His lordship was not a
magistrate, and the so called warrant was merely a somewhat sternly
worded expression of his desire that Malcolm should appear and
answer to the charge.
The accused was led into a vaulted chamber opening from the hall
--a genuine portion, to judge from its deep low arched recesses,
the emergence of truncated portions of two or three groins, and
the thickness of its walls, of the old monastery. Close by the door
ascended a right angled modern staircase.
Lord Lossie entered, and took his seat in a great chair in one of
the recesses.
"So, you young jackanapes!" he said, half angry, and half amused,
"you decline to come, when I send for you, without a magistrate's
warrant, forsooth! It looks bad to begin with, I must say!"
"Yer lordship wad never hae had me come at sic a summons as that
cankert ted (toad) Johnny Bykes broucht me. Gien ye had but hard
him! He spak as gien he had been sent to fess me to yer lordship
by the scruff o' the neck, an' I didna believe yer lordship wad
do sic a thing. Ony gait, I wasna gauin' to stan' that. Ye wad hae
thocht him a cornel at the sma'est, an' me a wheen heerin' guts.
But it wad hae garred ye lauch, my lord, to see hoo the body ran
whan my blin' gran'father--he canna bide onybody interferin' wi'
me--made at him wi' his braid swoord!"
"Ye leein' rascal!" cried Bykes; "--me feared at an auld spidder,
'at hasna breath eneuch to fill the bag o' 's pipes!"
"Caw canny, Johnny Bykes.
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