The story of my adventures begins in 1751 .
It was a fine morning early in June. I left myfather’s house for ever，and went down the road.
Good Mr Campbell was waiting by his gardengate. He was the minister of the village church.
“We ll，Da vid，”he said,“I will go a little wa y withyou. ”
We walked on. For some minutes we were silentand then the minister spoke.
“Are you s a d be ca us e you a re le a ving Es s e ndea n ?”he asked.
“I don’t know，s ir ，”I replied.“Es s e nde a n is agood pla c e . I ha ve be e n h a ppy th e re ，but I ha ve nots e e n the world . My pa re nts a re de a d now I am le a vingto ma ke a future fo r mys e lf.”
我的種種險遇開始於1751 年。
那年六月初的一天上午，天氣晴朗，我永遠離開了父親的住宅，獨自上路了。
好心的坎貝爾先生已經在他家花園門口等著我了。他是我們村裏教堂的牧師。
他說：“唔，大衛，我來送你一段路。”
我們朝前走去，起初誰也沒有說話。過了幾分鍾，牧師開口問道：
“離開埃森迪恩，你是不是心裏難過?”
我回答說：“這叫我怎麼說呢？
埃森迪恩這地方很好，我在這兒過得很愉快。可是，我沒有見過大世麵。現在我父母都去世了，我要出去自己闖一番事業。”
“we ll，”Mr Campbell said. “I mus t te ll yous ome thing . Whe n yo ur mothe r die d ，your fa the r wa s坎貝爾先生說：“那好，有些事我得告訴你了。你母親去世時，你 ve ry ill He ga ve me a le tte r. He s a id it wa s your inhe ritanc e .‘Whe n I am de a d，’he s a id,‘ give my boy thisle tte r. S e nd him to the hous e of Shaws . It is not fa rfrom Cramond . I came from tha t pla ce ，a nd my sonough t to g o ba ck the re .”
“The hous e of S haws ！”I cried.“Did my fa the rc ome from the hous e of S haws ？And wha t ca n myin he rita nce be ”？
“I don ’t know，”he answered,“but you be a r thename of tha t family - Ba lfo ur of S haws . It is a na nc ie nt，hone s t Sc ottish hous e . Your fa the r wa s age ntlema n . His c onve rs a tion ga ve me gre a t ple a sure .
I ofte n invite d him to my home to me e t ge ntleme n ofmy own family.”
He gave me the letter. On it my father hadwritten：“To Ebe ne ze r Ba lfour，Hous e of S haws . Mys on Da vid will de live r this .”
My heart was beating hard. Here was a futurefor me. I was seventeen years old，and the son of apoor Scottish village school teacher.
“Mr Campbe ll. ”I said,“do you think tha t Iough t to g o?”
父親正害著重病。他交給了我一封信，說那就是給你的遺產。他說：
‘ 我死後，你把這封信交給我兒子，送他到離克蘭蒙德不遠的肖府去。
我是那個地方人，我的兒子也應該回那兒去。”
我失聲叫道：“肖府！我父親是肖府的人嗎？我要繼承的遺產會是什麼呢?”
他回答說；“我也說不上來。可是，你姓巴爾福，與肖府的姓氏一樣。那是個正直的蘇格蘭世家。你父親是一位有教養的人，我很欣賞他的談吐。我常常邀請他到我家，與我本家的紳士們會麵。”
他把那封信交給了我。信封上是我父親的筆跡：“肖府埃比尼澤· 巴爾福先生親啟，此信由我兒大衛麵呈。”