54 Four-i7t-Hand in Britain. 



We carried perpetual flowering summer Avith us as 

 we travelled from south to north, plucking the wild 

 roses and the honeysuckles from the hedges near 

 Brighton, never missing their sweet influences, and 

 finding them ready to welcome us at Inverness, 

 seven weeks later, as if they had waited till our ap- 

 proach to burst forth in their beauty in kindly greeting 

 of their kinsmen from over the sea. A dancing, laugh- 

 ing welcome did the wild flowers of my native land 

 give to us, God bless them ! 



On our arrival at the inn for the night, the General 

 Manager examined the rooms and assigned them ; Joe 

 and Perry handed over the bags to the servants ; the 

 party went direct to their general sitting-room, and in 

 a few minutes were taken to their rooms, where all was 

 ready for them. The two American flags were placed 

 upon the mantel of the sitting-room, in which there was 

 always a piano, and we sat down to dinner a happy 

 band. 



The long twilight and the gloaming in Scotland 

 gave us two hours after dinner to see the place ; and 

 after our return an hour of musical entertainment was 

 generally enjoyed, and we were off to bed to sleep the 

 sound, refreshing sleep of childhood's innocent days. 

 The duties of the General Manager, however, required 

 his attendance down stairs ; he had to-morrow's route 

 to learn and the landlord or landlady, as the case might 

 be, to see. Some of the male members of the party 



