1838-H9. A TRANSFORMING CAP. 207 



strange beauties, whose portrait, I daresay, you have seen on 

 the playing cards, ' the Queen of Spades.' 



" Lady Othello looketh ill ; perhaps she misses you ; anyhow, 

 she visits me very often, and endangers the safety of my bottles 

 at the window. I rather fear she is in love ; but she won't tell 

 the name of her sweetheart, unless it be ' Miau,' a name which 

 she cries aloud till the walls ring with her lover's name." 



" A great many folks are going to see us capped, especially 

 young ladies, who desire to behold the wonderful powers of 

 the velvet cap, which by a single touch can transform a 

 thoughtless, foolish, wild, and ill-behaved medical student, into 

 a grave and trustworthy dignified physician, whom mothers 

 and fathers are equally ready to put confidence in. I doubt 

 not, Jessie, that though you greatly enjoyed your visit to the 

 Shows, and now wish yourself joy of the many acquaintances 

 you made among giants and giantesses, dwarfs and fat boys, 

 people with white hair and strange eyes, and the like, that you 

 would wish, notwithstanding, to be here, so as to attend our 

 capping, and see us give to the winds the empty, foolish, and 

 useless title of Mr., now far beneath our dignity. 



" But I must not strive to paint in too glowing colours the 

 delights of sights at home, or you will weary of your present 

 stay in a place where a great many things may be seen, scarcely 

 less interesting than many we have here, some of them much 

 more so. Mr. T , or one of his sons, will take you, I doubt 

 not, to see the looms, those especially set in motion by steam ; 

 in which, to judge from the interest you always took in our 

 after-dinner disquisitions anent guns and engines, and clocks 

 and sun-dials, I believe you will be much interested. Indeed, 

 you should let no opportunity slip of watching the ingenious 

 mechanical contrivances which abound in a city like Paisley, 

 where so many fabrics are woven. I look back with pleasure 

 on the time I spent when I was your age, and for years after 

 that epoch, in becoming acquainted with the construction and 

 purposes of machinery. For I found it then, not only an in- 

 nocent amusement and a profitable occupation of hours spent 

 idly by others ; but noiu, when for the latter years of my life 



