who never could think a serious thought all her days, said, in her
wild way that the gods had bestowed more care in the making of Mrs
Malcolm's temper, than on the bodies and souls of all the saints in
the calendar. On the Sunday the strangers attended divine worship,
and I preached a sermon purposely for them, and enlarged at great
length and fulness on how David overcame Goliath; and they both told
me that they had never heard such a good discourse; but I do not
think they were great judges of preachings. How, indeed, could Mr
Howard know anything of sound doctrine, being educated, as he told
me, at Eton school, a prelatic establishment! Nevertheless, he was
a fine lad; and though a little given to frolic and diversion, he
had a principle of integrity, that afterwards kythed into much
virtue; for, during this visit, he took a notion of Effie Malcolm,
and the lassie of him, then a sprightly and blooming creature, fair
to look upon, and blithe to see; and he kept up a correspondence
with her till the war was over, when being a captain of a frigate,
he came down among us, and they were married by me, as shall be
related in its proper place.



CHAPTER XVIII YEAR 1777



This may well be called the year of the heavy heart, for we had sad
tidings of the lads that went away as soldiers to America. First,
there was a boding in the minds of all their friends that they were
never to see them more; and their sadness, like a mist spreading
from the waters and covering the fields, darkened the spirit of the