ERE a week had gone by, the promotion of Mr Mather was announced as still more probable by letters from the noble patron, to whose influence he had been beholden mainly, if not entirely, for all his chances of success. The news came in the morning, and in the glee of the hour the Minister himself proposed that the day should be devoted to visiting a scene of great natural beauty, which lies about eight miles up the country from Blackford. Mrs Mather was for once to be of our party; and we were to take a basket of provisions with us, and dine in the woods. The day was one of the loveliest that ever May witnessed. The sky was cloudless blue, every pure streamlet murmured in music, the leaves had the brightness of spring upon them amidst all the glow of summer, every bank was yellow with broom, and the primroses had not faded, although the hawthorns and wild apple-trees were bursting their blossoms above them.

Our way, for two or three of the last miles, lay through the ancient forest, and there being no regular path, I, happening to be rather absent, found myself separated from the party, and was not able to discover exactly in what direction they had passed on. The trees hung their branches so low every here and there, that one was obliged to make continual circuits, and I became quite bewildered among the coppices. At last I saw a long green glade opening far into the wood, and without thinking of looking for the marks of horses’ feet, I clapt spurs to my pony, and dashed on at a hand-gallop. Once and again I thought I heard voices calling; but, in several places I had come upon trees evidently quite newly felled, so that I could not be sure of recovering my party by following these indistinct echoes. I therefore judged, that the best thing would be to find my way, no matter how, to the old castle, which I knew they were to be at some time in the course of the day; and, after vain experiments in many different directions, I was at last fortunate enough to meet with a woodman, who gave me an intelligible plan of route. I followed this; and ere long heard the river rushing over the rocks far down below me.