"I think ye hae been at the wee cappie this morning, for as early as it is--My gude name!--if ony body touched my gude name, I would neither fash counsel nor commissary--I wad be down amang them, like a jer-falcon amang a wheen wild-geese, and the best amang them that dared to say ony thing of Meg Dods by what was honest and civil, I wad sune see if her cockernonnie was made of her ain hair or other folk's.

_My_ gude name, indeed!" "Weel, weel, Mrs.Dods, I was mista'en, that's a'," said the writer, "I was mista'en; and I dare to say you would haud your ain wi' your neighbours as weel as ony woman in the land--But let us hear now what the grief is, in one word." "In one word, then, Clerk Bindloose, it is little short of--murder," said Meg, in a low tone, as if the very utterance of the word startled her.
"Murder! murder, Mrs.Dods ?--it cannot be--there is not a word of it in the Sheriff-office--the Procurator-fiscal kens nothing of it--there could not be murder in the country, and me not hear of it--for God's sake, take heed what you say, woman, and dinna get yourself into trouble." "Mr.Bindloose, I can but speak according to my lights," said Mrs.Dods; "you are in a sense a judge in Israel, at least you are one of the scribes having authority--and I tell you, with a wae and bitter heart, that this puir callant of mine that was lodging in my house has been murdered or kidnapped awa amang thae banditti folk down at the New Waal; and I'll have the law put in force against them, if it should cost me a hundred pounds." The Clerk stood much astonished at the nature of Meg's accusation, and the pertinacity with which she seemed disposed to insist upon it.
"I have this comfort," she continued, "that whatever has happened, it has been by no fault of mine, Mr.Bindloose; for weel I wot, before that bloodthirsty auld half-pay Philistine, MacTurk, got to speech of him, I clawed his cantle to some purpose with my hearth-besom .-- But the poor simple bairn himsell, that had nae mair knowledge of the wickedness of human nature than a calf has of a flesher's gully, he threepit to see the auld hardened bloodshedder, and trysted wi' him to meet wi' some of the gang at an hour certain that same day, and awa he gaed to keep tryst, but since that hour naebody ever has set een on him .-- And the mansworn villains now want to put a disgrace on him, and say that he fled the country rather than face them!--a likely story--fled the country for them!--and leave his bill unsettled--him that was sae regular--and his portmantle and his fishing-rod and the pencils and pictures he held sic a wark about!--It's my faithful belief, Mr.
Bindloose--and ye may trust me or no as ye like--that he had some foul play between the Cleikum and the Buck-stane.

I have thought it, and I have dreamed it, and I will be at the bottom of it, or my name is not Meg Dods, and that I wad have them a' to reckon on .-- Ay, ay, that's right, Mr.Bindloose, tak out your pen and inkhorn, and let us set about it to purpose." With considerable difficulty, and at the expense of much cross-examination, Mr.Bindloose extracted from his client a detailed account of the proceedings of the company at the Well towards Tyrrel, so far as they were known to, or suspected by Meg, making notes, as the examination proceeded, of what appeared to be matter of consequence.
After a moment's consideration, he asked the dame the very natural question, how she came to be acquainted with the material fact, that a hostile appointment was made between Captain MacTurk and her lodger, when, according to her own account, it was made _intra parietes_, and _remotis testibus_?
"Ay, but we victuallers ken weel eneugh what goes on in our ain houses," said Meg--"And what for no ?--If ye _maun_ ken a' about it, I e'en listened through the keyhole of the door." "And do you say you heard them settle an appointment for a duel ?" said the Clerk; "and did you no take ony measures to hinder mischief, Mrs.
Dods, having such a respect for this lad as you say you have, Mrs.
Dods ?--I really wadna have looked for the like o' this at your hands." "In truth, Mr.Bindloose," said Meg, putting her apron to her eyes, "and that's what vexes me mair than a' the rest, and ye needna say muckle to ane whose heart is e'en the sairer that she has been a thought to blame.
But there has been mony a challenge, as they ca' it, passed in my house, when thae daft lads of the Wildfire Club and the Helter-skelter were upon their rambles; and they had aye sense eneugh to make it up without fighting, sae that I really did not apprehend ony thing like mischief .-- And ye maun think, moreover, Mr.Bindloose, that it would have been an unco thing if a guest, in a decent and creditable public like mine, was to have cried coward before ony of thae landlouping blackguards that live down at the hottle yonder." "That is to say, Mrs.Dods, you were desirous your guest should fight for the honour of your house," said Bindloose.
"What for no, Mr.Bindloose ?--Isna that kind of fray aye about honour?
and what for should the honour of a substantial, four-nooked, sclated house of three stories, no be foughten for, as weel as the credit of ony of these feckless callants that make such a fray about their reputation ?--I promise you my house, the Cleikum, stood in the Auld Town of St.Ronan's before they were born, and it will stand there after they are hanged, as I trust some of them are like to be." "Well, but perhaps your lodger had less zeal for the honour of the house, and has quietly taken himself out of harm's way," said Mr.
Bindloose; "for if I understand your story, this meeting never took place." "Have less zeal!" said Meg, determined to be pleased with no supposition of her lawyer, "Mr.Bindloose, ye little ken him--I wish ye had seen him when he was angry!--I dared hardly face him mysell, and there are no mony folk that I am feared for--Meeting! there was nae meeting, I trow--they never dared to meet him fairly--but I am sure waur came of it than ever would have come of a meeting; for Anthony heard twa shots gang off as he was watering the auld naig down at the burn, and that is not far frae the footpath that leads to the Buck-stane.

I was angry at him for no making on to see what the matter was, but he thought it was auld Pirner out wi' the double barrel, and he wasna keen of making himself a witness, in case he suld have been caa'd on in the Poaching Court." "Well," said the Sheriff-clerk, "and I dare say he did hear a poacher fire a couple of shots--nothing more likely.

Believe me, Mrs.Dods, your guest had no fancy for the party Captain MacTurk invited him to--and being a quiet sort of man, he has just walked away to his own home, if he has one--I am really sorry you have given yourself the trouble of this long journey about so simple a matter." Mrs.Dods remained with her eyes fixed on the ground in a very sullen and discontented posture, and when she spoke, it was in a tone of corresponding displeasure.
"Aweel--aweel--live and learn, they say--I thought I had a friend in you, Mr.Bindloose--I am sure I aye took your part when folk miscaa'd ye, and said ye were this, that, and the other thing, and little better than an auld sneck-drawing loon, Mr.Bindloose .-- And ye have aye keepit my penny of money, though, nae doubt, Tam Turnpenny lives nearer me, and they say he allows half a per cent mair than ye do if the siller lies, and mine is but seldom steered." "But ye have not the Bank's security, madam," said Mr.Bindloose, reddening.