. Then between the wreaths I distinguished a
tall gray tower, and something like clustered turrets. Pointing to
these, the coachman pulled up his horses, and I understood him to say
that at this point I must descend. A man, who had evidently been
waiting, came forward from a tuft of bracken. My luggage was extracted
from the vehicle and dragged down to a boat, which was, as I now saw,
waiting by the beach below; and a row of some twenty minutes took me
across the loch and brought me to my journey's end.

Ardverikie is a castellated building. It is something in the style of
Balmoral, with which everybody is familiar from photographs. It is
surrounded by old-fashioned gardens beyond which rise the mountains.
Down one of the graveled paths Lady Guendolen came to meet me,
accompanied by her two daughters and Mrs. Arthur Henniker, the younger
daughter of Lord Houghton--these, except for Sir John, comprising the
whole party. Within were paneled walls, innumerable heads of deer, and
two large libraries surrounded by a crowd of books, not many of them
new, but all of inviting aspect. The pleasure of meeting old friends
under fresh conditions for the time put out of my head the revolutionary
orator of the coach. Indeed, the only specially Highland incident talked
about was connected with a neighboring minister, who was accustomed to
conduct on Sundays a religious service in the dining room, and who on
the last of these occasions had unintentionally, but severely, affronted
one member of the household. He had begun with calling down the special
blessings of the Creator on the heads of all, mentioned seriatim, who
were congregated under Sir John's roof. "God bless Sir John," he began.
"God bless also her dear Leddyship. Bless the tender youth of the two
young leddies likewise. We also unite in begging thee to have mercy on
the puir governess."

I had not been many days in the house before I discovered a certain
number of books, all more or less modern, dealing with Highland
conditions as they had been since the beginning of the nineteenth
century. These books were written from various points of view, and some
of them were extremely interesting; but in every case there was one
thing for which I looked in vain. I looked in vain for anything in the
nature of statistical precision, except here and there in connection
with minor and scattered details. Frequent references were made, for
example, to the decline of the Highland populatio