THE ORPHAN MAID. 65 



" Isabella S., I understand, is married. I wish her all possible 

 joy. For God's sake, take care who thou fallest in love with! 

 I wish I had done so, faith ! 



"The sooner you send Margaret the parcel the better, for I 

 should have written her before now, and she will be wondering at 

 my silence. And let it be safe. Write me when convenient, and 

 don't be interrupted by your mercenary concerns and employments. 

 I would have given you another sheet, from which you are saved 

 by the entrance of the drill-sergeant, who has come to teach me 

 how to fight the French, if they come. I am their man. ' God 



save the king !' " Yours, 



" J. Wilson. 



" Oxford, 12th October, 1803." 



The next letter in the series is from Blair to Findlay, showing 

 how deeply these two friends entered into the feelings of one 

 whose trust in them was as that of a brother. It is dated 



" Hill Top, January 19, 1804. 

 " The vacation is over next Tuesday week. I left him on Mon- 

 day morning last ; but one of the gentlemen-commoners came to 

 Oxford for two or three days, and breakfasted, dined, and supped 

 with us on Sunday, so that I had no opportunity of speaking to 

 him on many things of which I wished to have talked to him. 

 From this, it happened that I said nothing to him of what we 

 talked over that Wednesday night. If I had not thought we 

 should have had all Sunday night to ourselves, I would certainly 

 have spoken of it before ; but it is a subject on which I dare not 

 speak to him, except at those moments when he seems happier 

 than usual from my presence. If he is gloomy and dejected, as he 

 is sometimes with me, I know that his mind will be shut to all 

 reasonings favorable to his happiness ; and that to touch on that 

 subject would be merely to give him occasion to overwhelm me 

 with one of those long bursts of passion and misery to which I can 

 make no answer. He was out of spirits the first two days I Mas 

 there ; and I thought it most probable that in the last evening he 

 would, from the idea of my going so soon, feel a greater degree of 

 kindness and affection for me, which would keep his mind in a 

 state of gentle feeling, and dispose it more easily to think happily 

 of himself. If we had been alone that night, I should have talked 



