84 Mary Somerville. 



hell-fire. The kirk was very large and quaint ; a 

 stair led to a \gallery on each side of the pulpit, which 

 was intended for the tradespeople, and each division 

 was marked with a suitable device, and text from 

 Scripture. On the bakers' portion a sheaf of wheat 

 was painted ; a balance and weights on the grocers', 

 and on the weavers', which was opposite to our pew, 

 there was a shuttle, and below it the motto, " My 

 days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are 

 spent without hop job. 1 ' The artist was evidently 

 no clerk. 



My brother Sam, while attending the university 

 in Edinburgh, came to us on the Saturdays and 

 returned to town on Monday. He of course 

 went with us to the kirk on Sunday morning, 

 but we let our mother attend afternoon service 

 alone, as he and I were happy to be together, 

 and we spent the time sitting on the grassy rocks 

 at the foot of our garden, from whence we could 

 see a vast extent of the Firth of Forth with Edin- 

 burgh and its picturesque hills. It was very 

 amusing, for we occasionally saw three or four 

 whales spouting, and shoals of porpoises at play. 

 However, we did not escape reproof, for I recollect 

 the servant coming to tell us that the minister 

 had sent to inquire whether Mr. and Miss Fairfax 

 had been taken ill, as he had not seen them at 



