LETTER FROM MISS DUNBAR. 389 



warmly. You have staunch friends, too, in the Messrs 

 Andersons, who have anticipated us, I find, at Dun- 

 phail, with Major Gumming Bruce ; and Sir Thomas, I 

 doubt not, is active in Edinburgh. You seem to have 

 started in a highly favourable time ; but you must not 

 tell me of a " nervous indolence creeping over you," you 

 who are so much the delight of all who know you. 

 I must say your prospectus did not please me so much 

 as I expected ; you cannot do other than write well, but 

 there are scores of your legends which I would have 

 liked better. True, your reasoning is good and in- 

 genious, but still it is reasoning. I often question 

 whether your book will ever be in my hand ; I fear not, 

 but I shall go on wishing and thinking about it as 

 though I were certain of living to see it. 



' And so you have been on many excursions of late ; 

 why should a deathlike pang shoot across me at the 

 thought? It will be a year on Friday next since I 

 crossed over from Nairn to Cromarty, and you were not 

 in the way, nor could be found for two hours ! In the 

 three weeks that followed, oh how much I enjoyed ! I 

 can recall all our walks together, and all the topics on 

 which we conversed. But why should such recollections 

 disturb or distress me ? You will be happy with other 

 friends and favourites ; oh, yes, yes you will, I hope 

 and wish it, and you will bear me in mournful remem- 

 brance, though you will be nothing to me then. But I 

 shall see you once more, I may hold out for months yet; 

 and as you have promised to corne to see me, you will. 



'But why, my friend, do you chide me for not 

 writing you ? I can feel the awkwardness of your 

 situation as a correspondent, in writing letter after letter 

 and receiving no reply ; but it is God who has laid His 

 chastening hand upon me, do not reprove me, but let 



