Farewell to England. 241 



Look ! Cousin E. in my arms and a warm kiss of wel- 

 come ! That is the very best of consolation. Clever, 

 artistic Miss R., too, from Edinburgh ; and then are we 

 not to have our four originals back again, after two long 

 weeks' absence ! It was fortunate that our sad farewells 

 were so promptly followed by smiling welcomes. 



Do any people love their country as passionately as 

 the Scotch ? I mean the earth of it, the very atoms of 

 which its hills and glens are composed. I doubt it. 

 Now here is Maggie, a douse, quiet, sensible girl. I 

 tried to say something cheery to her to-day as we were 

 approaching Carlisle, where we were to part, reminding 

 her jokingly that she had received five weeks' coaching 

 while her poor sister Eliza would have only two. " Ah ! 

 but she has Scotland, Naig ! " " Do you really mean to 

 tell me that you would rather have two weeks in your 

 own country than five weeks seeing a new land, and that 

 land England, with London and Brighton, and the lakes, 

 and all?" I just wish you could have seen and heard, 

 how the '* Of course " came in reply. The Scotch, always, 

 have Scotland first in their hearts, and sorhe of them, I ^ 

 really believe, will get into trouble criticising Paradise; \ 

 if it be found to differ materially from Scotland. ' 



To-morrow we are to enter that -land of lands. Fair 

 England, farewell ! How graciously kind has been the 

 reception accorded by you to the wanderers ! How 

 beautiful you are ! how tenderly dear you have be- 

 come to all of us ! Not one of us but can close his 

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