A Scorrisu Ipyt. 93 
Square, EdR. Lady Glencairn writes to Maguire that she expects 
to meet her in EdR, so we shall only want you, my dear Alicie to 
make our happiness compleat,perhaps you'll be saying, it is not 
fit, but I hope it shall happen. I must end my letter sooner I 
usd to do as there is an opportunity of this going to-morrow 
morning. Wishing you all health and happiness I am my dear 
Alicie yours 
Affectionately, 
J. ERSKINE. 
Dumf. Octr. 31, 1746. 
These spirited gossiping missives give a vivid picture, not 
only of the manner of the age, but of the playful warmhearted- 
ness of the writer. One or two shorter letters may help to show 
that her frolics with Miss Maguire and Cornet Smith, and her 
sarcasms at the expense of “ papa’s eloquence,” and the “bold 
baron’s” pride, or Grissy’s headaches, were only the outer shell of 
a true and tenderhearted woman’s character. Take, for example, 
the next letter to her favourite correspondent, Miss Johnstone. 
Miss Erskine had been married to Mr Kirkpatrick on Christmas 
day, 1746, and had suffered the first month of the new year to be 
advanced towards its close without announcing the event to her 
friend, whose possible displeasure at the neglect she thus prettily 
deprecates. 
My Dr. Auiciz, I know you are a little angry with me, 
and I won’t say *tis without reason, but as I never had the mis- 
fortune to see you the least out of humour at any one thing, I am 
very much at a loss how to behave in order to regain my former 
happiness again, you always flaterd me my dr. Johnston, in 
saying you thought there was a vast Similitude between our 
tempers. So ’tis very posible my dr. Alicie might have behav’d 
the same way, in the like case, you must suppose so, and forgive 
me, but indeed my dr. Alicie to show you how much you was 
in my thoughts, I sat down that night before I was (I can hardly 
write it yet) married, to write to you, and cou’d not make it out, 
and as we went out of town immediately after I had no oper- 
tunity. I am vastly sorry I am not to have the pleasure of 
‘seeing you in town this winter I had form’d twenty pritty little 
schemes to myself of being happy with my dr Alicie and sweetest 
of Maguires, but I cant help expecting you sometime this winter 
