374 MEMOIR OF GEORGE WILSON. CHAP. IX. 



ing, ' Thou wilt comfort me/ but folding me in its amis, and 

 hushing me asleep. My conscience is seared or congealed, and 

 goads me in vain to work ; I reply bluntly, ' I won't work,' and 

 win the battle. ... All here looks balm and sunshine. I saw, 

 to be sure, two poor fellows with legs quite naked, sitting exposed 

 to wind and rain, and was about to say to myself, ' There is 

 misery everywhere/ when on closer inspection I perceived that 

 but I don't know that they were any the warmer for that ; how- 

 ever, it relieved my mind when I discovered though perhaps it 

 will not yours that they were Highland soldiers. ... A pair 

 of chaffinches who have just entered on married life, stay oppo- 

 site us in a fine airy larch -tree villa, and chat away about the 

 babies they are looking for in a very pleasant fashion. The 

 oldest son is to be a poet, and the oldest daughter a musician, 

 but they had not, when our reporter left, considered a calling for 

 the third child. You will give them your benediction." 



" April l&k. 



" They speak of ' the luxury of doing good/ but what is that 

 to the luxury of doing nothing ; especially when, as in the present 

 case, doing nothing is doing good ? What did I do yesterday ? 

 Nothing ! The day before ? Nothing ! What am I doing at 

 present ? Nothing ! Accordingly, a diary of my proceedings 

 would not be very interesting, and need not be extended." 



" April -28th. 



" We have been giving all (no ! not all, but many of) our 

 friends drives, the money which they paid being handed over to 

 Greybeard [a horse], who is gathering up to buy himself a gold 

 eye-glass. Even without that elegant and useful appendage he 

 is much admired. 



" A flock of lambs in the field opposite to us have got up a 

 racing club among them, the first meeting of which, I am sorry 

 to say, was held on Sabbath evening. Five of them, called 

 respectively, Lamb, Lambkin, Lambling, Lamblet, and Lammie, 

 started for the first race, and to the delight of their admiring 

 mothers, each was first. The conquerors were rewarded with a 

 mouthful of cream, and then, with many tail-waggings, were 



