, with the
other she had scanned the gardens, Scott's monument, and everything else
worth seeing; then, with a sudden pounce, she had concentrated her gaze
on immense plate glass windows displaying Scottish jewellery, Scottish
books, Scottish cakes, and (to her) irrelevant Scottish tartans. Even
without need of them, their witching attraction had hypnotized her to
buy many of these things.

"I don't know exactly what I shall do with them," she said; "but I'm
glad I've got them all, and I wish I had more!"

It was Mrs. James who had been with her in her triumphal progress
through Princes Street; but it was I who had escorted her the whole
wonderful, sordid, glorious, pitiful length of the old High Street, the
Royal Mile of gorgeous ghosts. I had been there to see her face as she
caught glimpses of dark wynds where long ago men had fought to the death
and helped make history, where now colourful yet faded rags hang like
ancient banners, from iron frames, giving a fantastic likeness to side
streets of Naples: I had pointed out to her the stones which marked the
place where famous ones had murdered or been murdered, or had sought
sanctuary from murder. I had taken her all over the house of John Knox.
Together we had admired the oak carving in the room where he ate his
simple meals; and together we looked from the little window whence he
had poured his burning floods of eloquence upon the heads of the crowd
below. In the curiosity shop downstairs I had bought her a silver Heart
of Midlothian. She had stared into the rich dark shadows whence start
out, spirit-like, faces of old oil pictures, faces of old clocks, faces
of old marble busts; and she had been so charmed by the soft voice of
the young saleswoman, whose flute-like tones would lure gold from a
miser's pocket, that she would have collected half the things in the
shop if she had had the money. I wanted to give her bits of old
jewellery and miniatures of Queen Mary and Prince Charlie which she
fancied, but she would accept only the silver Heart of Midlothian, which
cost no more than a few shillings; and to-day, as I took her away from
Edinburgh, she was not wearing the little ornament, as I had hoped she
might.

As the road grew prettier, we tore our thoughts away from Edinburgh, and
gave them to the highway illumined by history. At least, Barrie gave
hers, while I lent as many of mine as I could spare from her. And I had
to keep my wits about me, if I were to live