Of another romantic character it is written that he “swam the Esk river where ford there was none”—that, of course, was young Lochinvar, who “came out of the west” to run off with a fair daughter of Netherby Hall. The “west” in this case is a lake in Dalry parish, in Kirkcudbrightshire, containing an island which still has remains of the castle of the Gordons, knights of Lochinvar, one of whom was the hero of Lady Heron’s song in “Marmion.” Netherby is away by the Debatable Land, and Canobie Lee (perhaps) in the Dumfriesshire parish of Canonbie; but how idle to localise the incidents of the splendid ballad! Scott himself never touched the romantic note with truer hand or to better purpose—
“And now am I come, with this lost love of mine,
To lead but one measure, drink one cup of wine.”
And then we know how the bride
“... looked down to blush and looked up to sigh,
With a smile on her lips, and a tear in her eye.”
And how they danced a measure, and how the charger stood near by the hall door, and ’twas but the work of an instant to swing the lady on its back, and so light to the saddle before her he sprung:—
“‘She is won! We are gone over bank, bush, and scaur;
They’ll have fleet steeds that follow,’ said young Lochinvar.”