The fact is," added he, "Campbell is, in a manner, a bugbear to
himself. The brightness of his early success is a detriment to all his
further efforts. _He is afraid of the shadow that his own fame casts
before him_."

While we were thus chatting, we heard the report of a gun among the
hills. "That's Walter, I think," said Scott; "he has finished his
morning's studies, and is out with his gun. I should not be surprised
if he had met with the blackcock; if so, we shall have an addition to
our larder, for Walter is a pretty sure shot." I inquired into the
nature of Walter's studies. "Faith," said Scott, "I can't say much on
that head. I am not over bent upon making prodigies of any of my
children. As to Walter, I taught him, while a boy, to ride, and shoot,
and speak the truth; as to the other parts of his education, I leave
them to a very worthy young man, the son of one of our clergymen, who
instructs all my children."

I afterward became acquainted with the young man in question, George
Thomson, son of the minister of Melrose, and found him possessed of
much learning, intelligence, and modest worth. He used to come every
day from his father's residence at Melrose to superintend the studies
of the young folks, and occasionally took his meals at Abbotsford,
where he was highly esteemed. Nature had cut him out, Scott used to
say, for a stalwart soldier, for he was tall, vigorous, active, and
fond of athletic exercises, but accident had marred her work, the loss
of a limb in boyhood having reduced him to a wooden leg. He was brought
up, therefore, for the Church, whence he was occasionally called the
Dominie, and is supposed, by his mixture of learning, simplicity, and
amiable eccentricity, to have furnished many traits for the character
of Dominie Sampson. I believe he often acted as Scott's amanuensis,