40 Mary Somerville. 



good fortune to see a heron, now a rare bird in the 

 valley of the Jed. Some of us went every day to 

 a spring called the Allerly well, about a quarter of 

 a mile from the manse, and brought a large jug of 

 its sparkling water for dinner. The evenings were 

 cheerful ; my aunt sang Scotch songs prettily, and 

 told us stories and legends about Jedburgh, which 

 had been a royal residence in the olden time. She 

 had a tame white and tawny-coloured owl, which 

 we fed every night, and sometimes brought into the 

 drawing-room. The Sunday evening never was 

 gloomy, though properly observed. We occasionally 

 drank tea with acquaintances, and made visits of a 

 few days to the Eutherfurds of Edgerton and others ; 

 but I was always glad to return to the manse. 



My uncle, like other ministers of the Scottish 

 Kirk, was allowed a glebe, which he farmed him- 

 self. Besides horses, a cow was kept, which sup- 

 plied the family with cream and butter, and the 

 skimmed milk was given to the poor ; but as the 

 milk became scarce, one woman was deprived, for the 

 time, of her share. Soon after, the cow was taken 

 ill, and my uncle's ploughman, Will, came to him 

 and said, " Sir, gin you would give that carline 

 Tib by Jones her soup o' milk again, the coo would 

 soon be weel eneugh." Will was by no means the 

 only believer in witchcraft at that time. 



