ave been contented if I had only learnt to write well and keep
accounts, which was all that a woman was expected to know.

This passed over, and I was like a wild animal escaped out of a cage. I
was no longer amused in the gardens, but wandered about the country.
When the tide was out I spent hours on the sands, looking at the
star-fish and sea-urchins, or watching the children digging for
sand-eels, cockles, and the spouting razor-fish. I made a collection of
shells, such as were cast ashore, some so small that they appeared like
white specks in patches of black sand. There was a small pier on the
sands for shipping limestone brought from the coal mines inland. I was
astonished to see the surface of these blocks of stone covered with
beautiful impressions of what seemed to be leaves; how they got there I
could not imagine, but I picked up the broken bits, and even large
pieces, and brought them to my repository. I knew the eggs of many
birds, and made a collection of them. I never robbed a nest, but bought
strings of eggs, which were sold by boys, besides getting sea-fowl eggs
from sailors who had been in whalers or on other northern voyages. It
was believed by these sailors that there was a gigantic flat fish in the
North Sea, called a kraken. It was so enormous that when it came to the
surface, covered with tangles and sand, it was supposed to be an island,
till, on one occasion, part of a ship's crew landed on it and found out
their mistake. However, much as they believed in it, none of the sailors
at Burntisland had ever seen it. The sea serpent was also an article of
our faith.

In the rocks at the end of our garden there was a shingly opening, in
which we used to bathe, and where at low tide I frequently waded among
masses of rock covered with sea-weeds. With the exception of dulse and
tangle I knew the names of none, though I was well acquainted with and
admired many of these beautiful plants. I also watched the crabs, live
shells, jelly-fish, and various marine animals, all of which were
objects of curiosity and amusement to me in my lonely life.

The flora on the links and hills around was very beautiful, and I soon
learnt the trivial names of all the plants. There was not a tree nor
bush higher than furze in this part of the country, but the coast to the
north-west of Burntisland was bordered by a tree and brushwood-covered
bank belonging to the Earl of Morton, which extended to Aberdour. I
could not go so