It has not walls, but fields and forests
and gardens around it, and limitless sky overhead. It has its
sorrows, but many of them lie only on its borders, and they that
leave the path gather them. Lady Arctura was devouring her soul in
silence, with such effectual help thereto as the self-sufficient
friend, who had never encountered a real difficulty in her life,
plenteously gave her. Miss Carmichael dealt with her honestly
according to her wisdom, but that wisdom was foolishness; she said
what she thought right, but was wrong in what she counted right;
nay, she did what she thought right--but no amount of doing wrong
right can set the soul on the high table-land of freedom, or endow
it with liberating help.
The autumn passed, and the winter was at hand--a terrible time to
the old and ailing even in tracts nearer the sun--to the young and
healthy a merry time even in the snows and bitter frosts of eastern
Scotland. Davie looked chiefly to the skating, and in particular to
the pleasure he was going to have in teaching Mr. Grant, who had
never done any sliding except on the soles of his nailed shoes: when
the time came, he acquired the art the more rapidly that he never
minded what blunders he made in learning a thing. The dread of
blundering is a great bar to success.
He visited the Comins often, and found continual comfort and help in
their friendship.
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