patroness of Allan Ramsay, or of the Hon. Mrs
Colonel Ogilvy, who was another mirror by whom
the maidens of Auld Reekie were required to dress
themselves. Although well acquainted with the
customs of other countries, her manners had been
chiefly formed in her own, at a time when great
folk lived within little space, and when the distinguished
names of the highest society gave to Edinburgh
the _eclat_, which we now endeavour to derive
from the unbounded expense and extended
circle of our pleasures.
l was more confirmed in this opinion, by the
peculiarity of the dialect which Mrs Baliol used.
It was Scottish, decidedly Scottish, often containing
phrases and words little used in the present day.
But then her tone and mode of pronunciation were
as different from the usual accent of the ordinary
Scotch patois, as the accent of St James's is from
that of Billingsgate. The vowels were not pronounced
much broader than in the Italian language,
and there was none of the disagreeable drawl which
is so offensive to southern ears. In short, it seemed
to be the Scottish as spoken by the ancient court
of Scotland, to which no idea of vulgarity could be
attached; and the lively manners and gestures with
which it was accompanied, were so completely in
accord with the sound of the voice and the style
of talking, that I cannot assign them a different
origin.
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