CHAPTER XX.-1817 (CONTINUED.)

In travelling, oddities sometimes met with on the road.-Leave Edinburgh for Aberdeen by the morning coach. My fellow traveller on the present occasion.—Arrival at Perth.—Lose sight of my companion.—Find that he had walked forward, while the passengers dined.-Followed by the Guard.-Overtake the pedestrian.-Conversation that ensued after he had got into the coach. Little thanks for my conduct-Method I adopted, to bring about a reconciliation at Arbroath.-The Mystery elucidated.—I will ever feel happy for the little I was enabled to do on that occasion.-Arrival at Aberdeen in the morning.-Part with my friend on the most amicable terms, and retire to rest. Proceed after breakfast to the business of the day, before my friend was stirring.-Business of considerable, but lamentable and unhappy importance, to transact.-Melancholy discovery.-Another example, although for merly alluded to, of strange events sometimes taking their rise from apparently very inadequate causes.-What may be truly said to have been the origin of my popular philosophy.—Conversation which led me, to resolve to proceed with that work,―The conclusion I came to in consequence of the information I received from Mr Never afterwards lose sight of my object, until I had finally carried it into execution.-Upon my return to the inn in the evening, find my friend had gone to the country.-That I missed him, was not his fault. Next morning early, leave Aberdeen for Inverness, by way of Huntly. Transact business in passing through Elgin.-Cross, but not for the first time, the blasted heath of Shakespeare under cloud of night.-Arrive at Inverness next morning.-Meeting with the brothers. Still come to no decision, in respect to extending the business farther northward.-Gaelic service in a Gaelic church.-Twisted spire of Inverness jail steeple.-A GHOST story, in which, one of my men was seriously frightened. Extract from his letter written soon after.-How it is supposed to have originated.-Allusion to my own fright, in the inn at Dalwhinnie.-Pleasant party in coming through the Highlands-One of them determined not to starve, or let others starve by the way. A useful hint from Dunbar, received at Inverness.-Summer sales. -Routes of the different auctioneers.-Information received from Inverness, after my return.-Pleasing intelligence from another quarter.

In the course of my pilgrimage, I have more than once, fallen in with, a somewhat strange oddity of a character, in travelling by some of those convenient vehicles, which are now become so abundant on the road, whether in the form of His Majesty's Royal Mail, or under the less assuming appellation of Stage Coach. But the gentleman who took his seat opposite me in the stage in which we started from Edinburgh, next morning, had nothing remarkable in either his manner or

appearance, if we except a strong disposition to sleep, as we whirled along; and the care-worn, weather-beaten, and climate-broken appearance that appeared in his countenance, during his occasional naps; which gave me, also an opportunity of observing written in the inside of his hat, while he nodded with it in his hand, the word LIEUTENANT, prefixed to his name. Indeed, the general appearance of the stranger, betokened that the emaciated figure that sat before me, was neither more nor less than a young military or naval officer, who had seen much, or, hard service, in foreign climes, returning to his friends in the north, to recruit his battered frame, or, if that were too late, to deposit his bones in the sepulchre of his fathers; for he appeared indeed in a very exhausted and way worn state, and far more fit for a bed of repose, among his friends, or in some of the inns in Edinburgh, than for entering upon a journey, which it would take him a day and a night to accomplish.

We had exchanged, I believe, very few words by the time we arrived at Perth, and I had no opportunity of doing so, when we got there, for while I, and the other passengers had gone into the inn to dine, as was usual at that fair city, I learned that he, my fellow passenger, above alluded to, had walked forward in order to let the coach overtake him on the road.

The guard, who came from Edinburgh, did not seem to be aware of this circumstance, for he seemed rather dis appointed, when, on looking round him for his perquisites, he missed one of his fare. However, on my mentioning that the gentleman had walked on before, he took it quite easy, and as a matter of no uncommon occurrence, for he sprung up on the coach and away we drove, two guards instead of one.

Upon overtaking the pedestrian, the guard dismounted, and after having paid his obeisance to him, and being satisfied apparently, in the usual way, opened the door and let him into the coach.-Ah! little did I think, that in a way I so little expected it, I should unintentionally, have been partly instrumental, of depriving the poor traveller, who had no dinner, and perhaps no breakfast, of his supper also!

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So far, indeed, was I from suspecting any thing of the kind, that I told the gentleman frankly, and in a vein of rather good humour, than otherwise, that he might thank me for the honour done him by the guard coming so far after him, (for, by the by, he had made indeed considerable progress before the coach overtook him) when, judge my surprise, on his breaking out against me in such a strain of unqualified scurrility and bitter invective, as soon convinced me that I had committed an error, which, however unintentional on my part, had given great offence. I do not know whether any more conversation took place betwixt us, as we rolled along, down through the beautiful and fertile strath of the Carse of Gowrie; or, as we were jolted along the rough road that lay between Dundee and Arbroath; but, at the latter place, we were fated once more to exchange a few words, which not only led to a solution of the mystery, but was the means of establishing peace and harmony betwixt us, during the remainder of the journey.

At Arbroath, where it was usual to sup, as at Perth it was customary for the passengers to dine, I observed, that instead of sitting down at table with the other guests, my fellow traveller continued to traverse the room, without evincing the smallest inclination to partake of the repast. At this moment, perhaps it was, that the thought came across my mind, that the gentleman, for such I consider it my duty to call him, notwithstanding the rough harangue I had got, might be without the means, and I consequently became very pressing that he would partake of a little, or a slice upon a piece of bread, from my plate. Neither this, nor a glass of my toddy, however, he could be prevailed upon to taste; but in coming down the entry from the inn to the coach, I think it was, he so far profited, by the frank and open manner I had tendered my services to him, as to be induced, to make the real state of his case sufficiently known to me, and of his being even without the means of satisfying the guard and the drivers for the remainder of the journey; signifying at same time, that this circumstance gave him the most concern, and if I would accommodate him with the few shillings necessary for that

purpose, he would repay me on our arrival, or on meeting with his friends, at Aberdeen.

I take no praise or merit to myself whatever for advancing these few shillings-I had witnessed his privations on the road, as well as his exhausted appearance when he entered upon the journey-I had been partly the means of causing him to pay perhaps the last shilling from his exhausted resources which necessity, stern necessity, appears to have made him wish to reserve for another purpose:—To have refused, or turned a deaf ear to his request, would have betrayed a heart of flint, harder than any that for the last stage we had passed over. I therefore, without hesitation, gave him all that he required, and although (and it will soon appear, I mention it not in prejudice to my unfortunate, at the time, fellow traveller) I have not since been reimbursed, I have noted this little matter, trifling as it is, among those few reminiscences whose "report to heaven," I have no doubt, will be in my favour, in the sight of HIM who estimates the value of a drop of cold water, not according to the extent of the gift, but according to the motive from which it proceeds, and the manner in which it is bestowed.

Upon our arrival at the inn in Aberdeen, at too early an hour in the morning for business, we retired each of us to his separate apartment, in order to refresh ourselves with a little sleep, for the fatigues of the day. At the usual hour, I had dispatched my breakfast, and as I had some business of rather an important nature to attend to, and a good deal, upon the whole, to do, in course of the day, was ready to depart from the inn, before my fellow traveller was stirring; but as I expected I would have an opportunity of seeing him again in course of the day, and as the concerns of A SUM to which his little trifle bore NO COMPARISON, demanded my more immediate attention, I proceeded to the place of my first destination, the house of -, Esq. advocate, where I had business of considerable, but most lamentable and unhappy importance, indeed, to transact, viz. to ascertain the extent of the loss I had sustained or should sustain, by a recent bankruptcy in that city, (and which I too soon learned, would be not much under three hundred pounds)-my debt be

ing £288 odds, while all that I ultimately recovered from Mr who was the acting trustee on the estate, and remitted to me afterwards, was only a trifle above thirteen pounds!

It is amazing, however, to observe, in the course of providence, what strange events will sometimes take their rise, from what one would think, very disproportionate or inade quate, as well as unexpected, means. My book of Popular Philosophy, or the Book of Nature Laid Open, in an improved form, has now been for some time before the public-whether for good, or for evil-whether to my praise or dispraise, it is for that public to judge. But who, of my readers, would have conjectured, did I not record the circumstance, that that work, whatever may be its merits or defects, should have taken its rise from an interview occasioned solely by such a melancholy occurrence, as is above mentioned, and yet, that it did so take its rise, will soon appear as evident, as that the recent sale of books at Hawick, proceeded from, or was the consequence of my other misfor

tune.

Mr the gentleman upon whom I had occasion to wait, being personally acquainted with Dr Davidson, professor of Natural History in the Marischal College of that city, had had, it appears, some conversation with him previous to my arrival, in which my name, as the publisher of the Cheap Magazine, had been introduced, and in which the professor had signified a wish to see me at the time I was expected in Aberdeen, in consequence of the introduction of an article into the second volume of that little work, under the general running title of "The Book of Nature Laid Open," &c. in favour of which, and its excellent adaptation to the purposes intended, the professor had expressed himself in very unqualified terms.

It may be readily supposed that I was somewhat surprised when Mr put the question to me, if I would have any objections to eat an egg, or otherwise to spend the evening with him, in company with the professor-whose name, it is possible, I had never before heard of—but when he explained the matter to me, and the object of the meeting, I could only reply that it was entirely out of my power to accept of the