CHARLOTTETOWN 79

Blumine. Carlyle practically tells the story of his failure so far as his suit was concerned:

“Pshaw! thy divine Blumine, when she ‘resigned herself to wed some richer,’ shows more philosophy, though but ‘a woman of genius,’ than thou a practical

’)

man. In later life he seems to have become rather bitter:

A year or so after, we heard the fair Margaret had married some rich insignificant Aberdeen Mr. Some— thing; who afterwards got into Parliament, thence out to “Nova Scotia” (or so) as “Governor”; and I heard of her no more,——except that lately she was still living about Aberdeen, childless, as the “Dowager Lady— her Mr. Something having got knighted before dying. ”

His pen certainly dipped scorn in his list of inaccuracies.

And now for the “rich insignificant Aberdeen Mr. Something.” His name was Sir Alexander Banner- man. It seems hard to imagine two people who were more unlike than Sandy and his wife. While Lady Bannerman walked along the street in a dashing costume, Sir Alexander sauntered along with his hands in his pockets. Occasionally, he brought out his large red hankie or his snuff- box .

Sandy was a great practical joker and R. C. Archi- bald has left in Carlyle’ 5 First Love accounts of several of his pranks.

In the spring of 1822 a great snowstorm buried the whole country in deep snow drifts, and no London mail had arrived in Aberdeen for nearly a fortnight! Time hung heavily on the hands of its citizens, and almost any break in the dull monotony would have been welcome. At this juncture “Sandy" Bannerman and some kindred spirits, who had prolonged a supper