THE EUROPEAN JOURNALS 



197 



I eat but little, they must nllow that I eat often ; never 

 were such lands for constant meals as England and Scot- 

 land. The Countess of Boulcar rolled Lord Morton in 

 his castored chair, I gave my arm to Lady Morton, we 

 crossed a large antechamber, into a dining-room quite 

 rich in paintings, and at present with a sumptuous re- 

 past. Three gentlemen, also visitors, entered by another 

 door, — Messrs. Hays, Ramsay, and a young clergyman 

 whose name I forget. After luncheon my drawings were 

 produced, the Earl was rolled into a good position for 

 light, and my " Book of Nature " was unbuckled. I am 

 not going to repeat praises again. The drawings seen, 

 we adjourned to the drawing-room and the Countess 

 begged me to give her a lesson to-morrow, which I shall 

 most gladly do. The Countess is not exactly beautiful, 

 but she is good-looking, with fine eyes, a brilliant com- 

 plexion, and a good figure; she is a woman of superior 

 intellect and conversation, and I should think about forty 

 years of age ; she was dressed in a rich crimson gown, 

 and her mother in black satin. At six I re-entered the 

 house, having taken a short walk with the gentlemen, and 

 was shown to my room. " The yellow room," I heard 

 the Countess say to the lackey who showed me the way. 

 My valise had been unpacked, and all was most com- 

 fortable, and truly yellow in this superb apartment. The 

 bed was hung with yellow of some rich material, and 

 ornamented with yellow crowns, and was big enough for 

 four of my size ; a large sofa and large arm-chairs, all 

 yellow, the curtains, dressing-table, all indeed was yellow, 

 intensified by the glow of a bright wood fire. My even- 

 ing toilet is never a very lengthy matter, — for in my 

 opinion it is a vile loss of time to spend as many minutes 

 in arranging a cravat as a hangman does in tying his 

 knot, — and I was ready long before seven, when I again 

 gave the Countess my arm, and Lord Morton was again 

 rolled in, in his chair. The waiters, I think there were 



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