A Pleasant Meeting. 259 



withstood. One point worth noting occurs to me. In 

 looking back you never feel that upon any occasion you 

 have acted too generously, but you often regret that 

 you did not give enough, and sometimes that you did 

 not give at all. The moral seems to be — always give 

 the higher sum or do the most when in doubt. It seems 

 to me that parents and others having charge of children 

 might do more than is done to teach them the only means 

 of making life worth living, and to point out to them 

 the rocks and eddies from which they themselves have 

 suffered damage in life's passage. 



With the cheers of the children rfciging in our ears 

 we started on our way. While stopping at the inn to 

 return what had been lent us in the way of baskets, 

 pitchers, etc., a lady drove up in a stylish phaeton, and, 

 excusing herself for intruding, said that a coach was so 

 rarely seen in those parts she could not resist asking who 

 we were and whither bound. I gave her all desired in- 

 formation, and asked her to please gratify our ladies by 

 telling in return who she was. " Lady Stuart M." was 

 the reply. She was of the M.'s of Closeburn Castle, as 

 we learned from Mr. Murray, our landlord at Cumnock. 

 The estate will go at her death to a nephew who is farm- 

 ing in America. We thought there must be some good 

 reason why he did not return and manage for his aunt, 

 who indeed seems well qualified to manage for herself. 

 The young exiled heir had our sympathy, but long may 

 it be ere he enters upon Closeburn, for we were all heart- 



