AT THE BIRTHPLACE OF CARLYLE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1248, 30 January 1896, Page 10

AT THE BIRTHPLACE OF CARLYLE.

In the November number of The Young Man there is a description of a visit, to Arch House, Ecclefechan, where Carlyle whs born. There are sundry relics, weare told, in the shape of tobacco jars and pipe trays, an enamelled match box, penwipers, a letter box, an envelope case, and a tobacco cutter, which the obliging caretaker works to show you how the great man cuts up his weed. •' An American offered me any sum I liked to ask for the tobacco cutter/' she said "but of course it wasna for sale, ye ken. He wis very ceevil, though, and never ' lifted ' (stole) anything ! " " And there are the hats," she continued, pointing to some ancient specimens of the Sage's head gear which hang upon the wall. " I have had many offers for the hats, ye ken, but they are no' for sale. When Dr. Parker was here he put that big garden hat on his head and walked round the room to show himself off, and said that it fitted him beauHfully, and that if ever I wanted to sell it 1 was to give him the first offer. A nice, pleasant gentleman is Dr. Parker ; I often think about him walking round the place in the old hat." " Have you ever heard tell of H— C— ? " continued the caretaker, naming a distinguished novelist. " Yes," replied the visitor ; "has he been to, see you?" " He has ; but he'll no face me nor Ecclefechan any more. He wrote an article for the Scotsman newspaper, and frelt nothing but lees aboutA the place—-aai3-€arlvK« hmißf, w* a VooniV w 0 ,«,

old body who knew nothing about it, him, I or the family. I wouldna a' minded if he I had spoken the truth. And he ran down 1 Ecclefechan, and said it was a dirty, untidy hole, and that half the houses in the street had got broken windows stuffed up wi' raga. Well, a coachman said he would take a look round, and he went from one end of the street to the other,, looking at every house, and when he came back he said there was but one broken window in tne whole town —only one ! Such lees as H__ C— telt! Then he 3aid that the prices at the inn were higher than the Langham Hotel at London. When I read that in the newspaper, 1 went across to the hotel and said to the servant lassie, ' You have surely been charging that gentleman ower much for his meat?" And she said, "charging him o«er much for his meat ? Why, he paid but eighteenpence, and had ham and eggs to his tea. That wa3 all he paid," continued t*>e indignant old dame, "just eighteenpence. Where could you get a tea ch aper, and with ham and eggs too ? He tried to eet lodgings for himself and his wife from Saturday to Monday, and becau-e the inns asked him five and twenty shillings apiece, he wouldna stay a night in the place, and said it was extortionate in its charges. The truth is, the people thought from his appearance that he was one of the showfolks or play-actors Often when there's a play-acting company coming here one of the party comes on before to engage the lodgings. Nobody thought of it being H- C—, ye ken. His cousin, a meenister, called one"day, and I telt him just what I'm telling you, and sent a message f>y him to Fi— C—, that he was to come I back, as I'd got a word to speak ni' him. But he'll no come to Ecelefech-<n, not ! he ! " I signed my name in the visitors' ; book (adds the writer of the article) with fear and trembling after listening to this delightful account of the delinquencies of another scribe, and mentally resolved that if the hotel asked me five shillings for my tea, I would pay it without a word, even though I got no ham and eggs ; and a 3 for my friend the caretaker, she is an example for shrewdness and native wit to all who follow the calling !