WINTER JOYS. 89 



in mid-winter, albeit the previous day had been mild, and calm, 

 and sunny, and bright as if it were Whitsuntide, rather than the 

 Eve of St. Luke the Evangelist. Since then we have had incessant 

 storms, shifting about and sometimes blowing from every point of 

 the compass within the four-and-twenty hours, with such deluges 

 of rain as Lochaber alone can supply in season, or sometimes, entre 

 nous, out of season as well. The mountain summits are, at the 

 moment we write, covered with a lamb's-wool-like coating of virgin 

 snow, and the air has become so chill and raw that we were fain 

 some days ago to don our winter habiliments for the season. We 

 have no right or reason to complain, however ; a finer summer and 

 autumn were never known in the Highlands, and since winter must 

 come some time or other, it is better that it should come in season. 

 The fourth week of October is not a bit too early for snow, and 

 sleet, and storms, so that when we hear the winds howling 

 over ferry and firth, and the waves breaking with sullen roar 

 upon the vexed strand, and listen to the rattle and the dash 

 of rain and sleet upon the window panes, we shall, first taking 

 care that the shutters are properly closed and the curtains drawn, 

 just draw our arm-chair a little nearer the fire, which our " lassie," 

 you may be sure, has trimmed betimes, like Horace's boy, large 

 reponens peats and coals thereon, and then, with the Courier, 

 Scotsman, or Standard on our knee, or a stray copy of the Saturday 

 Review or Spectator, which some distant friend has kindly sent us, 

 or some fresh volume from Ardgour's library, the worst we. shall 

 say will be in the words of poor old Lear, " Blow wind, and crack 

 your cheeks ! rage ! blow ! " blessing God the while that if our lot 

 be a humbler one, it is also a happier one than the poor old king's. 

 A good deal has been written about the enormous numbers of 

 killed, and wounded in the present Franco-Prussian war, the fact 

 being nevertheless, as we learn on competent authority, that not- 

 withstanding the improvements made of late years in arms of 



