DUNESK. 233 



and niece, now took us to our rooms. My crib was 

 at the top of the tower, and at the last step of a 

 narrow spiral staircase, but just the room I would 

 have chosen out of the many in the old house a 

 quaint, comfortable watch-tower, with a narrow slip of 

 a window looking down on the tree-tops and away 

 over the sea. 



Before dinner we made the acquaintance of the 

 only guests of the house, Captain Leslie and Mr. 

 McKenzie, of the 7th foot. 



The first evening at Dunesk was a fair prelude to 

 a very enjoyable visit. The Laird (or Dunesk, as he 

 was sometimes styled by one title, sometimes by the 

 other, never as Mr. Grant) was a famous host : he 

 had travelled a great deal, seen much of life, rough 

 and refined, and conversed as one who had observed 

 things ; his anecdotes were short and racy. Captain 

 Leslie, too, proved himself a capital raconteur ', and so 

 droll, with his languid air and ladylike voice which 

 seemed very little in keeping with many of his 

 experiences, that had been " gey queer." He seemed 

 quite reconciled to his old friend's good-natured 

 quizzing on his gentle manners, and would blandly 

 help the Laird with particulars of stories told at his 

 expense ; but Leslie soon showed us the real stuff 



