aying sixpence a day
for a herd-boy in his stead.

A notably clean Englishwoman keeps this small house, and my bedroom is
sweetened with lavender, has a clean sash-window, and the walls are,
moreover, adorned with ballads of Fair Rosamond and Cruel Barbara Allan.
The woman's accent, though uncouth enough, sounds yet kindly in my ear;
for I have never yet forgotten the desolate effect produced on my
infant organs, when I heard on all sides your slow and broad northern
pronunciation, which was to me the tone of a foreign land. I am sensible
I myself have since that time acquired Scotch in perfection, and many a
Scotticism withal. Still the sound of the English accentuation comes to
my ears as the tones of a friend; and even when heard from the mouth of
some wandering beggar, it has seldom failed to charm forth my mite.
You Scotch, who are so proud of your own nationality, must make due
allowance for that of other folks.

On the next morning I was about to set forth to the stream where I had
commenced angler the night before, but was prevented by a heavy shower
of rain from stirring abroad the whole forenoon; during all which time,
I heard my varlet of a guide as loud with his blackguard jokes in the
kitchen, as a footman in the shilling gallery; so little are modesty and
innocence the inseparable companions of rusticity and seclusion.

When after dinner the day cleared, and we at length sallied out to the
river side, I found myself subjected to a new trick on the part of my
accomplished preceptor. Apparently, he liked fishing himself better than
the trouble of instructing an awkward novice such as I; and in hopes of
exhausting my patience, and inducing me to resign the rod, as I had done
the preceding day, my friend contrived to keep me thrashing the water
more than an hour with a pointless hook. I detected this trick at last,
by observing the rogue grinning with delight when he saw a large trout
rise and dash harmless away from the angle. I gave him a sound cuff,
Alan; but the next moment was sorry, and, to make amends, yielded
possession of the fishing-rod for the rest of the evening, he
undertaking to bring me home a dish of trouts for my supper, in
atonement for his offences.

Having thus got honourably rid of the trouble of amusing myself in a way
I cared not for, I turned my steps towards the sea, or rather the Solway
Firth which here separates the two sister kingdoms, and which lay at
about a mile's distance, b