hath bid thee attend to a young English damosel, sayest thou?”“Yea, and she is one of the sweetest, as well as one of the loveliest damosels I did ever behold,” replied Katherine, “and of temper and disposition most gentle and sunshiny. Of a truth, it is quite a pleasure to be with her; I am already as if I had known her from infancy. She is so gently condescending with me, that I could live with her for ever.”“What, wouldst thou forget thy benefactress to cleave to a stranger?” exclaimed Rory Spears, in a tone of reproach.“Nay, verily, not so,” replied Katherine. “The duty I owe the Countess, and, above all, the love and gratitude I bear her, are too strong to permit me ever to forget her; but whatever my lady wills me to do, I am bound to do; and I own I do feel grateful to her for laying no more disagreeable task on me than that of attending on one so truly amiable as this English lady.”“English leddy here, or English leddy there, what is ony English leddy, compared to the Countess of Moray?” replied Rory Spears impatiently. “I like not newfangledness—I like not to see thee relish any one but thy noble mistress, to whom thou shouldst ever cleave. She hath made a woman o’ thee, for the whilk may the Virgin’s blessing be about her. She hath caused thee to be taught many things; but let me not have the grief and vexation to find that thou hast forgotten the plain simple lesson o’ hamely virtue, and right acting, and the kindly feelings that I did put into thy young heart when thou wert but as a wild kid o’ the craigs, that is, when thou wert my bairn;[293]for, from thy leddy lear and tutoring, thou art now far aboon a simple man like me. Yet dost ane honest warm heart, simple though it be, lift up him that carries it to be the make of the very greatest and wisest among the judges o’ the land, and so I am even wi’ thee, lassie, and enteetled to speak to thee, learned as thou art, and foolish though I be. Let not thy heart dance away after strangers.”“My dearest father, thou hast much misjudged me,” replied Katherine. “This lady hath robbed me of no title of mine affection for the Earl and Countess, whom I do most ardently love, yea, as second parents; nay, I do love them hardly less than I do my mother and thee.”“Thou shouldst love them more, lassie,” cried Rory, with great energy and emphasis. “Much as we may have claim to thine affection, what have we done for thee that may equal the bounteous blessings they have conferred?”“Thou art my father, and Alice is my mother,” replied Katherine, seizing his rough horny hands, and looking up in his weather-beaten face and smiling affectionately. “Thou kennest thou didst put notions of virtue and of right acting, yea, and kindly feelings, into my young heart; and do I owe thee nothing for sike gifts?”“Nay, Kate, thy lear hath made thee an overmatch for me,” cried Rory, quite overcome, and, embracing his daughter with the tears pouring over his cheeks; “God bless thee, my bairn—I fear not for thy heart; but, by St. Lowry, I must away. My blessing rest with thee, Kate. Ho there, loons, hae ye redd your beast horses o’ their burdens?”“Ou ay, Maister Spears,” replied one of the men who came with him.“Let’s on, then,” exclaimed he; so, striking the end of his pole to the ground, and whistling shrilly on his dogs, he moved hastily out by the Castle gate at the head of his ragged troop.
[Contents]CHAPTER XLII.The Lovely English Damosel.“So,” said Rory Spears to his daughter, as she saw him out into the court-yard of the Castle, previous to his departure, “my lady the Countess hath bid thee attend to a young English damosel, sayest thou?”“Yea, and she is one of the sweetest, as well as one of the loveliest damosels I did ever behold,” replied Katherine, “and of temper and disposition most gentle and sunshiny. Of a truth, it is quite a pleasure to be with her; I am already as if I had known her from infancy. She is so gently condescending with me, that I could live with her for ever.”“What, wouldst thou forget thy benefactress to cleave to a stranger?” exclaimed Rory Spears, in a tone of reproach.“Nay, verily, not so,” replied Katherine. “The duty I owe the Countess, and, above all, the love and gratitude I bear her, are too strong to permit me ever to forget her; but whatever my lady wills me to do, I am bound to do; and I own I do feel grateful to her for laying no more disagreeable task on me than that of attending on one so truly amiable as this English lady.”“English leddy here, or English leddy there, what is ony English leddy, compared to the Countess of Moray?” replied Rory Spears impatiently. “I like not newfangledness—I like not to see thee relish any one but thy noble mistress, to whom thou shouldst ever cleave. She hath made a woman o’ thee, for the whilk may the Virgin’s blessing be about her. She hath caused thee to be taught many things; but let me not have the grief and vexation to find that thou hast forgotten the plain simple lesson o’ hamely virtue, and right acting, and the kindly feelings that I did put into thy young heart when thou wert but as a wild kid o’ the craigs, that is, when thou wert my bairn;[293]for, from thy leddy lear and tutoring, thou art now far aboon a simple man like me. Yet dost ane honest warm heart, simple though it be, lift up him that carries it to be the make of the very greatest and wisest among the judges o’ the land, and so I am even wi’ thee, lassie, and enteetled to speak to thee, learned as thou art, and foolish though I be. Let not thy heart dance away after strangers.”“My dearest father, thou hast much misjudged me,” replied Katherine. “This lady hath robbed me of no title of mine affection for the Earl and Countess, whom I do most ardently love, yea, as second parents; nay, I do love them hardly less than I do my mother and thee.”“Thou shouldst love them more, lassie,” cried Rory, with great energy and emphasis. “Much as we may have claim to thine affection, what have we done for thee that may equal the bounteous blessings they have conferred?”“Thou art my father, and Alice is my mother,” replied Katherine, seizing his rough horny hands, and looking up in his weather-beaten face and smiling affectionately. “Thou kennest thou didst put notions of virtue and of right acting, yea, and kindly feelings, into my young heart; and do I owe thee nothing for sike gifts?”“Nay, Kate, thy lear hath made thee an overmatch for me,” cried Rory, quite overcome, and, embracing his daughter with the tears pouring over his cheeks; “God bless thee, my bairn—I fear not for thy heart; but, by St. Lowry, I must away. My blessing rest with thee, Kate. Ho there, loons, hae ye redd your beast horses o’ their burdens?”“Ou ay, Maister Spears,” replied one of the men who came with him.“Let’s on, then,” exclaimed he; so, striking the end of his pole to the ground, and whistling shrilly on his dogs, he moved hastily out by the Castle gate at the head of his ragged troop.
CHAPTER XLII.The Lovely English Damosel.
The Lovely English Damosel.
The Lovely English Damosel.
“So,” said Rory Spears to his daughter, as she saw him out into the court-yard of the Castle, previous to his departure, “my lady the Countess hath bid thee attend to a young English damosel, sayest thou?”“Yea, and she is one of the sweetest, as well as one of the loveliest damosels I did ever behold,” replied Katherine, “and of temper and disposition most gentle and sunshiny. Of a truth, it is quite a pleasure to be with her; I am already as if I had known her from infancy. She is so gently condescending with me, that I could live with her for ever.”“What, wouldst thou forget thy benefactress to cleave to a stranger?” exclaimed Rory Spears, in a tone of reproach.“Nay, verily, not so,” replied Katherine. “The duty I owe the Countess, and, above all, the love and gratitude I bear her, are too strong to permit me ever to forget her; but whatever my lady wills me to do, I am bound to do; and I own I do feel grateful to her for laying no more disagreeable task on me than that of attending on one so truly amiable as this English lady.”“English leddy here, or English leddy there, what is ony English leddy, compared to the Countess of Moray?” replied Rory Spears impatiently. “I like not newfangledness—I like not to see thee relish any one but thy noble mistress, to whom thou shouldst ever cleave. She hath made a woman o’ thee, for the whilk may the Virgin’s blessing be about her. She hath caused thee to be taught many things; but let me not have the grief and vexation to find that thou hast forgotten the plain simple lesson o’ hamely virtue, and right acting, and the kindly feelings that I did put into thy young heart when thou wert but as a wild kid o’ the craigs, that is, when thou wert my bairn;[293]for, from thy leddy lear and tutoring, thou art now far aboon a simple man like me. Yet dost ane honest warm heart, simple though it be, lift up him that carries it to be the make of the very greatest and wisest among the judges o’ the land, and so I am even wi’ thee, lassie, and enteetled to speak to thee, learned as thou art, and foolish though I be. Let not thy heart dance away after strangers.”“My dearest father, thou hast much misjudged me,” replied Katherine. “This lady hath robbed me of no title of mine affection for the Earl and Countess, whom I do most ardently love, yea, as second parents; nay, I do love them hardly less than I do my mother and thee.”“Thou shouldst love them more, lassie,” cried Rory, with great energy and emphasis. “Much as we may have claim to thine affection, what have we done for thee that may equal the bounteous blessings they have conferred?”“Thou art my father, and Alice is my mother,” replied Katherine, seizing his rough horny hands, and looking up in his weather-beaten face and smiling affectionately. “Thou kennest thou didst put notions of virtue and of right acting, yea, and kindly feelings, into my young heart; and do I owe thee nothing for sike gifts?”“Nay, Kate, thy lear hath made thee an overmatch for me,” cried Rory, quite overcome, and, embracing his daughter with the tears pouring over his cheeks; “God bless thee, my bairn—I fear not for thy heart; but, by St. Lowry, I must away. My blessing rest with thee, Kate. Ho there, loons, hae ye redd your beast horses o’ their burdens?”“Ou ay, Maister Spears,” replied one of the men who came with him.“Let’s on, then,” exclaimed he; so, striking the end of his pole to the ground, and whistling shrilly on his dogs, he moved hastily out by the Castle gate at the head of his ragged troop.
“So,” said Rory Spears to his daughter, as she saw him out into the court-yard of the Castle, previous to his departure, “my lady the Countess hath bid thee attend to a young English damosel, sayest thou?”
“Yea, and she is one of the sweetest, as well as one of the loveliest damosels I did ever behold,” replied Katherine, “and of temper and disposition most gentle and sunshiny. Of a truth, it is quite a pleasure to be with her; I am already as if I had known her from infancy. She is so gently condescending with me, that I could live with her for ever.”
“What, wouldst thou forget thy benefactress to cleave to a stranger?” exclaimed Rory Spears, in a tone of reproach.
“Nay, verily, not so,” replied Katherine. “The duty I owe the Countess, and, above all, the love and gratitude I bear her, are too strong to permit me ever to forget her; but whatever my lady wills me to do, I am bound to do; and I own I do feel grateful to her for laying no more disagreeable task on me than that of attending on one so truly amiable as this English lady.”
“English leddy here, or English leddy there, what is ony English leddy, compared to the Countess of Moray?” replied Rory Spears impatiently. “I like not newfangledness—I like not to see thee relish any one but thy noble mistress, to whom thou shouldst ever cleave. She hath made a woman o’ thee, for the whilk may the Virgin’s blessing be about her. She hath caused thee to be taught many things; but let me not have the grief and vexation to find that thou hast forgotten the plain simple lesson o’ hamely virtue, and right acting, and the kindly feelings that I did put into thy young heart when thou wert but as a wild kid o’ the craigs, that is, when thou wert my bairn;[293]for, from thy leddy lear and tutoring, thou art now far aboon a simple man like me. Yet dost ane honest warm heart, simple though it be, lift up him that carries it to be the make of the very greatest and wisest among the judges o’ the land, and so I am even wi’ thee, lassie, and enteetled to speak to thee, learned as thou art, and foolish though I be. Let not thy heart dance away after strangers.”
“My dearest father, thou hast much misjudged me,” replied Katherine. “This lady hath robbed me of no title of mine affection for the Earl and Countess, whom I do most ardently love, yea, as second parents; nay, I do love them hardly less than I do my mother and thee.”
“Thou shouldst love them more, lassie,” cried Rory, with great energy and emphasis. “Much as we may have claim to thine affection, what have we done for thee that may equal the bounteous blessings they have conferred?”
“Thou art my father, and Alice is my mother,” replied Katherine, seizing his rough horny hands, and looking up in his weather-beaten face and smiling affectionately. “Thou kennest thou didst put notions of virtue and of right acting, yea, and kindly feelings, into my young heart; and do I owe thee nothing for sike gifts?”
“Nay, Kate, thy lear hath made thee an overmatch for me,” cried Rory, quite overcome, and, embracing his daughter with the tears pouring over his cheeks; “God bless thee, my bairn—I fear not for thy heart; but, by St. Lowry, I must away. My blessing rest with thee, Kate. Ho there, loons, hae ye redd your beast horses o’ their burdens?”
“Ou ay, Maister Spears,” replied one of the men who came with him.
“Let’s on, then,” exclaimed he; so, striking the end of his pole to the ground, and whistling shrilly on his dogs, he moved hastily out by the Castle gate at the head of his ragged troop.