NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 65 



the honour of an invitation ; and as the evening was fine I thought a walk 

 of two miles and a half would do me good ; so with my pumps in my 

 pocket, I " wound my way" through Dunse-park, having been assured 

 of a cast home in a carriage at night. Now I sometimes stop to con- 

 template nature ; and I saw her here very much to my admiration — not 

 in a gay, but in a sombre mood, in what Shakespeare calls '' the silent 

 of the night" — as I stood about ten minutes by the side of the beautiful 

 piece of water in this park. Although the young moon was obscured at 

 the moment, there was just enough of light to see across it ; and as 



" the western breeze 



Just kiss'd the lake, just stirr'd the trees," 



the reflection of the fine timber on the opposite side had a very pleasing 

 eflfect. But nature is never quite silent, even in the night season j,.and 

 although the night- warbling bird was now absent, a quack from a wild 

 duck in one place, and the alighting of a widgeon in another, showed 

 that the business of the day was not quite at an end with them. With 

 myself it certainly was not; for in less than half an hour from that time, 

 I sat down to a most excellent dinner at the cottage, and after the fatigue 

 of the run and the heat occasioned by it, the iced Champaigne of Mr. 

 Wauchope was more than usually extolled by all. Hunger, they say, is 

 the best sauce ; there was no need of that to heighten the gout here ; 

 but a good run in November creates a thirst which it is delightful to 

 slake at such a cool fountain as this. That on Parnassus is a ditch to it. 



By the bye, the mention of good dinner reminds me of the fact, that 

 our noble host received a letter this evening, from Eglinton, which very 

 considerably damped his own enjoyment of it. It was to inform him of 

 the death, by his own hands, of his French cook, who had coolly walked 



K 



