Gladstone in her
sapphire-blue velvet, her invariable dress of ceremony. Though a
little careless as to her appearance, she always looked a "great
lady," and her tall figure, and the kindly old face with its crown
of silvery hair, were always welcomed in the houses of those
privileged to know her.
The Lyon family could do other things besides singing and acting.
The sons were all excellent shots, and were very good at games.
One brother was lawn-tennis champion of Scotland, whilst another,
with his partner, won the Doubles Championship of England.
Glamis is the oldest inhabited house in Great Britain. As
Shakespeare tells us in Macbeth,
"This castle hath a pleasant seat; the air Nimbly and sweetly
recommends itself Unto our gentle senses."
The vaulted crypt was built before 1016, and another ancient
stone-flagged, stone-vaulted hall leading out of it is the
traditional scene of the murder of Duncan by Macbeth, the "Thane
of Glamis." In a room above it King Malcolm II. of Scotland was
murdered in 1034. The castle positively teems with these agreeable
traditions.
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