CHAPTER X.
Oh, for that Beautiful Summer!
THE worthy showman was now more convinced than ever that an enemy existed who would move heaven and earth to remove Peggy from his charge, and she was quite as much to him as if she had been his daughter. He determined, therefore, to keep a more watchful eye over her. She was a wilful, wandering little maiden, who took everybody to be good even as she herself was good. She had no suspicion of evil in any one, because it existed not in her own warm little heart.
But Fitzroy told her now that she must promise never to go away from the camp without her bloodhound. Wondering much, the girl made this promise, and the good fellow breathed more freely now.
But for weeks after that strange adventure, they spent a really good time in Scotland, and drew in the dollars too, for above all countries in the world, perhaps, Caledonia is the land of song and poetry. The love of beauty lies deep down at the bottom of each far-northern heart, side by side with sentiment and true patriotism, a flower that can only bloom in a mountain land.
Then one day they found themselves all back once more, safe and sound in England, the scenery of which, though less wild than that of its warlike neighbour, is very sweet and tender.
Summer would not be leaving here for some time to come.
They had given Wales a turn, and lay for a whole week on the beautiful bank of the Wye. The music of Wales is also Celtic, that is the old, old music, and though the country is now famous for its study of the classical, dearly do they love the more simple lilts of the land of Burns and Tannahill.
So Fitzroy did well to introduce Scottish scenes and customs, and Scottish melodies into the little plays he now presented to the rural public. At L—— they had one of the heartiest welcomes ever accorded to them anywhere, and it was with great reluctance that Fitzroy at last intimated to a bumper house, that next morning they must start on their wanderings once again.
“But we are coming back, my friends,” he concluded, “for never while life holds on to burn within our breasts shall we forget the kindly welcome we have received in Wales.”