Scotland/Scots > Reminiscences of a Highland parish

mary Campbell’s marriage.
197
Stewart of Blairdhu. But would Mary take him ?
A doubt never crossed his mind upon that point.
His confidence did not arise from his own good
looks, for they, to speak charitably, were doubtful,
even to himself. He had high cheek-bones, small
teeth, not innocent of tobacco, and a large mouth.
To these features there was added a sufficient
number of gray hairs sprinkled on the head and
among the bushy whiskers, to testify to many
more years than those which numbered the age of
Mary. But Duncan had money—a large amount
of goods laid up for many years—full barns and
crowded sheep-folds. He had a place assigned to
him at Fort-William market such as a well-known
capitalist has on the Exchange. He was thus the
sign of a power which tells in every class of society.
Are no fair merchant’s daughters, we would re¬
spectfully ask, affected in their choice of husbands
by the state of their funds ? Has a coronet no in¬
fluence over the feelings ? Do the men of sub¬
stance make their advances to beauties who have
no wealth, without some sense of the weight of
Srgumemt which is measured by the weight of
gold in their proffered hand ? Do worth and