ng the audience, when the touch of Gow's fiddle suddenly
burst from a neighbouring hedge, behind which he had established his
little orchestra. All were of course silent,

"As through his dear strathspeys he bore with Highland rage."

And when he changed his strain to an adagio, and suffered his music to
die away in the plaintive notes of Roslin Castle, the echoes of the old
walls were, after a long slumber, awakened by that enthusiastic burst of
applause, with which the Scots usually received and rewarded their
country's gifted minstrel.

"He is his father's own son," said Touchwood to the clergyman, for both
had gotten seats near about the centre of the place of audience. "It is
many a long year since I listened to old Neil at Inver, and, to say
truth, spent a night with him over pancakes and Athole brose; and I
never expected to hear his match again in my lifetime. But stop--the
curtain rises."

The screen was indeed withdrawn, and displayed Hermia, Helena, and their
lovers, in attitudes corresponding to the scene of confusion occasioned
by the error of Puck.

Messrs. Chatterly and the Painter played their parts neither better nor
worse than amateur actors in general; and the best that could be said of
them was, that they seemed more than half ashamed of their exotic
dresses, and of the public gaze.

But against this untimely weakness Lady Penelope was guarded, by the
strong shield of self-conceit. She minced, ambled, and, notwithstanding
the slight appearance of her person, and the depredations which time had
made on a countenance that had never been very much distinguished for
beauty, seemed desirous to top the part of the beautiful daughter of
Egeus. The sullenness which was proper to the character of Hermia, was
much augmented by the discovery that Miss Mowbray was so much better
dressed than herself,--a discovery which she had but recently made, as
that young lady had not attended on the regular rehearsals at the Well,
but once, and then without her stage habit. Her ladyship, however, did
not permit this painful sense of inferiority, where she had expected
triumph, so far to prevail over her desire of shining, as to interrupt
materially the manner in which she had settled to represent her portion
of the scene. The nature of the exhibition precluded much action, but
Lady Penelope made amends by such a succession of grimaces, as might
rival, in variety at least, the singular display which Garrick used to