her knees by
a chair, prayed to be delivered from the horrors of the vision. She
remained in that posture till her friends below tapped on the door,
to intimate that tea was ready. Recalled to herself by the signal, she
arose, and, on opening the apartment door, again was confronted by
the visionary Highlander, whose bloody brow bore token, on this second
appearance, to the death he had died. Unable to endure this repetition
of her terrors, Mrs. C---- sank on the door in a swoon. Her friends
below, startled with the noise, came upstairs, and, alarmed at the
situation in which they found her, insisted on her going to bed and
taking some medicine, in order to compose what they took for a nervous
attack. They had no sooner left her in quiet, than the apparition of
the soldier was once more visible in the apartment. This time she took
courage and said, 'In the name of God, Donald, why do you haunt one who
respected and loved you when living?' To which he answered readily, in
Gaelic, 'Cousin, why did you not speak sooner? My rest is disturbed by
your unnecessary lamentation--your tears scald me in my shroud. I come
to tell you that my untimely death ought to make no difference in your
views for your son; God will raise patrons to supply my place and he
will live to the fullness of years, and die honoured and at peace.' The
lady of course followed her kinsman's advice and as she was accounted
a person of strict veracity, we may conclude the first apparition an
illusion of the fancy, the final one a lively dream suggested by the
other two.

NOTE 4.--PETER PEEBLES

This unfortunate litigant (for a person named Peter Peebles actually
flourished) frequented the courts of justice in Scotland about the year
1792, and the sketch of his appearance is given from recollection. The
author is of opinion that he himself had at one time the honour to be
counsel for Peter Peebles, whose voluminous course of litigation served
as a sort of assay-pieces to most young men who were called to the bar.
The scene of the consultation is entirely imaginary.

NOTE 5.--JOHN'S COFFEE-HOUSE

This small dark coffee-house, now burnt down, was the resort of such
writers and clerks belonging to the Parliament House above thirty years
ago as retained the ancient Scottish custom of a meridian, as it was
called, or noontide dram of spirits. If their proceedings were watched,
they might be seen to turn fidgety about the hour of noon, and exchange
looks