Now resteth in my memory but this point, which indeed is the chief to you of all others; which is the choice of what men you are to direct yourself to; for it is certain no vessel can leave a worse taste in the liquor it contains, than a wrong teacher infects an unskilful hearer with that which hardly will ever out...But you may say, "How shall I get excellent men to take pains to speak with me?"Truly, in few words, either by much expense or much humbleness.
Letter of Sir Philip Sidney to his brother Robert.
How many things which, at the first moment, strike us as curious coincidences, afterwards become so operative on our lives, and so interwoven with the whole web of their histories, that instead of appearing any more as strange accidents, they assume the shape of unavoidable necessities, of homely, ordinary, lawful occurrences, as much in their own place as any shaft or pinion of a great machine!
It was dusk before Hugh turned his steps homeward. He wandered along, thinking of Euphra and the Count and the stolen rings. He greatly desired to clear himself to Mr. Arnold. He saw that the nature of the ring tended to justify Mr. Arnold's suspicions; for a man who would not steal for money's worth, might yet steal for value of another sort, addressing itself to some peculiar weakness; and Mr. Arnold might have met with instances of this nature in his position as magistrate. He greatly desired, likewise, for Euphra's sake, to have Funkelstein in his power. His own ring was beyond recovery; but if, by its means, he could hold such a lash over him as would terrify him from again exercising his villanous influences on her, he would he satisfied.
While plunged in this contemplation, he came upon two policemen talking together. He recognized one of them as a Scotchman, from his speech. It occurred to him at once to ask his advice, in a modified manner; and a moment's reflection convinced him that it would at least do no harm. He would do it. It was one of those resolutions at which one arrives by an arrow flight of the intellect.
"You are a countryman of mine, I think," said he, as soon as the two had parted.
"If ye're a Scotchman, sir--may be ay, may be no.""Whaur come ye frae, man?"
"Ou, Aberdeen-awa."
"It's mine ain calf-country. An' what do they ca' ye?""They ca' me John MacPherson."
"My name's Sutherland."
"Eh, man! It's my ain mither's name. Gie's a grup o' yer han', Maister Sutherlan'.--Eh, man!" he repeated, shaking Hugh's hand with vehemence.
"I have no doubt," said Hugh, relapsing into English, "that we are some cousins or other. It's very lucky for me to find a relative, for I wanted some--advice."He took care to say advice, which a Scotchman is generally prepared to bestow of his best. Had it been sixpence, the cousinship would have required elaborate proof, before the treaty could have made further progress.
"I'm fully at your service, sir."
"When will you be off duty?"
"At nine o'clock preceesely."
"Come to No. 13,--Square, and ask for me. It's not far.""Wi' pleesir, sir, 'gin 'twar twise as far."
Hugh would not have ventured to ask him to his house on Sunday night, when no refreshments could be procured, had he not remembered a small pig (Anglic?stone bottle) of real mountain dew, which he had carried with him when he went to Arnstead, and which had lain unopened in one of his boxes.
Miss Talbot received her lodger with more show of pleasure than usual, for he came lapped in the odour of the deacon's sanctity.
But she was considerably alarmed and beyond measure shocked when the policeman called and requested to see him. Sally had rushed in to her mistress in dismay.
"Please'm, there's a pleaceman wants Mr. Sutherland. Oh! lor'm!""Well, go and let Mr. Sutherland know, you stupid girl," answered her mistress, trembling.
"Oh! lor'm!" was all Sally's reply, as she vanished to bear the awful tidings to Hugh.
"He can't have been housebreaking already," said Miss Talbot to herself, as she confessed afterwards. "But it may be forgery or embezzlement. I told the poor deluded young man that the way of transgressors was hard.""Please, sir, you're wanted, sir," said Sally, out of breath, and pale as her Sunday apron.
"Who wants me?" asked Hugh.
"Please, sir, the pleaceman, sir," answered Sally, and burst into tears.
Hugh was perfectly bewildered by the girl's behaviour, and said in a tone of surprise:
"Well, show him up, then."
"Ooh! sir," said Sally, with a Plutonic sigh, and began to undo the hooks of her dress; "if you wouldn't mind, sir, just put on my frock and apron, and take a jug in your hand, an' the pleaceman'll never look at you. I'll take care of everything till you come back, sir."And again she burst into tears.
Sally was a great reader of the Family Herald, and knew that this was an orthodox plan of rescuing a prisoner. The kindness of her anxiety moderated the expression of Hugh's amusement; and having convinced her that he was in no danger, he easily prevailed upon her to bring the policeman upstairs.
Over a tumbler of toddy, the weaker ingredients of which were procured by Sally's glad connivance, with a lingering idea of propitiation, and a gentle hint that Missus mustn't know--the two Scotchmen, seated at opposite corners of the fire, had a long chat.
They began about the old country, and the places and people they both knew, and both didn't know. If they had met on the shores of the central lake of Africa, they could scarcely have been more couthy together. At length Hugh referred to the object of his application to MacPherson.
"What plan would you have me pursue, John, to get hold of a man in London?""I could manage that for ye, sir. I ken maist the haill mengie o' the detaictives."
"But you see, unfortunately, I don't wish, for particular reasons, that the police should have anything to do with it.""Ay! ay! Hm! Hm! I see brawly. Ye'll be efter a stray sheep, nae doot?"Hugh did not reply; so leaving him to form any conclusion he pleased.