Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Helena Campbell

The cottage where the Melville brothers and Miss Campbell lived was three miles from the little town of Helensburgh, on the Gall-Rock Bank.The right bank of the Firth of Clyde is full of picturesque but unpredictable jagged banks, and the Gall-Rock Bank is one of them.The Melville brothers and their niece lived in winter in a historic hotel in Glasgow's West George Street, not far from Brightwood Square, an affluent part of the New Town.There they lived six months of the year, unless wayward Helena--to whom they obeyed--took them on long journeys in Italy, Spain, or France.During the trip, they are always looking at things with the eyes of a little girl, going to those places she is happy to go, staying in those places she is willing to stay, admiring those things she likes.Then, when Miss Campbell had written down her travel feelings in pen or pencil, and closed the notebook with satisfaction, the brothers resigned themselves to the journey back to the United Kingdom, returning to West George Street with some satisfaction. Comfortable hotel.

Three weeks into May, Sam and Sib suddenly wanted to live in the country. This idea coincided with Miss Campbell's idea. She also wanted to leave Glasgow, a big and noisy industrial city. Even the cries of the merchants poured into Brightwood Square; seeing the sky without smog again, breathing the air without carbonation, this is the reason why Glasgow, a British tobacco trading official, established its position as a commercial center centuries ago. What the ancient city did not have. So the whole family set off, to the country house, at most twenty miles away. Helensburgh is a beautiful place, and its sea-bathing beaches are frequented by those who have the leisure to go on excursions in Loch Katrine and Loch Lomond as an alternative to the Clyde pastimes, which is of great importance to the general public. It's a bit expensive for tourists.

On the banks of the Gal-Lock, a mile from the village, the Melville brothers selected the best site for their cottage, where the woods were green, the streams criss-crossed, and the terrain undulated like a garden.The shade of trees in the garden is cool, the lawn is lush, the flowers are like brocades, competing for beauty, the green grass on the grass is the meal of the lucky little lamb, the pond is shimmering and the wild swans are inhabiting it, Wordsworth Stanley once described these elegant birds in this way: The swan and its shadow, floating together (in the water)! In short, the most beautiful scenery in nature is gathered here, and the layout is natural without any trace of man-made.Here was the summer residence of the distinguished Melville family.

It may be added that the view is more pleasant from the part of the garden which is above the banks of the Gall-Loch.Outside the narrow bay, if you look to the right, your eyes will first stop at the Rosenhead peninsula, where an Italian-style villa belonging to the Duke of Argyll stands; on the left, the seaside houses of Helensburg are connected , Outlining the undulating coastline, two or three bell towers protrude from the house group, the elegant "Pier" of the town extends on the water of the lake to serve the steamboat, and there are several beautiful houses scattered on the hill behind the town On the front, the left bank of the River Clyde, the port of Glasgow, the ruins of Newmark Castle, Greenock and the masts of the harbor lined with colorful flags, together constitute a colorful picture, which makes people linger .

If you go up to the main tower of the villa, the view will be wider and the scenery will be more charming. The main tower is in the shape of a square, and the sentinel hangs lightly on the three corners of the square platform. The tower stands majestically, and a flagpole is erected there.Flagstaffs are seen standing upright on the roofs of all houses and on the stern of all ships in the United Kingdom.This new style of castle main tower overlooks the neat and orderly roofs of other buildings that make up the villa, multiple staggered gables, looming window openings, protruding front buildings, and balconies decorated with window grilles close to the windows. And the elaborate fireplaces on the roof - endless imagination is the source of endless enrichment of Anglo-Saxon architecture.

Miss Campbell liked to stay on the platform of the little tower, meditating in solitude under the flag fluttering gently in the breeze from the Firth of Clyde.She had made it a pleasant hideaway, as well ventilated as a real watchtower; here she could read, write, sleep, and be protected from wind, sun, and rain.This is where she can be found most of the time.If she is not here, then she will meditate and dream on the path in the garden, forgetting the way home. Sometimes she walks in the garden alone, sometimes Mrs. Bess is with her.Otherwise, she galloped about the surrounding country lanes, followed by the faithful Partridge, who rode fast to his mistress.

Among the many servants at the villa, it is necessary to distinguish from the rest two faithful servants, Mrs. Beth and Partridge, who had been closely connected with the Campbell family from their infancy. Elizabeth, Laluckie, mother - as the housekeeper was called in the Scottish Highlands - was as old as she was keys, at least 47 of them. She is a real housewife, dignified, methodical, shrewd and capable, and manages the whole family.Perhaps she thought she was raising the Melville brothers, older than she was, but there was no doubt that she was motherly to Miss Campbell. The venerable housekeeper was followed by Partridge the Scot, a servant who was absolutely faithful to his master, and always faithful to the ancient traditions of the family.He always wears the traditional costumes often worn by mountain people. He wears a blotchy blue straight cap and a pleated skirt made of Scottish tartan that hangs down to his knees. On top of the skirt is pouch, a unique There is a long-haired money bag on the outside, high-waisted leggings tied with a ribbon with a diamond pattern, and a pair of sandals made of cowhide are worn on the feet.

With Mrs. Beth in charge of the house and Partridge on hand to oversee it, what more could anyone expect for a home life of peace and tranquility? It may have been noticed that when Partridge spoke to the Melville brothers he always addressed his mistress as Miss Campbell. This is because if the honest Scot calls her Miss Helena, that is to say, by her Christian name, he violates a code of rank - an act which is known by the word "pretending to be elegant" It couldn't be more appropriate to define. In fact, the eldest or only daughter of a gentleman's family is never called by her Christian name, even when she is in the cradle.If Miss Campbell had been the daughter of a member of the House of Lords, she would have been called that.Yet the Campbells to which she belonged were only an offshoot of the warrior Colin Campbells, and far removed from the direct line of the Campbells, which dated back to the Crusades.Over the centuries, many offshoots have branched off from the main stem, gradually distanced from their illustrious ancestors, among them the Argylls, the Bradbeys, the Lochnells, etc.; Far away, because of her father, Helena still felt the blood of this illustrious family running in her veins.

Though she was only called Miss Campbell, she was a true Scotchwoman, one of the noblest ladies in the world, with blue eyes and fair hair; if Vernon or Edward were like her Portraits of such Scottish ladies are placed in Minner, Brenda, Amy Robichart, Flora Mark Iver, Diana Vernon, Miss Warddurr, Catherine Glover Among them, Mary Avernell, will be no less than these beautiful women of their great writers that the English like to gather together. In fact, Miss Campbell is quite charming.Her pretty face was blue-eyed--the blue of Scottish lakes, as they say--she was of medium height, but well-proportioned, with a somewhat bold gait, and her face was often marked. She was a little bit confused, unless a little restraint revealed a little life on her face, in short, she was the embodiment of elegance and nobility.Miss Campbell is not only beautiful, but also kind-hearted.Although her uncle is rich, she doesn't try to appear rich, and she likes to do good deeds.What she did was fulfilling an old Gaelic proverb: the open hand is always full!In connection with her province, her line of origin, her family, one could see that she was a true Scotchwoman.She gave the most pretentious John Pian (British) image to the lowest Scot.When the sound of some hillman playing the Scottish bagpipes reached her ears across the fields, her patriotic feelings vibrated like the strings of a harp.

De Maistre once said: "In us, there are two living beings: me and another me." Miss Campbell's "I" is a rational and deliberate life form, and it outlines life more from the perspective of obligations than rights. Her other "I" is a fantasy and somewhat superstitious being who likes to read those breathtaking and legendary biographies. These books can be seen everywhere in Finger's country; Barely resembling it, this being would run through the surrounding canyon in order to hear "Strathdirn's bagpipes".Highlanders call the wind that blows through the backcountry "the bagpipes of Strathdearn."

Brothers Sam and Seb love Miss Campbell's "me" as much as her "other me"!But it has to be admitted that if the former are very fond of them because of their rationality, the latter often use unexpected answers, capricious characters and sudden strange dreams to make them confused. "Let me marry! 'I' would say, marry Ulsey Krauss! . . . and see . . . later!" "Never... as long as I haven't seen the green light!" "The other me" replied. The Melville brothers looked at each other as Miss Campbell sat in the Gothic chair by the window, without understanding what was going on. "What can the green light do for her?" asked Sam. "Why would she want to see this light?" Sieb asked back.Why exactly?People are waiting.

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