332 REMINISCENCES OF 



Yester and drove on to Garvald. In driving through 

 the village Mrs. Thomson said, " That is the house I 

 should like to live in. It was the Free Kirk manse. 

 A few days after Dr. Caverhill wrote saying that he 

 could get the manse. We went over again, saw Mr. 

 Beattie, a charming old gentleman, and settled to 

 take his house for £2^. 



Colonel Gilmour made a contract for building 

 temporary stables for Fife Light Horse, and had 

 many tons of timber already on the ground. Much 

 to our astonishment, we heard that the whole con- 

 cern was given up. Mr. Beattie had taken rooms 

 for himself at Crieff Hydropathic, and I had to pay 

 ^15 to cancel my bargain with him ; Gilmour had to 

 pay his contractor ;^6o. 



27th. — From Beenham we went to London for a 

 few days, and went to a cricket match at Lord's with 

 Amy Fergusson ; and on Sunday went to luncheon 

 with (Henry) Lord Loch, the last time 1 ever saw 

 him. 



3rd July. — F"rom London we went to Priory Hill, 

 St. Neots, for Peterborough Hound Show. Mr. and 

 Mrs. Rowley (she is Walter Corbet's sister). 

 Capital party, C. Wickstead and his wife and Prior. 

 First day, horse show ; second, hound show. Beau- 

 fort got most prizes. Austen Mackenzie, one of the 

 judges, bred the prize dog. 



We intended to go on to Edinburgh by night 

 train, and did not know what to do after the show 

 was over. Merthyr Guest said, " My sister married 

 Canon Alderson ; go and dine with them," and he 



