Page:Scott - Tales of my Landlord - 3rd series - 1819.djvu/20

10 broken down fanatic, and that Bucklaw was welcome to the wearing of Ravenswood's shaughled shoes."

"Did he say so, by heavens!" cried Bucklaw, breaking out into one of those incontroulable fits of passion to which he was constitutionally subject,—"if I had heard him, I would have tore the tongue out of his throat before all his peats and minions, and Highland bullies into the bargain. Why did not Ashton run him through the body?"

"Capote me if I know," said the Captain. "He deserved it sure enough, but he is an old man, and a minister of state, and there would be more risk than credit in meddling with him. You had more need to think of making up to Miss Lucy Ashton the disgrace that's like to fall upon, her, than of interfering with a man too old to fight, and on too high a stool for your hand to reach him."

"It shall reach him though one day," said Bucklaw, "and his kinsman