NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 53 



nourable old maid one day, to the countess his mother ; " it is very bad 

 for a young man to be idling away his time at home." After a sliort 

 pause, " Charley" himself furnished the answer, to which his peculiar 

 slow and measured tone must have given a double force. " Do you not 

 think," said he, '* the stomach pump would do as luellV I call this an 

 excellent specimen of harp.iless irony, as well as a happy mixture of the 

 satirical with the simple, which is the highest point of perfection in 

 every attempt at wit. 



The two Mr. Fletchers (I dont like the word " Messrs." it smells so 

 of the shop) are brothers in blood, and brothers in soul, for I believe it 

 is difficult to say which is fondest of fox-hunting. They are distin- 

 guished as Mr. Fletcher of Saltoun, and Mr. Fletcher Campbell, whose 

 residence is at Boquhar, near Stirling, a seat of great antiquity, having 

 within its grounds the famous ford at which Prince Charles crossed the 

 river. Both brothers are hard riders, and good over a country, parti- 

 cularly Mr. Fletcher Campbell, who struck me as being very aufait at 

 handing his horse over the double fences in Berwickshire, without taking 

 much out of him in the exertion. 



Of Mr. M'Dowall Grant 1 have before spoken, and I have only here 

 to mention that himself and Lord Saltoun (he married his Lordship's 

 sister) kept house together in Dunse, and their studs were partly sup- 

 plied from their own stables, and partly from that of Mr. King of Edin- 

 burgh, from whom 1 had my garrons. Mr. Grant is a fine horseman 

 over a country and also over a race course ; I should say about as quick 

 a man over the former as is to be found in most shires, and, what can- 

 not be said of all the quick ones I have seen and heard of, he will try to 

 be " with them" on any horse, good or bad, accounting three falls in a 



