BOOK OF DOVECOTES 



at which it stands — the Hermitage of Braid — 

 is hardly seen, so deep the glen, so dense the 

 screen of intervening trees. The house is full 

 of history, even though the present one is but 

 a century old; its predecessor stood a little 

 higher, on theglen's north bank. But Skelton, 

 Mary Queen of Scots' defender and apologist, 

 lived in the present house, and Froude has sat 

 andtalked within the walls that Adamplanned. 



The dovecote stands in the large sloping 

 kitchen-garden, rare rock-plants from Salonika 

 flowering at its doors. It is of oblong plan, 

 with two compartments; but, built at a later 

 period, when desire for ornament had grown, 

 is pleasingly ornate in style. The coping of the 

 high north wall slopes slightly downward from 

 the middle to each end, and bears three deco- 

 rative urns, another being at the south end of 

 either gable-wall. The comparatively moder- 

 ate age of the building is further proved by the 

 small thickness of the walls — two feet. 



Returning towards the city, we might per- 

 haps enquire for East Morningside House, a 

 dwelling dating from a timebefore the present 

 suburb had surrounded the large garden in the 

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