ing and agreeable, and
possessed her father's joyous disposition as well as his memory and
fondness for ancient Border legends and poetry. Like him, she was
thoroughly alive to peculiarities of character, and laughed at them
good-naturedly. She was not a musician, had little voice, but she sang
Scotch songs and translations from the Gaelic with, or without, harp
accompaniment; the serious songs with so much expression, and the merry
ones with so much spirit, that she charmed everybody. The death of her
brothers and of her father, to whom she was devotedly attached, cast a
shade over the latter part of her life. Mr. Lockhart was clever and an
able writer, but he was too sarcastic to be quite agreeable; however, we
were always on the most friendly terms. He was of a Lanarkshire family
and distantly related to Somerville. After the death of his wife and
sons, Lockhart fell into bad health and lost much of his asperity.

Scott was ordered to go abroad for health and relaxation. Somerville and
I happened to be at the seaport where he embarked, and we went to take
leave of him. He kissed me, and said, "Farewell, my dear; I am going to
die abroad like other British novelists." Happy would it have been if
God had so willed it,[7] for he returned completely broken down, and his
hopes blighted. In a few years his only remaining descendant was a
grand-daughter, the only surviving child of Mrs. Lockhart, Charlotte who
married Mr. James Hope, and soon died, leaving an only daughter, now
the last descendant of Sir Walter Scott. Thus the "Merry, merry days
that I have seen," ended very sadly.

* * * * *

When at Jedburgh, I never failed to visit James Veitch, who was Laird of
Inchbonny, a small property beautifully situated in the valley of the
Jed, at a short distance from the manse. He was a plough-wright, a
hard-working man, but of rare genius, who taught himself mathematics and
astronomy in the evenings with wonderful success, for he knew the
motions of the planets, calculated eclipses and occultations, was versed
in various scientific subjects, and made excellent telescopes, of which
I bought a very small one; it was the only one I ever possessed. Veitch
was handsome, with a singularly fine bald forehead and piercing eyes,
that quite looked through one. He was perfectly aware of his talents,
shrewd, and sarcastic. His fame had spread, and he had many visits, of
which he was impatient, as it wasted his tim