FARRAGO VITM 165 



in the stocked mind, in the tolerant knowledge of 

 life and man, in pious acceptance of the universe. 

 Here is a farrago for a chapter : here is a world 

 of interests and activities, human, artistic, social, 

 scientific, at each of which he sprang with im- 

 petuous pleasure, on each of which he squandered 

 energy, the arrow drawn to the head, the whole 

 intensity of his spirit bent, for the moment, on 

 the momentary purpose. It was this that lent 

 such unusual interest to his society, so that no 

 friend of his can forget that figure of Fleeming 

 coming charged with some new discovery : it is 

 this that makes his character so difficult to repre- 

 sent. Our fathers, upon some difficult theme, 

 would invoke the Muse ; I can but appeal to 

 the imagination of the reader. When I dwell 

 upon some one thing, he must bear in mind it 

 was only one of a score ; that the unweariable 

 brain was teeming at the very time with other 

 thoughts ; that the good heart had left no kind 

 duty forgotten. 



In Edinburgh, for a considerable time, Fleeming's The 

 family, to three generations, was united : Mr. ctrcief 

 and Mrs. Austin at Hailes, Captain and Mrs. 

 Jenkin in the suburb of Merchiston, Fleeming 

 himself in the city. It is not every family that 

 could risk with safety such close interdomestic 



