The old
housewife returned shortly afterwards with fagots, and some pieces of
half-burnt wax-candles, the perquisites, probably, real or usurped, of
some experienced groom of the chambers, two of which she placed in
large brass candlesticks, of different shapes and patterns, and laid
the others on the table, that Nigel might renew them from time to time
as they burnt to the socket. She heard with interest Lord
Glenvarloch's request to have a book--any sort of book--to pass away
the night withal, and returned for answer, that she knew of no other
books in the house than her young mistress's (as she always
denominated Mistress Martha Trapbois) Bible, which the owner would not
lend; and her master's Whetstone of Witte, being the second part of
Arithmetic, by Robert Record, with the Cossike Practice and Rule of
Equation; which promising volume Nigel declined to borrow. She
offered, however, to bring him some books from Duke Hildebrod--"who
sometimes, good gentleman, gave a glance at a book when the State
affairs of Alsatia left him as much leisure."
Nigfil embraced the proposal, and his unwearied Iris scuttled away on
this second embassy. She returned in a short time with a tattered
quarto volume under her arm, and a bottle of sack in her hand; for the
Duke, judging that mere reading was dry work, had sent the wine by way
of sauce to help it down, not forgetting to add the price to the
morning's score, which he had already run up against the stranger in
the Sanctuary.
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