Sir David Tennant, a former Speaker at Cape Town and the most distant of cousins, came to stay at Glen with his son, a young man of twenty.  After a few days, the young man took me into one of the conservatories and asked me to marry him.  I pointed out that I hardly knew him by sight, and that “he was running hares.”  He took it extremely well and, much elated, I returned to the house to tell Laura.  I found her in tears; she told me Sir David Tennant had asked her to marry him and she had been obliged to refuse.  I cheered her up by pointing out that it would have been awkward had we both accepted, for, while remaining my sister, she would have become my mother-in-law and my husband’s stepmother.

We were not popular in Peeblesshire, partly because we had no county connection, but chiefly because we were Liberals.  My father had turned out the sitting Tory, Sir Graham Montgomery, of Stobo, and was member for the two counties Peeblesshire and Selkirkshire.  As Sir Graham had represented the counties for thirty years, this was resented by the Montgomery family, who proceeded to cut us.  Laura was much worried over this, but I was amused.  I said the love of the Maxwell Stuarts, Maxwell Scotts, Wolfe Murrays and Sir Thomas—­now Lord—­Carmichael was quite enough for me and that if she liked she could twist Sir Graham Montgomery round her little finger; as a matter of fact, neither Sir Graham nor his sons disliked us.  I met Basil Montgomery at Traquair House many years after my papa’s election, where we were entertained by Herbert Maxwell—­the owner of one of the most romantic houses in Scotland, and our most courteous and affectionate neighbour.  Not knowing who he was, I was indignant when he told me he thought Peeblesshire was dull; I said where we lived it was far from dull and asked him if he knew many people in the county.  To which he answered: 

“Chiefly the Stobo lot.”

At this I showed him the most lively sympathy and invited him to come to Glen.  In consequence of this visit he told me years afterwards his fortune had been made.  My father took a fancy to him and at my request employed him on the Stock Exchange.

Laura and I shared the night nursery together till she married; and, in spite of mixed proposals, we were devoted friends.  We read late in bed, sometimes till three in the morning, and said our prayers out loud to each other every night.  We were discussing imagination one night and were comparing Hawthorne, De Quincey, Poe and others, in consequence of a dispute arising out of one of our pencil-games; and we argued till the housemaid came in with the hot water at eight in the morning.