WALKER STREET,

Friday, 18th May, 1827.

—­Skene’s Reminiscences.

[D]

  Sair back and sair banes
  Carrying the Lord of Morphey’s stanes.

Border Minstrelsy, vol. iii. pp. 360, 365.

[519] Afterwards (in 1840) eighth Karl of Stair.

[520] 126 Princes Street.

[521] George Dempster of Skibo had just married a daughter of the House of Arniston.  This lady has had the singular gratification of listening to these pleasant impressions of a dinner party given in her honour sixty-two years ago, and which she never forgot, nor Sir Walter’s talk as he sat next her at table, and with unfeigned kindness devoted himself to her entertainment.

[522] See Life, vol. ix. p. 114.

[523] Coriolanus, Act III.  Sc. 3.

[524] Sir Walter varies a verse of The tight little Island.—­J.G.L.

[525] The engraving from Raeburn’s picture.—­See ante, p. 212.

[526] Mr. Robert Hogg relates that during these few days Sir W. and he laboured from six in the morning till the same hour in the evening, with the exception of the intervals allowed for breakfast and lunch, which were served in the room to save time.  He noted a striking peculiarity in Scott’s dictation, that with the greatest ease he was able to carry on two trains of thought at one time, “one of which was already arranged, and in the act of being spoken, while at the same time he was in advance considering what was afterwards to be said.”—­See his interesting letter to Mr. Lockhart, Life, vol. ix. pp. 115-117.

JUNE.

June 1.—­Settled my household-book.  Sophia does not set out till the middle of the week, which is unlucky, our antiquarian skirmish beginning in Fife just about the time she is to arrive.  Letter from John touching public affairs; don’t half like them, and am afraid we shall have the Whig alliance turn out like the calling in of the Saxons.  I told this to Jeffrey, who said they would convert us, as the Saxons did the British.  I shall die in my Paganism for one.  I don’t like a bone of them as a party.  Ugly reports of the King’s health; God pity this poor country should that be so, but I think it a thing devised by the enemy.  Anne arrived from Abbotsford.  I dined at Sir Robert Dundas’s, with Mrs. Dundas, Arniston, and other friends.  Worked a little, not much.

June 2.—­Do.  Do.  Dined at Baron Hume’s.  These dinners are cruelly in the way, but que faut-il faire? the business of the Court must be done, and it is impossible absolutely to break off all habits of visiting.  Besides, the correcting of proof-sheets in itself is now become burdensome.  Three or four a day is hard work.

June 3.—­Wrought hard.  I think I have but a trifle more to do, but new things cast up; we get beyond the life, however, for I have killed him to-day.  The newspapers are very saucy; The Sun says I have got L4000 for suffering a Frenchman to look over my manuscript.  Here is a proper fellow for you!  I wonder what he thinks Frenchmen are made of—­walking money-bags, doubtless.  Now as Sir Fretful Plagiary[527] says, another man would be mad at this, but I care not one brass farthing.