“Mother! mother!” said Agnes, “wherefore do ye mock me? I never saw ye do that before. My faither has ta’en William Scott a prisoner; and, from what I hae heard, he will hang him in the morning. Ye ken what a man my faither is—when he says a thing he will do it; and how can you jest about the young man, when his very existence is reduced to a matter o’ minutes and moments. Though, rather than my faither should tak his life, if I could save him, he should take mine.”
“Weel said, my bairn,” replied the old woman; “but dinna ye be put about concerning what will never come to pass. I doubtna that, before morning, ye will find young Scott o’ Harden at your feet, and begging o’ you to save his life, by giving him your hand and troth, and becoming his wife: and then, ye ken, your faither couldna, for shame, hang or do ony harm to his ain son-in-law.“
“O mother! mother!” replied Agnes, “it will never be in my power to save him; for what ye hae said he will never think o’; and even if I were his wife, I question if my faither would pardon him, though I should beg it upon my knees.”
“Oh, your faither’s no sae ill as that, Meggie, my doo,” said the old lady. “Mark my words—if Willie Scott consent to marry you, ye will henceforth find him and your faither hand and glove.”
While this conversation between Lady Murray and her daughter took place, Sir Gideon entered the room where his prisoners were confined, and, addressing the young laird, said—“Now, ye rank marauder, though death is the very least that ye deserve or can expect from my hands, yet I will gie ye a chance for your life, and ye shall choose between a wife and the wuddy. To-morrow morning, ye shall either marry my daughter Meg, or swing from the branch o’ the nearest tree, and the bauldest Scott upon the Borders shanna tak ye down, until ye drop away, bone by bone, a fleshless skeleton.”
“Good save us! most honourable and good Sir Gideon!” suddenly interrupted Simon, in a tone which bespoke his horror; “but ye certainly dinna intend to make an anatomy o’ me too; or surely, when my honoured maister marries Miss Murray (as I hope and trust he will), ye will alloo me to dance at their wedding, instead o’ dancing in the air, and keeping time to the music o’ the soughing wind. And, O maister! for my sake, for your ain sake, and especially out o’ regard to my sma’ and helpless family, consent to marry the lassie, though she isna extraordinar’ weel-faured; for I am sure that, rather than die a dog’s death, swinging from a tree, I would marry twenty wives, though they were a’ as auld as the hills, as ugly as a starless midnicht, and had tongues like trumpets.”
“Peace, Simon!” cried the young laird, impatiently; “if ye hae turned coward, keep the sound o’ yer fears within yer ain teeth. And ye, Sir Gideon,” added he, turning towards the old knight, “in your amazing mercy and generosity, would spare my life, upon condition that I should marry your bonny daughter Meg! Look ye, sir—I am Scott o’ Harden, and ye are Murray o’ Elibank; there is no love lost between us; chance has placed my life in your hands—take it, for I wouldna marry your daughter though ye should gie me life, and a’ the lands o’ Elibank into the bargain. I fear as little to meet death as I do to tell you to your teeth that, had ye fallen into my hands, I would have hung ye wi’ as little ceremony as I would bring a whip across the back o’ a disobedient hound. Therefore, ye are welcome to do the same by me. Ye have taken what ye thought to be a sure mode o’ getting a husband for ane o’ your winsome daughters; but, in the present instance, it has proved a wrong one, auld man. Do your worst, and there will be Scotts enow left to revenge the death o’ the laird o’ Harden.”
“There, then, is my thumb, young braggart,” exclaimed Sir Gideon, “that I winna hinder ye in your choice; for to-morrow ye shall be exalted as Haman was; and let those revenge your death who dare.”
“Maister!—dear maister!” cried Simon, wringing his hands, “will ye sacrifice me also, and break the hearts o’ my puir wife and family! O sir, accept o’ Sir Gideon’s proposal, and marry his dochter.”
“Silence! ye milk-livered slave!” cried the young laird. “Do ye pretend to bear the name o’ Scott, and yet tremble like an ash leaf at the thought o’ death!”