about one o'clock
Some things must , however , have made a vivid and durable impression on my mind , as fragments remain , after the lapse of years , far more distinct than occurrences of much more recent date ; such , amongst others , are my recollections of my visits to Ashestiel and Abbotsford . The first took place in the autumn of 1811 , in consequence of repeated and pressing invitations from Mr. Scott to my father , in which I was included . Nothing could be kinder than our welcome , or more gratifying than the attentions we received during our stay ; but the weather was too broken and stormy to admit of our enjoying any of the pleasant excursions our more weather-proof host had intended for us . My father and I could therefore only take short drives with Mrs. Scott , while the bard -LRB- about one o'clock :-RRB- mounted his pony , and accompanied by Mr. Terry the comedian , his own son Walter , and our young relative George Kinloch , sallied forth for a long morning 's ride in spite of wind and rain . In the evening Mr. Terry commonly read some scenes from a play , to which Mr. Scott listened with delight , though every word must have been quite familiar to him , as he occasionally took a part in the dialogue impromptu ; at other times he recited old and awesome ballads from memory , the very names of which I have forgot . The night preceding our departure had blown a perfect hurricane ; we were to leave immediately after breakfast , and while the carriage was preparing Mr. Scott stepped to a writing-table and wrote a few hurried lines in the course of a very few minutes ; these he put into my hand as he led me to the carriage ; they were in allusion to the storm , coupled with a friendly adieu , and are to be found in my autograph album . `` The mountain winds are up , and proud O'er heath and hill careering loud ; The groaning forest to its power Yields all that formed our summer bower .