!4 MEMOIR OF GEORGE WILSON. CHAP. III. 



cially my mother and sister, than my going Penicuik-ward 

 and becoming a bit of a cavalier dragoon ; and I shall feel 

 sincerely glad of your company and friendship this winter, 

 for I have just parted with my brother, who, having gone away 

 to London to push his fortune as well as he can, has left us 

 melancholy and disheartened, and me especially, who never 

 loved any one so fondly as my brother, and will with difficulty 

 find any one to supply his place or cheer my solitude. I pro- 

 pose, and I hope you will assist me in what I imagine will excite 

 in you as much mirth, though not perhaps as much indignation, 

 as it did among my good sisters and mother, viz., to get a dog 

 to be my companion, and in some degree break up the tiresome 

 solitude of a study. It won't be to your liking, but I'm going 

 to tax your friendship to get me none of your great, big, black- 

 and-white Newfoundland dogs. My room is too small, and my 

 tastes too domestic. What I should like to get hold of is a 

 wiry, fierce, little terrier. I think I've got something of the 

 terrier in my own perverse disposition, and I could love one and 

 get on very nicely with it. I had the company of one for two 

 years ; a handsome, rough, little, rat and cat hating fellow, who 

 showed great affection for me, which I did my best to recipro- 

 cate, till- some wretched scoundrels about Silver Mills poisoned 

 the poor animal, and ' I was left lamenting.' I can't get on 

 studying alone ; I must have some one beside me. Now, my 

 sister can't come, for my cousin would be left companionless, 

 and my two young sisters are inseparable, and a great old skull 

 on my mantelpiece is not the most engaging of companions ; 

 and I think I should be greatly the better of Phantom, for such 

 shall be his name, with whom I could amuse myself in my 

 idle moments." 



"GLASGOW, Tuesday, Sept 26. 



" MY DEAR MOTHER, I sit down in a great hurry to write you 

 a few lines before leaving Glasgow, although I trust the arrival 

 of Mrs. Thomson has abundantly informed you of the manner 

 in which I spent my time in Callander, so that I shall say 

 nothing, as I might merely recount to you things already suffi- 

 ciently well known. I started from C x alknder at five o'clock 



