of companionship, though scarcely of friendship. What Francis
thought, I know not; for my part, I must confess, that I lay by on
the watch for some opportunity when I might mend my own situation
with my father, though at the prejudice of my rival. And Fortune,
while she seemed to prevent such an opportunity, involved us both in
one of the strangest and most entangled mazes that her capricious
divinityship ever wove, and out of which I am even now struggling,
by sleight or force, to extricate myself. I can hardly help
wondering, even yet, at the odd conjunction, which has produced such
an intricacy of complicated incidents.

"My father was a great sportsman, and Francis and I had both
inherited his taste for field-sports; but I in a keener and more
ecstatic degree. Edinburgh, which is a tolerable residence in winter
and spring, becomes disagreeable in summer, and in autumn is the
most melancholy _sejour_ that ever poor mortals were condemned to.
No public places are open, no inhabitant of any consideration
remains in the town; those who cannot get away, hide themselves in
obscure corners, as if ashamed to be seen in the streets. The gentry
go to their country-houses--the citizens to their sea-bathing
quarters--the lawyers to their circuits--the writers to visit their
country clients--and all the world to the moors to shoot grouse. We,
who felt the indignity of remaining in town during this deserted
season, obtained, with some difficulty, permission from the Earl to
betake ourselves to any obscure corner, and shoot grouse, if we
could get leave to do so on our general character of English
students at the University of Edinburgh, without quoting any thing
more.

"The first year of our banishment we went to the neighbourhood of
the Highlands; but finding our sport interrupted by gamekeepers and
their gillies, on the second occasion we established ourselves at
this little village of St. Ronan's, where there were then no Spa, no
fine people, no card tables, no quizzes, excepting the old quiz of a
landlady with whom we lodged. We found the place much to our mind;
the old landlady had interest with some old fellow, agent of a
non-residing nobleman, who gave us permission to sport over his
moors, of which I availed myself keenly, and Francis with more
moderation. He was, indeed, of a g