126 TOM PURDIE.
A picture of Tom Purdie, the faithful servant, hangs in the dining-room at Abbotsford, in the vicinity of dukes and princes. Near the Abbey of Melrose is his grave and monument, with this inscription, from the pen of his beloved master :
In grateful remembrance of the faithful and attached services
of twenty-two years, and in sorrow for the loss of a humble, but sincere friend,
this stone was erected by Sir Walter Scott, of Abbotsford.
��Here lies the body of Thomas Purdie,
Wood-Forester, at Abbotsford, who died 29th of October, 1829, aged sixty-two years.
��Thou hast been faithful over a few things ; I will make thee ruler over many things."
Matt. xxv. 21.
��Dryburgh is among the most beautiful of the ancient abbeys of Scotland. The effect of its ruins is height ened by their standing forth in solitary prominence, amidst a charming landscape. The Tweed sweeps around them like a crescent, and the lofty back-ground is shrouded in rich foliage, where the oak, the beech, and the mournful yew predominate. Among other
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