" Fame and money poured in upon Scott, and not upon him
only, but upon Scotland. For the new poet had sung the beauties
of the rugged country so well that hundreds of English flocked to
see it for themselves. Scotland became the fashion, and has
remained so ever since.
In 1799 Scott had been appointed Sheriff-deputy of Selkirkshire,
and as this obliged him to live part of the year at least in the
district, he rented a house not far from Selkirk. But now that
he saw himself becoming wealthy, he bought an estate in his
beloved Border country and began to build the house of
Abbotsford. To this house he and his family removed in May 1812.
Here, amid the noise of carpenters and masons, with only one room
fit to sit in, and that shared by chattering children, he went on
with his work. To a friend he writes, "As for the house and the
poem, there are twelve masons hammering at the one, and one poor
noddle at the other--so they are both in progress."
It was at Abbotsford that Scott made his home for the rest of his
life.
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