1839-40. WHENCE CAME THE BALL. 239 



meiit, adding, however, to each a special piece of choice flattery, 

 such as might suit a Frenchman's vanity. I got Miss Niven to 

 look over my letter, and correct it. Without her correction, it 

 would have been a very sorry piece of French." 



" April 28. 



" I am writing on the evening of a day about which you will 

 have ceased to think in England; that is, the day misnamed 

 Fast-day, because the slowest in the year. The dull, sepulchral 

 clanging of the bells, and the silence of the street, made the 

 day dull, and the exceedingly sunny brightness of the air drew 

 me forth from my books. I wandered down to the sea-shore 

 near Granton, and loitered along the verge of the sea, singing 

 and picking up shells and sea-weeds, and now and then a strange 

 stone, with which I loaded my hat and pockets. There, among 

 strange crab-fish, and cuttle-fish, and creeping things, what 

 should I find thrown by the waves at my feet, but a little round 

 leather play-ball. The question arises, whence came it ? It was 

 small enough to suit the delicate fingers of the most fragile mer- 

 maid or sea-nymph, who may have tossed it in excess of glee 

 too far, so that it came to the surface of the great water. I had 

 been amusing myself skimming oyster-shells in duck-and-drake 

 fashion over the surface of the water this being a great occupa- 

 tion of mine at the sea-side. Mayhap this pleased the sea ladies, 

 and they responded by sending me the ball. Who knows ? The 

 voice of the waters spoke in full diapason tone, some stout hand 

 being at the bellows. And doth not St Paul say, ' f hat every 

 voice in nature has a significance?' Doubtless, but our closed 

 ears understand it as little as the music of the spheres. It may 

 have been that some too frolicsome nymph broke one of the 

 mother-of-pearl panes of Neptune's sitting-room with the mis- 

 directed ball, whereupon the angry god, snatching the offending 

 missile, hurled it with his mighty arm sheer through the oppos- 

 ing waters, to perpetuate its future assaults on brother Pluto's 

 round earth (as Jove tossed grim Mulciber over the crystal 

 battlement). Whether or no, it has led me, in vain attempt to 

 trace its parabolic and altogether hyperbolic course over earth 

 and sea, far away from my object in snatching my pen to 



