Our first visit was to the castle, which we reached by going across the
causeway that bridges the valley, and has some edifices of Grecian
architecture on it, contrasting strangely with the nondescript ugliness
of the old town, into which we immediately pass. As this is my second
visit to Edinburgh, I surely need not dwell upon describing it at such
length as if I had never been here before. After climbing up through
various wards of the castle to the topmost battery, where Mons Meg holds
her station, looking like an uncouth dragon,--with a pile of huge stone
balls beside her for eggs,--we found that we could not be admitted to
Queen Mary's apartments, nor to the crown-room, till twelve o'clock;
moreover, that there was no admittance to the crown-room without tickets
from the crown-office, in Parliament Square. There being no help for it,
I left my wife and J----- to wander through the fortress, and came down
through High Street in quest of Parliament Square, which I found after
many inquiries of policemen, and after first going to the Justiciary
Court, where there was a great throng endeavoring to get in; for the
trial of Miss Smith for the murder of her lover is causing great
excitement just now. There was no difficulty made about the tickets,
and, returning, found S----- and J-----; but J----- grew tired of
waiting, and set out to return to our hotel, through the great strange
city, all by himself. Through means of an attendant, we were admitted
into Queen Margaret's little chapel, on the top of the rock; and then we
sat down, in such shelter as there was, to avoid the keen wind, blowing
through the embrasures of the ramparts, and waited as patiently as we
could.
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