4 FARLEY, 1914 



between, and Beauly pier and village at one of the 

 bends of the river. Sitting at the drawing-room 

 window and watching one of the wonderful 

 Scotch sunsets, one can forget the war and wish 

 one had led a better life. The house itself is ivy- 

 covered, and the round end as one approaches it 

 gives it the appearance of a tiny castle, and makes 

 the drawing-room something rather out of the 

 common with its round end. Verily and indeed 

 is it a cosy retreat in these days of storm and 

 stress, and hidden away in its fond embrace one 

 can be of the world forgetting, and by the world 

 forgot. And all the more lovable, perhaps, be- 

 cause it is a bit tumbled down and decayed, and 

 yet utterly comfy, and the walls over 2 feet thick, 

 so it is warm when the weather's wintry, and cool 

 when the weather's kind; and the fireplaces are 

 quite a dream, and more than compensate for the 

 absence of bathrooms, electric light, telephone, and 

 other modern horrors. 



Mais revenons d nos cerfs we have digressed 

 too far. At the first drive the Lady Susan and 

 I were posted in the ambush known as Gladstones. 

 Merton Barker was about a quarter of a mile to 

 our left and a bit above us, and in due course we 

 heard his rifle ring out, and our excitement was 

 intense when shortly afterwards some deer 

 cantered past below us, mostly hinds, but one or 

 two small stags in the rear, one of which was 

 dropping behind, and finally stopped in a glade 



