A Scottish Idyl. 93 



Square. EdR. Lady Gleucaini writes to Maguire that she expects 

 to meet her in EdR , so we shall only want you, my dear Alicie to 

 make our liappiness compleat,perhaps you'll be saying, it is not 

 fit, but I hope it shall happen. I must end my letter sooner I 

 us'd to do as there is an opportunity of this going to-morrow 

 morning. Wishing- you all health and happiness I am my dear 

 Alicie yours 



Affectionate!)', 



J. ERSKINE. 

 Dumf. Uctr. 31. 17ir,. 



These spirited gossiping missives give a vivid pictui-e. not 

 only of the manner of the age, but of the playful warmhearted- 

 ness of the writer. One or two shorter letters may help to show 

 that her frolics with Miss Maguire and Cornet Smith, and her 

 sarcasms at the expense of '-papa's eloquence," and the *' bold 

 baron's" pride, or Grissy's headaches, were only the outer shell of 

 a true and tenderhearted woman's character. Take, for example, 

 the next letter to her favourite correspondent, Miss Johnstone. 

 Miss Erskine had been married to Mr Kirkpatrick on Christmas 

 day, 174:6, and had suffered the first month of the new year to be 

 advanced towards its close without announcing the event to her 

 friend, whose possible displeasure at the neglect she thus prettily 

 deprecates. 



My Dk. Alicie, I know 30U are a little angr}- with me, 

 and I won't say 'tis without reason, but as I never had the mis- 

 fortune to see you tlie least out of humour at any one thing, I am 

 very much at a loss how to behave in order to regain my former 

 happiness again, you always flater'd me my dr. Johnston, in 

 saying you thought there was a vast Similitude between our 

 tempers. So 'tis very posible my dr. Alicie might have behav'd 

 the same way, in the like case, you must suppose so, and forgive 

 me, but indeed my dr. Alicie to show you how much you was 

 in my thoughts. I sat down that night before I was (I can hardly 

 write it yet) married, to Avrite to you, and cou'd not make it out, 

 and as we went out of town immediately after I had no oper- 

 tunity. I am vastly sorry 1 am not to have the pleasure of 

 seeing you in town this winter I had form'd twenty pritty little 

 schemes to myself of being happy with m^- dr Alicie and sweetest 

 of Maguires, but I cant help expecting you sometime this winter 



