Dirk Hatteraick was then brought in, heavily ironed; for he had been strictly secured and guarded, owing to his former escape. He was asked his name; he made no answer--His profession; he was silent :--Several other questions were put, to none of which he returned any reply. Pleydell wiped the glasses of his spectacles, and considered the prisoner very attentively. "A very truculent-looking fellow," he whispered to Mannering; "but, as Dogberry says, I'll go cunningly to work with him.--Here, call in Soles--Soles the shoemaker.--Soles, do you remember measuring some footsteps imprinted on the mud at the wood of Warroch, on--November 17--, by my orders?" Soles remembered the circumstance perfectly. "Look at that paper--is that your note of the measurement?"--Soles verified the memorandum--"Now, there stands a pair of shoes on that table; measure them, and see if they correspond with any of the marks you have noted there." The shoemaker obeyed, and declared, "that they answered exactly to the largest of the footprints.""We shall prove," said the counsellor, aside to Mannering, "that these shoes, which were found in the ruins of Derncleugh, belonged to Brown, the fellow whom you shot on the lawn at Woodbourne.--Now, Soles, measure that prisoner's feet very accurately."Mannering observed Hatteraick strictly, and could notice a visible tremor. "Do these measurements correspond with any of the foot-prints?"The man looked at the note, then at his foot-rule and measure--then verified his former measurement by a second. "They correspond," he said, "within a hair-breadth, to a foot-mark broader and shorter than the former."Hatteraick's genius here deserted him--"Der deyvil!" he broke out, "how could there be a foot-mark on the ground, when it was a frost as hard as the heart of a Memel log?""In the evening, I grant you, Captain Hatteraick," said Pleydell, "but not in the forenoon--will you favour me with information where you were upon the day you remember so exactly?"Hatteraick saw his blunder, and again screwed up his hard features for obstinate silence--"Put down his observation, however," said Pleydell to the clerk.
At this moment the door opened, and, much to the surprise of most present, Mr. Gilbert Glossin made his appearance. That worthy gentleman had, by dint of watching and eavesdropping, ascertained that he was not mentioned by name in Meg Merrilies's dying declaration, a circumstance, certainly not owing to any favourable disposition towards him, but to the delay of taking her regular examination, and to the rapid approach of death. He therefore supposed himself safe from all evidence but such as might arise from Hatteraick's confession; to prevent which he resolved to push a bold face, and join his brethren of the bench during his examination.--"I shall be able," he thought, "to make the rascal sensible his safety lies in keeping his own counsel and mine; and my presence, besides, will be a proof of confidence and innocence.
If I must lose the estate, I must--but I trust better things."He entered with a profound salutation to Sir Robert Hazlewood. Sir Robert, who had rather begun to suspect that his plebeian neighbour had made a cat's-paw of him, inclined his head stiffly, took snuff, and looked another way.
"Mr. Corsand," said Glossin to the other yoke-fellow of justice, "your most humble servant.""Your humble servant, Mr. Glossin," answered Mr. Corsand dryly, composing his countenance regis ad exemplar, that is to say, after the fashion of the Baronet.
"Mac-Morlan, my worthy friend," continued Glossin, how d'ye do--always on your duty--?""Umph," said honest Mac-Morlan, with little respect either to the compliment or salutation. "Colonel Mannering (a low bow slightly returned) and Mr. Pleydell (another low bow), I dared not have hoped for your assistance to poor country gentlemen at this period of the session."Pleydell took snuff, and eyed him with a glance equally shrewd and sarcastic--"I'll teach him," he said aside to Mannering, "the value of the old admonition, No accesseris in consilium antequam voceris.""But perhaps I intrude, gentlemen?" said Glossin, who could not fail to observe the coldness of his reception.--"Is this an open meeting?""For my part," said Mr. Pleydell, "so far from considering your attendance as an intrusion, Mr. Glossin, I was never so pleased in my life to meet with you; especially as I think we should, at any rate, have had occasion to request the favour of your company in the course of the day.""Well, then, gentlemen," said Glossin, drawing his chair to the table, and beginning to bustle about among the papers, "where are we?--how far have we got? where are the declarations?""Clerk, give me all these papers," said Mr. Pleydell;--"I have an odd way of arranging my documents, Mr. Glossin, another person touching them puts me out-but I shall have occasion for your assistance by and by."Glossin, thus reduced to inactivity, stole one glance at Dirk Hatteraick, but could read nothing in his dark scowl save malignity and hatred to all around. "But, gentlemen," said Glossin, "is it right to keep his poor man so heavily ironed, when he is taken up merely for examination?"This was hoisting a kind of friendly signal to the prisoner. "He has escaped once before," said Mac-Morlan dryly, and Glossin was silenced.