The Heart of Mid-Lothian - Penn State University

me to be brained by my mother when I gang hame, and
a’ for your sake!—But I will gar ye as good”
“For God’s sake,” said Jeanie to a man who stood beside
them, “keep her off!—she is mad.”
“Ey, ey,” answered the boor; “I hae some guess of that,
and I trow thou be’st a bird of the same feather.—
Howsomever, Madge, I redd thee keep hand off her, or
I’se lend thee a whisterpoop.”
Several of the lower class of the parishioners now gathered
round the strangers, and the cry arose among the
boys that “there was a-going to be a fite between mad
Madge Murdockson and another Bess of Bedlam.” But
while the fry assembled with the humane hope of seeing
as much of the fun as possible, the laced cocked-hat
of the beadle was discerned among the multitude, and
all made way for that person of awful authority. His
first address was to Madge.
“What’s brought thee back again, thou silly donnot,
to plague this parish? Hast thou brought ony more bastards
wi’ thee to lay to honest men’s doors? or does thou
think to burden us with this goose, that’s as hare-brained
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as thysell, as if rates were no up enow? Away wi’ thee to
thy thief of a mother; she’s fast in the stocks at Barkston
town-end—Away wi’ ye out o’ the parish, or I’se be at
ye with the ratan.”
Madge stood sulky for a minute; but she had been too
often taught submission to the beadle’s authority by
ungentle means to feel courage enough to dispute it.
“And my mother—my puir auld mother, is in the stocks
at Barkston!—This is a’ your wyte, Miss Jeanie Deans;
but I’ll be upsides wi’ you, as sure as my name’s Madge
Wildfire—I mean Murdockson—God help me, I forget
my very name in this confused waste!”
So saying, she turned upon her heel, and went off, followed
by all the mischievous imps of the village, some
crying, “Madge, canst thou tell thy name yet?” some
pulling the skirts of her dress, and all, to the best of
their strength and ingenuity, exercising some new device
or other to exasperate her into frenzy.
Jeanie saw her departure with infinite delight, though
she wished that, in some way or other, she could have
requited the service Madge had conferred upon her.