htful conversation, and was in
great spirits from the agreeable day he had passed; and with
great good-humor promised to write a stanza in my wife's
album. On the following morning he fulfilled his promise by
contributing some beautiful verses on Hougomont. I put him
into my little library to prevent interruption, as a great
many persons had paraded in the _Parc_ opposite my window to
get a peep of the celebrated man, many having dogged him
from his hotel.

{p.048} "Brussels affords but little worthy of the notice of
such a traveller as the Author of Waverley; but he greatly
admired the splendid tower of the Maison de Ville, and the
ancient sculpture and style of architecture of the buildings
which surround the Grand Place.

"He told us, with great humor, a laughable incident which
had occurred to him at Antwerp. The morning after his
arrival at that city from Holland, he started at an early
hour to visit the tomb of Rubens in the church of St.
Jacques, before his party were up. After wandering about for
some time, without finding the object he had in view, he
determined to make inquiry, and observing a person stalking
about, he addressed him in his best French; but the
stranger, pulling off his hat, very respectfully replied in
the pure Highland accent, 'I'm vary sorry, sir, but I canna
speak onything besides English.'--'This is very unlucky
indeed, Donald,' said Sir Walter, 'but we must help one
another; for, to tell you the truth, I'm not good at any
other tongue but the English, or rather, the Scotch.'--'Oh,
sir, maybe,' replied the Highlander, 'you are a countryman,
and ken my maister Captain Cameron of the 79th, and could
tell me whare he lodges. I'm just cum in, sir, frae a place
they ca' _Machlin_,[18] and ha' forgotten the name of the
captain's quarters; it was something like the
_Laaborer_.'--'I can, I think, help you with this, my
friend,' rejoined Sir Walter. 'There is an inn just opposite
to you' (pointing to the _Hotel du Grand Laboureur_): 'I
dare say that will be the captain's quarters;' and it was
so. I cannot do justice to the humor with which Sir Walter
recounted this dialogue."[19]

[Footnote 18: Mechlin--the Highlander gave it the
familiar pronunciation of a Scotch village, Mauch