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Abbotsford and Newstead Abbey by Washington Irving
page 35 of 174 (20%)
boring.

These little stories and anecdotes, which abounded in Scott's
conversation, rose naturally out of the subject, arid were perfectly
unforced; though, in thus relating them in a detached way, without the
observations or circumstances which led to them, and which have passed
from my recollection, they want their setting to give them proper
relief. They will serve, however, to show the natural play of his mind,
in its familiar moods, and its fecundity in graphic and characteristic
detail.

His daughter Sophia and his son Charles were those of his family who
seemed most to feel and understand his humors, and to take delight in
his conversation. Mrs. Scott did not always pay the same attention, and
would now and then make a casual remark which would operate a little
like a damper. Thus, one morning at breakfast, when Dominie Thomson,
the tutor, was present, Scott was going on with great glee to relate an
anecdote of the laird of Macnab, "who, poor fellow," premised he, "is
dead and gone--" "Why, Mr. Scott," exclaimed the good lady, "Macnab's
not dead, is he?" "Faith, my dear," replied Scott, with humorous
gravity, "if he's not dead they've done him great injustice--for
they've buried him."

The joke passed harmless and unnoticed by Mrs. Scott, but hit the poor
Dominie just as he had raised a cup of tea to his lips, causing a burst
of laughter which sent half of the contents about the table. After
breakfast, Scott was occupied for some time correcting proof-sheets
which he had received by the mail. The novel of Rob Roy, as I have
already observed, was at that time in the press, and I supposed them to
be the proof-sheets of that work. The authorship of the Waverley novels
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