akfast they sent for the unhappy stranger into the parlour,
whose countenance now bespoke satisfaction and gratitude; and Mr Merton,
who, by his dress and accent, discovered him to be an inhabitant of
Scotland, desired to know by what accident he had thus wandered so far
from home with these poor helpless children, and had been reduced to so
much misery.

"Alas! your honour," answered the man, "I should ill deserve the favours
you have shown me if I attempted to conceal anything from such worthy
benefactors. My tale, however, is simple and uninteresting, and I fear
there can be nothing in the story of my distress the least deserving of
your attention."

"Surely," said Mr Merton, with the most benevolent courtesy, "there
must be something in the distress of every honest man which ought to
interest his fellow-creatures; and if you will acquaint us with all the
circumstances of your situation, it may perhaps be within our power, as
it certainly is in our inclinations, to do you further service."

The man then bowed to the company with an air of dignity which surprised
them all, and thus began: "I was born in that part of our island which
is called the North of Scotland. The country there, partly from the
barrenness of the soil, and the inclemency of the season, and partly
from other causes which I will not now enumerate, is unfavourable to the
existence of its inhabitants. More than half of the year our mountains
are covered with continual snows, which prohibit the use of agriculture,
or blast the expectations of a harvest; yet the race of men which
inhabit these dreary wilds are perhaps not more undeserving the smiles
of fortune than many of their happier neighbours. Accustomed to a life
of toil and hardship, their bodies are braced by the incessant
difficulties they have to encounter, and their minds remain untainted by
the example of their more luxurious neighbours; they are bred up from
infancy with a deference and respect for their parents, and with a
mutual spirit of endearment towards their equals, which I have not
remarked in happier climates. These circumstances expand and elevate the
mind, and attach the Highlanders to their native mountains with a warmth
of affection which is scarcely known in the midst of polished cities and
cultivated countries. Every man there is more or less acquainted with
the history of his clan, and the martial exploits which they have
performed. In the winter season we sit around the b