388 JOHN DUNCAN, WEAVER AND BOTANIST. 



casually glanced, he produced two parcels carefully wrapped 

 up in paper and tied with many strings. One of them 

 enclosed a good and pretty large collection of the Grasses, 

 in a book well bound in canvas and interleaved with 

 blotting paper. The plants were fastened by cross strips 

 of paper to each page with all the care of a practised hand, 

 and duly inscribed with their technical names. The whole 

 volume was neat, clean and carefully preserved, and the 

 plants were classed according to order and species. The 

 other parcel comprised the general wild plants of the 

 neighbourhood, scientifically arranged and pressed with 

 like care and neatness. These were the collections prepared 

 for the Alford Horticultural Show in 1871. He showed 

 them with quiet pride, and had kept the tickets announcing 

 the honour then achieved. Our praise of these collections 

 raised the old man's spirits, somewhat depressed, as ours 

 also had been, at the state of the other plants, and 

 greatly gratified him. New animation seemed to inspire 

 him, and his face wore a brighter and more youthful 

 expression that was pleasant to see. After the general 

 misunderstanding under which he had lived all his life, the 

 presence of sympathetic spirits, students of his favourite 

 subject, and the praise of admiring eyes, were like water 

 in the waste to the thirsty wanderer. The carefulness with 

 which he handled these finer plants was very great. Though 

 I turned them over with all tenderness, he could not restrain 

 himself from nervously saying more than once, " Tak' ' tent * 

 noo ; tak' ' tent' * See ye dinna hort them ! " as he bent 

 keenly over me, while I turned the leaves. 



* "Tent" means attew/ion and care, and is derived from the same 

 root as attention, tendo, to stretch. 



