MISS FRASER. 275 



Mackenzies of Redcastle, 'said to be the most ancient 

 house in the north of Scotland/ had been among her 

 kindred in the line of male descent. Her father, nota- 

 bly handsome in youth, and famous in Strathnairn as 

 a deer-stalker, entered, later in life, into business in In- 

 verness, and was at first prosperous, but, being generous 

 and unsuspecting to a fault, was robbed by a clerk and 

 beguiled by a relative, and at last overborne by dis- 

 appointments and difficulties. 



After the death of Mr Eraser, his widow, possessing 

 some small property of her own, went to live in Cro- 

 marty. His daughter had been taken away by re- 

 latives in Surrey when his affairs were getting into 

 confusion. She had received the best education ob- 

 tainable at the time by young ladies. Having resided 

 in Edinburgh in the house of Mr George Thomson, 

 the correspondent of Burns, she had had the benefit not 

 only of being instructed by Edinburgh masters, but of 

 being introduced to a singularly pleasant and rather dis- 

 tinguished circle of society. George Thomson attracted 

 to his musical parties the most skilful and enthusiastic 

 votaries of Scottish music in Edinburgh. Nor were 

 literature and art unrepresented at those gatherings. 

 Scott himself, never out of his element when kindness 

 and intelligence ruled the hour, had appeared sometimes 

 among Thomson's guests, though this was before Miss 

 Eraser became an inmate of his dwelling. James Bal- 

 lantyne and his brother Alexander were frequently of the 

 number. James had the gift of singing 'Tullochgorum' 

 with rough heartiness. Alexander was an exquisite 

 violinist. Pieces from Beethoven, Mozart, and their com- 

 peers, were performed at those parties, Thomson's pre- 

 ference for Scottish music by no means rendering him 

 insensible to the claims of other schools. Thomson of 



