386 NETHER LOCHABER. 



there must be, if we only knew enough of the animal's economy to 

 get at it. 



But we must stop ; for hark ! an itinerant fiddler has this 

 moment struck up " Bob of Fettercaim " just in front of our study 

 window. He plays admirably too, lovingly caressing the polished 

 base of his instrument his bread-winner, poor fellow with his 

 wan and withered cheek, and wielding a powerful, yet light and 

 delicate, bow-hand ; and we must go and have a crack with him. 

 Nor must you sneer at us for so doing, gracious reader. The 

 arrival even of a peripatetic, out-at-elbows fiddler is an event of 

 some importance in such a place as this on a cold, grey November 

 afternoon. We shall order him a big bowl of tea, with something 

 to eat, satisfied that if in so doing we are not entertaining an angel 

 unawares (though there is no reason that we know of why an angel 

 should not appear in peripatetic fiddler guise, as well as in any 

 other form), we are at all events entertaining one who by his 

 appearance manifestly needs something warm and comfortable, and 

 a little rest by a cheerful fireside at this season, not forgetting the 

 while that he is a capital fiddler of some intelligence, too, and 

 full of capital stories we warrant him. Depend upon it that 

 Homer, who was after all but an inspired gaberlunzie, has many a 

 time and oft appeared in quite as sorry a plight, and with as little 

 externally to recommend him as this same itinerant fiddler ; and 

 think how proud and glad you and we should be to have a chance 

 of entertaining the blind old Chian, wandering ballad-singer as he 

 was ! You must, therefore, let us have our way with this poor 

 old man, who, by the way, is not blind, but, on the contrary, has a 

 good large dark brown eye of his own, so common, we have noticed, 

 in people musically inclined, that it may be called the musical eye ; 

 and if he is all we take him for, and he and we get on well to- 

 gether, you may perhaps hear of him again. 



