[Gutenberg 56582] • The Gentle Persuasion / Sketches of Scottish Life

Robert Cuthbert Johnstone as “Alan Gray” published a number of books, including The White Rose of Darvel (a historical novel, 1916) and two volumes of memoirs, The Gentle Persuasion (1918) and Memories (1923). He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Manitoba in 1912.

Excerpt: Many years have come and gone since I, Alan Gray, bade farewell to bonny Glenconan, in which I spent the happy days of my childhood; during these years I have feasted my eyes on some of the loveliest scenery in the Empire; my lot has been a most varied one, bringing me in contact with all sorts and conditions of men; yet in spite of these things I have never forgotten, and never can forget, the quiet sylvan beauty of my native glen, or the quaint old-world characters, who then lived in it.