106 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 
after a pressing invitation to visit him at his country 
residence in case I ever visited Scotland at a more 
pleasant season. Taking leave of my kind friends the 
Grevilles, I was early this morning on my way to Mel- 
rose. I have been received with the utmost kindness, 
not only by this agreeable and most excellent family, 
but among all the acquaintance I have made in Ed- 
inburgh. I had purchased for you a collection of 
hymns, etc., edited by Dr. Greville and his pastor, Mr. 
Drummond, with which I was very much pleased, and 
doubt not you would like them much. But Dr. Gre- 
ville saw it, and afterwards insisted on sending a much 
handsomer copy to Dr. Torrey, which was accord- 
ingly placed in my hands for him. Melrose is about 
thirty-six miles from Edinburgh, on one of the routes 
to Newcastle. We came upon the Tweed among a 
rugged range of hills, at first a very small stream; 
followed it along the sinuous valley for a long way, 
until it became a pretty considerable river, for Great 
Britain ; at length the valley grew wider, softer, and in 
the proper season, doubtless very beautiful. A smaller 
stream joined it at some distance before us, and as 
its opening vale came into view, the driver — I beg his 
pardon, coachman — pointed with his whip to the op- 
posite side and said, “ Abbotsford ;” and true enough 
the turrets of this quaint castellated house were distin- 
guishable, in the midst of a grove mostly of Scott’s 
own planting, near the banks of the Yarrow. We 
soon after crossed the Tweed, at the place where 
the White Lady frightened the sacristan in “ The 
Monastery ;” the scene of which, you know, was laid 
at Melrose and in the neighborhood. The fine old 
ruin of Melrose Abbey now came into view, half 
surrounded by a dirty little Scotch village. Here I 
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