THE AUTHORS LAST VISIT. 445 



His deep gratefulness welled up in broken, child-like words 

 all too weak to express his crowding feelings. In reality, 

 the weight of obligation to distant unknown and generous 

 sympathy seemed to oppress the old heart like a happy 

 burden which at times seemed too heavy to be borne. I 

 reminded him that he now sat " a free man." The very 

 sound of the words inspired him with joyous vigour which 

 sparkled in his eye, and was speedily succeeded by the 

 gathering mists of emotion, and he only could brokenly 

 utter, " Very good, very good, very good ! admirin' good ! " 

 Then in real tones of earnestness, with a touch of anguish, 

 he exclaimed, " I wis', I wis' I had seen you sooner ! " as 

 the recollection of the misery of the dark night spent in 

 his cold bed in the winter of 1873, and the subsequent 

 degradation of heart through absolute penury, once more 

 returned, and let us hope, for the last time. 



To relieve his sadness, I spoke encouragingly of the 

 reputation he had deservedly won, and the late but genuine 

 recognition of his life-long devotion to science, which would 

 survive when he was gone. He looked proud of the honour,, 

 and sadness giving way to joy, he quietly said, "Ay, ay I 

 Dae ye say sae ? " Then the annoyances he had suffered 

 for the sake of the flowers from the ignorant and un- 

 sympathetic came back to his mind in contrast to the 

 present appreciation, and brought the remark, " They'll no 

 seek to bather * me noo ! But e'en then I was ower mony 

 for them ower knowin' ! " He then recounted the story of 

 the juniper bush on the braes of Tough.f His constant 

 feeling, frequently expressed, was one of grateful comfort 

 which he could scarcely realise as now his, and he always 



* Bother. f See p. 332. 



