Sunny Memories Of Foreign Lands, Volume 1Stowe, Harriet Beecher
History
Sunny Memories Of Foreign Lands, Volume 1
Stowe, Harriet Beecher
Europe -- Description and travel
As we were walking along a carriage came up after us, in which were two
ladies. A bunch of primroses, thrown from this carriage, fell at my
feet. I picked it up, and then the carriage stopped, and the ladies
requested to know if I was Mrs. Stowe. On answering in the affirmative,
they urged me so earnestly to come under their roof and take some
refreshment, that I began to remember, what I had partly lost sight of,
that I was very tired; so, while the rest of the party walked on to get
a distant view of Ben Lomond, Mr. S. and I suffered ourselves to be
taken into the carriage of our unknown friends, and carried up to a
charming little Italian villa, which stood, surrounded by flower gardens
and pleasure grounds, at the head of the loch. We were ushered into a
most comfortable parlor, where a long window, made of one clear unbroken
sheet of plate glass, gave a perfect view of the loch with all its woody
shores, with Roseneath Castle in the distance. My good hostesses
literally overwhelmed me with kindness; but as there was nothing I
really needed so much as a little quiet rest, they took me to a cozy
bedroom, of which they gave me the freedom, for the present. Does not
every traveller know what a luxury it is to shut one's eyes sometimes?
The chamber, which is called "Peace," is now, as it was in Christian's
days, one of the best things that Charity or Piety could offer to the
pilgrim. Here I got a little brush from the wings of dewy-feathered
sleep.
After a while our party came back, and we had to be moving. My kind
friends expressed so much joy at having met me, that it was really
almost embarrassing. They told me that they, being confined to the house
by ill health, and one of them by lameness, had had no hope of ever
seeing me, and that this meeting seemed a wonderful gift of Providence.
They bade me take courage and hope, for they felt assured that the Lord
would yet entirely make an end of slavery through the world.
It was concluded, after we left here, that, instead of returning by the
boat, we should take carriage and ride home along the banks of the
river. In our carriage were Mr. S. and myself, Dr. Robson and Lady
Anderson. About this time I commenced my first essay towards giving
titles, and made, as you may suppose, rather an odd piece of work of it,
generally saying "Mrs." first, and "Lady" afterwards, and then begging
pardon. Lady Anderson laughed, and said she would give me a general
absolution. She is a truly genial, hearty Scotch woman, and seemed to
enter happily into the spirit of the hour.
As we rode on we found that the news of our coming had spread through
the village. People came and stood in their doors, beckoning, bowing,
smiling, and waving their handkerchiefs, and the carriage was several
times stopped by persons who came to offer flowers. I remember, in
particular, a group of young girls brought to the carriage two of the
most beautiful children I ever saw, whose little hands literally deluged
us with flowers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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