a little farther, the catechist displayed embarrassment. A

singular diffidence appeared upon his face: "They tell me," said

he, in low tones, "that he's a lord." And a lord he was; a peer of

the realm pacing that inhospitable beach with his Greek Testament,

and his plaid about his shoulders, set upon doing good, as he

understood it, worthy man! And his grandson, a good-looking little

boy, much better dressed than the lordly evangelist, and speaking

with a silken English accent very foreign to the scene, accompanied

me for a while in my exploration of the island. I suppose this

little fellow is now my lord, and wonder how much he remembers of

the Fair Isle. Perhaps not much; for he seemed to accept very

quietly his savage situation; and under such guidance, it is like

that this was not his first nor yet his last adventure.

CHAPTER VI - RANDOM MEMORIES

II. - THE EDUCATION OF AN ENGINEER

ANSTRUTHER is a place sacred to the Muse; she inspired (really to a

considerable extent) Tennant's vernacular poem ANST'ER FAIR; and I

have there waited upon her myself with much devotion. This was

when I came as a young man to glean engineering experience from the

building of the breakwater. What I gleaned, I am sure I do not

know; but indeed I had already my own private determination to be

an author; I loved the art of words and the appearances of life;

and TRAVELLERS, and HEADERS, and RUBBLE, and POLISHED ASHLAR, and

PIERRES PERDUES, and even the thrilling question of the STRING-

COURSE, interested me only (if they interested me at all) as

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