74 ACCOUNT OF A BOY 



trace in his countenance, but to the same motive that led him 

 the very next nioment, to trip lightly towards us, and smiling- 

 ly feel our clothes all over — the pleasure he experienced in the 

 examination of objects that were new to him. My friend Mr 

 LAiDim Dick, who has accompanied me in all my visits to Ard- 

 clach, and whose interest in the family, and kindness towards 

 them, have been equally great, has favoured me with a few re- 

 marks, in a letter on this subject, which appear to me so just, that 

 I shall take the liberty to quote them. " From my observations," 

 he writes, " made at the time, with all the attention which an ex- 

 " treme interest in the boy could excite, my opinion certainly 

 " is, that he was occupied with the coffin merely as being a 

 *' body of a shape and surface different from any thing he had 

 " before met with ; and that he betrayed no emotions of grief. 

 " AMien the procession moved onwards, all his gestures seem- 

 " ed more those of a playful boy in good spirits, than those 

 " of an afflicted youth, conscious of the awful change which 

 " had taken place upon his parent. As it is certain that he 

 " had never felt a dead body, nor had any opportunity of 

 " learning the object of burial before ; it appears to me, that 

 " we^cannot imagine him to have experienced any emotion of 

 " orief at his father's funeral, without also supposing him to 

 " have had an innate idea of death." 



I am, my dear Sir, with great regard, yours truly, 



John Gordon. 



Postscript. 



Before sending you this letter, I transmitted a copy of it to 

 Miss Mitchell, for her perusal and correction ; and I have 

 much pleasure in adding the following extracts from her very 

 obliging and satisfactory reply. 



" Agreeably 



