228 SALMON FISHING IN THE TWEED 



siderable time, and occasionally interrupted his 

 view ; one of them at length said pithily to her 

 companions, " Hech, sirs, this is idle wark ! let's 

 awa to the praaties." 



Such interruptions, though trivial in themselves, 

 are sometimes a little troublesome to a studious 

 man, and happy had it been for Mr. Tintern had he 

 met with no other ; but in a short time afterwards 

 the churchyard was full of all the idle boys in the 

 town, who fairly hooted him, and compelled him 

 to leave the place, which he did under the best 

 protection I was able to afford him. He called 

 them "naughty boys," and they shouted amain, 

 " Corpse lifter ! corpse lifter ! " having been previ- 

 ously so instructed, as may readily be guessed. 



This disagreeable attack annoyed Mr. Tintern 

 so seriously, that he resolved to leave Melrose the 

 next day, which I was sincerely sorry for. I could 

 not, however, change his resolution, as he seemed 

 to think that he was a marked man, and that 

 he should enjoy tranquillity no longer in that 

 country. 



I got up early the following morning to bid him 

 farewell, and just in time to prevent his going into 

 the Glasgow coach instead of the London mail. 

 He seemed sorry to part with me ; and, as he was 

 getting into the carriage, he begged the mail- 

 coachman not to drive fast, or to whip his horses. 



I felt a blank at his departure ; for he was a 

 most agreeable and clever gentleman, and not the 

 less entertaining for his eccentricities, which appeared 

 only from time to time, and interfered with no 

 one's humour. 



