Lady Victoria Campbell

26 THE HOUSEHOLD FRIENDS
a certain hardness in her nature, and its iron rigidity-
was not softened by her creed. Her early youth had
been passed amid the now dead controversies associ-
ated with the names of Edward Irving, Campbell of
Row, and Story of Rosneath she had been taught to
dread. The sough of ' unsound doctrine ' which
had ebbed and flowed round the waters of the Gare-
loch, a fear that the terrors of the law had not
been sufficiently preached or held, spread a chilling
bane on that unique spirit.
" It had all passed away ere the end ! The lessons
of the gospel of love were learnt by her at a later date,
when in suffering weakness she heard the message
once rejected as unsound from the pastor of
another nation. When the message of love and for-
giveness to all men in our Saviour Jesus Christ came
at length to her, it was received with all the fervour
of her strong nature, and came as ' good cheer/
She learnt if the theology was of a gentler mould,
it was none the less faithful because it recognised
' Justice and Mercy ' had met in Him who died
for all. One of her last sentences was gratitude to
the dear Duke for sending her a little book which bore
on this subject. ' That he should have sent it/ she
exclaimed, alluding to his well-known reserve."
These notes have been given in their entirety,
because the life of this remarkable woman had a
profound effect on Lady Victoria's own career.
When the Duchess's health grew infirm, Queen
Victoria used to come and see her at Argyll Lodge.
The visit was usually in the afternoon, and Miss