The Centenary Memorial of Sir Walter Scott, Bart

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1871 Excerpt: ...to the custom of Scottish country funerals. I remained at Abbotsford the day of the funeral, and in the evening Sir Walter talked May 21, 1826. t His exact words.--E. B. R. quietly and without any effort or pretence. What interested me especially was little references he made to the position of celebrity and fame which he held amongst mankind--they came out so naturally and without ostentation. For example, he asked me if I had ever been in Ireland, and on my reply in the negative, he quite burst forth--' Oh, you should visit Ireland; they are such kind, warm-hearted creatures. I never can forget the reception I had--so cordial and so delightful.' The truth is, his authorship of the novels, although he had not confessed, was well known, and he had been received wherever he went with perfect enthusiasm, and when he went to the Dublin Theatre the whole audience stood up on his entrance! I could not help, therefore, saying to him, 'Yes, it is very well for you, Sir Walter, to speak of the cordial reception of the Irish, and of their kind interest in meeting you;' to which he quietly answered, 'Ah, well, that is one of the few advantages of being a little known in the world.' He had been speaking to me about the progress of Laurencekirk, a village near my father's, in Kincardineshire, and asking how it got on since Lord Gardenstone's death, on whose property it was, and who had done so much for its prosperity and extension that he must have been said almost to have made it. I was telling him of a vexatious theft which had annoyed Lord G. very much, and which arose thus. Amongst other improvements he had built a very nice hotel, which had become well frequented by persons from the South visiting Scotland, and especially by parties running down in the shooting se...