advantage of the facility of entrance thus afforded, preferred giving notice of our presence by a sonorous application of his walking-stick. The signal was speedily answered by a female servant in mourning, who, on receiving intimation of our names, ushered us into a small parlour, and retired to give information of our arrival to her mistress. On her departure, my uncle cast a quick and hurried glance round the apartment, and then retiring to a window, stood there, either occupied in silent meditation, or in gazing on the objects without.

After a short interval, the maid again made her appearance, and said her mistress would be happy to receive us up stairs. We were accordingly ushered up to the apartment of the ladies. On our entrance, we were received by the mistress of the house, who removed a white handkerchief from her eyes, and addressed my uncle in plaintive accents :

"I'm happy to see you at Balmalloch, Mr. Spreull, and you too, Mr. Thornton. Oh, but this is a hard and a sair dispensation upon us a'! A sair bereavement, Mr. Spreull, for his poor widow and children; but it is aye a comfort, as Dr. M'Craik says, that he has exchanged this sinfu' world for anither and a better, though, hech sirs, it's a waesome loss to them he's left ahint him in this vale of tears!"

To this lachrymatory address the old gentleman felt it incumbent on him to make some reply; and while he was engaged in delivering his tribute of condolence, I had time to glance round the apartment and observe the company. Mrs. Spreull appeared to be a hale and florid old lady, whose health had by no means suffered from her recent affliction; and having said and done on the occasion all that she considered suitable and becoming, her five daughters next came forward to welcome their relatives.

The epithet young, applied by their mother to these ladies, appeared to me exceedingly gratuitous. In truth, they constituted a series of mature virgins, of whom the youngest could scarcely be under thirty, nor the oldest less than fifteen years her senior. As they successively greeted their uncle, Mrs. Spreull announced their names. "That's Peggy, your auldest niece. She's been sair fashed a' this bygane winter wi' the lumbago. That's Jean, my second. daughter; and that's David, your namesake; and that's Archy; and that's Thomasina, the youngest, she's aye been reckoned the very image of you; and the poor Laird used to like her the best for that reason."

The masculine names of some of these ladies occasioned, on my part, some surprise. But I was afterwards informed that it is by no means uncommon, especially in the Highlands, to bestow on girls the name of any male relative, whom it may be considered prudent to propitiate by such an incon-gruous demonstration of respect.

Mrs. Spreull now requested a private audience of my uncle, with the view of speaking "anent the funeral ceremonial," the time appointed for which was now at hand. The old folks accordingly retired, leaving us younger ones, who were all included in the general appellation of "bairns," alone in the apartment. I entered into conversation with my fair cousins. I found that all of them were goodnatured, and several not wanting in a certain rustic intelligence. The melancholy circumstances of the family, of course, imposed restraint both upon the manner and the matter of our intercourse. It was frequently interrupted, too, by the entrance of female servants, who whispered, generally loud enough to be heard, some new and pressing necessity of the

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en.

establishment, or unexpected misfortune in the kitchEach of these messages occasioned the exit of one of these matronly virgins, who, judiciously, had not deemed it necessary to merge their attentions to the living in their duties to the dead. My uncle did not return, and conceiving that my presence, in the pressure of these household duties, might be an inconvenient restraint, I begged permission to retire to my apartment, in order to arrange my toilet previous to the melancholy ceremony, the hour of which the striking of the house-clock announced to be at hand.

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CHAPTER XII.

Let such honours.

And funeral rites, as to his birth and virtues
Are due, be first perform'd.

DENHAM'S Sophy.

ON descending, I found my uncle in the large apartment destined for the reception of the funeral guests, a few of whom had already assembled. The chairs were closely ranged round the room, in order to afford as much accommodation as possible to the large party who were expected to grace the funeral of the Laird. The sideboard supported a cold round of beef, and a mutton-ham, flanked by whisky on one side, and wine on the other. My uncle occupied the chair nearest the door, and I was directed to fill the one immediately on his right. He rose from his seat, and bowed on the entrance of every new guest, who now arrived in such numbers as speedily to throng the apartment. Unaffected as I was by any strong regret for the death of a person whom I had never seen, it was not entirely without - curiosity that regarded the scene around me. deep silence, broken only by an occasional cough or blowing of the nose, reigned in the apartment. Every countenance was moulded into a most lugubrious expression; and in moving to their seats, the guests walked as if treading on eggs. All eyes were bent on the ground, and not a whisper of conversation was suffered to enliven the general and pervad ing gloom of the meeting. The silence was first broken by one of the undertaker's men, who enter

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ed, and pronounced in a sonorous voice, "The Rev. Dr. M'Craik of Auchterfechan will ask a blessing."

This call was obeyed, and a long prayer repeated by the Doctor; after which, wine, and whisky, and biscuits, were circulated round the apartment by the servants. Suddenly the stillness which had reigned till now was changed into clamour and vociferation. "Mr. Spreull, your good health."Your good health, Mr. Thornton," burst from a hundred voices at once, in every variety of loud and discordant intonation. "Drumshinty, here's to ye."-" Garscud, your health."--"Glenscadden, better health to your wife."

When the noise and bustle had in some degree subsided, following the example of my uncle, 1 rose, and bowing round the room, drank the health of the assembled guests. Many of these had come from a considerable distance, and now gave proof of the sharpness of the mountain air, by the ferocity of their attack on the solids displayed on the sideboard. Of these assailants, I was one. We had neglected the precaution of breakfasting at Luss before starting, and since last night's supper my abstinence had been unbroken. It would have been indecorous in my uncle to have betrayed any symptoms of appetite on so mournful an occasion; though, from the occasional direction of his glances towards the theatre of action, it struck me he would, under other circumstances, have been well satisfied to become a participator in our labours.

The repast was briefly despatched, and another minister, whose designation I cannot recall, was called on to return thanks. This he did in a pithy prayer and exhortation; after which, preparations immediately commenced for the progress to the churchyard. This was not distant above a mile, and the procession was on foot.