133 



POETICAL HEROINES. 



her, had uncharmed, I thought, all 

 poetical delusion that would natu- 

 rally surround her as the " Maid of 

 Athens." We met her as simple 

 Mrs. Black, whose Scotch husband's 

 terrier had worried us at the door, 

 and we left her, feeling that the 

 poetry which she had called forth 

 from the heart of Byron was her 

 due by every law of loveliness. 

 (N. P. -Willis's Cruise in the Medi- 

 terranean.) 



BURNS' "CHLORIS." 



" Lassie wi' the lint-white locks, 

 .Bonnie lassie, artless lassie." 



Mr. Lorimer's eldest daughter 

 -Jean was at this time a very young 

 lady, but possessed of uncommon 

 personal charms. Her form was 

 symmetry itself, and, notwithstand- 

 ing hair of flaxen lightness, the 

 beauty of her face was universally 

 admired. A Mr. Gillespie, a bro- 

 ther-officer of Burns, settled at 

 Dumfries, was already enslaved by 

 Miss Lorimer ; and to his suit the 

 poet lent all his influence. But it 

 was in vain. Miss Lorimer became 

 the wife of another, under some- 

 what extraordinary circumstances. 

 A young gentleman named Whelp- 

 dale, connected with the county of 

 Cumberland, and who had already 

 signalized himself by profuse ha- 

 bits, settled at Barnhill, near Mof- 

 fat, as a farmer. He was acquainted 

 with a respectable farmer named 

 Johnston, at Drumcrieff, near Crai- 

 gieburn, where Miss Lorimer vi- 

 sited. He thus became acquainted 

 with the young beauty. He paid 

 his addresses to her, and it is sup- 

 posed that she was not adverse 

 to his suit. One night, in March 

 1793, -when the poor girl was still 

 some months less than eighteen 

 years of age, and of course pos- 

 sessed of little prudence or know- 

 ledge of the world, he took her 

 aside, and informed her that he 

 could no longer live except as her 

 husband; he therefore entreated 



her to elope with him that very- 

 night to Gretna Green, in order 

 that they might be married, and 

 threatened to do himself some ex- 

 treme mischief if she should refuse. 

 A hard- wrung consent to this most 

 imprudent step fixed her fate to 

 sorrow through life. The pair had 

 not been united for many mouths, 

 when Mr. Whelpdale was obliged 

 by his debts to remove hastily 

 from Barnhill, leaving his young 

 wife no resource but that of re- 

 turning to her parents at Kemmis- 

 hall. She saw her husband no 

 more for twenty-three years. ~ :: ~ * 

 The subsequent history of he 

 lady is pitiful. Some years after 

 this outpouring of poesy in her 

 praise, her father was unfortunate 

 in business, and ceased to be the 

 wealthy man he once was. The 

 tuneful tongue which had sung her 

 praise was laid in silence in Dum- 

 fries church-yard. She continued 

 to derive no income from her hus- 

 band, and scarcely even to know 

 in what part of the world he lived. 

 She was now, therefore, compelled 

 to accept of a situation as plain 

 governess in a gentleman's family ; 

 and in such situations she passed 

 some years of her life. In 1816, 

 returning from a visit to her bro- 

 ther in Sunderland, she inquired 

 at Brampton for her husband, and 

 learned that she had only missed 

 seeing him by a few hours, as he 

 had that day been in the village. 

 He was now squandering some 

 fourth or fifth fortune, which had 

 been left to him by a relation. 

 Not long after, learning that he 

 was imprisoned for debt at Car- 

 lisle, she went to see him. Having 

 announced to him her wish for an 

 interview, she went to the place 

 where he was confined, and was 

 desired to walk in. His lodging 

 was pointed out to her on the op- 

 posite side of a quadrangle, round 

 which there was a covered walk, 

 as in the ambulatories of the an- 



