The Life and Letters of Hugh Miller Author:Peter Bayne Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. DEATH OF MISS DDNBAK. I TIRING those months which Miller passed in Lin- lithgow, his friend Miss Dunbar lay on her deathbed, slowly sinki... more »ng under intolerable agonies. She retained her faculties unimpaired, and in the intervals of pain manifested that gracious interest in all that concerned her friends which characterized her in health. Her malady was known to be incurable, but it does not appear that Miller was aware of any reason for apprehending that it would soon have a fatal termination. He continued, therefore, to write to her in the light, discursive manner he had previously adopted. "LlNLITHGOW. " I must try to coin time (the phrase is poor Henry Kirke White's who killed himself in the process), in which to show you that the hurry of my new occupation is as unable to dissipate the recollection of your kindness as the rougher fatigues of my old one. The more I see of life, the more I am convinced that' it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.' Here am I in Linlithgow, acquiring that degree of skill in business matters that may fit me for a bank accountant. Six weeks ago I had as much thought — nay, more — of emigrating to the wilds of America. " I would much rather have spent in Edinburgh the few weeks I have to pass in this part of the country than here ; but it was necessary, in order to acquire the skill of thebranch accountant, that I should remove to a branch bank ; and, as I take care never to quarrel with necessity, I get on pretty well. On the evening of my arrival, Mr. Gillon, the Radical M.P., addressed his constituents of Linlithgow in the town-house. I attended, for I was desirous to ascertain what I had long doubted, whether Radicalism and a powerful intellect be compatible, and regarded Gillon as one of the heads of th...« less