he felt quite relieved by his letters, and
added, "I could never have slept straight in my coffin till I had
satisfied every claim against me; and now," turning to a favourite dog
that was with them in the carriage he said, "My poor boy, I shall have
my house and my estate round it free, and I may keep my dogs as big and
as many as I choose without fear of reproach."--_Life_, vol. X. p. 160.

[517] Viz, Faldonside, an estate adjacent to Abbotsford which Scott had
long wished to possess. As far back as November 1817 he wrote a friend:
"My neighbour, Nicol Milne, is mighty desirous I should buy, at a mighty
high rate, some land between me and the lake which lies mighty
convenient, but I am mighty determined to give nothing more than the
value, so that it is likely to end like the old proverb, _Ex Nichilo
Nichil fit_."

FEBRUARY.

_February_ 10.--We went to Pompeii to-day: a large party, all disposed
to enjoy the sight in this fine weather. We had Sir Frederick and Lady
Adam, Sir William Gell, the coryphaeus of our party, who played his part
very well. Miss de la Ferronays,[518] daughter of Monsieur le Duc de la
Ferronays, the head, I believe, of the constitutional Royalists, very
popular in France, and likely to be called back to the ministry, with
two or three other ladies, particularly Mrs. Ashley, born Miss
Baillie,[519] very pretty indeed, and lives in the same house. The
Countess de la Ferronays has a great deal of talent both musical and
dramatic.

_February_ 16.--Sir William Gell called and took me out to-night to a
bookseller whose stock was worth looking over.

We saw, among the old buildings of the city, an ancient palace called
the Vicaria, which is changed into a prison. Then a new palace was
honoured with royal residence instead of the old dungeon. I saw also a
fine arch called the Capuan gate, formerly one of the city towers, and a
very pretty one. We advanced to see the ruins of a palace said to be a
habitation of Queen Joan, and where she put her lovers to death chiefly
by potions, thence into a well, smothering them, etc., and other little
tenderly trifling matters of gallantry.

FOOTNOTES:

[518] Probably _Pauline_; married to Hon. Augustus Craven, and author of
_Recit d'une Soeur_.

[519] Daughter of Colonel Hugh Duncan Baillie, of Tarradale and
Redcastle.

MARCH.

_March_.--Embarked on an excursion to Paestum, with Sir William Gell and
Mr. Laing-Meason, in order to see the