His sons William and James continued to stand before him, as was the dutiful habit of the time. Their father recovered his breath before beginning to speak.
"What"s this--what"s this I hear?" he exclaimed testily, "is it true that ye are in flat rebellion against the lawful authority of the king? Laddies, laddies, ye maun come in wi" me to his excellence the Chancellor and make instanter your obedience. Ye are young and for my sake he will surely overlook this. I will speak with him."
"Father," said William Douglas, with a cold firmness in his voice, "we are here to punish the murderers of our cousins. We shall indeed enter the guilty city, but it will be with fire and sword."
"Aye," cried rollicking, headstrong James, "and we will roast the Crichton on a spit and hang that smug traitor, Tutor Livingston, over the walls of David"s Tower, a bonny ferlie for his leman"s wonder!"
There came a cunning look into the small pig"s eyes of James the Gross.
"Na, na, foolish laddies, thae things will ye no do. Mind ye not the taunts and scorns that the Earl--the late Earl o" Douglas that is--put upon us a"? Think on his pride and vainglory, whilk Scripture says shall be brocht low. Think in especial how this righteous judgment that has fallen on him and on his brother has cleared our way to the Earldom."
The choleric younger brother leaped forward with an oath on his lips, but his calmer senior kept him back with his hand.
"Silence, James!" he said; "I will answer our father. Sir, we have heard what you say, but our minds are not changed. What cause to a.s.sociate yourself with traitors and mansworn you may have, we do not know and we do not care."
At his son"s first words James the Gross rose with a sudden surprising access of dignity remarkable in one of his figure.
"I bid you remember," he said, speaking southland English, as he was wont to do in moments of excitement, "I bid you remember, sirrah, that I am the Earl of Douglas and Avondale, Justicer of Scotland--and your father."
William Douglas bowed, respectful but unmoved.
"My lord," he said, "I forget nothing. I do not judge you. You are in authority over our house. You shall do what you will with these forces without there, so be you can convince them of your right. Black murder, whether you knew and approved it or no, has made you Earl of Douglas. But, sir, if you take part with my cousins" murderers now, or screen them from our just vengeance and the vengeance of G.o.d, I tell you that from this day you are a man without children. For in this matter I speak not only for myself, but for all your sons!" He turned to his brother.
"James," he said, "call in the others." James went to the tent door and called aloud.
"Archibald, Hugh, and John, come hither quickly."
A moment after three young men of n.o.ble build, little more than lads indeed, but with the dark Douglas allure stamped plainly upon their countenances, entered, bowed to their father, and stood silent with their hands crossed upon the hilts of their swords.
William Douglas went on with the same determinate and relentless calm.
"My lord," he said, very respectfully, "here stand your five sons, all soldiers and Douglases, waiting to hear your will. Murder has been done upon the chief of our house by two men of cowardly heart and mean consideration, Crichton and Livingston, instigated by the false amba.s.sador of the King of France. We have come hither to punish these slayers of our kin, and we desire to know what you, our father, think concerning the matter."
James the Gross was still standing, steadying himself with his hand on the arm of the oaken chair in which he had been sitting. He spoke with some difficulty, which might proceed either from emotion or from the plethoric habit of the man.
"Have I for this brought children into the world," he said, "that they should lift up their hands against the father that begat them? Ye know that I have ever warned you against the pride and arrogance of your cousins of Galloway."
"You mean, of the late Earl of Douglas and the boy his brother,"
answered William; "the pride of eighteen and fourteen is surely vastly dangerous."
"I mean those who have been tried and executed in Edinburgh by royal authority for many well-grounded offences against the state," cried the Earl, loudly.
"Will you deign to condescend upon some of them?" said his son, as quietly as before.
"Your cousins" pride and ostentation of riches and retinue, being far beyond those of the King, const.i.tuted in themselves an eminent danger to the state. Nay, the turbulence of their followers has more than once come before me in my judicial capacity as Justicer of the realm.
What more would you have?"
"Were you, my lord, of those who condemned them to death?"
"Not so, William; it had not been seemly in a near kinsman and the heir to their dignities--that is, save and except Galloway, which by ill chance goes in the female line, if we find not means to break that unfortunate reservation. Your cousins were condemned by my Lords Crichton and Livingston."
"We never heard of either of them," said William, calmly.
"In their judicial aspect they may be styled lords, as is the Scottish custom," said James the Gross, "even as when I was laird of Balvany and a sitter on the bed of justice, it was my right to be so nominated."
"Then our cousins were condemned with your approval, my Lord of Douglas and Avondale?" persisted his son.
James the Gross was visibly perturbed.
"Approval, William, is not the word to use--not a word to use in the circ.u.mstances. They were near kinsmen!"
"But upon being consulted you did not openly disapprove--is it not so?
And you will not aid us to avenge our cousins" murder now?"
"Hearken, William, it was not possible--I could not openly disapprove when I also was in the Chancellor"s hands, and I knew not but that he might include me in the same condemnation. Besides, lads, think of the matter calmly. There is no doubt that the thing happens most conveniently, and the event falls out well for us. Our own barren acres have many burdens upon them. What could I do? I have been a poor man all my life, and after the removal of obstacles I saw my way to become the richest man in Scotland. How could I openly object?"
William Douglas bowed.
"So--" he said, "that is what we desired to know! Have I your permission to speak further?"
His father nodded pleasantly, seating himself again as one that has finished a troublesome business. He rubbed his hands together, and smiled upon his sons.
"Aye, speak gin ye like, William, but sit doon--sit doon, lads. We are all of one family, and it falls out well for you as it does for me.
Let us all be pleasant and agreeable together!"
"I thank you, my lord," said his son, "but we will not sit down. We are no longer of one family. We may be your sons in the eye of the law and in natural fact. But from this day no one of us will break bread, speak word, hold intimacy or converse with you. So far as in us lies we will renounce you as our father. We will not, because of the commandment, rise in rebellion against you. You are Earl of Douglas, and while you live must rule your own. But for me and my brothers we will never be your children to honour, your sons to succour, nor your liegemen to fight for you. We go to offer our services to our cousin Margaret, the little Maid of Galloway. We will keep her province with our swords as the last stronghold of the true Douglases of the Black.
I have spoken. Fare you well, my lord!"
During his son"s speech the countenance of the newly made Earl of Douglas grew white and mottled, tallowy white and dull red in turns showing upon it, like the flesh of a drained ox. He rose unsteadily to his feet, moving one hand deprecatingly before him, like a helpless man unexpectedly stricken. His nether lip quivered, pendulous and piteous, in the midst of his grey beard, and for a moment he strove in vain with his utterance.
His eyes fell abashed from the cold sternness of his eldest son"s glance, and he seemed to scan the countenances of the younger four for any token of milder mood.
"James," he said, "ye hear William. Surely ye do not hold with him?
Remember I am your father, and I was aye particular fond o" you, Jamie. I mind when ye wad rin to sit astride my shoulder. And ye used to like that fine!"
There were tears in the eyes of the weak, cunning, treacherous-hearted man. The lips of James Douglas quivered a little, and his voice failed him, as he strove to answer his father. What he would have said none knows, but ere he could voice a word, the eyes of his brother, stern as the law given to Moses on the mount, were bent upon him. He straightened himself up, and, with a look carefully averted from the palsied man before him, he said, in a steady tone, "What my brother William says, I say."
His father looked at him again, as if still hoping against hope for some kinder word. Then he turned to his younger sons.
"Archie, Hugh, little Jockie, ye willna take part against your ain faither?"
"We hold with our brothers!" said the three, speaking at once.
At this moment there came running in at the door of the tent a lad of ten--Henry, the youngest of the Avondale brothers. He stopped short in the midst, glancing wonderingly from one to the other. His little sword with which he had been playing dropped from his hand. James the Gross looked at him.
"Harry," he said, "thy brothers are a" for leavin" me. Will ye gang wi" them, or bide wi" your faither?"
"Father," said the boy, "I will go with you, if ye will let me help to kill Livingston and the Chancellor!"