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LETTERS AN D M ISCELLAN IES OF ROB ERTLOUIS ST EV EN SON

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SELECTED AN D EDITED WITHNOTES AN D INTRODUCTIONBY SIDNEY COLVIN 3? Q2

PUBLISHED IN 92

N EW YORK BY

CHARLES SCRIBNER’SSONS fig 2; 1900

1899 , b y

CHARLES ScmBNER’s Sons

C O N T E N TS

PAGE

I NTRODUCT ION

STUDEN T DAYS AT ED IN BURGHTRAVELS AND EXCURS IONS

I NTRODUCTORYLETTERS

To Mrs . Thomas Steven sonTo the Sam e

To the Sam eTo the Sam e

To ~Mrs . Churchil l BabingtonTo AlisonCunninghamTo Char le s BaxterTo the Sam e

To Mrs. Thomas StevensonTo the Sam e

To the Sam e

To Thomas Steven sonTo Mrs. Thomas Steven sonTo Charle s Baxte r

LETTERS OF R . L. STEV ENSON

STUDEN T DAYS (Continued)ORDERED SOUTH

INTRODUCTORYLETTERSTo Mrs . Thom as Steven sonTo Mrs . S itwe l lTo the Sam e

To the Sam e

To the Sam e

To the Sam e

To Mrs . Thomas StevensonTo Mrs . S itwe l lTo Mrs . Thomas Steven sonTo the Sam e

To Mrs . S itwe l lTo the Sam e

To Mrs . Thom as Steven sonTo Mrs . S itwe l lTo the Sam e

To the Sam e

To the Sam e

To the Sam e

To S i dney Co lv inTo Mrs . S itwe l lTo S i dney Co lv inTo Mrs . S itwe l lTo the Sam e

To the Sam e

To the Sam e

To the Sam e

To the Sam e

CONTENTS

ADVOCATE AN D AUTHORED INBURGH — PAR IS— FONTA INEBLEAU

INTRODUCTORYLETTERS

To Mrs . Thomas StevensonTo Mrs. S itwe l lTo S i dney Co lvinTo Charl e s Baxte rTo S i dney Co lvinTo Mrs . S itwe l lTo Mrs . de MattosTo Mrs . S itwe l lTo S i dney Co lvinTo the Sam eTo Mrs. S itwe l lTo W. E . H en leyTo Mrs . S itwe l lTo S i dney Co lvinTo Mrs . S itwe l lTo A . Patchett Mart inTo the Sam e

To S i dney Co lvinTo the Sam e

To Mr . and Mrs . Thomas StevensonTo Mrs . Thomas Steven sonTo the Sam e

To W. E . H en leyTo Charl e s Baxte rTo Mrs . Thomas StevensonToW. E . H en l eyTo Edm und GosseToW. E . H en ley


To Edm und GosseTo S i dney Co lv inTo Edm und Gosse

FV

THE AMATEUR EMIGRAN T

MONTEREY AND SAN FRANCISCO

INTRODUCTORYLETTERSTo S i dney Co lv inTo the Sam e

To W. E . H en leyTo S idney Co lvinTo the Sam e

To the Sam e

To Edm und GosseTo W. E .Hen leyTo the Sam e

To P . G . Ham e rtonTo Edm und GosseTo S i dney Co lv inTo Edm und GosseTo S i dney Co lv inTo the Sam e

To Charl e s BaxterTo S i dney Co lvinTo W. E . H en leyTo S i dn ey Co lv inTo Edm und GosseTo Dr . W. Bam fordTo S i dney Co lvinTo the Sam eTo the Sam e

To C . W. StoddardTo S i dney Co lvin

CONTENTS

\7

ALP INE WIN TERS

AN D H IGHLAND SUMMERS

I NTRODUCTORYLETTERS

To A . G . D ew- Sm ithTo Thomas Steven sonTo Edm und GosseTo the Sam e

To C . W. StoddardTo Mr. andMrs . Thomas Steven sonTo S i dney Co lvinTo Mrs . Thomas Steven sonTo S i dney Co lvinTo H . F . BrownTo the Sam e

To the Sam eTo Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Steven sonTo Edm und GosseTo S i dney Co lvinTo P rofe ssor E neas MackayTo the Sam eTo Edm und GosseTo the Sam e

To P . G . Ham e rtonTo S i dney Co lvinTo W. E . H en leyTothe Sam eTo S i dney Co lv inTo Dr. Alexande r jappTo Mrs. S itwe l lT'o Edm und GosseTo the Sam eTo the Sam eTo W. E . H enley

LETTERS OF R. L . STEVENSON

To Dr. A lexande r JappTo W. E . He n leyTo Th omas StevensonTo P . G .Ham e rtonTo Charle s Baxte rTo Mrs . Thom as StevensonTo A l i son Cunn inghamTo Char le s Baxte rTo W. E .Hen leyTo the Sam e

To A lexande r I re landTo Edm und Go sseTo Dr. A l exande r JappTo the Sam e

To W. E . H e n leyTo Mrs . Thomas StevensonTo Edm un d GosseTo the Sam e

To W. E . H en ley

MARSEILLES AN D HYERES

I NTRODUCTORYLETTERS :To the Editor ofthe N ewYor k Tr ibuneTo R . A . M . Steven sonTo Thomas Steve nsonTo Mrs . Thom as StevensonTo Charle s Baxte rTo A l i son Cunn inghamToW. E . H en leyTo Mrs . Thomas StevensonTo Thomas Steven sonTo Mrs . S itwe l l

CONTENTS

To Edm und GosseTo Mr . andMrs . Thomas Steven sonTo the Sam eTo Edm un d GosseTo the Sam e

To W. E . H enleyTo the Sam e

To the Sam eTo the Sam e

To the Sam e

To A l i son Cunn inghamTo W. E . H en leyTo Edm und GosseTo W. E . H en leyTo Edm und GosseTo S i dney Co lv inToW. H . LowTo R . A . M . Steven sonTo Thomas StevensonTo W. H . LowTo W. E . H en leyTo Mrs . Thom as Steven sonTo S i dney ColvinTo Mrs . Mi lneTo M i ss Fe rr ie rTo W. H . LowTo Thomas StevensonTo Mr . and Mrs . Thom as StevensonTo Mrs . Thomas StevensonTo Mr . andMrs . Thomas Steven sonTo S i dney Co lv inTo Mr. DickTo Cosm o MonkhouseTo Edm und GosseTo Miss Fe rr ie rTo W. H . LowTo Thomas Steve nsonTo Cosm o MonkhouseTo W. E . H enley

LETTERS OF R . L. STEVEN SON

To Edm und GosseTo M r. and Mrs . Thomas Steven sonTo S i dney Co lvin

LEE AT BOURN EMOUTH

INTRODUCTORYLETTERS ‘

To Mr . andMrs . Thomas StevensonTo W. E . H en l eyTo theRev . Profe ssor Lewi s Cam pbe l lTo AndrewChattoTo W. H . LowTo Thom as Steven sonTo W. E . H en leyTo Thomas Steven sonTo Charle s Baxte rTo the Sam e

To Miss Fe rr ie rTo Edm un d GosseTo Miss Fe rr ie rTo H enry Jam e sTo Mr. and Mrs . Thomas Steven sonTo W. E . H en l eyTo the Sam e

To H . A . j one sTo S i dney Co lvinTo Thomas Steven sonTo S i dney Co lv inTo the Sam e

To J . A . Sym ondsTo Edm und GosseTo W.H. LowTo P. G . Ham e rton

CONTENTS

To Mrs. Fleem ing Jen-kinTo the Sam e

To Wi ll iam Arche rTo Thomas Steven sonToHenry Jam e sTo

'Wi l l i;a'm Arche rTo the Sam e

L IST OF I LLUSTRAT I ON S

PORTRA IT OF R. L. STEVENSON , fET. 35 F r ontz’sp z'eeeF r om aphotog raphby Mr . Lloy d Osbourne .

FAC IN G PAGEB IRTHPLACE OF ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON, ED IN

BURGH

ED INBURGH HOME OF THE STEVENSON F AM I LY ,1853

— I887

MONTEREY SQ UARES H OWIN G ON T H E LE FT T H E O L D S I MON EA U RE STAURANTBU IL D IN G AS REMO DE L LE D .

THE PLAZA (PORTSMOUTH SQ UARE)THE FAVOU R ITE LO UNG IN G- PLACE OF RO BERT LOUIS STEVEN S ONIN S AN FRANC ISCO

,WITH T H E MEMO R IAL TO H I M DES IGN ED

BY BRUCE PO RTE R AN D WI LL IS PO LK .

CHALET AM STE IN , DAVOS - PLATZ

GENERAL V IEW OF DAVOS

CHALET LA SOL ITUDE , HYERES

INTRODUCT I ON

NE day i n th e autumn of I888, i n th e is lan d OFTah iti

,during an i l l n ess whi ch h e su pposed migh t

be h i s last, Stevenson put i n to th e h an ds of h i s stepson ,Mr . L loyd Osbourn e , a s ea led pap er with th e requestth at i t Shou ld be open ed afte r h i s death . He recove red ,as every on e knows , and ha d strength enough to enj oy

s ix yea rs more of act i v e l i fe an d work i n th e Pa c ifi cI s la nds . When th e en d came, an d th e pape r was

Opened , i t was found to conta i n , among oth e r th ings ,th e express i on Ofh i s w ish th at I sh ou ld be asked top repa re fo r pub l i cati o n a se lect i o n Of h i s lette rs and asketch of h i s l i fe. The journa l- l ette rs written to m ys elf from h is Samoan h ome, s ubsequen t ly to th e date ofth e request , Offered th e read i est materia l towards fu lfi l l i ng p romptly a part a t l east Ofth e duty thus la i dupon m e ; and a sel ecti on from th ese was a cco rd i ngly

pub l i sh ed i n th e autumn fo l l owing h i s death .

1

Th e s can ty le i su re Ofan Offic i a l l ife (ch i efly emp loyedas i t was fo r s evera l yea rs i n se eing '

m y fri en d’ s co l l ected

and posth umous works th rough th e p ress) d id not a l l owme to compl ete th e rema i nder Of my task without con

S iderab le de lay. For on e th i ng, th e body Of co rre

1 VailimaLetter s Methuen Co.,ISO5.

xv

LETTERS OF R . L. STEVENSON

Spondence whi ch came i n from various quarters tu rnedoutmuch la rge r than had been ant ic i pated

,and th e

labour Ofs ifti ng and arrangi ng it much greater. Theauth or of Tr easur e Is land and Acr oss tb e P lains an dWeir ofHernzz'stond id not lovewri t i ng l ette rs , andwi l l be foun d somewhere i n th e fo l lowing pages re ferr i ng to h imsel f as one esse ntia l ly and origi na l ly incapabl e Ofth e a rt ep isto la ry . That h e was a badcorresponden t had even come to be an accepted V i ewamong h i s fri en ds ; but i n truth i t was on ly du ri ng on e

pa rt i cu la r p eri od Ofh is l i fe (see be low , vol. i . p . I I7 )that h e at a l l d ese rved such a re p roach . Ato th er times ,as i s now apparent, h e had Shown a degre e of i ndust ryan d spi ri t i n l ette r- writi ng e xtrao rd ina ry cons ideri ng

h i s h ea l th an d occupat io ns , an d espec ia l ly con s i dering

h is dec la red avers i on fo r th e task . H is l etters , i t i s true,were Often th e most inform al i n th e world , and h e gene rally negl ected to date th em , a habi t wh ich i s th e deSpa i r of ed i to rs ; but after h i s ownwh im an d fash ion h ewrote a vast n umbe r ; so that fo r every on e h e re i n c luded

some ha l f a d ozen at l east have had to be rej ected .

I n cons i deri ng th e sca l e and p lan on wh ich my frien d ’ s

i nstructi on shou l d be ca rri ed out, i t s eemed n ecessa ry to

take i nto accoun t, not h is owna lways modest o p in i onOf h imself, but th e p lace wh ich , as t ime went on , h e

seemed l i ke ly to take u l timately i n th e worl d ’ s rega rd .

The fou r o r five years fo l l owing th e d eath of awri te rmuch applauded i n h i s l ifetim e are gen era l ly th e yearswh en th e dec l i n e Ofh is reputati on begi n s , ifiti s go i ngto suffer d ec l in e a t all. Atp resent, certa i n ly, Stevenson ’ s name seems i n n o danger of go ing down . Onth e st ream of da i ly l itera ry reference and a l lusion it floats

xvi

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nality. But th e read er who remembers th i ngs l i k e th esea - frenzy OfGordon Darnaway, or th e d ia logue ofMarkheim with h i s oth er se l f i n the house Ofm urde r , orth e rebaptism of th e sp i r i t OfSeraph i na i n th e forestd ews , o r th e fa i l u re of H erri ck tofin d i n th e waters Ofth e i s lan d lagoon a last re leas e from d ish onou r

,o r th e

death ofGogue lat, or th e a ppea l Of K i rst i e El l i ott i n th em idn igh t ch amber — such a reader can on ly sm i l e a t a

c ri ti c i sm l i ke th i s an d put i t by . These an d a sco re Ofothe r passages breath e th e essen tia l poetry and significance of th i ngs as th ey revea l th emse lves to true masterso n ly — a re i n sti n c t at on ce w ith th e mora l i ty and th e

roman ce whi ch l i e d eep togeth er at th e sou l Ofnatu rea nd experi ence . N oti n va i n had Stevenson read th el esson Ofth e Lantern - Bea rers , an d h earken ed to th e

musi c of th e p i pes Of Pan. He was feel i ng h is way a l lh i s l i fe towards a fu l l e r mastery ofh is means , p referri nga lways to l eave un expressed what h e fel t that h e cou ld

n ot exp ress perfectly ; and i n much Of h i s work was

content merely to amuse h imse l f an d oth ers . But even

when h e i s p lay i ng most fan c ifu l ly wi th h is a rt an d h is

readers , as i n th e sh udders , tempered with laughter,Of th e Su ic i d e C l ub, or th e a i ry s en timen ta l comedy ofProv iden ce an d th e Gu ita r, o r th e sch oo lboy h isto rica li nventions of D i ckon Crookback and th e Old sa i l o r

Arb laster, a write r ofh i s qua l i ty cannot h el p stri k ingnotes from the h eart Ofl i fe and th e i nwardn ess Ofth i ngsdeeper than wi l l e ve r be struck , or even appreh en ded ,by anoth er who labou rs , with n ever a sm i l e e i th er Ofh i s own or Ofh is reader ’ s , upon th e most so l emn enterp ri ses of rea l i st i cficti on , but i s bo rn with out the magician’s touch and i n sigh t .

xvi i i

INTRODUCT I ON

Anoth e r advocate on th e same s ide, i n th e U n itedStates , has made much Ofth e supposed dependence Ofth is autho r on h i s mod el s , and c lassed h im among

writers whose i nsp i rat i on i s im itati ve and second - hand .

But th i s , sure ly , i s to be qu ite m is led by th ewe l lknown passage of Stevenson ’ s own, i n wh i ch h e Speaksof h imse l f as hav i ng i n h i s p renti ce yea rs p l ayed th e

sedulous ape to many wri te rs of d i ffe rent styl esand periods . I n do i ng th i s h e was n ot seek i ng inspiration , but s imp ly p ractis i ng th e use of th e too l s wh i ch

were to h el p h im to express h i s owni n sp i rat i on s.T ru ly h e was a lways much Of a reade r ; but i t was l i fe,not books , that a lways i n th e fi rst degree a l l u red an dtaugh t h im .

He loved of l i fe th e myriad s id es ,Pa i n , p raye r, o r p leasure , a ct o r s leep ,As wal l owi ng narwha l s l ov e th e deep

so with j ust s e l f- knowl edge h e wrote of h imsel f ; a n d

th e books wh ich h e most ca red fo r a n d l i ved w i thwerethose of wh i ch th e writers seemed — to quote aga i n a

ph rase Ofh i s own— to have been eavesd ropp ing a t

th e doo r Of h i s h ea rt those wh ich to l d Ofmoods,imp ress i ons , experi en ces o r c rav ings afte r expe ri en ce ,pa i ns , p l easures , Op i n ions , o r confl i c ts Of th e Sp i ri t,which i n th e eagern ess of youthfu l l i v i ng an d th in k i ng

had a l ready been h is own . NOman , i n fact, was eve r

less i n c l i n ed to take a nyth i ng at secon d - hand . Theroot Ofa l l origi na l i ty was i n h im , i n th e sh ape ofanextreme natura l V iv idness of perce pt i on , imaginat ion ,and feel i ng. Ani n st i n ct i ve a nd i nbred unwi l l i ngnessto accept th e accepted an d confo rm to th e conventiona l

x ix


was Ofth e essenc e Ofh is characte r, wheth er in l i fe ora rt, and was a sou rc e to h im both Of strength an dweakn ess . He would not fo l l ow a genera l ru l el east of a l l if i t was a p rudent ia l ru l e Ofcon duct uhl ess h e was c l ea r that i t was righ t acco rd i ng to h i s

p ri vate consc ien c e ; no r wou ld h e j o i n , i n youth , i nth e o rd i na ry soc i a l amusements of h i s c l ass when h ehad once found out that th ey d id not amuse bun; no rwear the i r c l othes if h e coul d not fee l at ease and be

h imse lf i n them ; nor use , wheth er i n speech orwri ti n g, any tri te o r i nan imate fo rm of words that d i d notfa i thfu l ly an d l iv i ngly express h i s thought. A read ie r

a cce ptan ce Of cu rren t u sages m ight h ave been bette r fo r

h im , but was s imp ly not i n h i s natu re . D amp gin

ger—bread puppe ts were to h im th e p ersons who

l i v ed an d th ought and fe l t a n d acted on ly as was ex

pected Ofth em . To S e e p eop le sk i pp i ng a l l ro un d

u s with th e i r eyes sea l ed u p with ind i fferen ce , know

ing noth i ng Ofth e ea rth o r man or woman , goi ng au

tom atically to Offi ces an d say ing th ey a re happy or

unhappy , out Ofa sense of duty I suppose , sure ly atl east from no sen se of happ i nes s or un happ i n ess , un less

pe rhaps th ey have a tooth that twi nges i s i t n o t l i k e

a bad dream ? NO read er of th i s book wi l l c los e i t,I am sure , with out fee l ing that h e has been th roughout

i n th e company Ofa sp i ri t vari ous i n deed an d manys i ded , but p rofoun d ly S i n cere an d rea l . Ways th at i nanoth er m igh t eas i ly have been mere signs Ofaffectat i on were i n Stevenson on ly th e s igns of a n ature tentimes more spontan eous ly i tse l f an d i nd iv i dua l ly a l i vethan th at Ofoth ers . Se lf- consc iousness , i n many characte rs th at possess i t, deflects an d falsifie s conduct ;

XX

I NTRODUCT ION

and so does th e d ramati c i nsti nc t. Stevenson wasse l f- consc ious i n a h igh degree, but on ly as a part of

h i s genera l a ctiv i ty Ofmin d ; on ly i n so fa r as h e cou ldnot h e l p being an extremely i n te l l igen t Spectator of h i sown doi ngs an d fee l i ngs ; th es e themsel ves came from

spr ings Of cha racte r an d impu lse much too deep andstrong to be d iverted . He loved a lso , with a ch i l d

’

s o r

a cto r ’ s gusto , to p lay a part a nd make a d rama out ofl i fe ; 1 but th e pa rt was a lways fo r th e moment h i s very

own : h e had i t n ot i n h im to pose fo r a nyth ing but

what h e t ru ly was .When a man so con sti tuted had on ce mastered h i s

c raft of letters , he m igh t ta ke up whatever i n strumen t

h e p l eased with th e i n sti n cti ve an d just confidence th ath e woul d p l ay upon it to a tun e an d w ith a man ner of

h i s own. Th is i s i nd eed th e true mark and tes t ofh i so rigin al i ty. He has n o n eed to be , or to seem , espe

cially origina l i n th e fo rm and mode Ofl i teratu re wh ichh e attempts . By h is ch o i ce Of th ese h e may at any

t im e gi ve h imse lf and h i s read e r the p leasu re Of reca l li ng, l i k e a fami l ia r a i r, som e stra i n of l i te ra ry assoc i

at i on ; but i n s o doi ng h e on ly adds a secondary cha rm

to h i s work ; th e V i s i on , th e tempe rament, th e mode Of

conce iv i ng and hand l i ng, a re i n every case st rongly

persona l to h imself. He may try h is han d i n youth at

a Sen timenta l J ou rn ey, but R . L . S. cannot choose but

b e a t th e Oppos i te po l e Ofh uman character a nd feel i ngfrom Lau rence Ste rn e. I n ta l es of myste ry. a l l egori ca lor oth e r, h e may bear i n m i n d th e p re cedent Of Edgar

Poe , an d yet the re i s noth i ng i n sty l e a nd temper much

1 Com pare Virg inibus Puer isque : the e ssay on The Engl i shAdm i ral s .”

xxr

LETTERS O F R . L. STEV ENSON

wi de r a part than Marnheim an d j eky l l andHy de ar efrom The Mur der s intbeRue Morgue o r Wil l iamWilson. He may set outto te l l a p i rate sto ry fo r boys“exact ly i n th e a n c i en t way , a nd it wi l l come fromh im not i n the a nc i ent way at a l l , but reminted ;marked with a sha rpness and sa l ie ncy i n th e characte rs ,a p rivate stam p Ofbuccan eeri ng feroc i ty combin edwi thsm i l i ng humou r, an en ergy OfV i s io n an d ha ppy V i v idn ess of presentment, which a re sh i n i ngly h i s own.Anoth e r time , h e may desert th e path s OfK i ngston an dBal lantyne th e b rave fo r those OfS i r Wa l te r Scott ; butl ite ratu re p rese nts few stronger con trasts than between

any scen e ofWaver l ey o rRedgauntletand any scen e OfTb e Master ofBal lantrae or Catr iona, wheth er i n th ei rs trength or weakn ess : an d i t i s th e most l oya l loversof th e O lder maste rwho take th e greatest p l easu re inread ing th e work Of th e younger, SO much l ess Opu

lently gifted as i s p robabl e — th ough we must remember that Ste v en son d i ed at th e age when Scott wroteWaver l ey — SO i nfin i tely more carefu l Ofh is gi ft.S tevenson may even blowupon th e p ip e OfBurns, andyet h i s tun e wi l l b e no echo , but one wh ich utters th e

h ea rt an d m ind Ofa Scots po etwho has h i s own outl ook Onl i fe , h i s owns pec ia l an d p rofi tab l e ve i n ofsm i l i ng o r sati ri ca l contemplati on .

N otby reason , th en , Of“external i ty , fo r su re , no r

yet Of im itati ven ess ,wi l l th is wri ter l ose h i s ho ld onth e attenti on and regard Ofh is countrymen . Th e debate , befo re h i s p lac e inl i te ratu re i s s ettl ed , must ratherturn on oth e r p o i nts : as whethe r th e gen ia l essayistan d egoi st o r th e romanti c i n vento r an d narrato r wasth e stronger i n h im — wheth er th e Montaigne and

xxii

INTRODUCT I ON

Pepys el ements p reva i l e d i n h is l i tera ry compos i ti on , orth e Scott an d D umas e lements — a quest i o n i nd eed

wh ich among th ose who ca re fo r h im most h as a lways

been a t i ssue. Or aga i n , what degree Oftrue i nsp i ri ngan d i l l um i nati ng power belongs to th e gospe l , o r gos

pel s , a i ri ly en cou ragi ng or gravely d id acti c ,wh i ch areset fo rth i n th e essays with SOcapt i vating a grac e ? Orwheth er i n romance a nd ta l e h e had a power of hap

p i ly i nven t ing and sound ly construct i ng awho l e fab l ecomparab l e to h is unquest ionab le power of conce i vi ngan d p resenti ng s i ngl e scenes an d s i tuati ons i n a man

n erwh i ch stamps th em i ndel ib ly on th e reader ’ s m i nd .And wheth e r h i s figures a re susta i n ed con ti nuously by

th e true , l a rge , spontan eous breath Ofc reat i on , o r a rebut tran si tori ly an imated at cr i ti ca l a n d happy moments

by flash es ofsp i ri tua l a nd d ramati c i n s ight, a i ded byth e con sc i ous d ev i ces of h i s s ingular ly ad ro i t a n d

Sp i rited a rt . Th i s i s a questi on wh i ch no cri t i c i smbut that Of t im e can so lve ; i t takes th e consent ing instinctOf generat ion s to feelwh eth er th e c rea tu res offi ct i on , h owever powerful ly th ey may stri ke a t fi rst

,

a re durab ly an d equably , or eph emera l ly a nd fitfully,a l i ve . TO conten d , as some do , that strong creati ve

impulse, and so keen an a rti s ti c se lf- con sc i ousn es s as

Stevenson ’ s was , can not ex ist togeth e r, i s q u i te id l e.The truth , of course, i s th at th e deep - seated en ergi esOf imagin ati v e c reat ion a re found sometimes i n com

b inati on , an d sometimes not i n comb inat ion , with an

a rt i sti c i nte l l igen ce thus keen ly consc i ous of i ts own

purpose an d watchful Ofi ts own work i ng.

Once more , i t may be questi on edwh ether, amongth e many vari eti es of work wh ich Stevenson has l eft,

xx i i i


a l l touched with gen ius , a l l cha rm ing and st imulati ngto th e l i te ra ry sense , a l l d ist i ngu ished by a grac e a nd

prec i si on of workmansh i pwh ich a re the ra rest qua l i ti esi n Engl i s h a rt , th ere a re any wh ich can be poi n ted to as

abso l ute masterp i eces , such as th e future cannot be ex

p ected to letd i e . Let th e futu re dec ide . What i s certa i n i s th at poste ri ty must e ith er be very wel l , or ve ry

i l l , occup ied if it can consen t to gi ve up so much soun d

enterta i nment, and better than en te rta i nment, as th is

write r a fforded h is con tempo ra ri es . Inth e meantime,

among jud i c i ous reade rs onboth s i des Ofth e At la n ti c ,Ste venson stands , I th i n k i t may safe ly be sa id , as atrue m aster OfEngl ish p rose ; unsurpassed fo r th e un ionofl en ity an d l uci d i tywi th suggesti v e p regnan cy andpoet i c an imation ; fo r harmony Ofcaden ce and th e wel lkn i t structu re of sen ten ces ; and fo r th e a rt Ofim partingto words th e V i ta l qua l i ty Ofth i ngs , and maki ng themconvey th e p reci s e — sometim es , l et i t be granted , th e

too curious ly p reci s e — exp ress i on ofth e very Shadean d co lour Ofth e thought , fee l i ng, or V is i o n i n h i s

m ind . He stands , moreover, as th e wri ter who , i n th e

l ast quarte r of th e n i n eteenth c entury , has h and l ed with

th e most offreshness an d i n sp i ri ti ng power the wi destrange Of estab l i sh ed l i tera ry forms — th e mora l , cri ti ca l ,and pe rsona l essay , trave l s sentimenta l and oth e r, ro

mane es an d short ta les both h istori ca l an d modern ,pa rab les an d ta l es Ofmyste ry , boys ’ sto ri es Of adventure , memoi rs — nor l et lyri ca l an d medi tati ve verse

both Engl i sh an d Scottis h , and espec i al ly nu rsery verse, an ew vein fo r gen ius to work i n , be fo rgotte n . To someOf th es e fo rms Stevenson gave qui te n ew l i fe ; th rougha l l a l i k e h e expressed viv id ly an extreme ly persona l

xx i v


almost ent i rely with facts and events , that they canwithout d iffi cu l ty be hand l ed i n th i s way . But events

and facts ,“sord i d facts , as h e ca l l ed them , were no t

ve ry Often su ffered to i ntrud e in to Stevenson ’ s co rrespondence . I d eny , h e wri tes ,

“that l etters shou ldcon ta i n n ews ( I mean m i ne ; those of oth er peop l eshou ld) . But m in e Shou l d conta i n appropriate sen timents an d humorous nonsen se , o r non sen se wi thout

th e humour. Bus i n ess l ette rs , l ette rs of i nformation ,a nd l etters of courtesy h e had sometimes towr ite : butwhen h e wrote best was under th e i nfluence Of th ea ffect ion o r impress i on , o r th e mere wh im or mood ,Ofthe moment ; pou ring h imself out i n a l l manne r Ofrha psod i ca l co nfe ss i on s an d speculati ons , grave o r gay,notes OfObse rvatio n and cri t i c i sm , sna tches of remem

brance a nd autob iography , m oralising s on matters uppe rm ostfo r th e hou r i n h i s m ind , comments on h is own

work or other peop l e’

s , or mere i d l e fun and foo le ry .

With a l etter- write r Ofth i s cha racte r, as i t s eems tome , a j ud i c i ous reade r des i res to be left as much a lon eas poss ib l e . What he wants i s to re l i s h th e corre spondence by itse l f, o rwi th on ly j ust SOmuch i n th e wayofnotes a nd i ntroducti on s as may serve to make a l lus i ons an d s i tuations c lea r. Two vo lumes , th en , ofl etters so ed i ted , to be p receded by a separate i ntro

ductory vo l ume Ofna rrati v e and crit i ca l memo i r, oretude — such was to be th e memoria l to my frien d

wh i ch I had p lan n ed , and h oped by th i s t im e to have

ready . Unfortunate ly , th e n eedful l e i su re has h ithertofai l ed me , an d m ight fa i l mefor som e t ime yet , to comp lete th e sepa rate vo lume Ofb iography . That i s n ow,

at th e wi sh of th e fami ly , to be undertaken by StevenXXVI

I NTRODUCT I ON

son ’ s cous in an d my fri end , Mr . Graham Ba lfour.Meanwh i le th e Letter s , with i n troducti on s an d notessomewhat extended from th e origi na l p lan , a re h ere

with p resented as asubstanti ve work by th emsel ves .

Th e book wi l l enab le th ose who know and loveth ei r Steven son a l ready to know h im more i n timate ly,and, as I hope, to l ov e h im more . I t co nta i n s, certainly, much that i s most essenti a l ly characteri st i c ofth e man . To some , perh aps , that ve ry lack Ofart as acorrespondent of wh ich we have foun d h im above ac

cusing h imself may give th e read ing an added charmand flavou r. What h e cou l d do as an arti s t we knowwhat a te l l i ng power and h e ighten ed th ri l l h e coul d

give to a l l h i s effects , i n so many d iffe ren t modes Ofexpress i on and compos it ion , by ca l cu lated Sk i l l a ndth e de l iberate exerc i se Of a pe rfectly t ra i n ed facul tyTh i s i s th e qua l ity wh ich nobody den i es h im , and

wh i ch so deep ly im pressed h i s fe l low craftsmen Ofa l lk i n ds. I remember th e late S i r J oh n Mi l l a i s , a sh rewdand ve ry i ndepen den t j udge of books , ca l l i ng ac ross tom e at a d i n n er- tab le, “You know Steven son , don

’ t

you ? and then goi ng on ,“Wel l

,Iwishyou wou ld

tel l h im from me, i f h e cares to know , that to my m in d

h e i s th e very fi rst Of l i v i ng a rti sts . I d on ’ t mean

writers merely , but pa in te rs an d a l l of us : nobody l i v

i ng can see with such an eye as that fe l low, and no

body i s such amaster of h i s too ls . N owi n h i s l ette rs ,excepti ng a few wri tten i n youth , an d hav ing more

or l ess th e character ofexe rc ises , an d a few i n afte ryears wh ich were i n tended fo r th e publ i c eye, Stevensonth e del iberate arti st i s s carce ly forth com i ng at a l l .He does not ca re a fig for o rd er or logi ca l sequence o r

XXVI]

LETTERS O F R . L. STEVEN SON

congru i ty. o r fo r str ik ing a key Ofexp ress ion and keepi ng i t, but becomes s imp ly th e most spontan eous andun stud i ed of human be i ngs. He wil l wri te w ith th emost d i st i ngu i sh ed e l egance onon e day , with s imp l egood sense and good fee l i ng ona second , with flatt riv ia l i ty onanoth e r, and with th e most s lash i ng , oftenu l tra - co l loqu ia l , v e hemence ona fourth , or wi l l va ry

th rough a l l th ese moods and more i n one an d th e samel ette r. He h as at h i s command th e who l e vocabu la ri es

Ofth e Engl ish and Scotti s h l anguages , c lass i ca l andS lang , with good stores Ofth e F ren ch , and tosses andtumbles th em about i r respons ib ly to convey th e im

p ress i on o r affect ion , th e mood or frea k of th e moment.Passages or ph rases ofth e c raz iest sch oo lboy or s ea

far i ng s lang come tumbl i ng afte r an d capp ing othe rs of

c lass i ca l cadence a nd purity , Of poeti ca l a n d heartfe lte loquen ce . By th i s med l ey Ofmoods a nd mann ers ,Stevenson ’ s l etters a t the i r best — th e p ick , let u s say,of those i n th e fo l l owing vo lumes wh ich were wri tten

from Hyeres o r Bourn emouth — come n ea rer th an any

th ing e lse to th e fu l l - b looded charm and va ri ety Of h i sconversat i on .

N earer, yet not qu i te n ea r ; for i t was i n company

on ly that th i s gen ia l sp i ri t rose to h i s v ery best. T hosewhom h i s wri t i ngs ch arm o r impress , but who n ever

kn ew h im , can but imagin e h ow doub ly th ey woul d

h ave been cha rmed an d impressed by h i s p resence.

F ewmen probab ly , certa i n ly n on e that I h ave eve rseen o r read of, have had about them such a ri chn essand va ri ety ofh uman n ature ; an d few can eve r h avebeen bette r gifted tha n h e was to express the p lay of

be i ng that was i n h im by means ofth e ap t, express ivexxvii i

I NTRODUCT I ON

word and th e an imated look and gestu re. D iver s etondoyant, i n th e word s of Monta ign e, beyond oth e rmen , h e seemed to con ta i n w ith i n h imself a who l e

troop Of s ingu la rly assorted ch ara cters — th e poet anda rti st, th e mora l i st an d p reach er th e h umouri st an d

j este r, th e man ofhea rt a nd consc ien ce , th e man Ofeage r ap pet i te a n d curi osi ty, th e B oh em ian , im pat i en t

Of restra i nts an d Shams , th e adventu rer an d lover Oft rave l and of a ct ion : chara cte rs , s eve ra l of th em , not

rare s epa rate ly, esp ec ia l ly among h i s Scotti sh fe l lowcountrymen , but ra re indeed to be foun d un i ted , and

each i n su ch fu l ness a nd i n ten si ty, with i n th e boundsOfa s i ngl e perso na l i ty .

Befo re a l l th i ngs Stevenson was a born poet, to whomthe worl d was ful l Of enchan tment and ofl aten t romance , on ly wa i ti ng to take shap e and substa nc e i n

th e forms Of a rt. I t was h i s b i rth righ t

to h ea r

Th e great bel l beat i ng fa r and nea rTh e Odd, un known , en chan ted gongT hat on th e road ha l es m en a long,That fr om th e mountai n ca l l s afar,T hat lu res th e vesse l from a sta r,And with a sti l l , aeri a l s oundMakes a l l th e ea rth en chan ted groun d .

Atth e sam e time , h e was n ot l ess a bo rn p reach eran d mora l i s t afte r h i s fash ion . A t ru e son of th e

Covenante rs , h e had about h im l i tt l e Spi ri t of soc ia l o roth er conform i ty ; but an acti v e and sea rch i ng p rivate

consc i en c e kept h im for ever ca l l i ng i n quest io n both

th e grounds ofh is own conduct a n d th e va l i d ity ofxx ix

LETTERS O F R . L . STEV ENSON

th e accepted codes an d comp rom ises Ofsoc i ety . Hemust try to work out a sch eme Ofmora l i ty su i tab l e toh is own case and temperament , whi ch found th e p rohib itory l aw OfMoses ch i l l an d un i nsp i ri ng , but i n th eSermon on th e Mount a strong i n centi ve to a l l th os eimpu lses of p i ty and charity to wh ic h h is h ea rtwasp rone . Inyouth h i s s ense Ofsoc ia l i njusti c e an d th ei n equa l i t i es ofhuman Oppo rtun i ty made h im inward lymuch Ofarebel , who woul d have embraced and actedon th eori es of soc i a l i sm and commun ism , coul d h eh ave foun d any th at d i d not seem tohim at varia ncewith i nerad i cab l e i nsti n cts of human nature . 1 All h is

l ife th e a rti st and th e mora l i st i n h im a l i kewere i n r ebe l l i o n aga i n st th e bourgeo i s sp i ri t — aga in st t im id ,n egative , and shuffl i ng substitutes fo r a cti ve and cou ra

g eous wel l - do i ng — and d ec l i n ed to worsh i p at th e sh ri n e

ofwhat h e ca l l ed th e bestia l goddesses Comfort a ndRespectab i l i ty . Th e mora l is t i n h im h e l ped th e a rtistby backi ng with th e fo rce Of a h igh ly s en s i t i ve con

sc ien ce h i s i nst i n cti ve l ove Ofperfection i n h i swork .

Th e poet and a rt i st qua l ified th e mora l ist by d iscoun tenanc ing any p refere nce fo r th e ha rsh , th e sour,o r th e se lf—mortify i ng fo rms Ofvi rtue , an d en cou ragingth e love fo r a l l tend e r or he ro ic , glowi ng , generous ,and cheerfu l fo rms .Inanothe r aspect Ofh is many- s i ded be ing Stevensonwas not l ess a born adventure r and p ract i ca l e xpe ri

menta l i st i n l i fe . Many po ets a re content to d ream ,

an d many, perhaps most , mora l i sts to p reach ; but

Stevenson must eve r be do i ng an d unde rgo ing. He

1 The fragm ent cal led Lay Morals (Th i stle editi on,vo l . xxu. pp .

53 1—588) contain s the pith of h i s m ental h i story onthe se subjects .

xxx

I NTRODUCT I ON

was no sentimenta l i st, to pay h imse lf with fin e fee l i ngswheth er fo r mean act ion o r sl ack i naction . He had an

in satiab le zest fo r a l l experi enc es , not th e p l easu rabl e

on ly , but i n c lud i ng even th e more ha rsh an d b i t i ng

th ose that b ri ng home to a man th e p in ch and sti ng Ofex i sten ce as i t i s rea l i s ed by th e d i s i nh erited of th e

wo r ld , a nd exc lud ing on ly what h e though t th e prim ,

th e conventi ona l, th e d ead - a l i ve , and th e cut- and - d ry .

Onoccas io n th e expe rimenta l i s t an d man Ofadventurei n h im woul d en ter i n to spec ia l pa rtn ersh i p with th e

mora l i st an d man ofconsc i en ce ; h e loved to find h im

se lf ihd iffi cul t soc ia l passes and eth i ca l d i l emmas fo rth e sake of try ing to behav e i n th em to th e utmost

acco rd ing to h i s own persona l sense Of th e Obl igat i on s

t onour , duty , an d ki ndness. I n yet anoth er pa rt ofh is being, he ch eri sh ed , as h i s great countryman Scotth ad done befo re h im , a n i n tense underly ing l onging fo r

th e l i fe Of actio n , danger, and command . Act ion ,Colv i n , a ct ion , I rem ember h i s c ry i ng eagerly to m e

with h i s h an d onmy arm as we lay bask i ng for h i sh ea l th ’ s sake i n a boat off th e scented shores ofth eCap St. Ma rt i n . Anoth e r t im e - th i s was onh is wayto a winter cu re a t D avos some fri en d had given h im

Genera lHam ley’

s Operations ofWar “i n wh ich ,h e writes to h i s fath er,

“I am d rowned a thousan dfathoms deep , an d 0 that I h ad been a so l d i er is sti l lmy cry . I n so fra i l a tabernac l e was i t that th e asp i rat i on s ofth e artist, th e un conventiona l mora l i st, th el over of al l experi ence , an d th e love r Ofdaring act ionh ad to l ea rn to recon c i l e th emse lves as best th ey m ight.F ra i l a s i t was , itconta i ned witha l a s trong an ima lnatu re, and h e was as much exposed to th e sto rms and

xxxi

LETTE RS O FR. Im STEVENSON

so l i c i tat i ons of sense as to the c rav ings and questi on ingsOf the s p i ri t. F ortunate ly , with a l l th ese a rdent an d

d ivers i n sti n cts , th ere were p resent two i nva luabl e gifts

bes ides — thatOfhumour,wh ich fo r all h is stress Ofbeing an d V i v i d consc iousn es s Ofs el f saved h im fromever s eei ng h imsel f fo r l ong togeth e r outOfa just proport ion , a nd kept whol esome laughter a lways ready ath i s l i ps ; a nd that of a perfe ctly warm , l oya l , and ten der

h ea rt, wh ich th rough a l l h i s experiments an d agi tations

made th e law of ki n dn ess th e one ru l i ng l aw Ofh is l ife .I n the end , l ack Ofh ea l th determ in ed h i s ca ree r, giv i ngth e ch ief pa rt i n h i s l ife to th e arti st an d man Ofimaginat ion , and keep i ng th e man of a ction a prison e r i n th e

s i ck room unti l , by a s ingular turn of desti ny, h e was

ab l e to wring a rea l , pro longed , an d romantica l ly suc

cessful a dventure out ofthat voyage to th e Pac ificwh i ch h ad been , i n i ts o rigi n , th e last d es pa i r i ng r e

source Ofth e i n va l i d .

To tak e th i s mu lt i p le p ersona l i ty from anoth er poi ntofV i ew, i t was part Of h i s gen ius th at h e n eve r seemed

to be c ramped l i ke th e rest of us , at any given t ime

ofl i fe, with i n th e l im i ts ofh is p roper age , but to bech i l d

,boy , young man , and o ld man a l l a t once .

Th ere was never a t ime i n h i s l ife when Stevenson hadto say wi th St. August i n e , “Beho ld ! my ch i l dh oodi s d ead

,but I am a l i ve. Th e ch i ld , as h i s Gar denof

Ver ses l i ves to test ify , an d as wi l l be seen by abundant

evi den ce i n th e course of th e fo l l owing pages , l i ved onalways in h im

,not i n memory on ly , but i n rea l survi va l ,

with a l l i ts fres hn ess of percept i on un impai red , and non e

Of i ts p l ay i nst i n cts i n th e l east d egree ext ingu ish ed ormade ashamed . As for th e perenn ia l boy in Stevenson ,

xxxfi


i n endurance . I n th e mora l courage of fac i ng s i tuati on s

and consequences , of cheerfu l sel f- d isc i p l i n e an d read ln ess to pay for fau lts comm itted , Ofoutspokenness , admitti ng no ambiguous re l at ion s and c l ea ri ng away th e

c louds from human i ntercou rse , I h ave not known h i sequa l . H is great countryman Scott , as th i s boo k wi l lp rov e, was not more manful ly free from artistic jealousyor th e l east shade of i rri tab i l i ty unde r c ri ti c i sm , or more

modestly and unfe igned ly i n c l in ed to exaggerate th eq ua l i ti es Ofoth e r peopl e ’ s work an d to underrate th oseofh i s own . H is s everest cr iti c was a lways h imself ;th e n ext most severe , those Ofh is ownhouseho l d an di ntimacy , whose love made them j ea lous l est h e shouldfal l sh ort of h i s best ; fo r h e l i ved i n an atmosphere of

l ove, i nd eed , but n ot Offlatte ry. Ofth e h umorous a n dengaging parts Ofvan ity a nd ego ism , whi ch l ed h im tomake i nfin ite ta l k and fun about h imself, an d use h i s

ownexperi ences as a key fo r un locki ng th e confidencesOf oth ers , Stevenson had p l enty ; but Ofth e moros e an dfretfu l parts n eve r a shade . A l i ttl e I r i sh girl

,h e

wrote once during a pa i nfu l c ris i s Ofh i s l i fe, i s n ow

read ing my book a loud to h er S i ste r at my elbow ; th eychuck le, an d I fee l flatte red — Yours , R . L . S. P .5.

— N owth ey yawn , and I am ind ifferen t. Such a wiselyconce ived th ing is van i ty . I f on ly van i ty so con ce ived

were commoner ! And whatever m igh t be the abstrac t and ph i lo soph i ca l va l ue of that som ewhat grim ly

sto i ca l con cepti on of th e un iverse, Ofconduct an d duty ,at wh ich i n mature years h e had arrived , want of man l in ess i s c erta i n ly n ot i ts fau l t. N or i s any such want tobe found i n th e p racti c e wh i ch h e founded on or com

b ined with i t ; i n h is i nvi nc ib le gai ety and sweetn essxxx iv

I NTRODUCT I ON

under su fferi ngs an d dep rivati on s th e most ga l l i ng to

h im ; i n th e tem per wh i ch made h i s p re sen c e i n h ea ltho r S i c kn ess a p erpetua l sun sh i n e to those about h im .

Take th e k i n d ofmaxims ofl i fe wh i ch h e was accustom ed to fo rge fo r h imself an d to act by . Acts may

be fo rgiven ; not even God can fo rgiv e th e h anger

back .

“Choose th e best, i f you can ; or choose th eworst ; th at wh ich hangs i n th e win d dangles from a

gibbet. Sha l l I ? ’ sa id F eeb l e - min d ; an d th e ech o

sa id , F ie ! Do I l o ve sa i d Love les s ; an d th e ech olaughed . A faul t k n own i s a fau lt cu red to th e

strong ; but to th e weak i t i s a fette r ri veted .

“Th emean man doubts , th e great- h ea rted i s dece ived .

“Great- h eart was dece ived . V ery wel l ,’ sa i d Great

h eart. ‘I h ave not forgotten my um bre l l a ’ sa id th e

ca refu l man ; but th e l igh tn i ng struck h im . N u l l i ty

wanted noth i ng ; so h e supposed h e wanted adv i ce .Evi l was ca l l ed Youth t i l l h e was O ld , and th en h e was

ca l l ed Hab it. “F ea r kept th e house ; a n d sti l l h e

must pay taxes . “Shame had a fi ne bed , but where

was s lumber ? Once h e was i n ja i l h e s l ept. With

th i s mora l is t maxims mean t a ct i ons ; an d wh ere Shal lwe eas i ly fin d a much man l i e r sp i ri t Ofwisdom thanth is PTh erewas yet anoth e r an d very d i fferent s ide to

Stevenson wh ich struck oth ers more than i t struckmysel f, namely , that of th e p erfectly frea k ish , not per

fectly human , i rrespons ib l e madca p o r jeste r wh ichsometimes appea red i n h im . Iti s tru e that h i s de

mon iac qui ckness Ofwit an d i n te l l igen ce suggeste doccas i ona l ly a “s p i ri t Of a i r an d fi re rath e r than on e

of earth ; that h e was abundan tly given to a l l k i n ds ofXXXV

LETTERS O F R . L . STEVENSON

qui rk and laughter ; and th at there was no j est (sav ingthe unkind) h e wou l d not make and rel i s h . Inth estreets of Ed inbu rgh h e had certa i n ly been known fo rqueer p ra nks and m ystifications i n youth ; a nd up tom idd l e l i fe there seemed to some Of h i s fr i en ds to bemuch , i f n ot Ofth e Puck , at l east Ofth e Ari e l , abouth im . Th e late Mr . J . A. Symonds a lways ca l l ed h imSp ri te ; qua l ify i ng the name , h owe ve r, by th e ep i th etsmost fantast ic , but most human To me th e essenti a l h uman ity was a lways th e th i ng most apparen t.I n a fi re we l l n ouri sh ed of seasoned sh i p - t imber, th e

flames glan ce fantasti ca l ly and of many co lours , but th e

glow athea rt i s eve r d eep an d strong ; i t was at such a

glow that th e fri ends of Stevenso n were accustomedto warm the i r h ands , wh i l e th ey adm i red and wereen terta i n e d by th e sh ift i ng l ights .I t was on ly i n ta l k , as I have sa id , that a l l th e many

l ights a n d co lours ofth i s r ich ly compounded sp i ri tcou l d be seen i n fu l l p l ay. He would begi n no matter

h ow — inearly days Often with a j est at h i s own ahsu rd garments , o rwi th th e rec itat ion , i n h is v ibrati ngvoi ce and fu l l Scotchaccent, Ofsome snatch of poetrythat was h aunt i ng h im , or with a rhapsody Of ana lyt i c

d el ight ove r some mi nut e acc ident Of beauty o r exp res

siveness that had struck h i s Observati on , an d woul dh ave escaped that of everybody e lse , i n man , woman ,c h i ld , or externa l natu re. And forthwi th th e floodgates

wou l d be Opened , and th e ta l k would stream on in

end l ess , n ever importunate , flood and va ri ety . A hundred fi cti tious cha racters would be invented , d i fferentiated, and l aun ch ed on the i r imagi nary careers ; a

hund red i ngen ious probl ems of conduct and cases OfXXXVI

INTRODUCT I ON

honou r wou ld b e s et and so lved , i n a manner Often qu i teOpposed to convent i ona l p recept ; romanti c voyageswoul d be p lanned an d fo l l owed out i n V i s ion , with athousand i nc idents , to a l l th e co rn ers of our own p lan etan d Of oth ers ; th e poss ib i l i t i es Ofl i fe a nd a rt wou ld b ei l l um inated with glan ci ng sea rch - l ights Ofbewi l deri ngrange and penetration , th e most sobe r argument a lter

n at i ng with th e maddest freaks Offan cy , h igh poeti ce l oquence with coruscati ons of i nsa n e ly appos i te s lang— th e earth i est j a p e anon shoot ing up i n to th e empy

rean and changing i nto th e most ethe rea l fantasy — th e

sta l est an d most v ulgari sed forms of s peech gai n i ng

bri l l i a n cy an d i l l um inat i ng power from some h ith e rto

und reamt- Ofapp l i cati o n an d a l l th e wh i l e a n atmo

sph ere Ofgoodwi l l d i ffus ing itse l f from th e speaker, aglow of eager ben ign i ty and affecti onate laugh te r emanati ng from h i s p res en ce, t i l l eve ry on e about h im

seemed to catch someth i ng Of h i s own gift and i n sp i ra

ti on . Th is sympath eti c power of insp i ri ng oth ers wasth e spec ia l an d d ist i ngu ish ing note of Stevenson ’ s conve rsatio n . He woul d keep a housefu l o r a s i ng le compan io n enterta in ed a l l d ay , a n d day afte r day and ha l fth e n ights, yet n ever seemed to dom i nate th e ta l k o r

abso rb i t ; rathe r h e h el ped eve ry on e about h im to d is

cover an d to exerc is e unexp ected powers of th ei r own .

The poi n t cou l d h ard ly be bette r brought out than i t i si n a fragmen t wh ich I b or rowfrom Mr . Hen l ey Ofa nunpub l i sh e d cha racte r- sketch Ofh i s fri end : “I l eaveh i s p ra i se i n th i s d i recti on [th e te l l i ng Of Scottis h verhacu lar sto ri es] to othe rs . I t i s more to my purpos eto

note that h e wi l l d i scou rsewi th youOf mo ral s , musi c ,marb les, men , mann ers, metaphys i cs , medic i n e , man

XXXVI I

LETTERS O F R. Im STEV ENSON

gold-wurzel — que seay s-j e — with equa l i n s igh t i n to

essentia l s and equal p regnancy and fel i c i ty Ofutte rance ;and that he wi l l sto p with you to make mud p ies i n th e

fi rs t gutter,range i n your company whate v er h eigh ts

Ofthought and feel i ng you have found accessib l e , a nden d by guid i ng you to a l ti tudes far n earer the sta rs than

you have eve r d reamed of foot ing i t ; an d that at th e

l as t h e makes you wonder wh i ch to adm i re th e more

h i s ea sy fam i l i a ri ty with th e Ete rna l Verac i t ies o r th e

bri l l ian t flash es Ofimbec i l i ty w ith wh ic h h i s excurs i onsi n to th e I nfin i te a re sometimes d i v ers ified . He rad i

ates ta l k , as the su n does l igh t and h eat ; an d afte r an

even ing — or aweek wi thhim , you come forth with

a sense of sati sfact i on i n you r owncapaci ty wh ichsom e how p roves supe ri o r even to th e i n e v i tab l e conclusionthat your b ri l l i an ce was but th e reflection Ofh isown , and that a l l th e wh i le youwere on ly p layi ng th e

pa rt OfRubi nste i n ’ s p iano o r Sarasate ’

s V i o l i n .

All th i s th e read er shou l d imagin e as h e l p ed by th e

most s peak ing of p resenc es : a steady , penetrati ng firei n th e wid e—set eyes , a compel l i ng power and sweet

n ess i n th e sm i l e ; courteous , waving gestures Ofth ea rms and long , nervous hands , a l i t c iga rette genera l ly

h e ld between th e fingers ; cont inua l rap i d sh ift i ngs and

pacing s to and fro ashe conve rsed : rap i d , but n ot flurr i ed nor awkwa rd , fo r th ere was a grac e inh is attenuated but wel l - ca rr i ed figure , an d h i s movements were

l ight, deft, and fu l l Ofsp ring. When I fi rst knewh imhewas pass ing th rough a peri o d Ofneatness be tweentwo of Boh emian care l essness as to d ress ; SO that th eeffect Ofh is cha rm was imm ed iate . Atoth er t im es ofh i s youth there was som ethingfor strangers , and even for

xxxvfii

INTRODU CT I ON

fri ends , to get ove r i n th e odd garments wh ich i t was

h i s wh im to wear th e badge, as th ey a lways seemed

to me, pa rt ly of a genu in e care l essn ess , certa i n ly Of agenuin e lack Ofcash (th e l i ttl e h e had was a lways absolute ly at th e d isposa l Ofh is fri ends) , partly Ofa de libe rate deta chment from any parti cu la r soc i a l c lass or caste.part ly Of h is l o v e Of p i ckl es an d adventu re s , whi ch h ethought befel l a man thus att i re d more read i ly tha n ahoth er. But th i s s l ender, s l oven ly , nondescri p t appari

t i on,l ong - V i saged an d long- ha i red , had on ly to Speak

i n o rder to be recogn i sed i n th e fi rs t m i nute fo r awi ttyand cha rm ing gentl eman , an d with in th e fi rs t five fo r a

maste r sp i r i t a nd man ofgen ius . Th e re were, i n deed ,certa i n sto l i d ly convent i ona l an d su perc i l i ous ly offici a lk i nds of persons , both at h ome an d ab road , who were

i ncapable Ofl ook i ng beyon d th e c l oth es , an d eye d h ima lways w ith frozen susp ic i on . Th i s a tt i tude used sometim es ihyouth to d ri v e h im i nto fi ts offlam ing anger,wh i ch put h im hel p l ess ly at a d isad v antage un less

,o r

un ti l , h e cou ld ca l l th e sen se Ofhumour to h i s h e l p .

For th e rest, h i s human ch arm was th e sam e fo r a l l

k i nds of peop le ,wi th out th e l east di s t i n c ti on ofc lass orcaste ; for worl d ly - wise Old great l ad i es , whom he r e

mind ed Offamous poets i n th e i r youth ; fo r h i s b roth era rti sts and men of l e tte rs , perh aps , above a l l ; fo r th e

o rd ina ry c lubman ; fo r h i s phys ic ian s , who cou l d n eve r

do enough for h im ; fo r domestic servants, who adoredh im ; for th e Engl i sh po l i ceman even , on whom h e

Often tr i ed , qu ite i n va in , to pass h imse lf as o ne of th e

crim i na l cl asses ; fo r th e common se aman , th e sh eph erd , th e street Arab , o r th e tramp . Even i n th e impos ed S i len ce an d restra i n t ofextreme s i ckness th e

xxx ix

LETTERS O F R . L. STEVENSON

magneti c power and attra ctio n of th e man made i tse lf

fe lt, an d th ere seemed to be more V i ta l i ty an d fi re ofth e sp i ri t i n h im as he lay exhausted an d speech less i n

bed tha n i n an o rd i nary roomfu l ofpeop l e i n h eal th .

But I h ave strayed from my purpose , which is on ly

to i nd icate that i n th e best Ofthes e l etters of Stevenson ’ syou have some echo , far away i ndeed , but yet th e nearest

, Ofh i s ta l k — ta l kwh ich cou ld n e v e r be taken down ,and has le ft on ly a n i neffaceabl e imp ress i on i n th e mem

o ry Of h i s fr i en ds . The l ette rs , i t sh ou ld be added , donot represent h im at a l l fu l ly unti l about th e th i rt i eth

yea r Ofh is ag e , th e begi nn ing Ofth e sett led a nd marri edperi od Ofh i s l ife. F rom then onwards , and espec ia l lyfrom the begi nn i ng OfPa rt V I . (th e Hyeres peri od) , th eyp resen t a p retty fu l l a n d complete autobiogra phy , i f n ot

Of do ings , at any rate of moods an d fe e l i ngs . I n th e

earl i e r p eri ods , h is co rrespondence fo r th e most pa rt

expresses h i s rea l s e l f e i th e r too l i tt le o r el s e o neS id ed ly . I h ave om itted very many l ette rs of h i s

boy i sh and studen t days a s bei ng too immature or un i n

te r esting ; and many of th e confidences and confess ion sof h i s late r yourh , though th ey a re those of a beautifu l

Sp i rit,wheth e r as too i nt imate , or as gi v i ng a disp roportionate p romi nenc e to pass i ng troub les . When h e i sfoun d i n th e se days writ i ng i n a mel an cho ly or m inor

key , i t must be remembe red th at at th e same moment,i n d i rect i n te rcours e with any fri end , h i s s p i ri ts wou ld

i nstant ly ri se , an d h e would be foun d th e gayest of

l augh ing compa n ion s . Very many l ette rs o r snatch esOf l etters Ofnearly al l dates to h i s fam i l ia rs have a lsobeen om itte d as n ot i nte l l igib l e w ith out a knowledge of

th e current j ests , codes , an d catchwords Of conversati onxl

LETTERS OF R . L . STEV ENSON

pub l i cati on as autho ris i ng me to go afte r h is deathbeyond th e l im i ts wh ich he h ad been SO ca refu l i n

obse rv i ng an d d esi ri ng oth ers to Observe i n l ife ? How

much may now fai rly be com e pub l i c of that wh ich hadbeen hel d sac red and h ith erto p ri vate among h is fri ends ?TO cu t out a l l that i s stri ct ly pe rsona l an d i ntimate were

to l eave h i s story unto ld and ha l f th e cha rm of h i scha racte r un revea l ed ; to put i n too much were to

break a l l bonds Of that p rivacywh ich h e so careful lyregarded wh i l e h e l ived . I know not i f I h ave a t a l l

bee n abl e to h i t th e mean , an d to succeed i n mak i ng

th ese l ette rs , as i t has been my Object to make them ,

p resent , without Offen ce or i n trus ion , a j ust , a l i v ing,and a proporti onate p i cture Ofth e man , so far a s theywi l l y i el d i t . Th ere i s on e respect i n wh ic h h i s ownp racti c e an d p rinci p l e has had to be i n som e degree

v i o l ated , i f th e work was to be don e at a l l . Except i n

th e S i ngl e case of th e essay Ordered South , he wou ldn eve r i n writ i ng fo r th e pub l i c adopt th e i n va l i d po i nt

ofV i ew , or i nv ite a ny attention to h i s infirm ities . Tome , h e says ,

“th e med i c i n e bottl es o n my ch imneyand th e blood onmy handke rch i ef a re acc i dents ; th eydo not co lou r my Vi ew of l ife ; and I Shou l d th i nkmyse lfa trifl e r and i n bad taste i f I i n troduce d th ewor ld to these un important p ri vac ies . But from h i s

lette rs to h i s fam i ly and fri en ds th ese matte rs cou ldnot poss ibly b e qu ite left out. The ta l e Ofh i s l ife, i nth e years when h e was most Ofa corres pondent , wasin truth a ta l e Ofda i ly and n igh tly batt l e aga i n st weakness and phys i ca l d istress and danger. TO those wholoved h im , th e i nc i dents of th i s batt l e were commun icated, sometimes gravely , sometimes l augh i ng ly . I

xl i i

I NTRODUCT I ON

have ve ry greatly cut down such bu l leti n s , but cou l dnot manage to om it th em altogeth e r. Gen e ra l ly s peak

i ng, I h ave used th e ed i to ri a l p riv i lege of om iss ion

without sc rup l e whe re I thought i t des i rab l e . And i nrega rd to th e text , I h ave not h el d myse lf bound to

rep roduce a l l the author ’ s m i no r eccentri c i t i es of spel l i ngan d th e l i ke . As a l l h i s fri ends a re aware , to spel l i n a

qu i te accu rate an d grown - up mann er was a th i ng which

th i s maste r of Engl is h l etters was n ever ab l e to l ea rn ;but to rep roduce such tri v ia l s l i p s i n p ri n t i s , I th i nk ,to d istra ct the read er ’ s attent i on from th e ma i n matte r.

A norma l o rthography has th erefo re been adopted

th roughout .

August, 1 89 9 .

STUDENT DAYS

TRAVELS

( 1868— 1873)

ED INBURGH

EXCURS ION S

STUDENT DAYS AT ED INBURGH

TRAVELS AN D EXCURS ION S

( I868— I873)

HE fo l lowing sectio n cons ists ch i efly Of extractsfrom th e co rrespondence and journa l s addressed

by Lou is Stevenson , as a lad Of e ightee n to twentytwo, to h i s fath e r an d moth e r duri ng summer excu r

s ions to th e Scottish coast or to th e Con ti nent. Thereexi st enough ofth em to fi l l a vo lume ; bu t i t i s n ot i nletters ofth i s k i n d to h i s fam i ly that ayoung man uhbosoms h imse lf most free ly, and th es e a re p erhaps n otqu ite d evo id ofth e qua l i t i es Ofth e gu ide—book and thedescript i ve exerc i s e . N everth e less, th ey seem to meto conta i n enough s igns ofth e futu re master writer,enoughOf cha racter, observati on , a nd Sk i l l i n exp ress i on , to make a few worth giv i ng by way ofa n openi ng chapter to th e p resent book . Among th em a re

i nterspersed on e or two ofa d iffe rent ch a racte r addressed to oth er co rrespondents.But, fi rst, i t i s d es i rab le that readersnotacqua i ntedwith th e c i rcumstan ces and con dit ions of Stevenson

’ s

parentage and ea rly l i fe Shou ld be here, as b r i efly as

LETTERS OFRL. STEVENSONposs ib le, i nfo rmed Ofth em . Onboth S i des of thehous e h e came Ofcapabl e an d cu lt i vated sto ck . H is

gran dfath e r was Robert Stevenson,c i v i l engin ee r

,

h igh ly d i st i ngu i sh ed as th e bui lde r Ofth e B el l Rockl igh thouse. By th i s Robert Ste v en son , h is th ree sons ,an d two ofh i s gran dsons now l i v ing, th e bus in ess Ofc iv i l engi n eers i n genera l , a nd of Offi c ia l engi neers to

th e Commiss ion ers OfN orth ern L ights i n parti cu la r, hasbeen carri ed on at Ed i nburgh with h igh c red i t and

publ i c uti l i ty fo r a lmost a ce ntury . Thomas Stevenson , th e youngest Ofth e th ree son s of the o rigina lRobert, was Robert Lou is Stevenson

’

s fa th er. He wasa man not on ly Ofmark , zea l , an d i nven tiven ess i n h i sp rofess i on , but Ofas i ngula rly i n te resti ng persona l i ty ; astaunch fri end and sagac i ou s adv i se r t ren chan t i n j udg

men t and d emonstrat i ve i n emot ion , outspoken , dog

mati c — de spoti c , even , i n l i tt l e th i ngs , but wi th a lessent ia l ly ch iva l rous and soft - h ea rte d ; ap t to pass

w ith th e swi ftest trans i ti o n from moods Ofgloom or

stern n ess to th ose of tender or freak i sh ga i ety , an dcommanding a giftOfhumorous an d figurati ve sp eech

second on ly to th at of h i s more famous son .

Thomas Stevenson was marri ed to Ma rgaret Isabel la ,youngest daughter ofth e Rev . Lewis Ba lfou r, fo r manyyea rs m in i ster ofth e parish of Col i n to n i n Mi d l oth i an .

Th is Mr . Balfou r (described by h i s grandson i n th eessay cal l ed “Th e Manse was of th e stock ofth eBa lfou rs OfPilrig , a nd grandson to that J ames Ba l four,p rofesso r fi rst Of moral p h i l osophy , an d afterwards Ofth e l aw of nature an d Of nations , who was he ld i n particular esteem as a ph i losoph i ca l controvers i a l i st by

Dav i d Hume. H is wife, Henri etta Smith , a daughter


content an d busy. Inth e days ofth e Crimean warsome on e gave th e ch i ld a ch eap toy sword ; a nd whenh i s fath e r deprec iated i t, h e sai d ,

“I te l l you , th e swordi s of go ld , and th e sheath ofs i lve r, a nd th e boy i s verywel l Offand qu ite contented . As d isabi l it i es c losed i nonh im in afte r l ife, h e would n ever grumb l e at anygift, h owever n iggard ly, offortun e, an d th e an ecdote i sa s cha racte ri st i c Ofth e man as Ofth e ch i l d . H e was

eager and fu l l Ofi n ventio n i n every k ind of p l ay ,wheth er so l i ta ry o r sociabl e , and seems to have been

treated as someth i ng ofa sma l l , s i ckly p ri n ce among awhol e cous i n hood of p laymates Of both th e Ba lfou r an dth e Stevenson connectio ns . He was a l so a greedy

reader, o r rath er l i sten er to read ing ; fo r i t was notun ti l h i s e ighth yea r that h e b egan to read eas i ly o r

hab i tua l ly to h imse lf. He has reco rded how h is fi rst

consc i ous impress i on ofp l easure from th e soun d andcadence Ofwords was recei ved from certa i n pa ssagesi n McCheyne ’

s hymns as rec ited to h im by h i s nurse .B ib l e sto ri es , The P ilg r im ’

s P r og r ess, and Mayne Re i d’ s

ta l es were espec ia l ly , and it woul d s eem equal ly, h is

d e l ight. He began ea rly to take p l easu re i n attempts

a t compos i t ion Of h i s own . A h istory OfMoses , d i ctated i n h i s s ixth yea r, and an accoun t Oftravel s i nPe rth , i n h i s n i n th , a re sti l l extant. I l l - h ea lth prev ented h im getti ng much regula r or cont in uous sc hoo l

i ng. He attended fi rst ( 1858— 6 1 ) a p reparatory sch oo lkept by a Mr . Henderson i n I nd ia Street ; an d n ext (ati n terva ls fo r som e t ime afte r th e autumn ofI86 1 ) th eEd i nbu rgh Academy . One of h i s tutors at the fo rmers ch oo lwri tes : He was th e most del ightfu l boy I eve rk n ew ; fu l l of fun , fu l l Of tender fee l i ng, ready fo r h i s

6

B IRTHPLACE O F RO BERT LOU IS STEVENSON , ED INBURGH .

STUDENT DAYS AT ED INBU RGH

l essons, ready fo r a story, ready for fun . From veryearly days , both as ch i l d a nd boy , h e must h ave h adsometh i ng ofth at power to cha rm wh ich d isti n

guished h im above oth e r men lnafte r l ife. I l o i kethat bO- o- O- O-

y, a heavy Dutchman was hea rd say ing

to h imse lf ove r and ove r aga in , whom at th e age ofabout th i rteen h e had h e l d i n amused conversatio n

during a who le pa ssage from Osten d . Th e samequa l i ty, with th e s igns wh ich h e a lways showed Of

qu i c k natura l i n te l l igen ce wh en h e ch ose to learn ,must h ave h el p ed to spa re h im many pun ishments

from teach ers wh ich h e ea rn ed by pers i stent an d ihg enious t ruant ry. I th i nk , remarks h i s moth er,“th ey l i ked ta l k ing to h im better th an teach i ng h im .

For a few months i n th e autumn of 1863, when h i s

pa rents had been o rdered to winter a t Menton e fo r thesak e Of h i s moth er ’ s h ea lth , h e was sen t to a board i ng

school kept by a Mr. Wyatt a t Spr ing Grove, n ea r London . Iti s n ot my i ntention to treat th e reader to th e

seri es ofch i l d ish an d boyish letters Ofth ese days wh ichpa renta l fon dness has p reserved . But h ere i s o n e writ

ten from h is Eng l i s h sch oo l when h e was about th i rteen , which i s both amusi ng i n i tse lf a n d had a certa i ni nfluence onh is desti ny , i nasmuch as h i s appeal l ed to h i sb ei ng taken out to j oi n h i s pa rents o n th e F ren ch R iv ie ra ;wh ich from that day forward h e n eve r ceased to love ,an d fo r wh ich th e longing, am idth e g loom OfEdinburghwinters , Often afte rwards gri pped h im by th e h eart.

SPR ING GROVE SCHOOL, rathNovem ber , 1863 .

MA CHERE MAMAN ,— J a i recu votre lettre Aujou rdhu ietcomme le j ou r p rocha i n e est mon j ou r denaisance

LETTERS OF R. L. STEVENSON

je vous écri t cc l ettre. Magrande gatteaux est a rr i vé

il leve 12 l i v res etdem i le p ri x etaitI7 sh i l l i ngs. Sur laso i rée d e Mon seigneu r F aux il y etaitque lques bel l es

feux d’

artifice . Ma i s l es p o l i sson s entren t dans notre

Champ etnos feux d’

artifice ethandkerch i efs disappeared qu i ck ly , but we cha rged th em outOfth e fi eld .

J e su i s p resque dri ven mad par un e bru i t terrib l e tous

le s garcon s k i k up comme grand uhbru i t qu ’ i l es t poss ib l e. I h o pe you wi l l find your h ous e at Mentone

n ice. I h ave been ob l iged to stop from writ ing by

th e want Ofa pen , but n ow I have one , so I wi l lconfinue .

My dea r papa , you to ld me to tel l you when eve r Iwas m iserab l e. I do not fee l we l l , an d I wish to gethome . DO take me with you . R . STEVENSON .

Th is young F ren ch scho la r has yet, i t wi l l b e d iscern ed , a good way to trave l ; i n l ater days h e acqui re d

acom plete read ing an d speaki ng, an d p retty complete

writ ing, mastery of th e la nguage , a nd was as much at

hom e w ith F ren ch ways of though t an d l ife as w ith

Engl i sh .

For one more spec imen of h i s boy ish sty l e, i t maybe no t am iss to gi ve th e text of anoth e r appea l wh i ch

dates from two an d ahalfyears l ater, an d i s a lsotyp i ca l ofmuch i n h i s l i fe ’ s cond i ti ons both th en andlater.

2 SULYARDE TERRACE, TOR‘Q UAY,Thur sday [Ap ra,

RESPECTED PATERNAL RELAT IVE , — Iwri te to make a re

quest Ofth e most moderate n atu re . Every year I h ave8

STUDENT DAYS AT ED IN BU RGH

cost you an enormou s — nay , e l ephan ti n e — sum of

money for d rugs and phys i c i an ’ s fee s , an d th e mos texpens i ve time ofth e twel ve months was March .

But th i s year th e b i ti ng Or i e n ta l b l asts th e howl ingtempests

,and th e genera l a i lments Ofth e h uman rac e

have been successfu l ly b raved by you rs tru ly.

Does not th i s des erve remun erati o n P

I appea l to you r c harity , I a ppea l to your gen eros i ty,Iappeal to you r j usti ce , I a ppea l to you r accounts , I

a ppeal , i n fine, to your purse.

My s ense of gen eros i ty fo rb i ds th e rece i pt of mo re

my sens e ofj ust i ce fo rb ids th e rece i pt of l ess — th anh a lf a crown . Greeti ng from,S i r, your most affectionate and needy son, R . STEVENSON .

F rom 1864to 1 867 Stevenson’ s educat i on was con

ducted ch i efly at Mr. Thomson ’ s p ri vate sch oo l i nF rederi ck Stre et, Ed inburgh , and by pri vate tutors i nvarious p la ces to wh ich h e travel l ed fo r h i s own o r h i s

p aren ts ’ hea l th . Th ese trave ls i n c lud ed frequent v i s i tsto such Scottish h ea l th reso rts as B ri dge ofAl l an ,D unoon , Roth esay , N orth Berwick , Lasswade , an dPeeb les , an d occas i on a l excu rs ion s w ith h i s fath er o n

h i s n ea re r p rofess i o na l rounds to th e Scotti sh coasts an dl ighthouses , aswe ll as severa l l onge r j ourn eys to thesouth Of England or th e Conti n en t. Th e love ofwanderi ng, wh ich was a rooted pass i on i n Stevenson

’ s na

tu re , thus began early to find sat isfacti on . F rom 1867

the fam i ly l i fe becam e more s ett l ed between Edi nbu rghand S wanston Cottage , Lothianburn, a coun try homei n th e Pen tlands wh i ch Mr . Steve n son fi rst rented i n

that year, an d th e s cen ery and assoc iat io ns Ofwh ich9


san k deep ly i nto th e young man ’ s sp i r i t, and v ita l lya ffected h i s afte r thoughts an d h i s a rt.

By th i s t im e Lou i s Stevenson seemed to sh ow signsOf outgrowing h is ear ly infirm ities Of hea lth . He was

a love r, to a d egree even beyond h i s strength , ofoutdoo r l ife an d exerc is e ( th ough not of sports ) , an d i t

began to be h oped that as h e grew Up h e wou ld be fi t

to ente r th e fami ly p rofess ion Ofc i v i l engi neer. Hewas ac cord ingly entered as a student a t Ed inbu rghUn i vers ity

,an d fo r s eve ra l winte rs a ttended Cl a sses

th ere wi th such regu la ri ty as h is h ea l th an d i nc l i nati ons

permitted . Th i s was i n t ruth but sma l l . The mi ndon fi re with i ts own imaginat ions , an d eager to acqui re

i ts ownexperi en ces i n i ts own way , does n ot takeki nd ly to th e routi n e Ofc la ss es and repeti ti o ns , no r cou ldth e desu l to ry mode of schoo l i ng enfo rced upon h im by

i l l - h ea lth a nswer much purpose by way of d isc i p l i ne.Acco rd i ng to h i s ownaccoun t h e was at col l ege, as h ehad been at schoo l , an inveterate id l e r an d truan t. But

outs id e th e fi e l d of schoo l and co l l ege rout i n e h e Showedan eager cu ri os i ty and acti v i ty Ofmind . He was ofa conversab l e temper, so h e says of h imself,

“andi nsati ab ly cu rious i n th e aspects Ofl i fe , a nd spent muchOf h i s t im e sc ra p i ng acqua i ntan ce with a l l c l asses ofmen and women ki nd . Ofone Class i ndeed , an d th atwas h i s own, h e had soon had enough , at least i n sofar as i t was to be stud i ed at th e d i nn ers, dances, an d

oth er po l i te e nterta i nments of o rd inary Edi nburgh

soc iety . Ofthe se h e early wear i ed . Athome he made

h imself p leasant to a l l comers , but fo r h is own resortchose out a ve ryfewhouses , mostly those Of i ntimateco l l ege compan ions , i n to wh ich h e cou ld go without

IO


F i fe, an d afte rward s a t Wick . I n 1869 he made th e

tour of the Orkneys an d Shet land s on boa rd th e steamyach t of th e Commiss ioners of N orth ern L igh ts , and i n1870 th e tour of th e Western I s lands , p receded by a

s tay on th e I s l e of Ear raid (afterwards tu rned toaccount i n th e ta l e of K idnapped) , where the works Ofth e DhuHeartachL ighthouse were th en i n p rogress .He was a favouri te , a l though a very i rregu lar pup i l , Ofth e p rofesso r Ofengineeri ng , F le em ing J enki n , whosefri endsh i p and that of Mrs . J enk i n were of great va lueto h im , and whose l ife h e afte rwa rds wrote ; and must

have shown some apti tude fo r th e fam i ly cal l i ng, i nas

much as ln1 87 1 h e rece i ved th e s i l ve r meda l of the

Ed i nbu rgh Soc iety ofArts for a paper ona suggestedimprovement i n l ighthouse apparatus . The outdoorand seafa ri ng parts of a n enginee r ’ s l i fe were i n fact

whol ly to h is ta ste. But h e looked i nsti n cti ve ly at the

powers an d ph enomena of waves an d t ide , Ofstormand cu rrent , of reef, c l i ff, an d rock , with the eye of thepoet a n d a rtis t, and not that Ofth e p ract i c ia n andca l cu lato r ; fo r deskwo rk an d office rout i n e h e had anun conque rab l e ave rs ion ; a nd h i s phys i ca l powers , had

th ey rema in ed at th ei r best, must h ave p roved qu ite

unequal to th e workshop tra i n ing n ecessa ry to th e

p racti ca l engi neer. Acco rd i ngly i n I87 I i twas agreed ,not w ith out n atura l re luctanc e on h i s fath er

’

s part, that

h e sh ou l d give up th e h ered i ta ry vocati on and read fo r

th e ba r ; l i te ratu re , on wh ich h i s h ea rt was set, a nd i n

wh ich h i s ea rly attempts had been encouraged , bei nghe ldto be by i tse lf n o profess ion , or at l east o ne a ltogether too i rregu la r and undefined . For th e n extsevera l years , th erefo re, he attended law Cl asses i nstead

1 2


ofengi neeri ng and sc i en ce c lasses i n th e Un i vers i ty.giv ing to th e subj ec t a certa i n amoun t Of seri ou s ,a l though fitful, attenti on unt i l h e was ca l l ed to th e ba ri n 1875.

SO much fo r th e course ofSteven son ’ s outward l i fedu ri ng these days at Ed i nbu rgh . To te l l th e story ofh i s i n n er l ife would b e a fa r more comp l i cated task ,an d can not h e re b e attempted even bri efly . Th e fe rmen t Of youth was more acute an d more p ro longed i n

h im than i n most men even of gen ius ; an d fo r severa lyears h e was to rn h ith er and th i th er by fifty confl i ct i ng

currents ofspecu lat ion , i mpu l se, a n d des i re. I n th e

Introductionl have tri e d to give some noti on ofth emany various stra i n s and e l ements wh ich met i n h im ,

an d wh i ch were i n thes e days pu l l i ng one agai n stanoth er i n h is ha lf- fo rmed be i ng, at a great expense of

sp i ri t a nd body . Add th e sto rms , wh i ch from time tot im e attacked h im , ofsh i ve ri ng repu ls io n from th ec l imate an d cond i t i ons ofl i fe i n th e c i ty wh ich h e yetd eep ly and imagi nat ive ly l oved ; th e seasons oftem ptat i on , most strongly besett i ng th e arden t a nd poeti c

temperament, to s eek escape i nto freedom and th e id ea l

th rough th at grotesque back - door Opened by th e crude

a l lu rements ofth e c ity streets ; th e moods of Sp i r itua lrevo l t agai nst th e ha rsh doctri n es Ofth e c reed i n wh ichh e had been brough t up , an d to wh ich h i s pa rents

were deep ly, h is father ev en pass i onately, attached .

I n th e late r and mature r co rrespondence wh i ch wi l l

a ppear i n these vo l umes , th e agi tat i on s ofth e wri te r ’ searly days are often enough referred to i n retrospect.

I n th e boyish l ette rs to h i s parents , wh ich make u p th e

ch i ef part ofth i s fi rs t sect ion , th ey are n atura l ly hard lyI3


a l l owed to fin d exp ress ion at a l l nor wi l l th es e lettersbe found to d i ffe r much i n any way from those of anyothe r l i ve ly and observan t lad who is a lso someth ingof a reader and h as some natura l gift of writi ng. At

th e end of the section I have i ndeed p rin ted one cry of

th e h ea rt, written not to h i s pa rents , but about th em ,

a nd te l l i ng ofth e stra i n wh i ch matte rs of re l igi ous d iffe rence fo r a wh i l e brought into h i s home re lat i ons .These h ad unti l n ow been thorough ly happy . The attachm entbetween th e father a nd son from ch i l d hoodwas exceptio na l ly strong ; an d as th e l atter grew up ,th e i r habits of sympathy , compan ionsh i p , and affect ion

had grown eve r Closer, rema in ing qu ite un shaken byth e son ’ s Bohemian ways , o r even by d i sap po in tment

about h i s choi c e ofa profess ion . But th e fathe r was

staunch ly wedded to th e he red i tary c reeds and dogmasofScotti sh Ca lv in i st i c Chri st ian i ty ; whi l e th e cours e ofth e young man ’ s read ing, with the sp i r i t of th e gener

at io n i n wh ich h e grew up . had l oosed h im from the

bonds ofth at theo l ogy, and even of dogmati c Christ ianity i n genera l , an d had taught h im to respect a l l c reedsa l i ke as exp ress ion s ofth e cravi ngs and conj ectu res of th ehuman sp i ri t i n face ofth e un sol ved mystery of th i ngs ,rather tha n to c l i ng to a ny one of th em as a revelat ionofu l timate tru th . Th is , i n th e ma i n , was h i s att i tud eth roughout l i fe toward s re l igion , though as tim e went

onh e grew more ready, i n da i ly l ife, to use the language an d fa l l i n w i th th e Observan ces ofth e fa ith i nwh ich h e h ad been brough t up . And even i n youth ,h e was n ever, i n my experi en ce , th e least b l atant o rOffens ive i n th e exp ressi on ofh i s V i ews . But th e

sho ck to th e fathe r was great when th ey came to h i s14

STU DENT DAYS AT ED INBU RGH

know ledge ; and th ere ensued a t ime ofex treme ly painful di scuss ion an d pri vate tens ion between fath er an dson. I n du e time th i s c loud upon a fam i ly l i fe othe rwise ve ry harmon ious and affecti onate passed qu ite

away. But th e greate r th e love , th e greate r th e pa i n ;when I fi rst kn ew Stevenson th is tro ub le gave h im nopeace, a nd i t has left a strong trace upon h is m ind a ndwork . See parti cu la rly th e b i tter pa rab l e ca l led Th eHouse ofEld, i n h i s co l lect i on of Fables , an d th e manystud ies ofd ifficu l t pate rna l a nd fi l i a l re l at i ons wh ichare to be foun d i n The Story ofa Lie, The Misadventur es ofj ohnNicholson, The Wr ecker , an d Weir ofHerm iston.

To MRS . THOMAS STEVENSONInJ uly

,1868

,R . L . S .went towatch the harbourwo rk s atAnstru.

the r,and afte rwards , in the com pany of h i s fathe r

,those atWick

,wh e rehewas pre se ntly left by h im se lf. The fo l lowing i s the secondlette rwr itten hom e afte r h i s fathe rhad left. An early Portfol io pape r“On the Enj oym ent of Unpleasant P lace s

,aswe l l as the secon d part

ofthe Random Mem orie s e ssay,wr itten twenty years late r

,re fe r to

the sam e expe r ience s as the fo l lowi ng lette rs .W ICK, F r iday , Septem ber 1 1 , 1868.

MY DEAR MOTHER, ~ Wick l i es a t the en d or

e lbow Ofan open tri angu la r bay, h emmed one ith er s i d eby Shores , e i th e r c l iffo r steep earth - bank , ofn o greath eight . Th e grey houses of Pu lteney exten d a long th esouthe rly sh o re a lmost to th e cape ; an d i t i s aboutha lf-way down th i s sho re - no , s i x- seventh s way

down — that th e n ew b reakwate r extends athwart th ebay.

I5

LETTERS OF R. Im STEVENSONCerta in ly Wick i n i tse lf possesses n o beauty : baregrey shores , grim grey houses , grim grey sea ; not even

th e gl eam of red t i l e s ; not even th e gree nn ess of a tree .The southerly h e ights , when I came he re , were bl ac kwith people , fi sh ers waiti ng on wi nd and n ight. N owa l l th e S.Y . S. (Sto rnoway boats) have beaten out of th ebay, a nd the Wick m enstay i ndoo rs o r wrangl e on th equays with d issati sfi ed fish- cure rs , knee—h igh i n bri n e,mud , and herri ng refuse. The daywhen th e boatsput out to go home to th e H ebrid es , th e gi rl h ere to l d

m e th ere was“a b lack wi nd and ongo ing out, Ifound th e ep i th et a s j ust ifiab l e as i t was pi ctu resque.A co l d , black southe rly wind , with occas iona l r i s i ng

Showe rs of ra i n ; i t was a fin e s ight to see th e boatsbeat out a- teeth ofi t.I n Wick l have n ever h ea rd any one greet h i s n eighbou r with th e usua l F i n e day o r“Good morn i ng.

”

Both come shak ing th ei r h eads , and both say , B reezy,

b reezy ! And such i s th e atrocious qual i ty of th e c l imate , th at th e remark i s a lmost i nvariab ly justifi ed byth e fact.Th e streets are ful l Of th e H igh lan d fi sh ers , l ubber ly,stup id , i n con ceivab ly l azy an d heavy to move . You

bruis e aga in st th em , tumbl e ove r th em , e lbowth emagai n st th e wal l — a l l to n o pu rpose ; th ey wi l l n ot

budge ; an d you are forced to leave th e pavementevery step .

To th e south , however, i s as fin e a p i ec e Of coast

scen ery as I eve r saw. Great black chasms , huge b lackCl i ffs , rugged and overh ung gul l i es , natura l a rch es, an dd eep green pool s be low th em , a lmost too deep to l et

you see th e gl eam of sand among th e darker weedI6

STU DENT DAYS AT ED INBU RGH

th ere a re d eep caves too . I n on e of th ese l i ves a tr ibeOf gips i es. Th e men are alway s d runk , s imp ly an dtruthfu l ly always . F rom morn ing to even i ng th e

great V i l la i nous- lo ok i ng fel l ows a re ei th e r S le ep i ng Offth e l ast debauch , or hul ki ng about th e cove

“i n th eh orro rs . T he cave i s deep , h igh , an d a i ry , and migh tbe made comfortab l e e nough . Butthey justl i v e amongh eaped bou l ders, damp with conti nua l d ropp ings from

above, with no more furn i ture th an two o r th ree t i n

pan s , a t russ of rotten straw , a nd a few ragged c l oaks.

Inwinte r th e surf bursts i n to th e mouth an d oftenforces th em to aban don it.

Anerneute of d i sappo in ted fish e rs was feared , an dtwo sh i ps Ofwar a re i n th e bay to render a ss i stanc e toth e mun i c i pa l autho ri t i es . Th i s i s th e i des ; and , to a l li ntents an d purposes , sa i d i des are pass ed . Sti l l th erei s a good dea l ofd i stu rban ce, many d run k men , an d adoubl e supp ly of po l i c e . I s aw them sent fo r by some

peopl e and ente r a n i n n , i n a p retty good hurry : what

i t was fo r I do not know.

You would see by papa ’ s l etter about th e ca rpen ter

wh o fe l l offth e staging : I d on ’ t th i n k I was ever somuch exc i ted i n my l i fe. Th e man was back at h i swork , and I asked h im how h e was ; but h e was a

H igh land er, a n d — n eed I add itP— d i cken s a word

cou l d I understand of h i s an swer. What i s s ti l l worse,I fi nd th e p eop l e h ereabout — that i s to say , th e H igh

landers , not th e n orthmen — don ’ t understand m e.

I h ave l ost a sh i l l i ng ’ s worth of postage stamps,

wh ich has cl amped my ardou r fo r buying big l ots of’ em : I ’

ll buy th em one at a time as I want ’ em for th e

futu re.1 7

1868

AET. I8

LETTERS OF R. L. STEV ENSON

The F re e Church m i n ister and I got qu ite th i c k . He

l eft las t n ight about two i n th e morn i ng, when I went

to tu rn i n . He gave me’

th e enc l osed — I remai n you r

affect ionate son , R. L. STEVENSON.

To MRS . THOMAS STEVENSON

W ICK , Septem ber 5 , 1868. Monday .

MY DEAR MAMMA , — Th is morn ing I got a de l igh tfu lhau l : your l ette r ofth e fourth (sure ly m isdated) ;papa ’ s of sam e day ; V i rgi l

’ s Bucol ics , very th ankful ly

rece ived ; an d Aikm an’ s Annals , 1 a p rec ious an d mostacceptab l e donat ion , fo r wh ich I ten de r my most ebu l

l i en t thanksgiv i ngs. I a lmost fo rgot to d ri n k my teaan d eat m ine egg.

I t conta i ns more d eta i led accounts than anyth ing Ieve r saw , except Wodrow, without bei ng so po rtentous ly t i resome an d so desperate ly overborn e with foot

notes, proc lamati on s , acts ofParl iament, a n d Ci tat i on s

as that l ast h is tory .

I h ave been read ing a goo d dea l ofHerbert. He ’

S a

c l eve r and a devout cove ; but i n p laces awful ly twaddley ( i f I may use th e word ). Oughtn’tth i s to rejoi cepapa ’ s h eart

Ca rve o r d i s course ; do not a fam in e fea r.Who carves i s k in d to two , who ta lks to al l .

You understan d ? The“feari ng a fam i n e 13 app l i ed

to peop l e gu lp i ng down sol i d V i ve rs without a wo rd ,as i f th e ten l ean ki n e began to - morrow.

1 Aikman’s Annals ofthe P er secutioninScotland.

18


som e contrit ion ,“Wel l , ifI am a drunkenb rute , i t ’

s

on ly once i n th e twelvemonth ! And that was th eend ofh im ; th e i n su l t rankl ed i n h i s m ind ; and h eret i red to rest. He i s a fish- cu re r, a man o v er fi fty ,an d pretty ri ch too . He ’

s a s bad aga i n to - day ; but

I ’

ll be shot if h e keeps m e awake , I’

ll douse h im withwater i f h e makes a row.

— Ever your affectionate son ,R . L . STEVENSON .


W ICK , Septem ber , 1868. Satur day , 10 A . M .

MY DEAR MOTH ER , -The l ast two days h av e beend readfu l ly ha rd , and I was so t i red i n the even i ngs thatI cou l d not write. I n fact, l a s t n ight I went to S l eepi mmed iate ly after d i n n er, or very nearly so . My hours

h ave been 10— 2 and 3— 7 out i n the l igh te r o r th esmal l boat , i n a lo ng, heavy ro l l from th e no r

’

- east.

When th e dog was taken out, h e got awfu l ly i l l ; oneofth e m en , Geord i e G rant by name an d su rname , fo llowed shootwith con s ide rabl e e’clat; but, wonderfu l tore late ! I kep twe ll. My h ands a re a l l sk i n n ed , b l i s

te red, d isco l ou red , and engrai n ed with tar, some of

wh i ch latte r has estab l i sh ed i tse l f under my nai l s i n ap osi t io n ofsuch natura l strength that i t defi es a l l myeffo rts to d i s l odge i t. Th e worst work I h ad waswhen D avi d (MacDonald’

s el d est) an d I took th e ch argeourse lv es . He remai n ed i n th e l ighter to tighten or

S l a cken th e guys as we ra i sed th e po l e towards thep erpen d i cu la r, with two men . I was with four men i n

20

STUD ENT DAYS AT ED INBURGH

th e boat. We dropped an anch o r out a good b i t, th ent i ed a co rd to th e po l e, took a turn round th e ste rnmostthwart with i t, an d pu l l ed on the a n chor l i n e. As th e

great,big, wet hawser came i n i t soaked you to th e

ski n : I was th e stern est (used , by way ofvari ety , fo rste rnmost) ofth e lot, an d h ad to co i l it a work wh ic h

i nvo lved , from its being so st i ff a nd y our be ing busypul l i ng with a l l you r m igh t, no l i tt l e t ro ub le and anextra duck i ng. We got i t u p ; a nd , j ust a s we were

go ing to s ing “V i c to ry !” on e ofth e guys S l i p ped i n ,th e po l e totte red — went ove r on i ts s id e aga i n l i ke a

shot , an d beho ld th e end Of ou r labour.You see , I have been rough i ng i t ; an d th ough someparts of th e l etter may be n e ith e r v ery comprehens ibl e

no r very i n teresti ng to y ou, I th i n k that p erhaps i t

m ight amuse Wi l l i e Traqua i r, who de l ights i n all suchd i rty j obs .

Th e fi rst day , I fo rgot to m ention , was l i ke m id

wi nter fo r co ld , an d rai ned i n cessant ly so h a rd th at th el i v i d wh i te of our co ld - p i n ched fac es wore a so rt ofi nflamed rash on th e win dward s id e .

I am not a bit th e worse of i t, except fore - mention ed

state of h ands , a s l igh t c ri ck i n my n ec k from th e ra i n

runn ing down , an d genera l sti ffn ess from pul l i ng,hau l ing, an d tuggi ng for d ear l i fe .We have got doub l e weigh ts a t th e guys , an d hope

to get i t u p l i k e a Shot.What fun you th ree must b e h av ing ! I h ope th e

co l d don ’ t d i sagree with you .— I rema i n , my dear

mother , your affec ti onate son , R. L . STEVENSON.

2 !



The fo l lowi ngwi l l h e lp the reade r to unde rstand the passage refe rr ing to th i s unde rtak i ng in Steve n son ’ s b iograph ical e ssay onh i sfathe r

,whe rehehas to ldhowi n the end the seaprove d too strong

for m en ’ s arts,and after expedients h ithe rto unthought of

,and on a

scale hype r- Cyclopean,thework m ust b e de se rted

,andnowstands

aru in in that b leak,God - forsaken bay.

”

PULTENEY , W ICK , Sunday , Septem ber , 1868.

MY DEAR MOTHER , — Anoth er storm : wind h igh e r, ra i nth icker : th e win d sti l l r i s i ng as th e n igh t c l oses i n , an d

th e sea S l owly ri s i ng a long with i t ; i t l ooks l i ke ath ree days ’ ga le .

Last week has been a blan k one : a lways too muchsea .

I enjoyed myse l f very much last n ight at th eR. ’ S .

There was a l i ttl e dan c i ng, much s i ngi ng and suppe r.Are you notwe ll that you do not wri te I h aven’th ea rd from you for more than a fo rtn ight.

Th e win d fel l yeste rday a nd rose again to - day ; i t i sa d rea dfu l even i ng ; but th e wi nd i s keep ing th e sea

down as yet. Ofcours e , noth ing more h as been doneto th e po les ; and I can

’ t te l l when I sha l l b e ab l e to

l eave, not fo r a fortn igh t yet, Ifear , at th e ea r l i est, fo rth e wi nds a re pers i stent. Where ’

S Murra Is Cum m ystruck dumb about th e boots ? I w ish you would get

somebody to write an i nteresti ng l ette r an d say howyou are , for you

’ re onth e b road Ofyour back , I see.Th ere hath arri ved an i n road Offa rmers to - n ight ; and

I go to avo i d th em to M i f h e ’

s d isengaged , to th eR. ’ S i f n ot.2 2

STUDEN T DAYS AT ED IN BU RGH

Sunday (later ) . — Storm without : wind and - ra i n : a

confused mass ofwind - driven ra i n - squa l l s , wind

ragged m ist, foam , sp ray, a nd great grey waves . Ofth i s h ereafte r ; i n th e mean tim e l et us fo l l ow the du e

course ofh i stori c n a rrat i ve .Seven P. M . found m e at B reada lban e Terrace , c l ad i nspotl ess b la cks , wh ite t i e, sh i rt, etcaetera , an d fi n ish ed

offbelow with a pa i r Ofn avv i es ’ boots. How true

that th e d ev i l i s b etrayed by h is feet ! A message to

Gummy at last. Why , 0 treach erous woman ! were

my dress boots w ith he ld ?D ramati s pe rsonae : pereR. , amus ing, long—winded ,i n many poi n ts l i ke papa ; more R n i ce , del i cate , l i kes

hymns , knew Aun t Ma rgaret (’t’ Ou ld man kn ew Un cl e

Al an) ; filleR. , nommée Sara (noh) , ra th er n i ce, l igh tsu p wel l , good vo ice, inter ested face ; Mi ss L n i ce a l so,wash ed out a l i tt l e , and , Ithink , a trifle sent im enta l ;filsR. , i n a Lei th offi c e , smart,full ofhappy ep i th et,amus ing. They a re very n i ce an d very k i nd , askedm eto come back any n igh t you fee l d u l l ; an d any

n igh t doesn’tmean no n igh t : we ’

ll be so glad to see

you . C’

estlam e‘

r e qui par l e.I was back th e re aga i n to- n ight. Th ere was hymns ingi ng, an d gen era l re l igi ous con troversy t i l l e ight,afte r wh i chta l k was secu la r. Mrs . S. was deep ly d i stressed about th e boot bus i ness . Sh e conso l ed m eby say i ng th at many wou ld b e glad to hav e such feetwhateve r Shoes th ey had on . U nfortunate ly, fi sh ers

an d seafa ri ng men are too fac i l e to b e compared with !Th i s looks l i ke enjoyment : bette r sp eck than Anster.I hav e don e with fri vo l i ty. Th is mo rn i ng I wasawakened by Mrs . S. at th e doo r. There ’

S a sh i p23


ashore at Shaltig oe ! As my senses s low ly flooded , I

h ea rd th e wh istl i ng an d th e roaring of wind , an d th e

lash i ng ofgust - b lown an d uncerta i n flaws of ra i n . I

got up , d ress ed , and went out. The m izz led sky andra i n b l i nd ed you .

SH IP ASHORE AT SHALTIGOE.

C D i s th e n ew pier.

A th e sch ooner ash ore. B th e sa lmon house.Sh e was a N orwegian : com ing i n sh e saw our fi rst

gauge- po le , stand ing at po i n t E. N orse Sk i ppe r though ti t was a sunk smack , and d ropped h i s an ch o r i n fu l l

d rift of sea : cha i n b roke : sch oone r came asho re. I n

su red : l aden with wood : sk i p per owner of v esse l andcargo : bottom out.

Iwas i n a greatfrigh t at firstlestwe sh ou l d be l i ab l e ;but i t seems that ’

s al l r ight.

Some ofth e waves were twenty feet h igh . TheS p ray rose e ighty feet at th e n ew p ier. Some woodhas come asho re, an d th e roadway seems ca rri ed away.There i s someth ing fi shy at th e fa r en d where th e c ross

wa l l i s bu i l d i ng ; but ti l l we a re ab l e to get a long, a l lSpeculation i s va i n .

am so s l eepy I am writ ing nonsense.24

STU DENT DAYS AT ED IN BURGHI stood a long wh i le o n th e cope watch i ng th e sea

be low me ; I h ea r i ts du l l , monotonous roa r a t th i smoment be lowt h e sh ri ek i ng ofth e wi nd ; an d th e recame ever recu rri ng to my m ind the verse I am so fond

of

But yet th e Lo rd th at i s onh ighI s more ofmigh t by fa r

Than nois e Of many wate rs i sOr great sea- b i l lows a re .

Th e th unde r a t th e wa l l when i t fi rst struck — th e

rush a long eve r growing h igher — th e great j et of

snow- wh ite sp ray some forty feet above you an d th e

no i se of many waters ,” th e roa r, th e h i ss , th e sh ri ek

i ng among th e sh i ngl e a s i t fe l l h ead over h eel s a t

you r feet. I watch ed i f i t th rew the big stones at th e

wa l l ; but i t n eve r moved th em .

Monday — Th e end ofth e work d isp lays gaps, ca i rn soften- ton b l ocks , ston es to rn from the i r p laces a n d

turn ed right round . Th e damage above wate r i s comparative ly l i tt l e : what th ere may be be low, onne sait

pas encor e. The roadway is to rn away , cross - h eads ,broken p lank s tossed h ere an d th e re , p lanks gn awn

an d mumbled as i f a starved bear had b een try i ng to

eat th em , p lanks with Spa l es l ifted from th em as i f th eyhad been d ressed with a rugged plan e , on e p i l e sway

ing to an dfro c lear of th e bottom , th e ra i l s i n one p lac esun k a foot a t l east. Th i s was not a great sto rm , th e

waves were l igh t and Short. Yet when we were stan d

ing at th e offic e, I fe l t th e ground beneath m e quail as25


a h uge rol ler th undered on th e work at th e last yea r ’ sc ross- wal l .

How couldnoster am icus Q . maximus apprec iate a

sto rm at Wick ? I t requ i res a l i tt l e of th e a rti st i c tem

p e ram ent, of wh i ch Mr . T. S . ,

I C.E. , possesses some,whatever h e may say . I can

’

t l ook at i t p ract i ca l ly,however : that wi l l come , I suppose, l i ke grey ha i r orcoffin na i l s.Our pol e i s snapped : a fo rtn igh t ’ s work and th e loss

ofth e N orse sch oon e r a l l fo r n oth i ng ! except expe rien ce and d i rty c loth es — Your affect ionate son ,

R. L. STEVENSON.

To MRS . CHURCH ILL BABINGTON

I om it the lette rs of I869 ,wh ich de scr ibe atgreat length , and notve ry inte re st ing ly

,a sum m e r tri p on board the l ighthouse steam e r to

the Orkn eys and Shetlands ; aswe l l as othe rs , not ve ry i nte re st inge ithe r

,of1870. Th i s , addre ssed to a favourite m arr ied cous in ofthe

Balfour Clan,be longsto the summ e r of187 1 . Mrs . H utch i nson is

,

ofcourse,Lucy H utch in son ’ s fam ous L ife ofher husban d the regicide .

[SWANSTON COTTAGE , LOTHIANBURN ,Sum m er ,

MY DEAR MAUD,— lfyou have fo rgotten th e handwriti ng — a s i s l i ke enough — youwill fin d th e nameofa forme r correspondent (don ’ t know how to spel lth at word) at th e end . I h ave begun to write to you

befo re now , but a lways stuck someh ow , and left i t to

d rown i n a d rawerfu l ofl i ke fiascos . Th i s t im e I am

1 Thomas Steven son .26


th i s ev i l world ; a nd , unquest ionab ly , Mrs . Hutch i nso n

was . Th e way i n wh ic h sh e ta l ks of h erse l f makesone

’

s b lood run co ld . The re — I am glad to have

got that out— but don ’ t say i t to anybody — sea l ofs ecrecy .

P l ease te l l Mr . Bab i ngton th a t I have never forgotten

one of h i s d rawings — a Rubens , I t h i n k — awoman

ho l d i ng up a mode l sh i p . That woman h ad more l ifei n h er than n i n ety pe r cent. of th e lame humans th at

you see c ri pp l i ng about th i s earth .

By th e way , that i s a featu re i n art wh i ch seems to

have come i n with th e Ita l i an s . You r o ld Greek

statues have sca rc e en ough V i ta l i ty i n them to keepth ei r mon strous bod ies fresh witha l . A s h rewd country

atto rn ey , i n a tu rned wh i te n eckc loth an d rusty blacks ,would just take one ofth es e Agamemnons and Ajaxesqui etly by h i s beautiful , strong a rm , t rot th e un res isti ng

statue down a l ittl e gal l e ry ofl ega l Shams , and turnth e poor fel l ow out at th e oth e r e nd ,

“naked , as fromth e ea rth h e came . Th ere i s more latent l ife , moreof th e co i l ed sp ri ng i n th e S le ep i ng dog, about a r ecumbent figure of Mi chae l Ange l o ’ s than about th e

most exc i ted ofGreek statues. The very marbl e seemsto wrink l e with a wi l d ene rgy that we n ever feel except i n d reams .

I th i n k th i s l ette r has tu rned i nto a sermon , but I had

noth ing i nte rest i ng to ta l k about.

I do wish you and Mr . Babi ngton wou ld th i nk bette rofi t an d come north th i s summer. We shou l d be sog lad to s ee you both . D o recons id er it.— Bel i eve me,my dear Maud , ever your most affection ate cousi n ,

LOU IS STEVENSON .28

STUDENT DAYS AT ED IN BU RGH

TO AL ISON CUNN INGHAM

The fol lowing i s the fi rst ofmany letters to the adm i rab le nursewhose care , during h i s ai l ing ch i ldhood

,had done so m uch both to

pre se rve Steve n son ’s l i fe and awaken h i s love oftale s and poetry,and

ofwhom unt i l h i s deathhe thoughtwith the utm ost con stancy ofaffect i on . The l ette r bears n o s ign ofdate or place , but by the handwr it i ngwou ld seem to be long to th i s year.

[ 187 1MY DEAR CUMMY , l was greatly p l ea sed by you r

l ette r i n many ways . Ofcou rs e , I was glad to h ea rfrom you ; you know , you an d I have so many Old stori es

between us , tha t even i f th ere was noth i ng e l se , even if

th ere was not a very s i nce re res pect an d a ffecti on , we

Should a lways be gla d to passanod . I say ev en if the re

was not. But you know righ t we l l th ere i s . Donotsup pose that I sha l l e ver fo rget those l ong, b itte r n ights ,when I coughed and cough ed and was so un happy ,and youw e re so pati ent an d lov ing wi th a poo r, s i ckCh i l d . I ndeed , Cum m y, I wish I m ight become a man

worth ta l ki ng of, i f i t we re o n ly that you shou ld noth ave th rown away your pa in s .Happ i ly , i t i s n ot th e resu l t ofour a cts that makesth em brav e and nob l e

,but th e acts th emsel ves an d th e

unse lfis h l ove that moved us to do th em . I nasmuch

a s you h ave don e i t u nto on e of th e l east ofth ese. Mydea r old nu rs e, and you know th ere i s noth i ng a man can

say n ea re r h i s h ea rt except h i s moth e r o r h is w ife — m y

dea r o l d nu rs e, God wi l l make good to you all th e good

that you h ave done , an d merc i fu l ly fo rgi ve you a l l th e

ev i l . And n ext t ime when th e spring comes round ,2 9


and everyth ing is begi nn i ng once aga in , i f you shou ldhappen to th i n k that you might have had a ch i l d of you r

own , and tha t i t was h a rd you shou l d h ave sp ent so

many yea rs tak ing care of som e one e lse ’ s p rod igal , justyou th i n k th i s — you have been fo r a great d ea l i n

my l i fe ; you have made much th at the re is i n me , j ustas sure ly as i f you had conceived me ; a nd there a re sons

who a re more ungratefu l to th ei r ownmoth ers than Iam to you . For I am not ungratefu l , my dearGummy,and i t i s wi th a very s i n cere emotion that I wri te myse lf

you r l i tt l e boy , LOU IS.

To CHARLES BAXTER

Afte r awi nte r oftroub led h ealth , Steven sonhad gone to Dunb lanefo r achange in ear ly spri ng ; and thencewrite s to h i s co l lege com pani on and l ife long friend, Mr. Charle s Baxte r .

D UNBLANE , F r iday , 5thMar ch, 187 2 .

MY DEAR BAXTER , — By th e date you may perhap s uhde rstand th e pu rport of my letter without any wordswasted about th e matte r. I can not wal k with you to

morrow,an d you must n ot expect me . I came yeste r

d ay afte rnoon to B ridge of Al l an , an d have been very

happy eve r s i n ce , as every p lace i s san ctifi ed by th e

eighth Sense, Memory. I wal ked up h ere th i s morn i ng

(th ree m i l es , tu- dieu! a good stretch for me) , a nd passedone of my favou ri te p laces i n th e worl d , and on e that Ivery much affect i n Sp i ri t wh en th e body is t i ed downand brought immovab l y to an chor on a s i ckbed . I t i s ameadow and ban k o n a co rn er on th e ri ve r, and i s connected i n my m ind i nsepa rab ly with V i rgi l ’ s Eclogues .

30

STUDENT DAYS AT ED INBU RGHHic corul is m istos inter consedimusnlm os , o r someth ingvery l i ke that, th e passage begi n s (on ly I k now myshort- winded Lat i n i ty must h ave come to gri ef ove reven th i s much ofquotati on ) ; and here , to a wish , ISj us t such a cavern as Menalcas might sh e l te r h imse l fw itha l from th e brigh t n oon , and , with h i s l i p s curl edbackward , p ip e h imse lf b lue i n th e face , wh i le Messieur s

l es Ar cadiens woul d ro l l outth os e c loy i ng h exametersthat S i ng themse lves i n on e ’ s mouth to such a cu riousl i l t ing Chant.

Insuch weath e r one has th e b i rd ’ s n eed to wh i stl e ;and I , who am spec ia l ly i n competen t i n th i s a rt, mustconten t mysel f by chatte ri ng away to you onth is b i tofpaper. All th e way a long I was than k i ng God that

h e h ad made me an d th e bi rds an d everyth i ng j ust a s

they a re and not oth erwis e ; fo r a l th ough th ere was no

sun , th e a i r was so th ri l l ed with rob i n s an d bla ckb i rds

that i t made th e h eart t rembl e w ith j oy , an d th e leavesa re fa r enough fo rward onth e u n derwood to give a fin ep rom is e fo r th e futu re . Even myse l f, as l say , I wou ld

not h ave h ad changed i n one iota th is fo renoon , i n sp iteOfa l l my id len ess and Guth ri e ’ s l ost pape r, wh ich i sever p resen t with m e — ahorrib l e phantom .

N o on e ca n be a lon e a t home o r i n a qu ite n ew place .

Memo ry and you must go han d i n han d wi th (at l east)decent weath er i f you wish to cook up a prope r d is h

of so l i tude . I t i s i n th ese l i ttl e fligh ts ofmin e th at I getmore p leasu re than i n a nyth i ng el se . N ow, at p res ent ,I am supreme ly uneasy an d restl ess — almos t to th e ex

tent ofpa i n ; but 0 ! h ow I enjoy i t, an d how I shal lenjoy i t afterwards (p l ease God) , i f I get yea rs enough

a l lo tted to me for th e th i ng to ri pen i n . When I am a3 1


very old and ve ry respectab l e c i t izen with wh ite h a i r

a nd bland manners an d a go l d watch , I s ha l l h ea r th ree

c rows cawing i n my heart, as I h ea rd th em th is morn

i ng : I vote fo r O l d age an d e igh ty years aofretrospect.Yet, afte r a l l , I d are say , a Short sh rift an d a n ic e greengrave a re about as des i rab l e.Poor dev i l ! how I am weary ing you ! Chee r u p .

Two pages more, and my lette r reach es i ts term , fo r I

h a v e no more pa pe r. What de l igh tful th i ngs i n ns an dwa ite rs an d bagmen are ! I f we di d n’ttrave l nowand th en , we sh ou ld fo rget what th e fee l i ng of l i fe i s .Th e very cush io n of a ra i lway carriage “th e th i ngsresto rat i ve to th e touch . [ can ’ t wri te , confound itlTha t ’

S because I am so t i red with my wal k .Be l i eve m e, ever your affect i onate fri end ,

R . L . STEVENSON.

TO CHARLES BAXTER

The Spec. i s,ofcourse

,the fam ous and h i storical debat ing

society (the Specu lat ive Soc iety) ofEdinburgh Un ive rs ity , towh ichSteven sonhad be en e l ected on the strength of h i s conve rsat i onalpowe rs, butwhe re it is sai d that in setdebatehe d id not sh ine .

DUNBLANE , Tuesday , othApr il , 1 872 .

MY DEAR BAXTER , — I don’

t know what you mean . I

know noth i ng abou t th e Stan d i ng Committee of th eSpec . , d i d not know that such a body exi sted , and eveni f i t doth exist, must sad ly repud iate all assoc iat ionw ith such “good ly fel l owsh ip . I am a “Ru ra lVoluptuary at p rese n t. Thati s what i s th e matte rwith me. The Spec . may go wh ist l e. As fo r “C.

32


Baxter, Esq . , who i s h e ? One Baxter, or Bagste r ,a sec reta ry ,

” I say to m i n e acqua i ntance,“i s at p resent

d isqu i et ing my le isu re w i th c erta i n i l l egal , un chari tab le,unch ri st ian

,an d un const i tut i on al d ocuments ca l led

Business Letter s : The ajj’air is inthehands ofthePol ice. Do you h ea r that, you ev i ldoer ? Send ingbus i n ess letters i s su re ly a far more h atefu l and s l imyd egree ofwickedness than send i ng th reaten ing l etters ;th e man who th rows grenades and to rpedoes i s l ess

ma l i c i ous ; th e D ev i l i n red - h ot h e l l rubs h i s h ands

wi th gl ee as h e reckon s up th e number that go forth

spread ing pa i n and anx iety w ith ea ch del i very Ofth epost.I h ave been wal k i ngto- day by a col onn ade Of beech es

a l ong th e b rawl i ng Al lan . My Ch aracterfor san i ty i squ i te gon e, s eei ng that I ch eered my lonely way with

th e fo l l owing, i n a tr i umphan t Chaunt :“Thank God

for th e grass , an d th e fir - trees , and th e c rows , an d th eSh eep , an d th e sunsh i ne , and th e sh adows ofth e fi rtrees .” I h o l d that h e i s a poo r mean d evi l who canwal k a lon e, i n such a p lace an d i n su ch weath er, anddoesn’tset up h is lungs an d cry back to th e b i rd s andth e ri ver. F o l low , fo l low , fo l l ow me. Come h i th er,come h ith er, come h i th er — h ere sh al l you s ee — noen emy — except a very s l igh t remnan t ofwinter andi ts rough weath er. My bedroom , when I awoke th i smorn ing, was fu l l ofbi rd - songs, wh i ch i s th e greatest

p leasure i n l i fe. Come h ith er, come h i th e r, come h ith e r,an d when you come bring th e th i rd part of The EarthlyParadise ; you can get i t fo r m e i n El l i o t

’ s fo r two and

ten pence (as . 1od. ) (businesshabits) . Al so b ri ng an

ounce ofhon eydew from Wi lson ’ s. R. L. S .

33


To MRS . THOMAS STEVENSONInthe prev ious year

,187 1 , ithad becom e apparent that Steven son

was n e ithe r fitted by bodi ly h ealth nor by i ncl i nati on for the fam i lyprofe s si on ofCiv i l enginee r. To the great and natural regret Of h i sfathe r,who, howeve r,wi se ly bowed to the i n evitab l e , itwas agree dthathe should give it up

,and Should read in stead for the Scotti sh

bar . Accordingly,his sum m e r excursion swe re n o longe r to thehar

bourwork s and l ighthouse s of Scotland,but tothe ord inary scene s of

ho l iday trave l abroad .

BRUSSELS, Thur sday , a5thjuly ,1 872 .

MY DEAR MOTHER , — l am here at l ast , S i tt i ng i n myroom , without coat or waistcoat, an d with both window an d door open , and yet pers p i ri ng l i ke a te rra - cotta

jug o r a Gruyere ch eese .

We had a very good passage , wh ich we ce rta i n ly

deserved , i n compen sati on for having to s l eep on th e

cab i n floor, an d fi nd i ng abso l ute ly noth i ng fi t fo r h umanfood i n th e wh o l e fi l thy emba rkation . We made up

fo r lost time by S leep i ng ondeck a good part Ofth eforen oon . When I woke , S impson was sti l l S l e ep ingth e s l eep Of th e j ust, on a coil of ropes a nd (as ap

peared afte rwards) h i s own hat ; so I got a bottl e of

Bass and a p ip e an d l a i d ho ld of an Old F ren chman ofsomewhat fi l thy aspect (fiatexper im entam incorpor evil i) to t ry my F ren ch upon . I made very heavy

weathe r ofit. The F renchman had a very p retty youngwife ; but my F rench a lways deserted me en ti re ly when

I had to an swe r h e r, an d so sh e soon d rew away and

left me to h er lord , who ta lked ofF rench po l i ti cs ,Afri ca , and domest i c economy with great v i vac i ty.

F rom Ostend a smok ing- hot journ ey to B russe ls. At

34

LETTERS O F R. L. STEVENSON

h e had caugh t a snake i n th e R i esengebi rge. I have

i t h ere , h e sa id ; would you l i ke to see i t ? I sa i d

yes ; a n d putti ng h i s han d i nto h i s b reast- pocket, h e

d rew fo rth not a d ri ed serp ent Sk i n , but th e h ead andneck ofth e repti l e wri th i ng and shooti ng out i ts bo rrib le tongue i n my face. You may conce i ve what afrigh t I got. I se nd off th i s S i ngl e sh eet just n ow i no rde r to l et you know I am safe ac ross ; but you must

notexpect l ette rs often . R . L . STEVENSON.

P . S.— Th e snake was about a yard long , but h arm

l ess, and now, h e says, qu i te tame.

TOMRS. THOMAS STEVENSONHOTEL LANDSBERG, F RANKFURT,Monday , 29thj uly , 187 2 .

LAST n igh t I m et with rathe r a n amus i ng adventurette . See ing a chu rch doo r open , I wen t i n , andwas led by most importunate fing e r - bi l l s up a longsta i r to th e top ofth e tower. The fath er smoki ng atth e doo r, th e moth e r an d th e th ree daughters rece i ved

me as ifl was a fri en d of th e fam i ly an d had come info r an even ing V i s i t. The youngest daugh ter (aboutth i rteen , I suppose, an d a p retty l i ttl e gi rl ) had beenl ea rn ing Engl ish at th e schoo l , and was anxious to p layi t o ff u pon a rea l , veri tab l e Englander ; so we had a

long ta l k , and I was Shown photographs , etc . , Ma riea nd I ta lk ing, an d th e oth ers looki ng on with evi den tdel igh t at h av ing such a l i ngui st i n th e fam i ly . As a l lmy remarks were duly tran sl ated and commun icated to

36

STUDENT DAYS AT ED INBURGH

th e rest, i t was qu ite a good German lesson . Th erewas on ly one contretemps duri ng th e who le i n te rvi ewthe arri va l of anoth e r V i s ito r, i n th e Shape (sure ly)

th e last of God ’ s creatu res , a wood - worm of th e most

unnatura l an d h i deous appea ra nc e, with one greatstri ped ho rn sti ck ing outof h i s nose l i ke a b oltsp rit.

I f th ere a re many wood- worms i n Germany, I sh a l l

come home . Th e most cou rageous men i n th e worl dmust be entomol ogists . I h ad rath e r be a l io n - tamer.To - day I gotrath er a curi osi ty Lieder und Bal la

denvonRobertBurns , t ransl ated by one Silb e rg le it, an dnot so i l l don e e i th er. Armed with wh ich , I h ad a

swim i n th e Ma in , an d then bread an d ch ees e an d

Bava ri an beer i n a so rt of cafe, or at lea st th e Germansubsti tute fo r a cafe ; but what a fa l l i n g offafte r th eh eaven ly forenoon s i n B russe l s !I h ave bought a meersc haum outof l oca l s ent imen t,an d amnowve ry low an d n ervous about th e bargai n ,hav ing pa i d dea re r than I Should i n Eng land , an d got aworse a rti c l e, i f I can form a j udgment.

Do write some more, somebody. To - morrow I ex

pectI sha l l go in to lodgings , as th i s h ote l work makesth e mon ey d isappea r l i k e butte r i n a furn ace — Mean

wh i le bel i eve me, eve r you r afi‘

ectionate son ,R. L . STEVENSON.

TOMRS . THOMAS STEVENSONHOTEL LANDSBERG, Thur sday , 1 stAugust, 187 2 .

YESTERDAY I wa lked to Eckenhe im , a v i l lage al i tt le way out of F ran kfurt, an d tu rn ed i n to th e a lehouse.I n th e room , whi chwas j ust such as i t would hav e been

37


i n Scotl and , were th e land lady , two n eighbours , an d anol d peasan t eati ng raw sausage at th e fa r end. I s oon

got i nto !conversation ; and was aston i sh ed when th elan d lady, havi ng asked wh eth er I were an Eng l i shman ,an d rece i ved an answer i n th e affi rmative , p roceeded toi nqui re further whether I were not a l so a Scotchman . I t

tu rned outth at a Scotch doctor a p rofessor a poet

who wrote books — g r osswie das — had come n earlyeve ry day outof F rankfurt to th e Eckenheim er Wirthschaft, and had l eft beh i nd h im a most savou ry memoryinth e h earts of a l l i ts customers . One man ran out tofind h is name for m e, and retu rned with th e n ews th at

i t was Cobie (Scob i e , I s uspect) ; an d duri ng h is absenceth e rest were pouring i nto my ears th e fame and ac

quirem ents of my countryman . He was , i n some undec i pherab le man ner, connected with th e Q ueen ofEngland and one ofth e Pri n cesses . He had been i n Turkey , an d had there marri ed a wife of immens e weal th .

Th ey cou ld fin d appa re ntly n o measure adequate to

express th e s ize of h is books . I n on e way o r another,h e had amassed a prin cely fortun e, and had ap parently

on ly on e sorrow , h i s daughter to wit, who had ab

sconded i nto a Kloster , with a con si de rab l e s l i c e of th emoth er ’ s Geld. I to l d th em we had no kloste rs i n

Scotlan d , with a ce rta i n feel i ng ofsuperio ri ty . N o

more had th ey , Iwas to ld Hier istunser Kloster/an d th e speaker moti on ed with both arms round th e

taproom . Al th ough th e fi rs t torrent was exhausted ,yet th e Docto r came u p aga i n i n a l l sorts of ways , and

with o r without occas i on , th roughout th e whol e i nte rv i ew ; as , for exampl e , when one man , tak i ng h i s p i p e

outof h i s mouth and Shaki ng h is h ead , remarked38


apr opos of noth i ng an d with a lmost defian t conv i ct i o n ,Erwar einfez’ner Mann, derHer r D octor , an d wasanswered by another wi th Yaw, yaw, und trankimm er r othenWein.Sett i ng as id e th e Docto r, who had ev i dent ly tu rn edth e bra i n s ofth e en ti re v i l lage, th ey were i n te l l igentpeop l e. One th i ng i n parti cu l a r s truck me, th e i r h onesty i n adm itt ing that h ere they spoke bad German

,

an d advi s i ng m e to go to Cobu rg o r L ei ps i c fo r German . “Sie spr echenda r ein(c l ean ) , sa i d on e ; a ndth ey al l nodd ed th ei r h eads togeth er l i k e a s manymandari n s , an d repeated r ein, so r eini n ch o rus .Ofcou rs e we gotupon Scot la nd . Th e h os tes s sa i d

,

D ie Schottla‘nder tr inkeng ernSchnapps , ” wh i ch maybe free ly trans lated ,

“Scotchmen are h orri d fond ofwhi sky . I t was imposs ib l e , ofcou rs e , to combat sucha tru i sm ; and SOI p roceed ed to exp l a i n th e construct i on

Of toddy , i n terrupted by a c ry of h o rror when I men

tioned th ehotwater ; an d th en ce, as I fi nd i s a lways th ecas e , to th e most ghast ly romanci ng about Scotti s hs cen ery an d man ners , th e H igh land d ress , and every

thi ng nati ona l o r loca l th at I cou ld lay my hands upon .N owthat l have gotm y German Burns , I l ea n a gooddea l upon h im for Open i ng a conve rsat i on , and read a

few trans lat i ons to every yawn i ng audi en ce that I can

gath er. I am grown most i n sufferab ly nati on a l , yousee . I fan cy i t i s a pun i shmen t fo r my want ofi t ato rd i nary t imes . N ow, what do you th i nk , th ere was awaite r i n th i s very hote l , but, a las ! h e i s n ow gon e,who sang (from morn i ng to n ight, as my i nfo rmantsa i d with a sh rug at th e reco l l ecti on) what but

’

s istlangeher , th e German vers i on of Auld Lang Syne ; so

39


IS72 you see , madame , th e finest lyri c ever wri ttenwil l makei ts way out ofwhatsoeve r corner ofpato i s i t found itsb i rth i n .

MeinHer r istimHochland, m einHer r istnichtb ier !MeinHeraistimHochland, im g runenRevier ,1m g r itnenRevier e ( ujag endasRehMeinHeraistimHochland,wo imm er ichg eh’ !I don ’ t th i n k I n eed tran s late that fo r you .

There i s o n e th i ng that bu rth en s me a good deal i nmy patri ot i c gar rulag e , and that i s th e b lack ignorance

i n wh ich I grop e about everyth i ng, as , fo r examp l e ,when I gave yeste rday afu l l a nd , I fan cy, a sta rt l i nglyi ncorrect accoun t of Scotch

,educati on to a very sto l i d

German on a garden bench : h e sat and pe rsp i red under

i t, howeve r, with much composu re . I am gene ra l ly

glad enough to fa l l back agai n , after th es e po l i t i ca l ihte r ludes , upon Burns , toddy , and th e H igh lands .I go every n ight to the’theatre , except when there i sn o ope ra . I cannot stand a p lay yet ; but I am a l readyvery much imp roved , a n d can understand a good dea l

ofwhat goes on .F r iday , August2 , 1872 .

— Inth e even ing, at th e theat re , I ha d a great laugh . Lord Allcashi n F raD iavolo,with h i s wh i te h at , red gu ide- books , and bad German ,was th e piece de r esistance from a humorous poi n t ofV i ew ; and I h ad th e sat i sfact i on of knowi ng th at i n my

ownsmal l way I cou l d m in i ste r th e same amusementwhenever I ch os e to Open my mouth .

I am j ust go i ng offto do some German with S impson . — Your affecti onate s on , R. L . STEVENSON.

40


To THOMAS STEVENSON

FRANKFURT, ROSENGASSE 13, August4, 1 872 .

MY DEAR FATHER,

—You wi l l perc e ive by th e h ead ofth i s page that we have at las t got i nto l odgi ngs , a ndpowerfu l ly mean ones too . I f I were to ca l l th e s treetanyth i ng but shady , I Sh ou l d be boasti ng. Th e p eop l eS itat th e i r doors i n Sh i rt- s l eeves , smok i ng as th ey do i nSeven D i a l s ofa Sunday .

Las t n igh t we went to bed about ten ,for th e fi rs t

t im ehouseholder s i n Germany— rea l Teutons , withnodecept i on , s p ri ng, or fa l s e bottom . About h a l f- past

one th ere began such a trumpet i ng, Shouti ng, p eal i ngofbel ls , and scu rryi ng h i th er an d th i th e r Of feet as wokeevery person i n F rankfurt out ofth ei r fi rst S l eep with avague so rt ofapp reh ens io n th at th e l ast day was at h and .Th e who l e street was a l i ve , an d we cou l d h ear peop l etal k i ng i n th ei r rooms , or c ryi ng to pass ers - by from

th e i r wi ndows , a l l a round us . Atlastl made outwhata man was say i ng i n th e n ext room . I t was a fi re i n

Sachs enhausen , h e sai d (Sach senh ausen i s th e suburbonth e oth e r s i de ofth e Ma i n) , an d h e wound up withon e ofth e most t remendous fa ls eh oods onrecord ,Hier al les ruht— here a l l i s s t i l l . ’ I f i t ca n be Sai d tobe sti l l i n an engi n e factory, or i n th e stomach ofa volcan o when i t i s m ed itati ng an erupti on , h e migh t h ave

been j ust ified i n what h e sa i d , but n ot oth erwi se . Th etumu lt conti nued unabatedfor n ea r an h ou r ; but as onegrew used to i t, i t gradua l ly reso lved its e lf i nto th ree

be l l s , an sweri ng each oth er atShort i nterva l s across th etown , aman Shouti ng, at eve r s h orte r i n terva l s and with

41


superhuman energy, F euer — im Sachsenhausen, andth e a lmost conti nuous wi nd i ng of a l l mann er ofbugl esand trumpets , s ometimes i n sti rri ng flouri sh es , andsometimes i n mere tune les s wai l s . Occas i ona l ly th erewas anoth er rush offeet past th e wi ndow , and onceth ere was a m ighty d rumming, down between us an d

th e river, as though th e so ld i ery were tu rn i ng outtokeep th e peace . Th is was a l l we had ofth e fi re

,except

a great c l oud , a l l flush ed red with th e glare , above th eroofs on th e oth e r s i d e of th e Gasse ; but i t was qu iteenough to put m e ent i re ly Offmy S l eep and make mekeen ly a l i ve to th ree or four gent lemen who were stro l l

i ng l e i sure ly about my person , and every h ere and th ere

l eavi ng me somewhat as a keepsake . However,

everyth i ng has i ts compensat ion , and when day came

at last , and th e s parrows awoke with t ri l l s a nd car ol - ets ,th e dawn seemed to fa l l onme l i ke a s l eep i ng draught.I went to th e wi ndow and saw the s parrows about theeaves , and a great t roop Of doves go s tro l l i ng up th epaven Gas se , s eek i ng what th ey may devour. And soto s l eep , desp i te fleas and fire - a la rms and c l ocks ch im

i ng th e h ours out of n eighbou ri ng houses at a l l s orts

ofOdd t imes and with th e most Charm ing want ofunan im ity .

We have got s ett led down i n F rankfurt, and l i ke th ep lace very much . S impson and I s eem to get on ve rywel l togeth er. We sui t each oth e r cap i ta l ly ; and i t i s

an awfu l j oke to be l i v i ng (two wou ld- b e advocates ,and on e a baronet) i n th i s supremely mean abode.

Th e abode i s,h owever, a great improvement onth e

h ote l,and I th i n k we Sha l l grow qu ite fon d of it.

Eve r you r afl ectionate son , R . L . STEVENSON.42


all about us h e re . Some one i s hammeri ng a beef- steaki n th e r er—de—chausse’e : th ere i s a great c l i n k ofp i tch ersand n oi s e of th e pump - hand l e at th e pub l i c wel l i n th e

l i tt l e square- k i n round th e corner. Th e ch i l d ren , al ls eem i ng ly with i n a month , and certa i n ly none above

five , that a lways go ha l ti ng and stumbl i ng up and down

the roadway , are o rd i nari ly very qu i et , an d s i t sedate ly

pudd l i ng i n th e gutte r, t ry i ng, I suppose , poor l i tt l e

d evi l s ! to understand the i r Mutter sp rache ; but th ey ,too

,make them se l ves h eard from time to tim e i n l i tt le

i ncompreh ens ib l e anti ph on i es , about th e d rift that comes

down to th em by th e i r r i vers from th e strange landsh igh e r up th e Gass e . Above a l l , th ere i s h ere such a

twi tte ri ng of cana ri es ( I can s ee twe lve outof our win

dow) , and such con ti nua l V is i tat i on of grey doves and

big- nosed s pa rrows , as make our l i tt l e by—street i n to a

perfect avi a ry.

I l ook across th e Gass e at our oppos i te n eighbou r,as

h e dand l es h i s baby about , a nd occas iona l ly takes a

Spoonfu l or two of s ome pa l e s l imy nasti n ess that looksl i ke dead por r idge , i f you can take th e concepti on .

These two are h i s o n ly occupations . All day long you

can h ea r h im s i ngi ng ove r th e brat when h e i s n ot eat

i ng ; o r s ee h im eati ng when h e i s n ot keepi ng baby .

Bes i des wh i ch , th e re comes i nto h i s h ouse a conti nua l

round of v i s i to rs that puts me i n m i nd of th e lu nch eon

h ou r at home . AS h e has thus n o ostens ib l e avocat i on ,we have named h im“th e W . S. to give a flavou r ofrespectab i l i ty to th e street.Enough ofth e Gass e . The weathe r i s h ere muchco lde r. I t ra i n ed a good dea l yesterday ; and th ough i ti s fa i r a nd sunsh i ny again today , an d we canst i l l Sit, of

44


cours e, with our wi ndows open , yet th ere i sno moreexcusefor th e s i esta ; and th e bath e i n th e ri ve r, exceptfo r c l ean l i n ess

,i s n o l onger a n ecess i ty of l i fe. Th e

Ma i n i s very swift . I n one part ofth e bath s i t i s n extdoo r to im poss ib l e to swim agai n st i t , and I suspect

that, outi n th e open , i t wou ld be qu ite imposs ib l e.Ad i eu

,my dear moth er, and be l i eve me , eve r you r

affecti onate son, RO BERT LOU IS STEVENSON(Rentier ) .

To CHARLES BAXTER

Inthewinter of1872 -

73 Stevensonwas out of health again ; and bythe beginn ing ofSpring there beganthe troublewhich for the next twe lvem onths clouded hi s hom e l ife . Thefol lowing

,wh ich i s the on ly one of

many letters on the subj ect I shal l print,shows exactly inwhat spi rithe

took it.1 7 HER IOTRow, ED INBURGH ,Sunday , F ebruary 2 , 1873 .

MY DEAR BAXTER , — Th e thunderbo l t has fal l en wi th avengeance n ow . OnF ri day n igh t after l eav i ng you

,i n

th e cou rs e ofconversat ion , my fath er put m e one ortwoquesti on s as to bel i efs , whi ch I candi d ly answered . I

rea l ly hate a l l ly i ng so much now —a n ewfound h on

esty th at has somehow come out Of my late i l l ness

that I cou ldnots o much as h es i tate at th e t im e ; but i fI h ad fo res een th e rea l h e l l ofeveryth i ng s i n ce , I th in kI Shou l d h ave l i ed , as I h ave done SOoften befo re . I s ofar th ough t ofmy fath er, but I had fo rgotten my moth er.Andnow! th ey are both i l l , both s i l en t, both as downi n th e mouth as if— I can find n o s im i l e . You may

fancy h ow happy i t i s for me . I f i t were n ot too late ,45


I th i n k I cou ld a lmost find i t i n my hea rt to retract, buti t i s too late ; and agai n , am I to l i ve my whol e l i fe asone fa ls eh ood ? Ofcourse, i t i s rough er than h el l uponmy fath er

,but can I h el p i t ? They don ’ t see ei th er that

my game i s n ot th e l ight- hearted s coffer ; that I am not(as th ey ca l l m e) a care l es s i nfide l . I b e l i eve as much asth ey do

,on ly genera l ly i n th e i nvers e rati o : I am ,

I

th i nk , as honest as th ey can be i n what I h o ld . I have

not come hasti ly to my V i ews . I rese rve (as I to ld th em)many poi nts unt i l I acqu i re fu l l e r i nfo rmation , and do

not th i n k I am thus j ust ly to be ca l l ed h orrib le ath e i st.N ow, what i s to take p lace? What a curse I am to myparents ! 0 Lord , what a p l easant th i ng i t i s to havejust damned th e happ i ness of(probab ly) th e on ly twopeop l e who care a damn about you i n th e worl d !What i s my l i fe to be at th i s rate ? What, you rasca l ?

Answer— I have a p i sto l at you r th roat. I f a l l th at Ih o ld t rue and most des i re to sp read i s to be such death

,

and wors e than death , i n th e eyes Of my father and

moth e r, what th e devil am I to do ?Here i s a good heavy cross with a vengeance, and a l l

rough with rusty nai l s that tea r you r fingers , on ly i t i s

n ot I that h ave to carry i t a lon e ; I ho l d th e l igh t end ,but th e h eavy burden fa l ls onth es e two.

D on ’ t— I don ’ t k now what I was goi ng to say. I am

an ab j ect i d i ot, whi ch , a l l th i ngs con sidered , i snotremarkab le — Eve r you r affect i onate and horrib le ath ei st,

R . L . STEVENSON.

46

I I

STUDENT DAYS

ContinuedORDERED SOUTH

(SEPTEMBER, 1873— J ULY, 1875)

I I

STUDENT DAYS

ContinuedORDERED SOUTH

(SEPTEMBER , 1873— J U LY , 1875)

T was i n th e summer of1873 that I fi rs t m et Stevenson , i n th e h ouse ofmy ki nd fri en d and col

l eague, Professo r Ch u rch i l l Bab i ngton , fo rmerly ofSt.J oh n

’

s Co l l ege , Cambri dge, and th en res i dent at h i s cou n

t ry l i v i ng ofCockfie ld, n ea r Bu ry St. Edmunds , Suffo l k.Professo r Bab i ngton was marri ed to a gra nddaughter

ofth e Rev. Lewis Ba l fou r ofCo l i n ton , and Lou is Stevenson was acco rd i ngly a fi rs t cous i n ofh i s h ostess (seeabove , p . I t n eeded no conj u re r to recogn ise , i n

th i s very uh- a cad emi cal type ofScott i sh youth , a s p i ri tth e most i nte rest i ng and fu l l ofp rom is e . H is soc ia lCharm was a l ready at i ts h eight , and qu i te i rres i s t ib l e ;but i nward ly h e was fu l l oftroubl e and se l f- doubt. I f

h e cou ld steer h imse lf or be steered safe ly th rough th ed ifficu l ti es ofyouth , and i f h e cou ld l ea rn t o write withh a l f th e ch arm and gen i us th at sh one from h is p resen ce

and conversat i on , th ere s eemed room to hop efor th eh igh est from h im . He hadnotlong before th i s made

49


fri e nds i n th e sam e house with th e lady , a connecti onby marri age of h i s h ostess , to whom so many of th e

l ette rs i n th e p resen t s ecti on are address ed ; had found

i n h e r sympathy a strong encouragement ; and unde rh e r i nfluenc e had begun fo r th e fi rs t t im e to be l i eve

hopefu l ly a nd manfu l ly i n h i s own powers and future .To encou rage such hopes furth er, and to lend whathand one cou ld towards thei r fu lfi lment, became qu i ck ly

on e of th e fi rst of ca res a nd p l easu res . He attach edhimsel f to me , a lmost from our fi rs t acquai n tance , with

th e winn i ng and eager warmth ofh eart that was natura l to h im , and Iwas ab l e to h el p h im with i ntroducti onsto ed itors , who were glad , of cou rs e , to welcome sop rom is i ng a rec ru i t , and with such h i n ts and c ri ti c i sms

conce rn i ng h i s work as a begi n n er may i n most cases

p rofi tab ly take from a s en i o r ofa certa i n t ra i n i ng andexperi en ce . He went back to Ed i nbu rgh i n th e b egi nn i ng OfSeptember fu l l of n ew hope and hea rt. I th ad been agreed that wh i l e st i l l read i ng, as h i s pa rents

des i red , fo r th e ba r, h e shou ld try seri ous ly to get ready

for publ i cat i o n some essays wh ich h e h ad a l ready onhand — on e on Walt Wh itman , on e on J ohn Knox , one

onRoads and th e Sp i ri t of th e Road — and shou ld s o fa ras poss ibl e avo i d top i cs ofd ispute i n th e h ome ci rc l e .But afte r a wh i l e th e n ews of h im was not favou rab le .

Thos e d ifferences with h i s fathe r, whi ch had beenweigh i ng a lmost morb id ly upon h i s h igh- st rung nature ,were ren ewed . By mid-October h i s l ette rs to ld of fai li ng h ea l th ; and com ing to consu l t th e late S i r AndrewC l a rk i n London , h e was found to be suffe ri ng fromacute ne rve exhaust ion , with some th reat of danger toth e lungs . He was ordered to break at once with Ed i n

so

STUDENT DAYS

burghfor a t im e, and to s pen d th e wi nter i n a mores ooth i ng c l imate an d surround i ngs . H e went acco rd

ing ly to Mentone, a p lace h e had de l igh ted i n as a boyten years before , a nd du ring a stay ofs i x month s madea S l ow, but fo r th e t ime be i ng a p retty compl ete , r ecov

ery . I v i s i ted h im twice duri ng th e winte r, a nd th e

s econd t im e found h im com i ng fa i r ly to h imsel f aga i ni n th e s outh ern peace and sunsh i n e . He was busy with

th e essay Orde red South , an d wi th that onV i c to rHugo ’ s Romances , whi ch was afterwards h i s fi rs t con

tributionto th e Cornhil l Magar ine ; was fu l l ofa th ousand d reams and p roj ectsfor futu re work ; and waspass in g h i s i n va l i d days p l easan t ly meanwh i l e i n th e

compan ionsh i p of two ki n d and accompl i s h ed Russ ia nlad i es , who took to h im warm ly, and of thei r ch i ld ren .Retu rn ing to Ed i nbu rgh i n May, 1874, h e went to l iv ewith h i s pa rents at Swanston and Ed i nbu rgh , and resumed h i s read i ngfor th e ba r. I l l n ess a nd absence had

don e th ei r work , and th e old harmony ofth e home wash enceforth qui te r e - estab l i sh ed . I n h i s Spare t im e, duri ng th e n ext year, h e worked ha rd at h i s chosen art, t ry

i ng h i s hand at essays , s hort s to ri es , c ri t i c i sms , and

p rose poems . I n a l l th i s experim enta l writ i ng h e hadnei th er th e a ims nor th e faci l i ty ofth e j ourna l i st, butstrove a lways afte r th e h igh er qua l i t i es ofl i teratu re , andacco rd i ngly was n ever sat isfi ed wi th what h e h ad done .I n th e cou rs e ofth i s summer h i s excu rs i ons i n c l uded aweek or two spent with me at Hampstead

,duri ng whi ch

h e j o i n ed th e Savi l e Club and made some acquai ntancewith London l i tera ry soci ety ; a yachti ng excu rs i on withh i s fri end S i r Wa lte r S impson i n th e western i s lands ofScot land ; a t ri p to th e west of England with h i s parents

5I


by way ofth e Engl is h lakes and Cheste r ; and i n th elate autumn a walk i ng tour i n Bucki nghamsh i re . Th eScott i s h winte r ( 1874- 75) t ri ed h im severe ly , as Scottis hwi nters a lways d id , but was en l i ven ed by a n ew andwhat was dest i n ed to be an extreme ly fru i tfu l and i ntimate fri endsh i p , th e origi n ofwh ich i s described i n th efo l lowing l etters ; n ame ly , that with Mr . W. E. Hen l ey .

I n Apri l , 187 5, h e made h is fi rs t v i s i t , i n th e company of

h i s pa i nter cous i n , Mr . R . A. M. Steve nson , to th e a rti s th aun ts ofth e fores t of F ontai neb leau , whence h e re

tu rn ed to fini s h h i s read ing for th e Scottis h ba r and faceth e exami nat i on whi ch was befo re h im i n J u ly.H is l etters to h i s fri e nds i n genera l i n th es e days were

few and scrappy , th os e to myse l f p retty numerous , but

c oncerned a lmost e nti re ly with th e tech n i ca l i t i es of l i t

e rature . Those wh ich I sha l l quote bel ow were written ,with few excepti ons , e i th e rto h is pa rents , o r to the ladya l ready ment ion ed ; who was h i s ch i ef correspondent i n

thes e years , and whom h e was accustomed to keep ac

quainted with h i s moods and doi ngs by mean s of j ou rna l- l ette rs made u p a lmost week ly.


Thi s isfrom h i s cousin ’s house in Suffolk . Som e ofthe im presswnsthen rece ived ofthe contrasts between Scotland and Englandwe re laterworked outi n the essay“The Fore igner atHom e

,pri nted atthe head

ofMem or ies and P ortraits.COCKF IELD RECTORY , SUDBURY, SUFFOLK ,

Tuesday , j uly 28, 1873.

MY DEAR MOTH ER , — l am too happy to be much ofac orrespondent. Yeste rday we were away to Me lford

S 2

LETTE RS O F R . L. STEVENSON

on e rath er t im i d ofone ’ s tub when i t finds i tswayi ndoors .

I was outth i s even i ng to ca l l onafri end , and , comi ng back th rough th e wet, c rowded , l amp l it s treets ,was s i ngi ng afte r my own fash i on , DuhastD iamantenund P er len, when I h ea rd a poor cri pp l e man i n th egutte r wai l i ng over a p i t ifu l Scotch a i r, h i s c l ub- foot

supported onth e oth er knee , an d h i s whol e woebegonebody p ropped s ideways aga i nst a c rutch . Th e n ea restl amp th rew a st rong l ight onh i s worn , s ord id face andth e th ree boxes Of l uc ifer match es that h e h el d for sa l e .My own fa ls e n otes stuck i n my ch est . How wel l offI am ! i s th e bu rth en ofmy songs a l l day long— D rumistsowohl m ir inder Welt— a nd th e ugly rea l i ty of th e

c ri p p l e man was an i ntrus ion onth e beauti fu l world i nwh ich I was wal ki ng . He cou ld no more s i ng than I

cou ld ; and h i s vo ice was c racked and rusty , and a lto

gethe r peri sh ed . To th i n k that that wreck may havewa lked th e street some n ight yea rs ago , as glad at h ea rt

a s I was , and p romis i ng h imsel f a future as golden an d

honourab l e !

Sunday ,A . M.

— I wonder what you are doi ng

now?— inchurch l i ke ly, at th e Te D eum . Everyth i ng

h ere i s utter ly s i l en t. I can h ea r men’

s footfa l l s s treets

away ; th e who l e l i fe of Ed i nburgh has been sucked i n to

sundry p ious ed ifices ; th e garden s be low my wi ndowsare steeped i n a d iffused sun l igh t , and every t ree s eemsstand ing ont i ptoes , stra i n ed and s i lent, as th ough toget its h ead above i ts n eighbour

’

s and l isten. Youknowwhatl mean , don ’ t you ? How trees do seems i lent ly to assert th emse lves ona n occas ion ! I haveb een t ry i ng to writeRoads unti l I fee l as i f I were

54

STU D ENT DAYS

stand i ng on my head ; but I m eanRoads, and Sha l l dos ometh i ng to th em .

I w ish I cou ld make you fee l th e hush th at i s over

everyth i ng, on ly made th e more perfect by rare i nte r

ruptions ; and th e ri ch , p lac i d l ight, and th e s ti l l , autumna l fo l i age. Houses , you know , stand a l l about ourgardens : s o l i d , steady b locks of houses ; a l l l ook empty

,and as l eep .

Mondaynight— Th e drums andfifes up i n th e Cast l ea re soundi ng th e guard - ca l l th rough th e dark , and th e re

i s a great ratt l e of ca rriages with out . I h ave had ( Imust te l l you) my bed taken outof th i s room , s o that I

am a lon e i n i t wi th my books and two tab l es , a nd twochai rs

,and a coa l- s kutt l e (or scuttle) (P) an d a debr is Of

broken p i pes i n a co rn er, an d my old s ch oo l p lay- box,

so fu l l of pap ers and books th at th e l i d wi l l n ot s hut

down , stand i ng rep roachfu l ly i n th e m ids t. Th ere i ssometh i ng i n i t that i s s ti l l a l i tt l e gaun t and vacant ; i t

n eeds a l i tt l e p opu l ous d i s ord er ove r i t to gi ve i t th e fee lof homel i n es s , an d perhaps a b it m ore fu rn i tu re , j ust to

take th e edge offth e s ens e ofi l l im itab l e Space , ete rn i ty ,a nd afuture state , and th e l i ke, th at i s b rough t h ometo one , even i n th i s sma l l att i c , by th e wide, emptyfloonTh es e good books el l ers ofmin e have a t l as t got aWerther without i l l ustrati ons . I want you to l i k eCha r lotte . Werth e r h ims el f h as every feeb len ess an d

vi ce that cou ld tend to make h i s su i c i d e a most vi rtuousand comm endab l e act i on ; and yet I l i k e Werth er too— Idon

’

t k n ow why , except th at h e has written th e m ost

del ightfu l l etters i n th e world . N ote, by th e way , th e

passage under date J un e a1 stn ot fa r from th e begi nas


n i ng ; i t finds a vo icefor a great d ea l of dumb , uneasy,p leasurab le l ongi ng that we have a l lhad, t imes with outnumber. I l ooked that up th e othe r day fo rRoads, soI k now the reference ; bu t youwill‘find i t a gard en offlowers from begin n i ng to end . All th roughth e pass i o nkeeps stead i ly ri s i ng, from th e thunde rs torm at the

country- house — th ere was thunder i n that sto ry tooup to th e last wi ld del i ri ous i ntervi ew ; e i th er Lotte wasno good at a l l , o r e l s e Werth er Shou ld have remai neda l i ve afte r that ; ei th er h e knew hi s woman too wel l , o re ls e h e was p rec i p i tate . But an i d i ot l i k e that i s h opel ess ; a nd yet , h e wasn’tan i d i ot— I make reparat i on ,and wi l l offer e igh teen pounds of best wax at h is tomb .Poor d evi l ! h e was on ly th e weakes t— or , at l east , avery weak stro ng man . R. L. S,

TO MRS . S ITWELL

17 HER IOTRow, ED INBURGH ,F r iday , Septem ber 1 2 , 1873.

I WAS ove r las t n igh t , con tra ry to my own wish ,i n Leven , F i fe ; and th i s morn i ng I h ad a conversat ionofwhi ch , I th i nk , som e accoun t m ight i nterest you .

I was u p with a cous i n who was fi sh i ng i n a m i l l- l ade ,and a sh ower of rai n d rove me for She l ter i nto a tumb ledownstead i ng attach ed to th e m i l l . There I founda labou rer c l ean i ng a byre , with whom I fe l l i nto ta lk .

The man was to a l l a ppearance as h eavy, ashe’be’te, asany Engl i s h c lodh opper ; butI knewI was i n Scotla nd ,a nd l aunch ed out forth right i n to Educati on and Po l i t icsand th e a ims of one ’ s l i fe . I to ld h imhowlhad found

S6


beat ofth e padd les of an unseen steamer somewhereround th e cape.

l am , unha pp i ly , offmy sty le, a nd can do noth i ngwel l ; i ndeed , Ifear l have marredRoads fina l ly by patchi ng at i t when I was out of th e humour. On ly , I ambegin n i ng to see s ometh i ng great ab outJohnKnox andQ ueen Ma ry : I l i k e th em both so much , that I fee l as i fI c ou ld write th e h i sto ry fa i rly .

l have fi n i sh edRoads today , and send i t offto youto see . Th e Lord knows whethe r i t i s worth anyth i ng !some ofitp l eas es m e a good d ea l , but I fea r i t i s qu i teu nfi t fo r any poss ib l e magaz i n e . However, I w is h you

to see i t, as you know th e humour i n wh ich i t was con

ce ived, walk i ng a lon e and very happ i ly about th e Suffo l kh ighways and byways ons evera l s p l end i d sunny afternoons — Be l i eve m e ever you r fa i th fu l fri end ,

RO BERT LOU IS STEVENSON.

Monday — I have looked ove rRoads agai n , a nd I amaghast at i ts feeb l en ess . I t i s th e tri a l ofa very p renti c e h an d i nd eed . Sha l l I ever l earn to do anyth i ngwel l ? However, i t s ha l l go to you , fo r th e reas onsgiven above.

To MRS . SITWELL

ED INBURGH , Tuesday , Septem ber 1 6 , 1873 .

I MUST be very strong to have a l l th i s vexati ona nd sti l l to be we l l . I was weigh ed th e othe r day , and

th e gross weight of my la rge p erson was e igh t ston e

S ix ! D oes i tnotseem surp ris i ng that I can keep th elamp a l ight, th rough a l l th i s gusty weather, i n s o fra i la lantern ? And yet i t bu rns ch eeri ly.

58

STUDENT DAYS

My mother i s leavi ng for th e country th i s morn i ng,and my fath er and I w i l l be a lon e fo r th e bes t part ofth e week i n th i s house. Then on F ri day I go south toDumfri es ti l l Monday. I must write sma l l , or I s ha l lhave a t remendous budget by th en .

P. M.— I must te l l you a th i ng I saw today. I

was goi ng down to Portobe l lo i n th e t ra i n , when therecame i nto th e n ext compartment (th i rd- c lass) a n artizan,strongly marked with sma l lpox , an d wi th sun ken , h eavyeyes — a face h ard and unk i nd , and without anyth i ng

love ly. There was a woman onth e p latfo rm seei ngh im off. Atfi rs t s ight , with h e r one eye b l i nd and th ewho l e cast ofh er featu res strong ly p l ebe ian , and evenv i c i ous , sh e s eemed as u np l easan t as th e man ; but th ere

Was s ometh i ng beaut i fu l ly s oft, a so rt Of l igh t oftendern ess , as on some D utch Madonna , th at came ove r h e r

face when sh e looked at th e man . Th ey ta l ked fo r awh i l e togeth e r th rough th e wi ndow ; th e man seemed

to have been ask i ng money . Ye ken th e las t t ime,

sh e sa i d ,“I gave ye two shillin’s fo r you r ludg in’ , and

ye sai d i t d i ed offi n to wh i s pe r. P l a i n ly F a ls taff andD ame Q ui ck ly over agai n . Th e man laughed unp leasantly, even c rue l ly, and sai d someth i ng ; and th e womanturn ed h er back onth e carriage and stood a l ong wh i l es o, and , do what I m ight, I cou l d catch n o gl impse ofh er express i on , a lth ough I though t I saw th e h eave of

a sob i n h er shou lders . Atl ast , afte r th e t ra i n was

a l ready i n moti on , sh e turned round an d put two Sh i ll i ngs i n to h i s h and . I sawh er stand and look afte r u swith a perfect h eaven Of love on h er face— th i s poorone - eyed Madonna— unti l th e tra i n was outofs igh t ;

59


but th e man , s ord id ly ha ppy with h i s ga i n s , d i d not puth imsel f to the i n conven i ence of one glanceto thank he rfor he r i l l- deserved ki ndness .l have been up at th e Spec . and looked outa referen ceI wanted . Th e who l e town is drowned i n wh i te, wetvapou r offth e s ea . Everyth i ng d ri ps and soaks . Thevery statues s eem wet to th e ski n . I ca nnot p retend to

be very ch eerfu l ; I d i d not s ee one con tented face i n th estreets ; a nd th e poo r d i d l ook so h e l p l es s ly ch i l l anddri p p i ng,wi th out a st i tc h to cha nge, o r so much as afi re to d ry th emse lves at, o r perhaps money to buy a

meal , or perhaps even a bed . My heart Sh i vers fo r th em .

DUM FR IES, F r iday — Al l my th i rs t fo r a l i tt l e warmth,

a l itt l e s un , a l i tt l e corner of b lu e sky ava i l s noth i ng.

Without, th e ra i n fa l l s with a long- d rawn swish, and th en igh t i s as dark as avau lt . There i s n o wi nd i ndeed

,

and th at i s a b less ed change afte r th e un ru ly, bed lam ite

gusts that have been cha rgi ng agai nst on e round s treet

co rne rs and utter ly abo l i s h i ng an d des troy i ng a l l t h at i s

peacefu l i n l i fe . N oth i ng s ours my temper l i ke th es e

coars e te rmagan t wi nds . I h ate p racti ca l j oki ng ; andyou r vu lga rest p racti ca l j oker i s you r flaw of wind .I have tri ed to write som e verses ; but I find I h ave

noth i ng to say that has not been a l ready perfect ly sai d

and perfect ly sung inAdelaide. l have so perfect an

i deaout of that song ! The great Al ps , a wonder i n th esta r l igh t— th e ri ver, strong from th e h i l l s. and turbu l ent,a nd l oud ly aud ib le at n igh t— th e country , a ScentedF ruhl ingsgartenof o rcha rds an d deep wood where th enigh ti ngal es ha rbour— asort of German flavour ove r a l l— and th i s love- drunken man

,wanderi ng onby s l eep

60


th e s tream a l i tt l e fu rth er to where two Covenante rs l i ebu ri ed i n an oakwood ; th e tombstone (as th e custom is)conta i n i ng th e deta i l s ofth ei r grim l i tt le tragedy i nfun n i ly bad rhyme , one vers e ofwh ich sti cks i n mymemory

We d ied , th ei r fu ri ous rage to stay ,N ea r to th e k i rk ofI ron—gray.

We then fetch ed a long compass round about th rough

Ho lywood K i rk a nd Lincludenru i n s to Dumfri es .Sunday — Anoth e r beaut i fu l day. My fath e r and I

wa l ked i nto Dumfri es to Chu rch . When th e s ervi c e

was done I n oted th e two ha lbe rts l a i d aga i ns t th e p i l l a r

ofth e ch urchya rd gate ; an d as I had not seen th e l i tt l eweek ly pomp of Ci v i c d ign i ta ri es i n our Scotch countrytowns fo r some yea rs , I made my fath e r wai t. You

shou ld h ave see n th e p rovost and th ree ba i l i es go i ng

s tate ly away down th e sun l i t street , and the two townservants st rutti ng i n front of them , i n red coats and

cocked hats , and with th e ha lberts most consp i cuous ly

sh ou ldered . We sawBurns ’s house — ap lace that mademe deep ly sad — and spent th e afte rnoon down th e

ban ks Of th e N i th . I had not spent a day by a rive r

s i n ce we lunch ed i n th e meadows nea r Sudbury. Th ea i r was as pu re and c lea r and spark l i ng as sp ri ng-water ;beaut ifu l , gracefu l outl i n es ofh i l l a nd wood shut us i nonevery s i de ; and th e swift, brown ri ver fl ed smooth lyaway from before our eyes , ri pp led over with o i ly edd i esand d imp les . White gu l ls had come up from the sea tofi sh , an d hove red and fl ew h ith er and th i th er among th e

loops of th e stream .

62

STUDENT DAYS

TO MRS . SITWELL

On the question ofthe authorsh ip ofthe Ode tothe Cuckoo,wh ichBurke thought the m ost beauti fu l lyric i n our language , the debate i sbetween the Claim s of J ohn Logan , m in i ste r Of South Le ith ( 1 745andhis friend and fe l lowworke r Michae l Bruce. Those of Logan have

,

I be l ieve,beennowvindicated past doubt.

[ED INBURGH] , Satur day , October4, 1873 .

IT i s a l i tt l e Sharp to—day ; but b righ t and sunny withas park le i n th e a i r, which i s de l igh tfu l afte r fou r daysofun i n te rm i tti ng rai n . I n th e streets I s aw two menmeet afte r a long sepa rati on , i t was p la i n . Th ey cameforward wi th a l i tt l e ru n and l eaped at each oth er ’ sh ands . Youn ever saw such b righ t eyes a s th ey both

had . I t put one i n a good humour to s ee i t.8 P. M.

— I made a l i tt l e more outof my work than Ihave made fo r a long wh i l e back ; th ough even now Icannot make th i ngs fa l l i nto s entences — th ey on lyS praw l ove r th e paper i n ba ld o rphan c lauses . Th en Iwas about i n th e aftern oon with Baxte r ; and we h ad agood dea l offun , fi rs t rhym i ng onth e names of a l l th es hops we passed , and afte rwards buy i ng n eed les an dquack d rugs from open - a i r vendors , an d tak i ng much

p l easu re i n th ei r i n exhaustib l e e l oquence . Every now

and th en as we went , Arthu r ’ s Seat sh owed i ts h ead atth e end of a st reet . N ow, to—day th e b lu e sky and th esunsh i n e were both ent i re ly wi ntry ; and the re was

about th e h i l l,i n th es e gl impses , a s o rt ofth i n , un rea l ,

c rysta l l i n e d ist i n ctn ess tha t I h ave not Often seen ex

ce l l ed . As th e sun began to go down over th e va l l ey

between th e n ew town and th e old, th e even i ng grew63


resp l endent ; a l l th e gard ens an d lowly i ng bu i ld i ngssan k back and becam e a lmost i n vi s ib l e i n a m ist Of

wonderfu l sun , an d th e Castl e stood up aga i nst th e s ky ,as th i n an d sh arp i n outl i n e as a cast l e cut outOf pape r.Baxter made a good remark about Pri n ces Street, thati t was th e most e l asti c s treet fo r length that h e knew ;somet imes i t l ooks , as i t looked to - n ight , i n te rm i nab l e,a way lead i ng right i nto th e h ea rt ofth e red sundown ;sometim es , aga i n , i t s h ri nks togeth er, a s i f fo r warmth ,onon e ofth e wi th e ri ng , c l ea r east- windy days , unti l i ts eems to l i e u nderneath you r feet .

I wan t to l et you s ee th es e vers es from an Ode totheCuckoo, written by one ofth e m i n i sters OfLei th i n them idd l e ofla s t centu ry — th e pa lmy days of Ed i nburghwho was a fri en d of Hume an d Adam Smith and th ewhol e con ste l lat i on . Th e auth orsh i p ofth es e beautifu lvers es has been most t rucu l ent ly fough t about ; but

whoever wrote th em (a nd i t s eems as i f th i s Logan had)th ey are love ly

What time th e pea puts on th e b loom ,

Thou fl iestth e voca l va l e ,Ana nnua l guest , i n oth er landsAnoth er s p ri ng to ha i l .

Sweet b i rd ! thy bower i s ever green ,T hy sky i s ever c l ea r ;

Thou hast n o sorrow i n thy song,N o winter i n thy yea r.

Ocou l d I fly , I’

d fly with th ee !We ’

d make onj oyfu l wi ngOur annua l v is i t o ’

e r th e globe,Compan i ons of th e sp ri ng.

64


I sha l l te l l you a story. Las t F ri day I went down toPortobe l lo, i n th e h eavy ra i n , with an uneasy win db lowi ng par rafal es offth e s ea (o r“enrafal es sh ou ld

i t be ? or what As I got down near th e beach a poo rwoman , o ld i sh , a nd seemingly , l ate ly at l east, r espectab l e , fo l lowed me and made s igns . Sh e was d ren ch edto th e sk i n , and l ooked wretch ed be low wretchedness .You know , I d id not l i ke to l ook back at he r ; i t s eemed

as i f sh e m igh t m isunderstand and be terrib ly hur t and

s l ighted ; SO I s tood at th e en d of th e street — th ere wasno one e ls e with i n s igh t i n th e wet — and l i fted up myhand very h igh wi th some money i n i t. I h eard he r

steps d raw heavi ly n ea r beh i n d me , and , when She wasnea r en ough to see , I l et th e money fa l l i n th e mud and

went off at my best wa l k without ever tu rn ing rou nd .

There i s noth i ng i n th e sto ry ; and yet you wi l l u nde rstandhowmuch th e re i s , i f one ch ose to s et i t forth .You see , sh e was s o ugly ; and you know th ere i s

someth i ng te rrib ly , miserab ly patheti c i n a certa i n sm i l e,a certa i n s odden aspect of i nvi tati on onsuch faces . I ti s so terrib l e, that i t i s i n a way sacred ; i t mean s th e

outs i de of degradati on a nd (what i s worst ofa l l i n l i fe)fa l s e pos i t i on . I h ope you understand m e right ly.

Eve r you r fai thfu l fri en d ,ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON.

To MRS . SITWELL[ED INBURGH] , Tuesday , October 14, 1873 .

MY fath er has returned i n better h ea lth , and I am more

de l igh ted than I ca n we l l te l l you . Th e one t roub l ethat I can s eeno way th rough i s th at h i s hea l th , or my

66

STU DENT DAYS

mother ’ s,sh ou ld give way. To- n igh t, as I was wa lk

i ng a long Pri n ces Street, I h eard th e bugl es sound th ereca l l . I d o not th i n k I had eve r remarked i t before ;th ere i s s ometh i ng Of u ns peakab l e a ppea l i n th e cadence .

I fe l t as i f someth i ng yearn i ng ly cri ed to me outofth edarkness overh ead to come th i th e r and fi nd rest ; on e

fe lt a s i f th ere must be warm hearts and brigh t fi res

wa it i ng for one up th ere , where th e bugle rs s tood onth e clam p pavement a nd sounded th ei r fri en d ly i nvi tat i on forth i n to th e n ight .

Wednesday .— Imay as we l l te l l youexactly about my

h ea l th . I am not at a l l i l l ; h ave qu i te recovered ; on ly

I am what MM. l es m e’

decins ca l l b e l ow par ; whi ch , i np la i n Engl i s h , i s th at I am weak . With ton ics , decen t

weath er, and a l i tt l e ch eerfu l n ess , th at wi l l go away i ni ts tu rn

,and I s ha l l be a l l r igh t agai n .

I am glad to h ear what you say about th e Exam . ;

unti l qu i te l ate ly I have t reated th at p retty cava l i e rly,

for I s ay h onest ly that I d onotmind bei ng p lu cked ; Ish a l l j u st have to go up aga i n . We trave l l ed with th eLord Advocate th e oth e r day , and h e strongly advi s edm e i n my fath er ’ s h ea ri ng to go to th e Engl is h Ba r ; andth e Lord Advocate ’ s advi ce goes a l ong way i n Scot la nd .I t i s a so rt ofs pec i a l lega l reve lat i on . D on ’ t m isunde rstand me. I don ’ t , ofcou rse , want to b e p l ucked ; but sofa r as my sty l e Ofknowledge sui ts them , I can not make

much bette rm ent oni t i n a month . I f th ey wish s ch o l a rs h i p mo re exact , I must tak e a n ew leas e a l togeth er.

Thur sday — My h ead and eyes both gave i n th i s

morni ng, a nd I had to take a day ofcomp lete id len ess .67


I was i n th e open a i r a l l day,and d id no thought that I

cou ld avo id , and I th i n k I have got m y h ead between

my shou ld ers aga i n ; h oweve r, I am not goi ng to domuch . I d on ’ t want you to run away with any fancyabout my bei ng i l l . Given a pers onweak and i n som et roub l e , an d worki ng l onger hours than h e i s used to ,and you have th e matte r i n a nuts h e l l . You shou l dh ave seen th e sunsh i n e on th e h i l l to - day ; i t h as l ost

n ow that crysta l l i n e c l ea rn ess , as i f th e med ium were

Sp ri ng- water (you see , I am but i t reta i ns that

wonderfu l th i n n ess of outl i n e tha t makes the de l icateShap e and hue savou r bette r i n one ’ s mouth , l i ke fi ne

win e outof a fine ly- bl own glass . Th e bi rds a re a l ls i l ent n ow but th e crows . I s at a l ong tim e on th e

sta i rs that l ead down to Dudding stonLoch — ap lace asbusy as a great town duri ng frost , but n ow so l i ta ry

a nd s i l en t ; an d when I Shut my eyes I h ea rd noth i ngbut th e wi nd i n th e t rees ; an d youkn ow al l tha t went

th rough me , I d are s ay , with out my sayi ng it .

1 1 .— l am now al l righ t. I d o not expect a ny t i c to

n ight , and sha l l b e at work agai n to- morrow . I h ave

h ad a day of open a i r, on ly a l i tt l e mod ifi ed by Le Capitaine F racasse befo re th e d i n i ng- room fi re. I must

wri te n o more , fo r I am S l eepy afte r two n ights , and toquote my book ,

“sinonblanches , da m oins g r ises

an d so I must go to bed and fa i th fu l ly , hoggis h ly-

s l umber. - You r fa i thfu lROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON .


fu l ly kept wa lks . Onth e oth er s i de , th e vi l las a re moreth ronged togeth e r, an d th ey have arranged th emse lves ,s h e lf afte r sh e lf, beh i nd each other. I s ee th e gl immerofnew bui ld i ngs , too , as far eastward as G rima ld i ; anda V i aduct carri es ( I s uppose) th e ra i lway past th e mouthofth e bone caves . F . Bacon (Lord Chance l l o r) madeth e rema rk that“T im e was th e greatest i n novato r ” ; i ti s perhaps as mean i ngless a remark as was ever made ;but a s Bacon made i t , I s uppos e i t i s b ette r th an any thatI cou ld make . D oes i t n ot seem as i f th i ngs were flu id ?They a re d is p laced and a ltered i n ten years so that oneh as d i fficu l ty , even with a memory so very v i v i d a nd

retent ive fo r that so rt ofth i ng as m i n e, i n i denti fyi ngp laces where on e l i ved a long wh i l e i n th e past

,and

wh ich one has kept p i ous ly i n m i nd duri ng a l l th e inte rval. N everth e l ess , th e h i l l s , I am glad to say , a re

u na lte red ; th ough I dare say th e torrents h ave giventhem many a sh rewd sca r, and th e ra i ns and thaws

d is l odged many a bou l der from thei r h e ights , i f one wereon ly keen enough to perce i ve i t. The sea makes th esame noi s e i n th e sh i ngl e ; and th e l emon and orange

gard ens st i l l d is cha rge i n th e sti l l a i r th ei r fres h per

fume ; a nd th e peop l e have sti l l b rown come ly faces ;a n d th e Pharmaci e G ros sti l l d is penses Engl is h med i

c i n es ; and th e i nva l i ds (eh eu sti l l S iton th e p romenade

and t rifl e with th ei r fingers i n th e fri nges of shawls and

wrap pers ; a nd th e sh op of Pasca l Amarante sti l l , i n i tsp res en t bright con summate flower of aggrand isementand new pai n t , offers everyth i ng that i t h as entered i ntop eop l e

’ s h earts to wish fo r i n th e i d l en ess of a sana

torium ; and th e“Chateau des Morts i s s t i l l at th e top

ofth e town ; and th e fort and th e j etty a re still at th e70

STUD ENT DAYS

foot,on ly th ere a re n ow two j etti es ; and— I am outof

breath . (To be conti nued i n our n ext.)F or myse l f, I h ave come famous ly th rough th e j ou r

n ey ; an d as l have wri tten th i s l ette r (fo r th e fi rs t t im e

for eve r so l ong) with eas e a nd even p l easu re , I th i n kmy h ead must be bette r. I am st i l l n o good at com ing

down h i l l s or s ta i rs ; and myfeet a re more cons i s tent lyco ld than i s qu i te comfortab l e . But, th es e a part, I fee l

we l l ; an d i n good s p i ri ts a l l round .

I have written to N i c e fo r l ette rs , a nd hope to get

th em to- n ight. Con ti nue to add res s Pos te Restante.Tak e ca re ofyours e lves .Th i s i s my bi rth day , by th e way — O, I s a id that b e

fo re. Ad i eu— Ever you r affecti onate s on ,R . L. STEVENSON.

TO MRS . S ITWELL

Inthe latter partofthis lette rwi l l b e found the germ ofthe e ssayOrdered South .”

MENTONE , Sunday , Novem ber , 1873 .

MY DEAR FR1END , — I sat a long wh i l e up among th eo l i ve yards to—day at a favou ri te corn er, where one hasa fai r V i ew down th e va l l ey and onto th e b lue floor of

th e sea . I h ad a Horac e with me , a nd read a l i tt l e ; but

Ho race, when you t ry to read h im fa i r ly under th e openh eaven , sounds u rban , and you fin d someth i ng ofth ees cape d townsman i n h i s desc ri pti ons ofth e country

,

j us t as somebody sa i d that Morris ’ s s ea - p i eces were alltaken from th e coast. I t ri ed fo r l ong to h i t upon some

l anguage that m ight catch ever s o fa i n t ly th e indefinab les h i ft i ng co lou r of o l i ve leaves ; and , above a l l , th echanges and l i tt le s i lveri ngs that pass over th em

,l i k e

7 !


b lush es ove r a face ,wh en th e wind toss es great b ran ch esto and fro ; but th e Mus e was not favou rab l e . A fewbi rds scatte red h e re and th ere at wid e i n te rva l s on ei th e r

s id e of th e va l l ey sang th e l i tt l e broken songs Oflateautumn ; and th erewas a great s t i r ofi n s ectlife i n th egrass at my feet. Th e path up to th i s co ign ofvantage ,where I th i n k I s ha l l make i t a h abi t to ensconce myse lf

a wh i l e ofa morn i ng, i s fo r a l i tt l e wh i l e common to th epeasant an d a l i tt l e c l ea r b rook l et . I t i s p l easant , i n

th e tempered grey day l igh t of th e o l i ve Sh adows , to s eeth e peop l e p ick i ng th ei r way among th e s ton es and th e

water and th e b rambles ; th e women esp ec i a l ly , with

th e weigh ts po i s ed onth ei r h eads and wa l ki ng a l l fromth e h i ps with a certa i n gracefu l de l i be rat i on .

Tuesday— I h ave been to N i c e today to see D r . Ben

n et ; h e agrees with Cl a rk that th ere i s n o d i sease ; butI fin i s h ed up my day with a lamentab l e exh ib i t i o n of

weakness . I cou l dnotrem ember F ren ch , or at least Iwas afra i d to go i nto any p lace l es t I s hou ld not be ab l e

to rem ember i t, an d so cou l d not te l l when th e tra i n

went. Atl as t I c rawl ed up to th e stati on a nd sat d ownonth e steps , a nd j ust steeped myse lf th ere i n th e sunsh i n e unti l th e even i ng began to fa l l and th e a i rto grow

ch i l l y. Th is l ong rest put m e a l l right ; an d I camehome h ere t ri umphant ly and ate d i n n er we l l . There i sth e fu l l , t rue , and part i cu la r account ofth e worst day Ih ave h ad s i n c e I l eft London . I s h a l l n ot go to N i c e

aga i nfor s om e tim e to come.Thur sday .

— I am today qu ite recovered , and got i nto

Mentone to—dayfor a book , whi ch i s qui te a c red i tab le7 2


not troub led with s ome remin is cence ofth e ineffableaur or e.

To s i t by th e s ea and to be consc i ous ofnoth i ng butth e sound of th e waves , and th e sunsh in e over a l l you r

body , i s n ot un p leasant ; but I was an Archange l on ce.

F r iday— Ifyou kn ewhow o ld I fe l t ! I am su re th i s

i s what age bri ngs with it— th i s care l es sness , th i s d i s

enchantment , th i s con ti nua l bod i ly weari n ess . I am aman of seventy : OMedea , k i l l m e, o r make me youngaga i n ! 1

To - day has been c l oudy an d m i l d ; and I have la i n a

greatwh i l e on a bench outs ide th e ga rden wa l l (myusua l p l ac e n ow) a nd looked at th e dove- coloured sea

a nd th e broken roof ofc l oud , but the re was no see ingi n my eye . Let u s h ope to- morrow wi l l be more

p rofi tab le . R. L. S.


Soon afte r the date of thi s lette r Iwent outto j oin m y fr iendfor apart ofthe Christmas vacation , and foundhimwithout tangible di seas e ,but ve ryweak and ai l ing ; i l l- health andanx iety , howeve r, ne ithe r thennor eve r atall dim i n i shed h i s charm as acom panion . After spendingtwoor threeweeks between the old town ofMonaco and Monte Carlo

,we

returned to Mentone,to ahote l— now

,I bel ieve

,defunct— atthe easte rn

extrem ity of the town,whe re I pre sently lefthim ,

chee red by congen ialsociety inthe Shape Of anAm e rican fam i ly

,two kind andaccom pl i shed

Russian ladie s from Georgia,with the i r ch i ldren (one ofwhom ,

aswil l b eseen

,becam e h is e special p laymate and sweetheart), and aFrench land

scape painte r. Inthe intimacy ofthesefriendshe passed thewinte r,1 Com pare the paragraph in“Orde red South ” describ ing the state Of

m ind ofthe inval id doubtful of recove ry,and ending :“Hewi l l pray

for Medea;when she com es,lethe r e ithe r rej uvenate or slay .

”

74

STU D ENT DAYS

unti lhehad recovered sufficient strength to return to hi s fam i ly in Scotland . The M‘Larenhe re in m entioned i s

,ofcourse

,the distinguished

Scotch pol itician and social reform e r,the late Duncan M‘Laren, for S ixteenyears M . P . for Edinburgh .

HOTEL MIRABEAU , MENTONE,Sunday , january 4, 1874.

MY DEAR MOTHER,— We have h ere fa l l e n on th e very

p i n k ofh otel s . I d o not say that i t i s mo re p l easant ly

conducted than th e Pav i l l o n , fo r that were im poss ib l e ;but th e rooms are s o ch eery an d brigh t an d n ew,

andth en th e food ! Ineve r, I th i nk , s o fu l ly a pprec iatedth e ph ras e“th e fat ofth e l an d ” as I h ave done s i n c e Ih ave been h ere i nsta l l ed . There was a d i s h of eggs atde

’

j euner th e oth e r day , ove rthe memory of wh ich I l i ckmy l i p s i n th e s i len t watch es .N owthat th e co ld has gon e aga i n , I c ont i nue to k eepwel l i n body , and a l ready I begi n to wa l k a l i tt l e more .My h ead i s s ti l l a very feeb l e imp lement, and eas i ly s eta- sp i n n i ng ; and I can do noth i ng i n th e way of work

beyond read i ng books that may , I h op e, be ofs om e useto m e afterwards .

I was very g lad to s ee that M‘Larenwas sat upon

,

and p ri n ci pa l ly for th e reason why . D ep lo ri ng as I domuch of th e act ion ofth e T rades U n i ons , th es e conspiracy c l auses and th e who l e part i a l i ty of th e Maste rand Servant Acta re a d i sgrac e to our equa l l aws . Equa ll aws become a byword wh en what i s l ega lfor one c las sbecomes a crim i na l offen ce fo r anoth e r. I t d i d my h ea rt

good to h ear that man te l l M‘Larenh ow , as h e had ta l ked

much Of getti ng th e fran ch i sefor work ing- men , h e must‘now be content to s ee them use i t now they h ad got i t.Th is i s a smooth ston ewe ll p lanted i n th e fo reh eads of

75

187424


certa i n d i l ettante rad i ca l s , afte r M‘Lar en’ s fash i o n , who

are wi l l i ng to give th e worki ng—m enwords andwi n d ,an d votes and th e l i ke , an d yet th i n k to keep a l l th e

advantages , j u st o r un j ust , of the wea lth i er c l asses withoutabatem ent . I do hop e wis e m enwi l l n ot attem ptto fight th e work i ng- men onth e h ead of th i s n oto ri ousi n j ust i ce . Any such step wi l l on ly p reci p itate th e act i o nofth e n ewly enfranch i s ed c l asses , and i rri tate th em i n toact i ng hasti ly ;when whatwe ought to des i re sh ou ld bethat th ey shou ld actwa ri ly and l itt l e fo r m any yea rs tocome

,u nti l educat i on an d habi t may make th em th e

more fi t .All th i s (i n tended fo r my fath er) i s much afte r th efa sh i on of h i s ownco rres pondence . I confess i t h asl eft m y ownh ead exhausted ; I hope i t may n ot p roducethe sam e effect o n yours . But Iwan t h im to lookrea l ly i nto th i s questi on (both s i des ofi t , and notth e rep res entati ons of rab i d m i dd l e- c l ass n ews papers ,sworn to support a l l th e l i tt l e tyran n ie s ofwea lth) , an dI know h e wi l l b e con v i n ced th at th i s i s a cas e of un j ustl aw ; and th at , however des i rab l e th e end may seem to

h im,h ewi l l n ot be J esu i t e nough to th in k that any en d

wi l l j ust i fy a n unj ust l aw.

Here ends th e po l i t ica l s ermon ofyou r affecti onate(and somewhat dogmati ca l) s on ,

ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON .

To MRS . THOMAS STEVENSONMENTONE, january 7 , 1874.

MY DEAR MOTH ER,— I recei ved yeste rday two most

charming lette rs — th e n i cest I h ave h ad S i n ce I l eft76


Th e weath e r I sha l l say noth i ng about,as I am ln

ca pab l e ofexp la i n i ng my sen timents upon that subj ectbefo re a l ady . But my hea l th i s rea l ly great ly imp roved

I begi n to recogn is e myse lf occas i ona l ly now and aga i n,

not without sati sfacti on .

P lease remember me very k i nd ly to Professo r Swan ;I wish I had a sto ry to s end h im ; but story , Lord b l essyou

,I h a v e n on e to te l l , S ir , un l ess i t i s th e fo regoi ng

adventu re with th e l i tt l e po lygl ot. Th e best ofthatd epends on th e s ign ificance of pol isson, whi ch i s beautifully out ofp lace .

Satur day , l othj anuary .— The l i ttl e Russ ia n k i d i s

on ly two and a ha l f : sh e speaks s ix la nguages . Sheand h er s i ste r (act. 8) and May Johnstone (aet. 8) a re th ede l igh t ofmy l i fe . Last n igh t I saw th em a l l da nc i ng— 0 i t was j o l ly ; k ids a re what i s th e matte r wi th me .

Afte r th e dan c i ng , we a l l — th at i s , th e two Russ ian lad ies ,Robi net th e F rench pa i nter, Mr . a nd Mrs . J oh nstone ,two govern ess es , and fitful k ids j o i n i ng us at i nte rva l s— p layed a game of th e stoo l ofrep entance i n th e Ga l l i ci d i om .

O— I have not to ld you that Co lv i n i s gone ; however,h e i s comi ng back aga i n ; h e has l eft c lothes i n pawn tome . - Eve r you r affecti onate son ,

RO BERT LOU IS STEVENSON .

To MRS . SITWELL

MENTONE , Tuesday , 13thjanuary , 1874.I LOST a Ph i l i pp i n e to l i tt l e Mary J oh nston e las t

ni gh t ; SO today I s ent h er a rubbish i ng do l l’

s to i l et ,78

STUDENT DAYS

and a l i tt le n ote with i t, with some vers es te l l i ng howhappy ch i ldren made every one n ear them happy a lso ,and advis i ng herto keep th e l i n es , a nd some day , when

sh ewas grown a state ly demoise l l e , i t wou l d makeher gl ad to know sh e gave p l easu re long ago , a l l i n a

very lame fash ion , with j ust a n ote ofp rose at th e end ,te l l i ng h er to m i nd her do l l an d th e dog , and not t roub l e

h e r l i t t l e h ead j us t n ow to understand th e bad verses ;for s om e time when sh e was i l l , as I am now , th ey

wou ld be p l a i n to h e r a nd make h er happy . She hasj ust been h ere to than k me , and has left me very happy .

Ch i ld ren are certai n ly too good to be t rue .Yeste rd ay I wa lked too fa r, and spent a l l th e after

n oon 011 th e outs i de of my bed ; went fina l ly to rest a t

n i n e , and s l ep t n ea rly twe lve h ours onth e stretch .

Benn et (th e doctor) , when to ld Of i t th i s morn i ng,augured wel lfor my recovery ; h e sa i d youth must beputti ng i n strong ; Of cou rs e I ough tnotto have s l eptat a l l . As i t was , I d ream edhor r ibly but n ot m y usua l

d reams Of soc ia l m is eri es a nd m isunde rstand i ngs a nd

a l l s orts ofcrucifixions ofth e s p i ri t ; but of good , ch eery ,phys i ca l th i ngs — oflong success i ons ofvau l ted , d im lylitce l l ars fu l l ofb lack wate r, i n wh i ch I went swimm ingamong toads and unutterab l e , co ld , b l i nd fi sh es . N owand th en th ese ce l l a rs opened up i nto sort ofdomedmus i c- ha l l p laces , where one cou l d landfor a l i tt l e onth e s lope ofth e o rch estra , but a sort ofh orro r p reventedone from stay i ng long, and made one p lunge back aga i ni nto th e dead waters . Then my dream changed , and Iwas a so rt ofS i am ese p i rate , ona very h igh deck withs evera l oth e rs . Th e sh i p was a lmost captu red

,and

we were fighti ng desperate ly. The h i deous engi nes we79

LETTERS OF R. L. STEVEN SON

Th e weath e r I s ha l l say noth i ng about, as I am ihca pab l e ofexp lai n i ng my sentim ents upon that subj ectbefo re a l ady . But my hea lth i s rea l ly great ly improved :I begi n to recogn is e myse l f occas i ona l ly now and agai n

,

not with out sat i sfact i on .

P l eas e remember m e v ery k i nd ly to Professo r Swan ;I wish I had a sto ry to s end h im ; but sto ry , Lord b l essyou

,I h a v e n on e to te l l , s i r, un less i t i s th e foregoi ng

adventure wi th th e l i tt l e po lygl ot . The best of th atdepends onth e s ign ifican ce Of pol isson, which i s beautifully out ofp lace .Satur day , l othj anuary .

- Th e l i tt l e Russ ia n ki d i son ly two and a ha l f : sh e sp eaks s i x languages . Sh eand he r s i ster (at. 8) and May Johnstone (aet. 8) are th ede l igh t ofmy l ife . Last n igh t I saw them a l l danc i ng— 0 i t was j o l ly ; k id s a re what i s th e matte r wi th me .

Afte r th e danc i ng , we al l — that i s , th e two Russ ia n lad i es ,Robi n et th e F rench pai n te r, Mr . a nd Mrs . J ohn ston e

,

two govern ess es , an d fitful kid s j o i n i ng u s at i nte rva l s— p layed a game of th e stoo l ofrepentan ce i n th e Ga l l i ci d i om .

0 — 1 h ave not to ld youthat Co lv i n i s gone ; however,h e i s com i ng back aga i n ; h e has l eft c loth es i n pawn tome. —Ever you r affecti onate son,


TO MRS . SITWELL

MENTONE , Tuesday , 13thjanuary , 1874.I LO ST a Ph i l i pp i n e to l i ttl e Mary J oh nston e las t

nigh t ; so today I s ent h er a rubbis h i ng do l l ’ s to i l et ,78


used and th e perfect ly i n cred ib l e carnage that we effectedby means Ofth em kept me ch eery

,as you may imagin e ;

espec ia l ly as I fe l t a l l th e t im e my sympathy with th e

boa rd ers , an d knew that I was on ly a prison er withthes e h orri d Ma lays . Th en I saw a signa l bei ng given ,and knew they were goi ng to b l ow up th e sh i p . Il ea ped right off, a nd heard my captors s p lash i n th ewater afte r me as th ick as pebb les when a bi t of ri verbank has gi ve n way beneath th e foot . I n eve r h eard

the Sh i p b low up ; but I s pent th e res t Ofth e n igh tswim ming about some p i l es with th e who l e sea fu l l ofMa lays , s earch i ngfor me with kn i ves i n th ei r m ouths .Th ey cou ld swim a ny d istance under wate r, a nd eve rynow and agai n , j ust a s I was begi n n i ng to reckon m yse l f safe , a co l d hand would be la i d onmy ank l e — ugh !Howe v e r, my long s leep , t roub led as i t was , put me

a l l righ t aga i n , a nd I was ab l e to work acceptab ly th i s

morn ing and be very j o l ly a l l day . Th is even i ng I h avehad a great dea l of ta l k with both th e Russ i an l ad i es ;th ey ta l ked very n i ce ly , and are brigh t, l i kab l e women

both . They come from Geo rgia .

Wednesday ,—We have a l l been to tea to- n ight

at th e Russ ian s ’ v i l l a . Tea was made outof a samovar,which i s s ometh i ng l i ke a sma l l steam engin e , and

whose p ri n c i pa l advantage i s that i t burns th e fingers

ofa l l wh o l ay thei r p rofan e touch upon i t . Afte r tea

Madame ! . p layed Russ i an ai rs , ve ry p la in tive andpretty ; so th e even i ng was Muscovite from beginn i ngto end. Madame G.

’

s daughte r danced a tarante l la ,which was very p retty.Whenever N e litchka cri es— and She never cri es ex

80

STUD ENT DAYS

cept from pai n — a l l th at one has to do i s to s ta rtMalbr ook s

’

enou—t—enguer r e . Sh e cannot res i st th eattracti on ; sh e i s d rawn th rough h er s obs i n to th e a i r ;and i n a moment th ere i s N el ly s i ngi ng , with th e glad

look th at comes i n to h e r face a lways when She s i ngs ,and a l l th e tears a nd pai n fo rgotten .

I t i s wonderfu l , befo re I Shut th i s up , h ow that Ch i l dremai n s ever i nteresti ng to me . N oth i ng can sta l e h er

i nfin ite vari ety ; an d yet i t i snotvery va ri ous . You seeh er th i n k i ng what sh e i s to d o or to say n ext, with a

fun ny grave a i r ofres erve, a n d th en th e face b reaks u pi n to a sm i l e , and i t i s p robab ly B e recchino l ” sa i d withthat sudden l i tt l e j ump of th e vo ice that one knows i nch i ld ren , as th e escap e ofa j ack- ih- th e- box , and , s omehow, I am qu ite happy afte r th at ! R . L. S.

To MRS . SITWELL

[MENTONE , j anuary , 1874]LAST n igh t I h ad a quarre l w ith th e Ameri can on

po l i t i cs . I t i s odd h ow i t i rri tates you to h ear certa i n

po l i ti ca l s tatements made . He was exc i ted,and h e

began sudden ly to abus e our condu ct to Ameri ca . I ,ofcou rs e , admitted righ t a nd l eft that we had behavedd i sgracefu l ly (as we had ) ; unti l som ehowl got ti red oftu rn i ng a l ternate ch eeks and getti ng du ly buffeted ; andwh en h e sai d that th e Alabama

'

m oney had not wi pedout th e i nj ury , I suggested , i n l anguage (I remember)ofadm i rab le d i rectn ess and force , that i t was a p i tyth ey h ad taken th e money i n th at cas e. He lost h i s

temper at once, and cri ed outthat h i s deares t wis h was

a war with England ; whereupon I a lso lost my temper,8 1


a nd,thunderi ng at th e p i tch of my vo i ce , I l eft h im and

went away by mysel f to a noth er part of th e garden . A

very tender reconci l i at ion took p la ce , and I th i n k the re

wi l l come no more ha rm out of i t. We are both of usn ervous peop l e

,and h e had had a very l ong wal k and

a good dea l of beer at d i nn er : that exp la i ns th e scen e a

l itt l e . But I regret havi ng emp loyed so much of thevo ice with wh i ch I have been endowed , as I fea r every

person i n th e h ote l was taken i nto confidence as to my

sentiments,j ust a t th e very j un ctu re when ne ith e r th e

s ent iments n o r (perhaps ) th e language had been sufficiently cons i de red .

F r iday .— You have not yet h ea rd Of my book — F our

Gr eatScotsm en— J oh n Kn ox , D avi d Hume , RobertBurns , Walter Scott. These , th ei r l i ves , th e i r work ,th e soc ia l med i a i nwh ich th ey l ived andworked , with ,i f I can so make i t, th e strong cu rren t ofth e race maki ngitse lf fe l t u ndern eath a nd th roughout — th i s i s my idea .You must te l l m e what you th i n k of i t . Th e Knoxwi l l rea l ly be new matte r, as h i s l i fe h i th erto has been

d i sgracefu l ly written , an d th e events a re romanti c andrap i d ; th e character very strong, s a l i en t, and worthy ;much i nte rest as to th e future of Scot lan d , and as tothat part of h im whi ch was t ru ly modern unde r h i s

H ebrew d isguis e . Hume , of cou rse , th e urbane , chee rfu l , gent l eman ly , l ette r- wri ti ng eighteenth century , fu l l

Of att ract i on , a nd much that I don’ t yet know as to h i s

work . Burns , th e s ent imenta l s id e that th ere i s i n mostScotsmen , h i s p oo r t roub led exi sten ce , how far h i spoems were h i s p ersonal ly

,and how far nat iona l , th e

qu esti on of th e framework of society i n Scot land , and82

LETTERS OF R . L . STEV EN SON

and you know that th e thunder of an exc i ted fore igner

often m isca rri es . One stand s aghast, marve l l i ng howsu ch a co lossus ofa man , i n such a great com m otionofs p i ri t , can Open h i s mouth s o much and em i t such asti l l sma l l voi c e at th e h i nd er end Ofi t a l l . All th i s

wh i l e h e walks about th e room , smokes c igarettes ,occup i es d ivers chai rs fo r d ivers bri ef Spaces , and castsh i s huge a rms to th e fou rwi n ds l i ke th e sa i l s of a m i l l .He i s a most Sporti ve Pri n ce . R . L. S .

To MRS . SITWELL

Thi s and the fol lowing letterswe rewritten after Stevenson ’ s returntoScotland . The essay Ordered South appeared in Macm il lan’s Magagine atthi s date ; that on V ictor Hugo ’s rom ance s in the Cornhil l al ittlelate r.

[SWANSTON] , May , 1 874. Monday .

WE are now at Swanston Cottage , Lothianburn,Ed i nbu rgh . Th e garden i s but l i tt l e c loth ed yet , fo r,you know

,h ere we a re s i x hundred feet above th e s ea .

I t i s v ery co ld , and has s l eeted th i s morn i ng. Every

th i ng wi ntry . I am very jolly, h owever, hav ing fin ish ed

V i c tor Hugo , a nd j ust l ooking round to see what I

Sh ou l d n ext take u p . I h ave been read ing Roman Lawand Ca lv i n th i s morn i ng.

Evening — I went up th e h i l l a l i tt l e th i s afte rn oon .

The a i r was i nv igorat i ng, but i t was so co l d th at myscal p was so re . With th is h igh wintry wind , and th e

grey sky , and fa i n t north ern day l ight , i t was qu ite

wonderfu l to h ear such a c l amour ofb lackbi rds com i ngup to me out of th e woods

,a nd th e b l eati ng of sh eep

84

STUDENT DAYS

being shorn i n afi e ld n ear th e garden , and to see go ldenpatch es ofb l ossom alreadv on th e furze , and de l i categreen shoots upright an d begin n i ng to fro nd out, among

las t year ’ s russ et bracken . F l i gh ts ofc rows were passi ng conti nua l ly between th e wintry l ead en s ky and th e

wi ntry co ld- l ook i ng h i l l s . Itwas th e oddest confl i c t ofs easo ns . A wee rabbi t— th i s yea r ’s maki ng, beyond

quest i on — ran outfrom under m y feet , and was i n ap retty perturbati on , unti l h e h i t upon a l ucky j un i pe r

a nd bl otted h im se lf th ere p romptly . Ev ident ly th i s

gent l eman had not had much experi ence of l i fe .

I h ave made an a rrangement with my peop l e : I am

to have £84a year— I on ly asked fo r £80 onmaturerefl ection— and as I Shou l d s oon make a good b i t by mypen , I sh a l l b e very comfortab l e . We are a l l as j o l ly

as can be togeth er, s o that i s a great th i ng ga i ned .

Wednesday — Yesterday I recei ved a l ette r that gave

me much p l easu re from a poorfe l l ow student ofmine ,who has been a l l wi nter very i l l , and s eems to be butl i tt l e bette r even n ow . H e s eems very much p l eased

wi th Ordered South . A month ago , h e says ,“I

cou ld sca rce ly h ave ventured to read i t ; today I fe l t onread i ng i t as I d i d on th e fi rs t day that I was ab l e to su n

mysel f a l i tt l e i n th e open a i r. And much more to th el i ke effect . I t i s v ery grati fyi ng — Eve r you r fai th fu l

fri end , RO BER T LOU IS STEVENSON .

TO MRS . SITWELL

Mr . J ohn Morleyhadasked for anotice by R . L . S . forthe F ortnightlyReviewofLord Lytton’s Fab les inS ong .

I 85


SWANSTON , Wednesday , May , 1874.STRUGGL ING away at Fabl es inSong . I am much afra i d

I am goi ng to make a rea l fa i l u re ; th e tim e is so sh ort,and I am so out ofth e humou r. Oth erwis e very ca lmand j o l ly : co ld sti l l impossibl e.

Thur sday — I fee l ha pp i e r about th e Fabl es , and i t i swarmer a b it ; but my body is most decrep i t , and I ca njust manage to be ch eery and tread down hypochond ri au nde r foot by work . I l ead such a funny l i fe

,utterly

without i n te rest o r p leasu re outs i de of my work : noth i ng, i n deed , but work a l l day long, excep t a sh ort

wa l k a l on e on the co ld h i l l s , and meal s , and a coup l e ofp i pes with my father i n th e even i ng. I t i s su rp ris i ng

h ow it su its m e , and how happy I keep .

Satur day — I have rece iv ed such a n i ce long lette r(fou r S i d es) from Les l i e Steph en to - day about my V i c to r

Hugo . I t i s accepted . Th is ough t to h ave made megay, but i t h asn’t. I am not l i ke ly to be much of a ton i cto—n ight . I h ave been very cyn i ca l ove r myse l f to - day ,part ly

,perhaps , becaus e I have just fi n i sh ed some Of

th e d eedes t rubbi s h about Lord Lytton’s fab l es that a ninte l l igent ed ito r ever sh ot i nto h i s wastepap er basket.

I f Mo rl ey pri n ts i t I sha l l be glad , but my respect fo rhim wi l l be shaken .

Tuesday — Anoth er co l d day ; yet I h ave been a l ongth e h i l l s i de

,wonderi ng much at i d i ot i c sh eep , and rai s i ngpartridges at every second step . One l i tt l e p lover i sth e ob j e ct of my fi rm adherence. I pass h i s n es t everyday

,and if you saw how he fl i es by me, and a lmost

86

LETTERS OF R . L. STEV EN SON

be aston i sh ed . I t i s grand and no m istake , and onesees th rough i t a fi re , and a pass i on , an d a rap i d i ntu i

t i o n of gen iu s , that makes on e ra the r so rry fo r one’ s

own generati o n ofbette r writers , and — I don ’ t knowwhat to say ; I was goi ng to say

“smal l e r men but

that ’

S not right ; read i t, and you wi l l fee l what I can not

express . D on ’ t be put out by th e begi n n i ng ; pers evere

and youwi ll find yours e l f th ri l l ed befo re you a re at a nend wi th it. - Eve r you r fai thfu l fri end ,

ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON.

TO MRS . S ITWELL

Wr itten onanexpediti on to thewe st ofEnglandwith h is parents.TRA IN BETWEEN ED INBURGH AND CHESTER,

August8, 1874.MY fath e r and moth er read ing. Ithink I s ha l l ta l k to

youfo r a moment or two . Th is m orn i ng at Swanston ,th e b i rds , poor creatures , had th e most troub l ed h ou r o rtwo ; ev ident ly th ere was a hawk i n th e n eighbourhood ;not one sang ; and th e who l e ga rden th ri l l ed with l i tt l e

notes ofwarn i ng and terro r. I d i d n ot know before

that th e vo i ce of bi rds cou ld be s o tragi ca l l y exp ress i ve .I h ad a lways h ea rd th em before express the i r t ri vi a l

sati s fact ion with th e b lue sky an d th e retu rn ofday l ight .Real ly , th ey a lmost frighten ed me ; I cou ld h ea r moth ersand wives i n terror fo r th ose who we re cl ea r to th em ‘

i t was easy to trans late, I wi sh i t were as easy to write ;but i t i s very hard i n t h i s flyi ng tra i n , or I wou ld write

youmore.88

STU DENT DAYS

CHESTER— I l i ke th i s p l ace much ; but someh ow Ifee l glad when I get among th e qu i et e igh teenth- centu ry

bu i ld i ngs , i n cosy p laces with some e lbow room aboutth em , afte r th e o lder a rch i tectu re . Th i s oth er i s b edevi l l ed and furti ve ; i t s eems to stoop ; I am afra i d oftrap- doors , and cou ld n ot go p l easant ly i nto suchhouses . I d on ’ t k now how much of th i s i s l egit imate ly

th e effect of th e a rch i tectu re l i tt l e enough poss ib ly ;poss ib ly fa r th e most part ofi t comesfrom badhistor ica l n ove l s and th e d i squ i eti ng statuary that garn i s h es

s ome facades .

Onth e way , to - day , I pass ed th rough my dea r Cumber la n d country . N owhere to as great a d egree can on e

fi n d th e comb inati o n of l owland and h igh land beauti es ;th e out l i n e ofth e b lue h i l l s i s b roken by th e out l i n e ofmany tumu ltuous t ree- c lumps ; and th e broad spaces ofmoo rland a re ba lanced by a n etwork Of deep h edgerows

that m igh t rival Suffo lk , i n th e fo regrou nd —Howara i lway j ourn ey s hakes and d iscomposes one , min d an dbody ! I grow b lacke r and b lacker i n humour as th eday goes on ; and when at last I am let out, a nd haveth e fres h a i r about m e , i t i s a s th ough I were born

agai n , and th e s i ck fanci es flee away from my mi nd

l i k e swans i n s p ri ng.

I want to come back on what I h ave sa i d abouteigh teenth - centu ry an d m idd l e- age houses : I d o not

know if I h ave yet exp la i n ed to you th e sort of l oya l ty ,ofurban i ty, that th ere i s about th e on e to my m ind ; th esp i r i t ofa country orderly a nd p ros perous , a flavou r ofth e p res enc e of magi st rates and wel l - to—do merchants

inbag -wigs , th e c l i n k ofglasses at n igh t i n fire litparlours , someth i ng ce rta inand c i vi c and domesti c , i s a l l

89


about th es e qu i et , sta id , s hapely h ouses , with no cha r

acter but th ei r exceedi ng shapel i n ess , a nd th e come ly

externa l utteran ce that th ey make of th ei r i nterna l comfort. N owth e oth ers a re , as I h ave sai d , both furti veand bedevi l l ed ; th ey are S ly an d grotesque ; th ey com

bin e th ei r sort of feve ri s h grandeurwi th th ei r sort ofsecret i ve basen ess , afte r th e man ner Ofa Charl es th eN i n th . Th ey a re peop led fo r m ewi th persons of th esame fash i on . Dwarfs and s i n i ste r peop l e i n c l oaks a reabout th em ; and I s eem to d i vi n e crypts , a nd , as I s aid ,t ra p- doors . OGod be pra i s ed that we l i ve i n th i s goodday l igh t an d th i s good peace .

BARMOUTH , Augustoth. — TO- day we saw th e cath e

d ra l at Ch este r ; and , fa r more de l ightfu l , saw and h ea rd

a certain i n im itab l e verger who took u s round . He was

fu l l ofa ce rta i n recond ite , far- away hum ou r that d i d

n ot qu i te make you laugh at th e t ime , but was somehowl aughab l e to reco l l ect . Moreover, h e had so fa r a justimagi nat i on

,and cou ld put one i n th e right humour fo r

s eei ng an old p lace , very much as , acco rd i ng to my

favourit e text , Scott’

s n ove ls and poems do fo r one .H is account of th e monks i n th e Sc ri ptorium , with th ei r

cowls over th ei r h eads , i n a certa i n sh e ltered angl e Of

th e Cl o i ste r where th e big Cathed ra l bu i ld i ng kept th e

sun offth e parchments , was a l l th at cou ld be wish ed ;and SO too was what h e added of th e oth ers pac i ng

so l emn ly beh i nd them and d ropp ing, ever and agai n , onth ei r kn ees before a l i tt l e sh ri n e th ere i s i n th e wal l ,

‘tokeep ’ em in th e frame Ofmind . Youwi l l begi n toth i n k me undu ly b iass ed i n th i s verger ’ s favou r i f I go

onto te l l you h i s op i n i on ofme . We got i nto a l i tt le90


so that when i t quakes , as i t d id l ast n ight, i t mean ssometh i ng . But the quaki ng was notwhat put meabout ; i t was the h orrib l e b owl of th e wind round th eco rner ; th e aud ib l e h aunt ing of an in ca rnate ange r

about th e h ouse ; th e ev i l s p i r i t that was abroad ; and ,above a l l

,th e shudde ri ng s i l ent pauses when th e

sto rm ’ s h ea rt s tands d readful ly stillfor a moment. Ohow I hate a storm at n ight ! Th ey have been a greati nfluence i n my l ife , I am su re ; fo r I ca n remembe rthem so fa r bac k — l ong befo re I was s i x a t l east

,fo r

we l eft th e h ouse i nwh i ch I remember l i sten i ng toth em times without number when I was s ix . And i nthose days th e sto rm had fo r me a p erfect imperson at ion

,as durab le an d unvary ing as a ny heath en dei ty .

I a lways h eard i t , as a horseman rid i ng past with h i sCl oak about h i s h ead , a nd som eh owa lways ca rri edaway, an d rid i ng past aga i n , and be i ng baffled yet

once more , ad infinitum , a l l n igh t long. I th i n k I

wanted h im to get past, but I am not sure ; I kn ow

on ly that I had some i nterest e i th e r for or aga i nst i n th e

matter ; and I used to l i e an d ho l d my breath , not qu i te

frighten ed , but i n a state of m iserab l e exa ltat ion .

My fi rst J oh n Knox i s i n p roof, an d my secon d is onth e anv i l . I t i s very good of me so to do ; fo r I want somuch to get to my r eal tou r an d my sham tou r

,th e

rea l tour fi rst : i t i s a lways work ing i n my h ead , an d ifI can on ly tu rn on th e right so rt of sty l e a t th e rightmoment , I am not much afra i d of i t. One th i ng both e rsme ;wh at with h ammeri ng at th i s J . K . , an d wri t i ngnecessa ry l ette rs , and taki ng n ecessa ry exerci s e (that

even not en ough , th e weathe r i s so repuls i ve to me ,co l d and windy) , I find I have no t ime fo r read i ng

92

STU DENT DAYS

except times offat igu e, when I wish m ere ly to re l axmyse lf. O— and I read over aga i n fo r th i s purpose

F l aubert’ s Tentationde St. Antoine; i t s truck me a

good dea l a t fi rst, but th i s secon d t ime i t h as fetch ed

me immense ly . I am but j ust don e with i t, so youwill know th e l a rge proporti on of sa l t to take with myp resent statement, th at i t

’

s th e fi nest thing l ever read !Ofcourse , i t i sn’tthat ; i t ’

s fu l l of longueur s , an d i s no tqu ite redd up , as we say i n Scotlan d , not qu ite articul ated ; but th ere a re sp l end i d th ings i n it.

I say, do take your maccaron i with O i l : do, pl ease.I t ’

s beastly with butter. — Ever you r fa i th fu l fri e nd ,RO BERT LOU IS STEVENSON.

To MRS . SITWELL

[ED INBURGH] , D ecem ber 23, 1874.Monday — I have come from aconcert, an d th e con

cert was rather a d i sappo i ntment . N otso my afte rnoon skati ng — Dudding ston, our big l o ch , i s bea ri ng ;an d I wish you cou l d have seen i t th i s afte rnoon , COVered with peo pl e , i n th i n d riv i ng snowflur r ies , th e b igh i l l grim and wh ite and a l p i n e overh ead i n th e th i ck a i r,and th e road up th e gorge , as i t were i n to th e h eart ofi t , dotted b la ck with traffic . Moreove r, I canskate al i tt l e b it ; an d what on e can do i s a lways p l easant to do .

Tuesday — l got you r l ette r to - day , an d was so gla d

th ereof. I t was of good omen to me a l so . I wo rkedfrom ten to one (my classes are suspended now forXm as ho l i days), an d wrote four o r five Portfol io pages

93


of my Buck inghamsh i re a ffa i r. Then I went to Dud~ding stonan d skated al l afternoon . I f you had seen th e

moon ri s i ng, a perfect sph ere of smoky go ld , i n th e

da rk a i r above th e trees , and th e wh ite loch th i ck with

skaters , an d th e great h i l l , snow- sp ri nk led , overhead !

I t was a s igh t fo r a k i ng.

Wednesday — I stayed on Dudding stonto - day ti l lafte r n ightfa l l . The l itt l e booths th at hucksters s et u pround th e edge were marked each on e by its l i ttl e l amp .

There were some fi res too ; an d th e l ight, an d th e shad

ows of th e pe op l e who stood roun d th em to warm

th emselves , made a strange patte rn a l l roun d on th e

snow - covered i ce . Afewpeopl e with to r ch es began tot rave l up and down the i ce , a l i t c i rc l e t ravel l i ng a long

with them over th e snow . A gigant i c moon rose,

meanwh i l e, ove r th e trees and th e k i rk o n th e p rom ontory , among perturbed an d vac i l l a t ing c louds .The walk h om e was very so l emn an d st range . Once ,th rough a b ro ken go rge , we had a gl impse Ofa l i ttl espace of mackere l sky, moon— l i tten , on th e o ther s id e

Ofth e h i l l ; th e broken r i dges stand i ng grey and spectra l between ; an d th e h i l l top over a l l , sn ow - wh ite

,and

strang ely magnified i n s ize .

Th i s must go to you to - mo rrow, so that you mayread i t on Ch ristmas Day fo r company . I h ope i t maybe good company to you.

Thur sday — Outs ide , i t snows th i ck and stead i ly .

The gardens before ou r house a re n ow a wonderfu l fa i ryfo rest . And 0, th i s wh iteness of th i ngs , how I love i t,how i t s ends th e b lood about my body ! Mauri ce de

94


know anyth i ng that woul d make me h app i er, but I seethat i t i s w rong to expect i t, and so I resign myse lf :some tim e afte r. I o ffe red App leton a seri es of pa personth e mod ern F rench s choo l — th e Parnass ien s , I th in kth ey ca l l th em — de Banv i l l e , Coppée , Soulary, an dSu l ly- Prudhomme. But h e has not de igned to an swer

my l ette r.

I sh a l l have a noth er P ortfol io paper so soon as I amdon e with th i s story , tha t has p layed m e out; th e sto ryi s to be ca l l ed Whenthe D evilwas Wel l : scene , I ta ly ,R ena issan ce ; co l ou r, purely imagina ry of course , my

ownun regenerate i d ea of what I ta ly th en was . O,

wh en sha l l I fi nd th e sto ry of my dre ams , that shal ln e v er h a l t no r wande r nor step as ide , but go eve r b efo re its face , and ever swi fter and l ouder, unti l th e p itrece ives i t , roari ng ? The Portfol io paper wi l l be aboutScot lan d a nd Engla nd . Eve r yours ,

R. L. STEVENSON.

TO MRS . SITWELL

Inthe fo l lowing i s re lated Steve n son ’ s fi rst i ntroduct i on to Mr .W. E . H en l ey . The acquai ntance thus form ed r ipen ed qu ick ly , as i swe l l known

,i nto aclose and st im u lat i ng l ite rary frie ndsh ip .

ED INBURGH , Tuesday [january ,

I GOT your n i ce l ong goss i p ing l ette r to - day — Imean

by that th at th ere was more n ews i n i t than usua l

and so, of cours e, I am p retty j o l ly . I am i n th e house ,however, with such a beastly co l d i n th e h ead . Oureast w inds begi n a l ready to be very co l d .

0 , I h ave such a longing for ch i ld ren of my own ;96

STUD ENT DAYS

an d yet I do not th i n k I cou ld bea r it' i f I had one . I

fancy l must fee l more l i ke a woman than l i ke a manabout that. I s ometimes hate the chi l d ren I see on th estreet — you know what I meanby hate — wish theywere s omewhe re el se , andnotth ere to mock me ; an dsometim es , aga in , I don

’ t know how to go by th emfor th e love of them , espec ial ly th e very wee ones .

Thur sday — I have been sti l l inth e h ou se sin ce Iwrote

,and Ihave worked . Ifini shed th e I ta l ia n sto ry ;

not well , but as we l l as I can j ust n ow ; I must go a l lo ve r i t agai n , some t ime soon , when I fee l i n th e

humour to bette r an d perfect i t. And now I have ta kenu p an Old sto ry , begun years ago ; an d I h avenowr ewri tten a l l I h ad written ofi t th en , and mea n to fi n ish

i t. Whatl h ave lost an d gai n ed i s odd As far as

regards s imp l e writ i ng, ofcou rse , I am i n anoth er

world now ; but i n some th i ngs , though more c l umsy ,I s eem. to hav e been free r and more p l uc ky : th i s i s al esson I h ave taken to h ea rt . I have got a j o l lynewname for my o ld sto ry . I am going to ca l l i t A Country Dance ; th e two heroes keep changing p laces , youknow ; and th e chapte r where th e most of th is ch ang

i ng goes on i s to be ca l l ed Up th e m idd l e, down th em idd l e I t wi l l b e i n s ix o r (perhaps) seven chapte rs .I h ave n ever worked harder i n my l ife tha n th ese lastfour days . I f I can on ly k eep i t u p .

Saturday — Yeste rday , Les l i e Steph en , who wasdown. here to lectu re , ca l led on me and took me up tosee a poo r fe l l ow , a poet who wri tes fo r h im , an dwhohas been eighteen month s inour infirmary, and. m ay

97

LETTERS OF R . L . STEVENSON

be , fo r a l l I k now, eigh teen mon ths more. I t was verysad to see h im th ere, i n a l i tt l e room with two beds ,a nd a coup l e of s i ck ch i ld ren i n th e oth er bed ; a gi rl

came i n to V i s i t th e ch i l d ren , and p layed dominoes o n

th e coun te rpan e with th em ; th e gas fla red and crack led ,th e fi re burn ed i n a dul l economica l way ; Steph en an dI sat ona Coup l e of c ha i rs , a nd th e poor fe l l ow sat u pi n h i s bed with h i s ha i r and beard a l l ta ngl ed , an d

ta l ked as ch eerfu l ly as if h e had been i n a K i ng ’ s palace ,or th e great K i ng ’ s pa lace of the b lue a i r. He has

taugh t h imse lf two l anguages si n ce h e has been ly i ngth ere . I Sha l l t ry to be of us e to h im .

We have had two beaut i fu l s pri ng days , mi ld asmi lk , windy witha l , an d th e sun hot. I d reamed last

n igh t I was walk ing by moon l igh t round th e p lace

where th e sce ne of my story i s la i d ; i t was a l l so qu i eta nd sweet, and th e b lackbi rd s were s i ngi ng as if i t was

day ; i t made my h eart very coo l a nd happy — Eve r

yours , ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON .

To SIDNEY COLV IN

F ebruary 8, 1875 .

MY DEAR COLV IN , — F o rgi ve my both eri ng you . Here

i s th e p roof of my secon d“Knox . G lan ce i t o ver, l i kea good fe l low

,an d if there '

s anyth ing very flagran t send

it to me marked . I h ave no confidence inmyse l f ; Ifee lsuch an ass . What have I been do i ng ? As n ear as I

can ca lculate,noth i ng. And yet I h ave worked a l l th is

month from th ree to five hours a day , that i s to say ,98


To MRS. SITWELLOn h isway through town afte rhis return to Scotlan d from Fon

taineb leauhehad been given a photograph of the Th ree Fate s oftheE lgin Marb le s

,who are the“thre ewom en d i scussed in the secon d

part ofth i s l ette r .1 7 HER IOTRow, ED INBURGH ,

Sunday [Apr il ,HERE is my long sto ry : yeste rday n ight, afte r hav i ng

supp ed , I g rew so restl ess that I was ob l iged to go out

i n search of some exc i tement . T here was a ha lf- moonlyi ng over o n i ts back , an d i nc red ib ly b righ t i n th e midstOf a fa i nt grey Sky set w ith fa in t sta rs : a ve ry i nartisti cmoon

,th atwou ld have damned a p icture .

Atth e most popu lous p lace of th e c i ty I foun d a l i tt l e

boy , th ree ye ars o l d perhaps , ha lf franti c with terro r, a nd

c ry ing to eve ry one fo r h i s Mammy . Th is was aboute l even

,mark you. Pe op l e stopped and spoke to h im

,

and thenwen t on , l eav i ng h im more frighten ed thanbefo re . Butl an d a good - humoured mechan i c cam e up

togeth er ; a nd I i n stantly d eveloped a latent facu ltyfors ett i ng th e h ea rts of ch i l dren at rest . Master TommyMu rphy (such was h i s name) soon stoppe d c ryi ng,and al l owed me to take h im up an d ca rry h im ; and

th e -mechan i c and I trudged away a long . Pr in ces Streetto find h is parents. Iwas soon so t i red that I h ad toask th e mech an i c to carry th e bai r n ; and you shoul d

h ave seen th e puzz led contempt withwh i c hhe l ookedat me

,fo r knocking ins o soon .He was a good fe l low ,

however,a l th ough very impract i cab le and sentimenta l ;

and h e soon beth oughthim that Master Murphy migh tcatch co l d after h i s

,exc i tement, so we wrapped h im up

[ 00

STUD ENT DAYS

i n my greatcoat “Tobauga(Tobago) St reet ' was th e

address h e g ave us ; an d we depos i ted h im i n a l it t l e

grocer’

s shOp an d went th rough a l l th e h ouses "i n th e

street without be ing ab l e to find any one ofth e nameof Murphy . Then I set o ff to th e h ead po l ic e offi ce ,l e av i ng my greatcoat i n pawn about Master Mur

phy ’ s p erso n . As Iwen t down one ofth e l oweststreets i n th e town , I saw a l itt l e b i t of l i fe th at s truck

me . I t was n ow half- past twel ve, a l i tt l e s hop stood

sti l l h a lf- Open , an d a boy of fou r o r five y ea rs o l d was

wal k i ng up and down befo re i t im itati ng cockc row .

He was th e on ly l iv i ng c reatu re with i n s ight.

Atth e po l i c e offi ces no word of Maste r Murphy ’ s

paren ts ; so I went back empty- han ded . Th e goodgroce re ss , who had kept h er sh op open a l l th is t ime ,cou ld keep th e ch i l d n o longer ; h er fath er, bad w ith

bronch i t i s, sa i d h e must fo rth . So I got a l a rge scon ewith currants i n i t, wrapped my coat about Tommy ,got h im up on my arm , an d away to th e po l i c e offi c e

with h im : not very easy i n my m ind , fo r the poorchild, , young as h e was —he cou l d scarce sp eakwas ful l ofterro r fo r th e “of fice , as h e ca l led i t .

He was now very grave and . quietan d com m unicat ivewi th me ; to l d m e h ow h i s fath e r th ra sh ed h im ,

an d d ive rs h ouseho l d matte rs . Whenever h e saw a

woman onourway h e l ooked afte r h er ove r myshou l der an d th en gave h is judgment : “That ’

S noher , add ing sometimes , Sh e has a weanwi’ he r.Meant im e lwas tel l i n g h im how I was goi ng to tak eh im to a gentl eman who wou ld find out “h is moth e r

fo r h im qu i cker th an e ver I cou l d , an d h ow h e must

not be afra i d of h im , but be brav e, as h e had beenIOI

LETTERS OFR. L . STEV ENSONwith me . We had just a rri ved at our desti nat ion

we were just u nde r th e lamp — when h e looked mei n th e face and sa id a ppea l i ngly,

“He ’

II no pu t m e

i n th e office ?” And I ha d to assu re h im that h ewoul d not, even as I push ed open th e door and tookh im i n .Th e sergeant was very n i ce , and I got Tommy comfortab ly seated on a bench , an d sp i ri ted h im up withgood words and th e scon e with th e cu rrants i n i t ;and th en , te l l i ng h im I was just go i ng out to l ookfo r Mammy , I got my greatcoat a nd s l i pp ed away .

Poor l i tt l e boy ! h e was not ca l l ed fo r, I learn, unti lten th is morn ing. Th i s i s very i l l w ri tten , an d I

’

ve

missed ha lf that was p i ctu resque i n i t ; but to say truth ,I am very t i red an d s l eepy : i t was two befo re I got to

bed . However, you see , I ha d my exc item ent .

Monday — I have wri tten noth i ng a l l morn i ng ; I

can not s ett le to i t. Yes — Iwil l th ough .

— And I d id . I wan t to say someth i ng more

to you about th e th ree women . I w an de r so muchwhy th ey sh ou l d h ave beenwom en, an d ha l t betweentwo op in i ons i n th e matte r. Sometimes I th i n k i t i sb ecause th ey were made by a man for men ; some

times , aga i n , I th i n k there i s ahabstract reason for i t,and th ere i s someth i ng more substant i ve about awoman than eve r th ere can be about a man . I can

conce ive a great myth i ca l woman , l i v i ng a lon e amongi naccess ibl e mounta i n - tops or i n some lost i s land i nth e pagan seas

,and ask no more. Whereas ifl h ear of

a H ercul es , I ask afte r I o l e or D ejan i ra. I can not th in kIO2


1875 th ey a re not moved . My qu i et, great- kneed , deepE T ’ 25 breasted , wel l—drape d lad i es of N ecessity, I g ive my

hea rt to you ! R . L . S.

To MRS . S ITWELL

[SWANSTON, Tuesday , Ap r il , 1875 ]MY DEAR FR1END, — l have been so busy , away to

Bridge of Al l an with my fath er fi rst, a nd then with

S impson an d Baxte r out h ere from Saturday ti l l Monday . I h a d no t ime to wri te , and , as i t i s , am strangely

i n capab le. Thanks fo r your l ette r. I h av e been readi ng such lots of law, an d i t seems to take away th epower of writ i ng from me . F rom morn i ng to n ight , so

often a s l have a spa re moment, I am i n th e embrace of

a l aw book barren embraces . I am i n good sp i ri ts ;an d my heart sm i tes me as usua l , when I am i n goodSp i r its , about my pa ren ts. IfI get a bi t du l l , I am awayto London without a scrup l e ; but so long as my heartkeeps up , I am a l l fo r my paren ts .

What do you th i n k of Hen l ey’

s h osp i ta l ve rses ?

They were to have been ded i cated to me , but Ste phenwoul dn’ta l low it —

_sa id i t would be p retenti ous .

Wednesday .- I meant to hav e made th i s qu i te a de

cent l ette r th i s morning, but l i sten . I h ad pain a l llast n igh t , and d i d no t s l eep wel l , a n d now am co ldan d s i cki sh , and strung up ever and aga i n wi th anoth e r flash ofpa i n . Wil l you remember me to every

body ? ‘

My pri nc i pa l c haracteri st i cs a re co ld , poverty,and Scots Law — th ree very bad th i ngs . Oo, .howth era i n fa l l s !

"

Th e m ist i s qu i te l ow on the :hil l. Th e104

STUD ENT DAYS

bi rds a re tw itte ri ng to each oth e r about th e i nd i ffe ren t

s eason. 0, h ere’

s a gem fo r you . Ano l d god lywoman pred i cted th e en d of th e worl d , because th e seasonsWere becom ing ind i s t ingu i sh abl e ; my cous in Dora ob

jected that last w i nter had been p retty wel l m arked.

“Yes , "

m y dea r, rep l ie d th e soothsaye r ess ; “b utIth i n k you’ l l find th e summer w i l l be rath e r coam p li

cated.— Ever you r fa i th fu l R . L . S.

To MRS . SITWELLThe reh earsal swe re those of Shak e speare ’ s TwelfthN ightfor amateur th eatrical s atPro fe ssor F le em ing J enk i n ’ s, i nwh ich Stevensonp layed the part ofOrsino .

[ED INBURGH, Satur day , Apr il , 1875 ]I AM getti ng onwith my reh earsa l s, but I fin d th e

part very ha rd . I reh ea rs ed yeste rday from a quarte r

to s even , and to - day from fou r (with i n te rva l fo r d i nn er) to e l even . You see th e sa d stra i t I am i n fo r i nk .

— /Idemain.

Sunday — Th i s i s th e th i rd inkb ottle I h ave tri ed ,“an d sti l l i t ’

snoth i ng to boast of. My j ou rney wen toffa l l righ t, and I h ave kept ever i n good sp iri ts .Last n igh t, i n deed , I d id th i n k my l i tt l e b i t ofga i etywas go i ng away down th e wi nd l i ke a wh iff of tobacco

smoke , but to - day i t h as come back to me a l i tt l e.The i nfluen ce of th i s p la ce i s assured ly all that ca n beworstaga i n st on e ; mais ilfautlutter . I was haun ted

lastn igh t when I was i n bed by th e most co ld , deso105


l ate reco l l ecti ons of my past l i fe h ere ; I was g lad to t ryand th i n k ofth e fo rest, a nd warm my hands at th ethought of it . O th e qu iet , grey th i ckets , a nd th eye l low butte rfl i es , and th e woodpeckers , and th e out

l ook ove r th e p la i n as i t were ove r a sea ! 0 fo r th e

good, fleshly s tup id i ty of th e woods , th e body con

sc i ous of i tse lf a l l o ver and th e m ind fo rgotten , th e c lean

a i r n estl i ng n ext you r sk i n as th ough your c l oth es were

gossamer, th e eye fi l l ed an d con tent, th e who l e MANHAPPY ! Whereas h ere i t takes a pu l l to ho ld yourse l ftogeth er ; itneeds both hands , an d a book of sto i ca l

maxims,and a so rt of b i ttern ess at th e h ea rt byway

ofarmour.— Eve r you r fa i th fu l R . L. S .

Wednesday — I am so p layed out wi th a co l d in my

eye th at I ca nn ot see to write o r read wi thout d iffi cu lty.

I t i s swol lenhor r ibl e ; so h ow I sha l l l ook as Ors i n o ,God knows ! I h ave my fin e c loth es tho ’ . Hen l ey ’ sson nets h ave been taken for th e Cornhil l . He is out

ofhosp i ta l n ow , an d d ress ed , but st i l l n ot too much to

b rag of i n hea l th , poor fe l l ow , I am afra id .

Sunday — So. I have st i l l rath er bad eyes , an d a

nasty so re th roat. I p l ay Ors i no every day , i n a l l th epomp of So lomon , sp l end i d F ranc i s th e F i rst c loth es ,heavy with go l d and stage j ewel l ery . I p lay it illenough , I b e l i eve ; but m e an d th e c loth es , and th ewedd ing wherewith th e c lo th es a nd m e are recon c i le d ,produce every n ight a th ri l l of admi rati on . Our cookto ld my moth e r (th ere i s a servants

’ n ight, you know)that sh e and th e housemai d were “j ust p rood to beab l e to say i t was oor young gentl eman . To sup afte r

106

l 8751ET. 25


c i l la , sa lute Barnabas , sa lute Eben ezer — Ono , h e’

s too

much , I with draw Ebeneze r ; enough ofear ly Ch ri st i an s .— Ever you r fai thfu l ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON .

To MRS. SITWELL

Burn s m ean s the article on Burnswh ich R . L . 5 .hadbeen comm i ss ioned towrite fo r the Ency clopaedia B r itannica. The awful lyn ice m an”was M r . Seed

,Prem ie r of N ew! ealan d ; and itwas from

h i s conve rsati on that the not i on of the Sam oan I slands as ap lace ofre fugefor the s ick andworld -worn fi rst ente red Steven son ’ s m in d

,to

lie dormant ( I neve r heardhim speak ofit) and b e rev ive d fifte en yearslate r.

[ED INBURGH , j une, 1 875 ]SIMPLY a scratch . All r ight , j ol ly , wel l , and th roughw ith th e d iffi cu l ty . My fath e r p l eased about th e Bu rns .N ever trave l inth e same ca rri age with th ree ab l e - bod i edseamen and a' fru ite rer from Kent ; th e A.

- B .

’

s Speak a l ln ight a s though th ey were ha i l in g vesse ls at s ea ; and thefru itere r a s i f h e were c ryi ng fru it i n a no isy market - p lace— such , at l ea st , i s m yfuneste exne rience . Iwonde r i fa fru i tere r from some pl ace e l s e — say Worceste rsh i re

woul d offer tlse same phenomena ? i n so l ub l e doubt.R. L. S.

Later . F o rg iv e me , cou l dn’tget i t off. Awfu l lyn i c e man h ere to- n ight. Pub l i c servant N ew! ea land .

Te l l i ng us a l l about th e South Sea Is lands ti l l I was s i ckwith des i re to go there : beautiful p laces , green fo r ever ;p erfect c l imate ; perfect shapes of men and women , withred flowers i n th e i r ha i r ; andnoth i ng to do butto studyo rato ry an d etiquette, s i t inth e sun , an d p i ck up th e

108

STUDENT DAYS

fru i ts as th ey fal l . N av igato r ’ s I s lan d i s the p lace ; abso lute ba lm for th e weary. Ever you r fa ithfu l fr i en d ,

R . L . S.

To MRS . SITWELL

The exam inat i on for the b ar at Edinburghwas approach ing.Fontain eb leau is the pape r cal le d Fore st N ote s

,

”afte rwards

printed inthe Cornhil l Magagine . The church i s Glencorse Church inthe Pentlands

,to the thoughts ofwh ich Stevenson reve rted i n h i s last

dayswith so m uch em otion (see Weir ofHer m iston, chap .

SWANSTON , end ofjune, 1875 .

Thur sday . Th is day fortn igh t I sha l l fa l l o r conque r.Outs ide th e ra i n sti l l soaks ; but n ow and aga i n th e h i l ltop looks th rough th e m ist vague ly . I am very com

fortab le , very s l eepy , an d very much sati sfi ed w ith th earrangements ofPro vi dence.Satur day — no, Sunday ,

— Justb e en— n ot grindi ng, a las l— I cou l d n’t— but do i ng a b it ofF onta i n eb l eau . I don

’

t th i n k I ’ l l b e p l ucked . I am not sure

though — I am so busy , what with th i s d— d law,and

th i s F onta in eb l eau a lways at my e lbow , an d th ree p lays

(th ree , th i n k of that !) a nd a sto ry , a l l c ry i ng out to me,F i n i sh , fin ish , make an en ti re end , make u s strong,shape ly , V i ab l e c reatures ! I t ’

s en ough to put a man

crazy . Mo reover, I h ave my thesi s g i ven out n ow, wh ich

i s a fifth (i s i t fifth I can ’ t count ) i n cumbran ce .

Sunday — I’

ve been to chu rch,an d am not dep ress ed

a great step . I was at that beauti fu l ch urch my petitpoe

’

m e enpr ose was about. I t i s a l i ttl e c ruc ifo rm place,

109

1875fET. 25


wrthheavy corn i ces an d str i ng- course to match , an d a

steep S l ate roof. Th e smal l k i rkya rd is fu l l of o ld graveston es . One OfaF ren chman from D unkerque — I sup

pose h e d i ed prison e r i n th e m i l i ta ry prison hard byan d on e , th e most path eti c memoria l I ever saw , a poo rsch oo l - s late, i n a wooden frame, with th e insc ri pti oncut i n to i t ev ident ly by th e fath er ’ s own hand . I n

ch urch , o l d Mr . Torre nc e preached — ove r e igh ty, and

a re l i c of t imes fo rgotten , with h i s b lack th read gloves

and m i l d o l d foo l i sh face . One of th e n icest parts ofi t was to see J oh n I ngl is , th e greatest man i n Scotl and ,our J usti ce - Genera l , and th e on ly born lawyer I eve r

h eard , l i sten i ng to the p i p i ng o ld body , as th ough i t hada l l been a revel ation , grave an d respectfu l . Eve r you r

fa i thfu l R . L. S.

"O

ADVOCATE AND AUTHOR

ED IN BURGH PAR IS FON TAINEBLEAU

(J ULY , 1875- J ULY , 1879)

N th e 14thofJ u ly, 1875, Steve nson passed withc red it h i s exam in at ion fo r th e ba r at Edinburgh

,

and th en ceforth enjoy ed whatever status an d cons ide rat i on attach es to th e t it le of Advocate. But h e made

n o s eri ous attempt to p racti se, a nd by th e a5thofth esame month h ad started with S i r Wa l te r S im pson fo rF ran ce . Here h e l i ved an d tramped fo r s evera l weeksamong the arti st h aunts ofF on ta in eb l eau and th e n eighb ourhood, occupyi ng h imse l f ch i efly with s tud i es of

th e F ren ch poets a nd poetry of th e fifteenth century,wh i ch afte rwa rds bo re fru i t i n h is papers onCha rl es ofOr leans a nd F ranco is V i l lo n . Th ence h e trave l l ed tojo in h i s parents a t Wiesbaden and Homburg, a nd , r etu rn i ng i n th e autumn to Scotl an d , m ade , to p l easeth em , an effo rt to l i v e th e o rd i nary l ife ofan Ed i nburghadvo cate —atten d ing tri a l s , and spend ing h is morn i ngsi n w ig and gown at th e Par l i amen t House. B ut th i s

attempt was befo re long abandon ed as tend ing to wasteI I }


oft ime an d being i ncompatib le with h i s rea l occupationof l i teratu re . Th rough the next w inte r and spri ng h erema in ed i n Ed i nburgh , except fo r a winter

’

s wa lk i ngtou r i n Ayrsh i re and Gal loway, and a month Spentamong h is fri en ds i n London . Inth e l ate summer of1876, afte r a V i s i t to th e West H igh lands , he mad e th ecanoe tri p w ith S i r Wal te r S impson which furn i sh edth e subj ect of AnInland Voyage, fol lowed by a p rolonged autumn stay atGrez an d Barb izon . The l ife

,

atmosphere , and scen ery of th eseforest haunts hadcharmed and soothed h im , as we have seen , s i nce h e

was fi rs t i ntroduced to them by h i s cous i n , Mr . R . A.

M. Stevenson, i n th e Spri ng of1875. Anunfette red,

unconvent i ona l , open - a i r ex istence, passed face to face

with nature an d i n th e company ofcongen ia l p eopl eengaged , l i k e h imse l f, i n grapp l i ng with th e p rob lems

a nd d iffi cu l t i es of an a rt, had been what h e had longedfor most cons istent ly th rough a l l th e agitati ons of h i syouth . And now he had found just such an existence

,

and with i t, as h e th ought, peace ofmind , hea l th , andth e sp i r i t of un impeded work .

What i ndeed awa ited h im i n th e forest was someth ing very d i fferen t and more momentous , name ly , h isfate ; th e romance wh ich dec ided h is l i fe , and th e com

pan ion whom he reso lved to make h is own at a l l h az

ards . But of th i s h ereafte r. To cont i nue bri efly th eanna ls of th e t ime : th e yea r 1877 was aga i n spent b e

tween Ed inburgh , London , th e F onta i n eb leau regi on ,an d th e a rti sts ’ quarte r i n Pari s , with an excu rs i on i nthe company of h i s pa rents to th e Lan d ’ s End i nAugust . I n 1878 a s im i la r genera l mod e of l i fe wasva ri ed by a V i s i t wi th h i s parents i n Ma rc h to Burfo rd

1 14


Here h e conti nu ed h i s c ri t i ca l papers on m en andbooks , a l rea dy begun i n 1874with“V i cto r H ugo , ” andbegan i n 1876 th e ser i es ofpapers afte rwards co l l ectedi n Virg inibus Puer isque, i n wh i ch h e p reaches ,wi ths uch cap ti vat ing ga i ety a nd vigou r, h i s gospe l ofcourage an d ofcontempt fo r th e bou rgeo i s t im id it i esand petty respectab i l i t i es ofl i fe. They were conti nuedi n 1877 , and i n greate r n umber th roughout 1878. H is

fi rst publ i sh ed sto ri es appea red as fo l lows ' A Lodging fo r th e N ight , Templ e Bar , October, 1877 ;

“TheS i re d e Malétroit’ s Door,

”Templ e Bar , J anuary , 1878 ;

an d “Wil l 0 ’ th e Mi l l ,”Cornhil l Magazine, J a nua ry,

1878. Th e fi rs t two of thes e were i n sp i red by th e

stud ies offifte enth- century F ran ce wh ich h e had m adei n th e autumn of1875, and by th e i r en e rgy of v is i o na nd V i v i d ness ofp resentment seem e d to j ust ify th ebest hopes h is fr i en ds had fo rm ed ofh im as a sto ryte l l e r ;wh i l e th e th i rd , adm irabl e atonce as parab l eth e parab l e ofth e hanger- back— and as i dy l l of th eAl p i n e road and ri ve r, sh owed a qual i ty sti l l ra re r an d

more poeti ca l . I n May, 1878, fo l lowed h i s fi rst trave l

book , AnInland Voyage , con ta i n ing the account of

h i s canoe tr i p from Antwerp to Grez . Th i s was toStevenson a yea r ofgreat and va rious pro duct iven ess .Bes i d es s i x o r e ight cha racte ri s ti c essays of th e V ir

g inibus Puer isque se ri es , th e re appea red i n London(now ed ited by Mr . Hen l ey) th e set of fantast i c modernta l es ca l l ed The N ewArab ian N ights , concei ved an dwritten i n an enti re ly d ifferent key from any of h i sp revious work , as wel l a s th e k i nd ly , s entimenta l

c omedy ofF ren ch a rt is t l i fe, “Prov id ence and th eGu ita r and i n the Portfol io th e P i cturesque N otes

1 16

ADVOCATE AND AUTHO R

onEd i nburgh , republ i sh ed at th e end ofth e year i nbook form . Duri ng th e autumn and win ter of th i s

year h e wrote Travel switha D onkey inthe Cevennes ,and was much e ngaged i n th e p lan n i ng of p l ays i n

co l laboratio n with Mr . Hen l ey ; of wh i ch one , D eaconB r odie, was fin ish ed i n th e sp ri ng of 1879 . Th iswas a l so th e date of th e much debated essay “Onsome Aspects of Burns . I n th e same sp ri ng h e

drafted i n Ed i nbu rgh , but afte rwa rds la id by , four

Chapte rs oneth ics , a Study ofwh ich h e once s poke asbe ing always h i s ve i led m istress, under th e n ame of

But aboun d ing i n good work as t h i s pe ri od was , an d

momentous as i t was i n regard to Stevenson ’ s futu rel i fe , i t i s a p eri od wh ich figures ha rd l y a t a l l i n h is correspon dence , and i n th i s book must fi l l qu i te a d i s

p roporti onate ly scanty space . Pa rtly h i s i n c reas i ng

abso rpt ion i n th e i nte rests of h i s l i fe an d work l eft h im

l i tt l e t im e o r i nc l i natio nfor l ette r- wri ti ng ; partly h i sgreate r freedom ofmovemen t mad e i t u nnecessary .

Onh is way backwards an d fo rward s between Scotl andand F ra n ce , h is fri en d s i n London had th e chan ce ofs ee ing h im much more frequently tha n ofyo re . H i s

V i s i t s were a lways a del igh t, and th e c ha rm ofh i s ta l kan d pres ence un equa l l ed . He avo id ed forma l an d

dress - coated soc i ety ; but i n th e company of congen ia l

fri ends , whethe r men o r women , an d i n p l aces l i ke th e

Sav i le Cl ub (h i s favouri te haunt) , h e won an d kept allh ea rts by that m ixtu re wh i ch was h is own of th e most

in exhaust ib l e, fa r- rangi ng bri l l ia n cy an d ga iety i n d i s

cours e with th e most sympatheti c human i ty of fee l i ngand a ffecti onatenes s of natu re. But I am l ett i ng myse l f“7


lapse too much i n to biography, an d i t i s t im e that th emeagre co rrespondence of th es e yea rs Sh ou l d speak fo ri tse lf.


[CHEz SIRON, BARB IZON , SE INE- ET-MARNE,August,

MY DEAR MOTHER , —I have been th ree days at a p la ce

ca l l e d G rez , a pretty a nd ve ry mel an ch o ly V i l lage onth e p la i n . A l ow bridge of many arch es choked withs edge ; great fi e ld s ofwhite and ye l low water- l i l i es ;pop la rs and wi l l ows i nnumerab l e ; and about i t a l l suc h

an atmosphere of sadness and s lackn ess , one coul d do

noth i ng but get i nto th e boat and out of i t aga i n , an d

yawn for bedtime.Yesterday Bob and I wa lked home ; i t came on a

very c red i tabl e thundersto rm ; we were soon wet

th rough ; sometimes th e ra i n was so h eavy that o n ecould on ly see by ho ld ing th e hand over th e eyes ; an d

to crown a l l , we lost ou r way and wandered a l l ove rth e p lace , a nd i n to th e a rti l l e ry range , among broken

t rees , with b ig shot ly ing about among th e rocks . I t

was n ear d in n er- t im e when we got to Ba rb izon ; and it i s

supposed that we wa lked from twenty- th ree to twentyfive mi les , which i s n ot bad fo r th e Advocate, who isn ot t i red th i s morn ing. I was very glad to be back

aga i n i n th i s dea r p l ace , a nd smel l th e wet fo rest i n th emorn i ng.

S impson an d th e rest d rove back i n a ca rriage, an dgot about as wet as we d id .

1 18


Here i n th i s seaboa rd land of old renown ,I n meadow grass go wad ing to th e knees ;Bath e you r who l e sou l a wh i l e i n simp le ease ;There i s no so rrowbut th e sea can d rown ;Far have you come, my lady, from th e town .

Nousn’ir ons plus anbois.

We ’

11 wal k th e woods no more,But stay bes ide th e fi re ,To weep for old des i reAnd th i ngs that a re no more .

The woods a re Spoi led a nd hoar,Th e ways a re fu l l of m i re ;We ’

ll walk th e woods no more ,But stay bes i d e the fi re .We loved , i n days of yore,

Love , l aughter, and th e ly re .Ah, God , but d eath i s d i re,And death i s at th e doorWe ’

ll walk th e woods no more .ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON .

To SIDNEY CO LV IN

The Burn s he re in m enti o ned is anarticle unde rtaken in the earlysum m e r of the sam e year fo r the Ency clopcedia B r itannica. Intheend Stevenson ’ sworkwas thought to convey aViewofthe poet toofrank ly cr itical

,and too l ittle in accordancewith the accepted Scotch

tradit ion ; andthe pub l i she rs , duly payinghimfor h is labours, tran sferred the task to Profe sso r Shairp . The vo lum e h e re announced onthe thre e Scott i sh e ightee nth - ce ntury poets unfortunate ly neve r cam e

i nto be ing. The Charle s of Orléan s e ssay appeared in the Cornhil l1 20

ADVOCATE AND AUTHOR

Magazinefor Decem be r ofthe fo l lowing year ; that on V i l lon (withthestory onthe sam e them e

,

“A Lodg ing fo r the N ight ”) not unt i lthe autum n of1887 . The e s say onBérang e r refe rre d to atthe end ofthe lette rwas one com m i ss ioned and used by the ed itor of the Encyclopcedia; that on“Spr i ng ”was aprose poem ,

ofwh ich the manuscr ipt

,sent to m e atCam bridge

,was un luck i ly lost inthe confus ionofachange ofroom s.

ED INBURGH , [Autumn] 1875 .

MY DEAR COLV IN — Than ks fo r your l ette r an d n ews .N o -4- m y Burn s i s not don e yet, i t h a s l ed m e so fa r

afie ld that I can not fin is h i t ; every t im e I th i nk I s ee

my way to an end , some n ew game (or p erhap s wi l dgoose ) starts u p , an d away I go . And th en , aga i n , tobe p la i n , I Sh i rk th e work ofth e crit i ca l part, Sh i rk i t a sa man sh i rks a lo ng j ump . I t i s awfu l to have to ex

p ress and d i ffe ren t iate B urn s i n a co lumn or two . 0

go l ly , I say , you know, i t can’tbe don e at th e money.

All th e mo re as I ’

m go ing to wri te a book about i t.Ram say , F ergusson, and Burns : anEssay (or acr itical essay but th en I ’m go i ng to give l i ves of th e th ree

gen tl emen , on ly th e gist ofth e book i s th e c ri t i c i sm ) byRobertLouis Stevenson, Advocate. How ’ s th at fo r cut

an d dry ? And I could wri te th i s book . Un l ess I d eceive myse lf, I cou l d even write it p retty adequate ly . Ifee l as i f I was rea l ly i n i t, an d kn ew th e gam e tho rough ly. You see what comes oft ry i ng to write a nessay onBurns i n ten co lumns .Meant ime, when I h ave don e Bu rns , I shall fi n is h

Char les ofOr léans (who i s i n a good way, about th efi fth month , I s h ou ld th i nk , and prom i ses to be a fi n e

h ea lthy ch i ld , bette r than any of h i s e ld er b roth ers fo r awh i le) ; an d th en p erh aps a V i l l on , for V i l l o n i s a veryesse ntia l part ofmyRam say - F ergusson- Burns I mean ,

I 2 I


IS a note i n i t, and wi l l recu r aga i n and aga i n for comparison an d i l lustration ; th en , p erhaps , I may try F onta i ne

b l eau , by th e way. But so soon as Cha rl es of Or leansi s pol i sh ed off, and immorta l i sed for ever, h e and h is

p i p ings , i n a so l i d imperishable Sh ri ne of R . L . S . , my

true a im and end wi l l be th i s l ittl e book . Suppose Icou l d j e rk you out 100 Cornhil l pages ; that wou ld e asymake 200 pages of decent form ; and th en th icki sh

paper eh ? would th at do ? I dare say i t cou l d be

made bigger ; but I know what 100 page s ofcopy, bright

consum mate co py , imp ly beh i n d th e scen es of weary

m anuscrib ing ; I th i n k i f I put anothe rnothingto i t , Is h ou ld not be outs id e th e mark ; and 100 Cornhil lpages of500 words mean s , I fancy (but I n eve r wasgood at figures) , means words . T he re ’

S ap rospect fo r a n id l e young gentl eman who l i ves at

h ome at ease ! Th e futu re i s th i ck with i n ky fingers.

And th en perhaps n obody would p ub l ish . Ahnomde dieu! What do you th in k o f all th i s ? wi l l i t padd le, th i nk you

I hop e th i s pen wi l l write ; i t i s th e th i rd I havetri ed .

About com ing up , no , that’

s imposs ib l e ; for I am

worse than a bankrupt. I have at th e p resent s ix

sh i l l i ngs a nd a penny ; I have a sound ing l ot of b i l l s

fo r Ch ri stmas ; n ew dress su i t, fo r i nstan ce , th e o l d

on e hav ing gon e fo r Pa r l iament House ; and newwhite Sh i rts to l i ve up to my new profess ion ; I

’

m as

gay and swel l and gummy as can be ; on ly al l myboots l eak ; one pa i rwate r, and th e other two simpl eb lack mud ; so that my rig i s more for th e eye than avery sol i d comfo rt to myse lf. T hat is my budget.

I ! !


To CHARLES BAXTER

Thefo l lowing epistle in ve rse,with its m ixed flavour of Burn s and

H orace,give s al ive ly p icture ofwinte r forenoon s spent in the Parl ia

m ent H ouse .

[ED INBURGH , October ,NOO l ya rt leaves b law ower th e green ,Red a re th e bonn i e woods 0 ’

D ean,An’ he re we ’

r e back i n Embro , freen’

,

To pass th e w in ter.Whil k noo ,wi’ frosts afore, d raws i n ,

An’ s naws ah i nt he r.I ’

ve seen ’

s hae days to fri cht us a ’ ,The Pentla nds poothe red weel WI snaw,

The ways ha lf— smoo redwi’ l iqu i d thaw,

An’ ha lf- cong ealin’ ,The snel l a n ’ scowthe r in’ no rth er b law

F ra e b la e B runte e lan’ .I ’ve seen ’

S been un co swei r to sa l ly,And at th e door- ch eeks daff an ’ dal lySeen ’

s da id le th us an ’ sh i l ly - sha l ly

For n ea r a m inute

Sae caul d th e wind blew up th e va l ley,The dei l was i n it!

Syn e spread th e s i l k an’ tak th e gate,

I n b l ast an ’ b laudin’ ra i n , d ei lhae ’t!

The ha l e toon g lintin’ , stan e an ’ s late,Wi’ cau l d an ’ weet,

An’ to th e Court, gi n we ’ s e be late,B icker oor feet .

1 24

ADVOCATE AN D AUTHO R

And at th e Cou rt, ta e , aft I sawWhau r Advocates by twa an ’ twa

Gang g este rin’ en d to en d th e h a ’I n weeg an ’ goon ,

To c rack 0’ what ye

'

wu l l but LawThe ha l e fo ren oon .

That muckl e h a ’ , m ai s t l ik e a k i rk ,I ’

Ve kent at b ra i d mid- day sa e m i rk

Ye ’

d seen wh itewe eg s an ’ faces lurkL i ke ghaists frae H el l ,

But wh eth e r Ch ri st i an ghaists or Tu rkD ei l an e cou l d tel l .

Th e th ree fi res Iun ted i n th e gl oom ,

Th e wind b lew l i ke th e b last o ’ doom ,

Th e ra i n upo ’ th e roof abun eP l ayed Peter D i ck

Ye wad nae ’

d l i c h t en ough i ’ th e roomYou r teeth to p ick !

But, freen d, ye ken how me an’

you,

Th e l i ng- lang la n e ly winter th rough,

Ke ep’

d a gu id spe e ritup , a n’ t ru e

To lore Horat i an ,We aye th e i th e r bott l e d rew

To i n cl i nat i on .

Sae letus i n th e com in ’ days

Stan d s i cke r onour auncientwaysTh e s trauch test road i n a ’ th e maze

S i n ce Eve ate app les ;An’ let th e winter weet our c l a ’ esWe ’

ll weet oor th rapp les.1 25


To S IDNEY CO LV IN

Th i s recurs to the lost M s . ofthe e ssay on Spring .

” P . P . P .

’S”

are petits poé'

m es enp r ose, attem pts in the form ,though not i n the

spir it,ofBaude lai re .

[ED INBURGH , Autumn,MY DEAR CO LV IN, - F ous ne m e gom b r ennez pas .

Angry with you N o. IS th e th ing lost ? Wel l , so be i t.There i s on e maste rp i ec e fewer i n th e world . Th eworld ca n i l l s pare i t , but I , s i r, I (an d here I s tri ke myho l low bosom so that i t resound s) I am fu l l of th is so rt

ofbaub le ; I am made of i t ; i t comes to m e, s i r, as th edes i re to s neeze comes upon poo r o rd i na ry dev i l s o n

co ld days , when they shou l d be getti ng out of bedand i nto the i r h o rri d co l d tubs by th e l ight of a s even

o ’ c lock cand le , with th e d isma l seven o’ c loc k frost

flowe rs a l l over th e wi ndow.

Show Steph en what you p lease ; i f you coul d Sh owh im how to give me money, you would ob l ige , s i n

ce re ly yours , R. L. S .

I h ave a scro l l of Spr ingtim e som ewhere , but I knowthat i t i s not i n very good o rde r, an d do not fee l myse lfu p to very much gri nd ove r i t. I am damped about

Spr ingtim e, that ’

s th e truth of i t. I t m ight h ave been

fou r or fi ve qu i d !

S i r, I sha l l sh av e my head , i f th i s goes on. All men

take a p l easure to gi rd at me. Th e laws of nature a rei n Open wa r with me. T h e whee l of a dog- cart took

th e toes o ff my new boots . Gout has s et i n with ext reme rigour, and cut m e outof the Cheap refreshmentof beer. I l eant my back agai nst an oak , Ithoughti t

1 2 6


h ea r cases a rgued or advi sed . Th i s i s qu i te autob iograph ica l , but I fee l a s i f i t was some tim e s i n ce wemet, an d I ca n te l l you , I am glad to meet you aga i n .I n every way , you see , but that of wo rk the worl dgoes wel l w ith me . My hea lth i s bette r than eve r i t

was befo re ; I get onwithout any j a r, nay , as i f th e ren ever had been a ja r, with my paren ts . I f i t weren’tabout that work , I

’

d be happy . But th e fact i s , I don’ t

th i nk — th e fact i s , I’m going to t rust i n Provi dence

about work . IfI cou l d get one or two p i eces I hateoutof my way a l l wou ld be we l l , I th i nk ; but th ese

obsta c l es d i sgust me , a nd as I know I ought to do them

fi rst , I don’

t do anyth i ng. I must fin i sh th i s off, o r I’

ll

j ust l ose ano th e r day . I ’

ll try to wri te aga i n soon .

Ever you r fa i thfu l fri en d. R. L . S.

To MRS . DE MATTOS

Inthe fol lowi ng l ette r to a favour ite cousin Steven son unbosom sh im se lf of one ofthe m oods ofdepre ssi on towh ichhewas som et im e ssubj ect in Edinburghwinte r s.

ED INBURGH, j anuary , 1 876 .

MY DEAR KATHAR INE ,— Th e p ri son e r rese rved h isdefen ce. He has been seedy, however ; p rin ci pa l ly

s i ck ofth e fam i ly ev i l , despondency ; th e sun i s gon eoututter ly ; and th e breath of th e peopl e of th i s c i ty l i esabout as a sort of damp , unwhol esome fog, i n wh i ch

we go walk ing with bowed h ea rts . I f I un derstandwhat i s a con tri te s p i ri t, I have one ; i t i s to feel thatyou a re a smal l j a r, or ra th er, as I fee l myse l f, a very

large jar, of potte ry work rath er mal r e’

ussi, an d to128

ADVOCATE AND AUTHOR

make every a l lowance fo r th e potte r (I beg pardo n ,Potter w ith a cap i ta l P) onh i s i l l - success , and rath erwish h e would reduce you as soon as poss ibl e to pot

sh erds . However, th ere a re many th ings to do yet

befo re we go

Gr ossir lapate univer sel leFaite desfor m es que D ieufond.

For i n stan ce, I h ave n ev er been i n a revo l ut ion yet.I p ray God I may b e i n one at th e end , ifl am to makea mucker. The best way to make a mucke r i s to haveyou r back set aga in st a wa l l a n d a few l ead pel l ets

wh i ffed i nto you i n a moment, whi l e yet you are a l l i n

a h eat an d a fury of combat, with drums sound i ng

ona l l s i d es , and peop l e c rying, a n d a gen era l smashl i ke th e i nferna l o rch est rat i on at th e en d ofth eP lease pa rdon me fo r hav i ng been so long ofwriti ng,a nd Sh ow your pardon by writi ng soon to m e ; i t wi l lbe a k i n dn ess,for I am sometimes v e ry dull. Ed i n

burgh i s mu ch changed fo r th e worse by th e absen ce

of Bob ; an d th i s damned weath e r we igh s onme l ike acu rse. Yesterday , or th e day befo re , th e re cam e sobla ck a ra i n squa l l th at I was fr igh ten ed — what a ch i l d

wou ld ca l l frighten ed , you know , fo r want ofa bette rword — a l though i n rea l i ty i t h as noth i ng to do w ith

fright. I l i t th e gas an d sat coweri ng i n my cha i r unt i l

i t wen t away aga in— Eve r you rs, R. L . S .

O, I am try ing my hand ata n ove l j ust now ; i t mayi nte rest you to know , I am bound to say I do not th in k i t

wil l be a success. However, i t’ s a n amusementfor th e

129


moment, an d work , work i s you r on ly al ly aga in st th e“bea rd ed peopl e that squat u pon th e i r hams i n

th e dark p laces of l i fe and embrace peopl e ho rrib ly asth ey go by. God save us from th e bearded peop le !to th i n k that th e sun i s st i l l sh in ing i n some happy

p laces ! R. L . S.

To MRS . SITWELL

[ED INBURGH , january , 1876 ]OURweath er con ti nues as i t was , b itterly cold ,

and ra i n i ng often . There i s n ot much p l easure i n l ifecerta i n ly as i t stands at p resen t. N ousn’ ir ons plus anbois ,he‘las .

’

I m ean t to write som e more last n ight , but my fathe rwas i l l and it put i t outofmy way. He i s better th is

morn ing.

IfI hadwri tten last n ight , I sh oul d h ave written al ot . But th i s morn ing I am so dreadful ly ti red andstup id th at I c an say noth i ng. I was down at Le i th i nth e afternoon . God bl ess me , what horri d women I

saw ; I n ever knew what a p la i n - l ook i ng race i t was

before . I was S i c k at h eart w ith th e l ooks of th em .

And th e ch i ldren , fi l thy and ragged ! And th e smel ls !And th e fa t b lack mud !My sou l was fu l l of d i sgust e re I got back . And yetth e sh ips were beautifu l to s ee , as they are a lways ;and on th e p i er the rewas a c l ean co l d win d that smelta l itt l e ofth e s ea , though i t came down th e F i rth , andth e sunset h ad a certa in e

’

clatan d warmth . Perhaps ifI c ou ld get more work done , I sh ou ld be i n a bette rtrim to enjoy fi l thy streets and peop l e and co ld gr im

130


beg you r pardon fo r referri ng to i t aga in,but I don ’ t

want you to fo rget) s en d i t offat on ce.4ih. I wen t to Ayr , Maybol e, Girvan , Ba l la ntrae ,

Stra n raer, Glen l uce, and Wigton . I sha l l make an

a rti c l e of i t s ome day soon , “A Winter ’ s Wal k i nGarri ck and Ga l l oway . I had a good t ime — Yours,

R . L . S .

To SIDNEY CO LV IN

Bayne s i n the fo l lowi ng i s Steven son ’ s good fr ien d and m ine,

the late P rofe ssor Spence r Bayne s,whowas j ust re l i nqu ish i ng the

editorsh i p ofthe Ency clopcedia B r itannica by reason of i l l - h ealth .

[SWANSTON COTTAGE , LOTHIAN BURN , j uly ,

HERE I am,h ere , an d very wel l too . I am glad you

l ik ed “Walki ng Tou rs I l i ke i t , too ; I th i n k i t’

s

p rose ; an d I own with contri ti o n that I h ave nota lways written p rose. However, I am endeavou r

i ng afte r n ew obedi en c e (Scot. Shorter Catech ism) .You don ’ t say aught of“F orest N otes , which i s

k i nd . There i s one , i f you wi l l , th at was too sweetto be whol esome.I am at Charl es d

’

o r leans . About fi fteen Cornhil l pages h ave a l ready coulé’

d from under my fac i l e

p lum e — no , I mean e l even , fi fteen of MS .— and we are

notmuch more th an hal f- way th rough , “Charles ” andI ; but h e

’

s a p l ea sant compan io n . My h ea lth i s very

wel l ; I am in a fi ne exe rcisy state. Baynes i s gone toLondon ; i f you see h im , i nqu i re about my

“Burns .Th ey have sent me £5 5s. fo r i t,wh i ch has m ollifiedme horri d . £5 5s . i s a good d e a l to pay fo r a read of

i t i n MS . ; I can’ t comp la in— Yours, R. L. S.

132

ADVOCATE AND AUTHOR

To MRS . S ITWELL

Th i s date s from j ust before the canoe i ng tr ip recounte d in AnInland Voyage.

[SWANSTON COTTAGE , LOTHIAN BURN , j uly ,

I HAVE th e strangest repugnan ce fo r wri t ing ;i n deed , I h ave n early got myse lf p e rsuaded i nto th e

noti on th at l ette rs don ’ t a rr ive , i n o rder to sa lv e my

consc i en ce fo r n ever send i ng th em off. I ’

m rea d ing a

great dea l of fi fteenth centu ry : Tr ial ofj oanofAr c,

PastonLetter s , Basin, etc . , a l so Boswel l da i ly by wayOfaB ibl e ; I m ean to rea d Boswel l now un ti l th e day Id i e . And now and aga i n a b it of P ilg r im ’

s P r og r ess .

I s th at a l l ? Yes , I th i n k that’

s a l l . I h ave a th i ng i n

p roof fo r th e Cornhil l ca l l ed Virg inibus Puer isque.

“Charl es ofOr leans i s aga in l a i d as i de, but i n a good

state of furth e ran c e th i s t im e. A pape r ca l l ed “AD efen ce of Id l e rs (wh ich i s rea l ly a d efence ofR . L . S .) i s i n a good way. So , you see , I am busyi n a tumultuous , knotl es s so rt of fash io n ; and as I say,I tak e l ots ofexerc i se , a nd I ’

m as b rown as a berry.

T h i s i s th e fi rst l ette r I ’

ve wri tten fo r O, I don’ t

kn ow how long.

july 3otb .- Th is i s , I suppose , th ree weeks afte r I

b egan . Do, p l eas e, forgi ve m e .

To th e H igh lands , fi rst , to th e J enk i n’

s , th en to Antwe rp ; th ence , by canoe w ith S im pson , to Pari s an dGrez (on th e Lo i ng, a nd an o l d a cqua i ntance ofmin eon th e Sk i rts of F onta i n eb l eau) , to compl ete our c ru is en ext Sp ri ng ( i f we

’

re a l l a l ive a n d j o l ly) by Lo i ng an dIBB


1876

6Loi re, Saon e an d Rhone, to th e Med i terran ean . I t

Esh oul d make a j o l ly book of goss i p , I imagin e .God bl ess you . RO BERT LOU IS STEVENSON.

P .S. Virginibus Puer isque i s i n August Cornhil l .Cha rl es ofOr leans i s fin i sh ed , an d sent to Step hen ;I d l ers ” d itto , an d sen t to G rove ; but I

’

ve no word

ofe i the r. So I We n ot been i d le. R. L. S .

To W . E. HENLEY

Inawe l l - known passage of AnInland Voyag e the fo l lowi ng incident i s re lated to the sam e purport

,butin anothe r sty le .

CHAUNY , AISNE [Septem ber ,MY DEAR HENLEY , Here I am , you see ; an d if you

wi l l take to a map , you wi l l observe I am a l ready more

than two doo rs from Antwerp , whence I sta rted . I

h av e fough t i t th rough under th e worst weath er I ever

saw i n F rance ; I h ave been wet th rough n ea rly every

day of trave l s i n ce th e second (i n c lus ive) ; bes id es th i s,l have had to fight aga i nst p retty mouldy hea l th ; so

that, on th e whol e, th e essay i st an d rev i ewer has

sh own , I th i nk , some p l uck . F ou r days ago I was

not a hundred m i les from being m iserab ly d rowned , to

th e immense regret of a l arge c i rc l e of fri en ds and th e

perman en t impoveri shment of B rit i sh Essay ism and

Reviewe ry. My boat culbutted me under a fa l l en tree

i n a very rap i d current ; and I was a good wh i l e beforeI got on to th e outsi de of that fa l l en tree ; rather a bette r wh i l e than I cared about. When I got up , I lay

134


upon — t r umpets , d rums — a nove l ! THE HA IRTRUNK ; OR, THE I DEAL COMMONWEALTH . I t i s a most

absurd sto ry of a lot of young Cambridge fe l lows whoa re go ing to found a n ew soc i ety ,wi th no idea s onth e subj ect, an d noth i ng but Boh emi an tastes i n th e

p lac e of i deas ; an d who are — wel l , I can’

t exp la i nabout th e trun k — itwould take too l ong — but th e

trunk is th e fun of it— everybody stea l s i t ; burgla ry ,marin e fight, l i fe o n desert i s l an d o n west coast of

Scotl a nd , s loops , etc . Th e fi rst scen e wh ere th eymake th ei r gran d sch emes an d get drun k i s supposed

to be very funny , by Hen l ey . I rea l ly saw h im laugh

over i t unt i l h e cri ed .

P l eas e wri te to me, al th ough I deserv e i t so l i tt l e ,an d show a Chr ist i an sp i rit— Eve r your fa ithfu l fri en d ,


To SIDNEY COLV IN

[ED INBURGH , August, 1877 ]MY DEAR COLV IN , — I

’

m to be wh ipped away to - morrowto Penzan ce , where at th e post- office a l ette r w i l l findme glad and gratefu l . I amwe l l , but somewhat t i redoutwith overwork . I h ave on ly been home a fo rt

n ight th is m orn i ng, an d I have a l ready written to th e

tune of forty-five Cornhil l pages an d upwards . Themost of i t was on ly very laborious recas ting an d re

model l i ng, iti s true ; but i t took i t out ofme famously,

a l l th e same.Templ e Bar appears to l i k e my V i l l on , so I may

coun t onanoth er market th ere i n th e future , I h ope .136

ADVOCATE AND AUTHORAtleast, I am going to put i t to the p roof at on ce , andsen d anoth e r sto ry ,

“The S i re d e Malétroit’ s Mouset rap ” : a tru e nove l , i n th e o l d sen se ; a l l un i ti es p re

served moreove r, ifth at ’

s anyth i ng, and I be l i eve with

some l ittl e merits ; n ot so cl ever p erhaps'

as th e last , but

sounder an d more natu ra l .

My“V i l l o n i s out th i s month ; I s h oul d s o much

l i k e to know what you th i n k ofi t. Steph en haswritoten to me apr opos of“I d l e rs , that someth i ng mo re

i n that v e i n would be agreeab le to h i s v i ews . F rom

Steph en I cou nt that a d ev i l of a l o t.I am honestly so t i red th i s morn i ng th at I h ope you

wi l l take th i s fo r what i t ’

s worth an d gi ve me an

answer i n peace — Ever yours , LOU IS STEVENSON.

To MRS . SITWELL

[PENZANCE , August, 1877 ]YOUwil l d o wel l to sti ck to you r bu rn ; th at i s

a d el ightfu l l ife you sketch , an d a very foun tai n ofhea l th .I w ish I cou l d l iv e l i ke th at, but, alas ! i t i s just a swe l l I got my “I d l ers ” written an d don e with , fo r Ih ave qu ite l ost all power of resti ng. I h ave a goad i n

my flesh conti nua l ly , push i ng me to work , work , work .

I h ave an essay p retty we l l through fo r Steph en ; astory ,“The S i re d e Malétroit’ s Mousetrap , withwh i ch

I sha l l t ry Templ e Bar ; a noth er sto ry , i n th e Cl oud s,Th e Stepfath er ’ s Story, most path eti c work ofa h ighmora l i ty o r immoral i ty , acco rd ing to po i nt of v i ew ‘

an d last ly, a lso i n th e c louds , or p erh aps a l i tt l e fa rth erl 37


away,a n essay on th e “Two St. Mi ch ael ’ s Mounts ,

h isto ri ca l a nd p i ctu resque ; perhaps if i t d idn’tcom etoo

long, I m ight th rowi n th e “Bass Rock , and ca l l i t“Th ree Sea F orta l i ces , or someth i ng ofthatk i n d .

You see how work keeps bubbl i ng i n my m ind . ThenI Sha l l do anothe r fifte enth- century paper th i s autumnLa Sa l e and Petitj ehande Saintr é,wh i ch i s a k i nd

offifteenth- cen tury Sandfor d and . Merton, end ing i nhorri d immora l cyn ic i sm , as i f th e autho r had got t i re d

ofbei ng d idact ic, an d just had a goodwa l l ow i n th em i re to wind up with an d i nd emnify h imse lf fo r so

much restra i n t.

Co rnwal l i s not much to my ta ste, bei ng as bl eak as

th e bl eakest parts of Scotla nd , and noth i ng l ike sopoi nted and cha racte ri st i c . Ithas a flavour of i ts own

,

though , wh ich I may t ry an d catch , ifI find th e space,i n th e p roposed arti c l e . “Wil l 0 ’

th e Mi l l I sent, redh ot, to S teph en i n a fi t of haste, an d have not yet hadan answer. I am quite p repa red fo r a refusa l . ButIbegi n to hav e more h ope i n the sto ry l in e

,and that

shou l d improve my i ncome anyway . I am glad you

l i ked V i l l o n some of i t was not as good as i t ought

to be , but on th e who l e i t seems p re tty V i v i d , a n d th efeatures strongly marked . V i v i dn ess an d not sty l e i sn ow my l in e ; styl e i s a l l very wel l , but V i v i dn ess i s

th e rea l l i n e of country ; if a th i ng i s meant to be read ,i t seems just as wel l to t ry and make i t rea dabl e . l am

such a dul l pe rson now , I can not keep off my own im

mortal works . lndeed, th ey are sca rce ly ever out of

my head . And yet I va l ue them less and l ess everyday . But occupation i s th e great th i ng ; so that a man

sh oul d h ave h i s l ife i n h is own pocket, an d neve r be138


I h ave been very ungratefu l i n n ot wri t i ng ear l i e r to aoknowledge th e recei p t. I da re say, however, you hate

wri t ing letters as much as I can do myself (for i f youl i k e my arti c le, I may presume oth e r po i nts of sympathybetween us) ; an d on th is hypoth esi s you wi l l be readyto forgive me th e de lay .

I may mention with rega rd to th e p i ece of verses ca l l ed

Such i s L i fe , that I am not th e on ly one on th i s s i d eof th e Footba l l afo resa i d to th in k i t a good and brigh tp i ece of work , and recogn is e d a l i n k of sympathy with

th e poets who p lay i n hoste l ri es a t euch re . Bel i eve

me , dea r s i r, yours t ru ly , R. L. S.

To A. PATCHETT MARTINI7 HER IOTRow, EDIN BURGH[D eeem ben

MY DEAR S IR , — I am afra i d you must a l ready have condemned me fo r a very i d l e fe l l ow tru ly . Here i t i s more

than two month s s i nc e I rece ived you r l ette r ; I had nofewer than th ree jou rna l s to acknowl edge ; an d n ever a

s ign upon my part . Ifyou ha v e seen a Corn/ail ] pape rofmin e upon id l i ng, you wi l l b e i n c l i n ed to s et i t a l ldown to that. But you wi l l n ot be do ing me j usti ce .

I n deed , I h ave had a summer so troub l e d that I h ave had

l i ttl e l e i su re and st i l l l ess i n c l i nati on to write l ette rs . I

was keep ing th e devil at bay with a l l my d i sposabl e

acti v it i es ; and more than on ce I th ough t h e had me by

the th roat . Th e odd cond it ions of ou r acqua i ntanceenabl e me to say more to you th an I wou l d to a perso nwho l i ved at my elbow. And bes i des, I am too much

up

ADVOCATE AND AUTHOR

p leased and flattered at our co rrespondencenotto go asfa r as I can to se t myse lf r ight i n you r eyes .

Inth i s damnabl e confus i on (I beg pardon) I h ave lostall my possess i ons , o r n ea r about, an d qu it e l ost a l l my

wits . I wi sh I cou l d lay my hands on th e numbers ofth eReview, fo r I know I wish ed to say someth i ng onthat h ead more pa rti cula r ly tha n I ca n from memory ;but where they h ave escaped to , on ly tim e or chan ce

can sh ow. However, I can te l l you so fa r, that I was

ve ry m uch p lea sed with th e a rti c l e onB ret Harte ; i tseemed to me j ust, c l ea r, an d to th e poi nt. I agreedp rettywe l lwith all yousa i d about George El i o t : a h igh ,but may we not add P— arath er d ry lady . Did you

I fo rget — d id you h ave a kick at th e ste rn works ofthat me lanch o ly puppy and humbug D an i e l D eron dah imse lfP th e Pri n c e of Prigs ; th e l i te ra ry abom inat i on

ofdeso lat ion i n th e way of manhood ; a typ e wh i ch i senough to make a man fo rswear th e l ov e of women , i fth at i s h ow it must be ga in ed . Hats off all th e

sam e, youunderstand : a woman ofgen i us .Ofyour poems I h av e myse lf a k i n dness fo r“N ol land N el l , a lth ough I don

’ t th i n k you have made i t a s

good as you ought : ve rs e five i s su re ly not quite m elodious. I confess I l i ke th e So nn et i n th e l ast numbe rofth eReview— th e Sonnet to Englan d .

P l ea se, i f you have not, and I don’ t sup pose you

have , a l ready read i t, i nst i tute a search i n all Melbou rn e

fo r one ofth e rarest and certa i n ly one ofth e best ofbooks — Clar issaHar lowe . F or any man who takes

an i n terest i n th e prob l ems of th e two sexes , that book

i s a pe rfect m in e ofdocuments . And i t i s wri tten . s i r,with th e pen of an ange l . Mi ss Howe a nd Love lac e,

141


words cannot te l lhowgood th ey a re ! And th e scen ewhe re Cl a r i ssa bea rds h e r fam i ly,wi th h er fan goi nga l l th e wh i l e ; an d some of th e qua rre l s cenes between

h er an d Love lace ; and th e scen e wh ere Co lonel Mard engoes to Mr . Hal l , with Lord M. try i ng to compose

matte rs , an d th e Co lonel with h is eterna l fi nest woman

i n th e wo r l d , an d th e i n im itabl e affi rmation of Mowbray — noth i ng, noth i ng cou l d be bette r ! You wi l l

b l ess mewhen you read i t fo r th i s recommendation ;but, i n deed , I ca n do noth i ng but recommend Cl a ri ssa .I am l i ke that F ren chman of th e e igh teen th centurywhod iscovered Habakkuk , andwou ld gi ve n o on e peaceabout that respectab l e H eb rew . For my part, I n ever

was abl e to get ove r h i s em inen tly respe ctabl e n ame ;I sa iah i s th e boy , i f you must have a p rophet, no l ess .About Cla ri ssa , I med itate a cho i cework : A D ialogue

onMan, Woman, am “Clar issaHar lowe. I t i s to

b e so c l eve r that no a rray of terms can give you any

idea ; and ve ry l i ke ly that parti cu lar a rray i n wh i ch Isha l l fina l ly embody i t , l ess than any othe r.Do you know , my dea r s i r, what I l i ke best i n your

lette r ? Th e egoti sm fo r wh i ch y ou thought n ecessary

to apologise . I am a rogu e at egoti sm myself ; an d to

be p l a i n , I h ave rare ly o r n ever l i k ed any man who wasnot . Th e fi rst step to d i scove ri ng th e beauti es of God ’ sun ive rse i s usua l ly a (perhaps partia l) apprehen sio n of

such ofth em as adorn ou r own cha ra cte rs . When Is ee a man who does not thin k pretty wel l of h imself, I

a lways suspect h im of bei ng i n th e right . And besi des ,i f h e d oes n ot l i ke h imsel f, whomhe has seen , how ish e eve r to l i k e on e whom he n ever can see but i n d iman d a rtifi c ia l p resentments P

142


oni ts back . I th i n k I sh a l l frequent c i rcu lati ng l ibra ri esa good dea l . Th e Prefac e sha l l stan d over. as you suggest, unti l th e l ast , and th en , s i r, we sha l l s ee. Th is tobe rea d with a big vo ice .

Th is i s N ewYear ’ s Day : l et m e, my dear Colvin, wish you a ve ry good yea r, free ofa l l m isund e rstand ing an d bereavement, and ful l Ofgoodweath er and good work . You know best what you

h ave done for m e, an d so you wi l l know best how

hearti ly I mean th is. Eve r you rs ,ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON .

To SIDNEY COLV IN

[PAR IS, j anuary or F ebruary ,

MY DEAR CO LV IN , — ~Many than ks fo r you r letter. Iwas m uch i nterested by a l l th e Ed i nburgh goss ip .

Most l i ke ly I sha l l a rri ve i n London next week . I

th i n k you know al l about th e Crane sketch ; but i t

sh oul d be a river, not a canal , you know , an d th e look

shoul d be “c rue l l ewd , and k i nd ly , ” a l l a t o nce.T here i s more sense i n that G reek myth of Panthani n any oth e r thatl reco l l ect except th e l um i nousHebrew one Ofth e F a l l : on e of th e biggest th ings don e.I f peop l e wou ld remember th at a l l re l igi ons a re nomore than rep resentat ion s ofl i fe, th ey wou l d fi nd

th em , as th ey a re, th e best rep resentat ions, l i cki ngShakesp eare .What a n i n conce i vab l e ch ees e i s Al fred d e Musset !H is comed i es are, to my Vi ew, th e bes t work ofF ran ce

l44

ADVOCATE AND AUTHOR

th is century : a la rge order. D id you eve r read th em ?55

1

1

8738They a re rea l, c l ea r, lIving work — Ever you rs ,

R. L. S.

To MR. AND MRS . THOMAS STEVENSON

PAR IS , 44BD. HAUSSMANN,F r iday , F ebruary 2 1 , 1878.

MY DEAR PEOPLE , Do you know who i s my favourite

autho r just now ? How are th e m igh ty fa l l en ! An th ony

T ro l l op e . I battenonh im ; he i s SO n earlywearyIngyou , an d yet h e n e ver does ; or rath er, h e n eve r does,u nti l h e gets n ear th e end , when h e begi n s to wean

you from h im , so that you’

re a s p l eased to b e don e

wi th h im a s you thought you would b e so rry . I

wonder i f i t ’

s O l d age ? Iti s a l i tt le, I am su re . A

young person wou ld get s i cken ed by th e dead l eve l ofmeann ess a nd coward l i n ess ; you requ i re to b e a l i tt l e

Spo i l ed and cyn ica l befo re you can en joy i t. I h av ejust fin ish ed Tbe Way ofib e Wor ld; th ere i s on ly on e

p erson i n it— no , th ere a re th ree — who a re n i ce : th e

wi l d Ameri can woman , and two ofth e d i ss i patedyoung men , D ol ly an d Lo rd N i d derda l e . All th e

h eroes and hero i nes a re j ust ghastly . But what a t ri

umph i s Lady Carbury ! That - i s rea l , sound , strong,genui n e work : th e man who cou l d do that, i f h e hadhad cou rage, might h ave written a fin e book ; h e has

p referred to write many readabl e on es . I mean t to

w ri te such a long, n ice l ette r, but I cannot ho ld th epen . R. L . S.


To MRS. THOMAS STEVENSONThe fol lowing refe rs to the newspaper cr it ici sm s onAnInland

HOTEL DU VAL DE GRACE ,RUE ST. J ACQ UES, PAR IS ,Sunday [j une ,

MY DEAR MOTHER, — About c ri ti c i sms , I was more

surprised at th e tone of th e c ri ti c s than I suppose anyon e el se . And th e effect i t has p roduced i n me ison e ofshame . Ifth ey l iked that so much , I oughtto h ave given th em someth i ng bette r, that

’

s a l l . AndI s h al l try to do so . St i l l , i t st ri kes m e as odd ; andI don

’

t u nderstand th e vogue . I t shou ld se l l th e

th ing — Eve r you r a ffectionate son ,RO BERT LOU IS STEVENSON.

To MRS. THOMAS STEVENSONTh i s andthe two fo l lowing lette rs te l l ofthe preparat i on s fo r thewalk i ng tour narrated i n Travel swithaD onkey .

MONAST IER, Septem ber , 1878.

MY DEAR MOTHER , — You must notexpect to hearmuch from me fo r th e n ext two weeks ; fo r I am nea r

sta rti ng. D onkey pu rchased — a l ove p ri ce, 65 francs

a nd a glass of brandy . My route i s a l l p retty wel l l a idout; I sha l l go near n o town ti l l I get to Ala i s . Remember, Poste Restante , Ala i s , Gard .

“Greyfria rs wi l l be i nOctober. You d i d not say whether you l i ked September ; you m ight te ll me that at Ala is . Th e other N o.

’

s

I46


s l i ce of melon , some ham and j e l ly , afil et, a h e lpi ng ofgudgeons , th e b reast and leg of a partri dge, some greenpeas , e igh t c rayfish , some Mont d

’Or ch eese , a peach ,a nd a handful of b i scu i ts , maca roons , an d th ings . I t

sounds Gargantuan ; i t cost th ree francs a h ead . Sothat i t was in expens i ve to th e pocket, a lth ough I fea r it

may p rove extravagant to th e fleshly tabernac l e . I can ’ tth i n k how I d id i t o r why . Iti s a n ew form of excess

fo r me ; but I th i n k i t pays l ess than any of th em .

R . L . S.

To CHARLES BAXTER

MONAST IER , AT MoREL’ s [Septem ber ,Lud knows about date , aide postmark.

MY DEAR CHARLES , - Yours (with en c lo sures ) of th e

1 6thto h an d . All work done. I go to Le Puy tomorrowto despatch baggage, get cash , stand l unch toenginee r

,who has been very j o l ly and useful to me

,

a nd hope by fi ve o ’ c lock on Satu rday morn i ng to bedr i v i ng Modest in e towards th e Gevaudan . Modesti n e

i s my ane sse ; a dar l i ng , mouse - co lou r, about th e s izeOf a N ewfound land dog (bigger, between you an d me) ,th e co lour of a mouse , cost i ng 65 fran cs a nd a glass of

b ra ndy. Glad you sent on all th e coi n ; was ha lf afra id

I m ight come to a sti ck i n th e mounta i ns , donkey and

all, which wou ld h ave been th e d evi l . Have fin ish ed

A rabianNnts an d Ed inbu rgh book , and am a freeman . N ext address

,Poste Restante , Al a is , Gard . Give

my servi l it i es to th e fam i ly . Hea lth bad ; sp i ri ts , Ith i nk , l ook i ng up . Ever yours , R. L . S.

I48

ADVOCATE AND AUTHOR


On h i sway hom e from the Cevenne 's country,Steve nsonhadpai d a

br ief,but to both part ie s e xtrem e ly p leasant

,v i s it tothe late Mr. P . G .

Ham e rton i n h i s country hom e near Autun .

October , 1878.

MY DEAR MOTHER ,— I have Seen Hamerton ; h e wasvery k i nd , a l l h i s fam i ly seemed p leased to see AnInlandVoyage, an d th e book seemed to be qu ite a househo l dword w ith th em . P. G . h imse lf p rom ised to h e lp me

i n my barga in s with pub l ish ers , which , sa i d h e , a nd Idoubt not very truthful ly, he cou l d manage to much

greate r a dvantage than I . He i s a l so to read AnInlandVoyage over aga i n , an d send me h i s cuts an d cuffs i np riv ate , afte r havi ng l ibe ra l ly adm i n i ste red h i s k i ss es

eoram publ ieo. I l i ked h im very much . Ofa l l th ep l easan t parts of my p rofess i on , I th i n k th e sp i ri t ofoth er men of letters makes th e p l easantest.Do you know, you r suns et was very good ? Th eattac k (to speak Iea rn ed ly) was so p l ucky and Odd.

I h ave th ought of i t repeated ly s i n ce . I h ave j ust made

a del igh tfu l d i n n e r by myself i n th e Café F é l i x , where I

am an o l d estab l i sh ed beggar, an d am just smok ing ac igar over my coffee . I came last n igh t from Autun , an d

I am m uddled about my p lans . The worl d is such adance - Eve r your affect ion ate son ,


To W . E. HENLEY

Steven son,hard atwork upon P rov idence and the Guitar and

Trave lswithaD onkey ,was atth i s t im e occupy ing for afewdays m yroom s atTr in ity in m y absence . The co l lege bui ld ings and garden s

,

149

1878

iET. 28


the i deal sett ing andcarefu l tute lage ofEnglishacadem ic l i fe in th e sere spects SO strongly contrastedwith the Scotch affectedhim alwayswith asen se of unreal ity .

[TR IN ITY COLLEGE , CAMBR IDGE , Autumn,MY DEAR HENLEY , — Here I am l i v i ng l i ke a fightingcock , and have not spoken to a rea l person fo r about

s i xty hou rs . Those who wai t on me are not real . Th eman I know to be a myth , because I have s een h im act ing

so often i n th e Pala i s Roya l . He p lays th e Duke i n

Tr icoche etCacolet; Iknewh is n ose at on ce . Th e pa rth e p lays h ere i s ve ry dull fo r h im , but consc i en tious . Asfo r th e bedmaker, sh e

’

s a d ream , a k in d of ch eerfu l ,i n nocent n igh tmare ; I n eve r saw SOpoor an im itat i o n of

human ity. I ca n not work— cannot. Even th e“Guita r”i s st i l l u ndon e ; I c an on ly wri te d i tch - wate r. ’

T i s

ghast ly ; but I am qu ite ch eerfu l , an d that i s more im

portan t. DO you th in k you could p repa re th e p ri nte rs

fo r a poss ib l e breakdown th is week ? I s h a l l t ry all I

know on Monday ; but ifI can get noth i ng bette r thanI got th i s morn i ng, I p refe r to d rop a week . Te l egraphto me if you th i nk i t n ecessa ry . I s ha l l not l eave ti l lWednesday at soonest. Shall wri te aga in .

R. L. 5.

To EDMUND GOSSE

The matte r ofthe loan and its repaym ent,he re touch ed on

,com e s

Up agai n in Steven son ’s last lette r ofall , thatwh ich close s the book .

Stevenson and Mr. Gossehad p lanned a j o int book ofOld m urde rstor ie s reto ld

,andhad been to Visit the scene ofone fam ous m urde r

together.ISO


Th e book i s good read i ng. Your persona l notesof those you saw struck me as perh aps most sha rp a nd“best h e ld .

” See as many peop le as you can , andmake a book Ofth em before you d i e . That wi l l be al i v i ng book , upon my word . You h ave th e touch r e

qu i red . I ask you to put hands to i t i n p rivate a l ready .

Th in k ofwhat Carly l e ’ s ca ri cature of o l d Co leri dge i s tous who n ever saw S . T . C. With that a nd Kub laKhan , we have th e man i n th e fact. Ca rly l e ’ s p i ctu re ,ofcourse, i s n ot of th e autho r of Kubla, but of th eauthor ofthat surp ri s i ng F r iend wh ich has knockedth e breath out of two generat ion s of h opefu l youth .

Your portra i ts would b e mi lder, sweeter, more true

p erhaps , an d pe rhaps not SO truth -tel l ing — ifyou wi l ltak e my mean ing.

I h ave to tha nk you for an i ntroducti on to th at beau

tifu l n o , th at'

s not th e word — that jo l ly , with an Arcad ian jo l l i ty — th i ng of Voge lwei de ’s . Al so fo r you rpreface. Some day I want to read a who le book i nthe same p icked d ia l ect a s th at p refac e . I th i n k i tmust be on e E. W. Gosse who must wri te i t . H e

has got h imself i nto a fix with m e by writ i ng th e

p reface ; I l ook fo r a great d ea l, and wi l l n ot be eas i lyp l eased .

I n eve r though t ofi t, but my new book , whi chshou l d soon be out , contai n s a v i s i t to a murde r scene ,but n ot don e a s we sh oul d l i ke to see th em , fo r, Ofcou rs e, I was runn ing anoth er hare.I f you do not an swer th i s i n four pages , I sh al l stopth e enc losed five r at th e bank , a step wh i ch wi l l l ea d

to your i n ca rcerati on fo r l i fe. As my vi s i ts to Arcady

are somewhat uncerta i n, you had better address I71 52

ADVOCATE AN D AUTHOR

Heriot Row, Ed i nbu rgh , a s usua l. I sh a l l wa lk ove rfo r th e n ote if I am not yet h ome — Bel i eve me, Very

rea l ly yours , ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON .

I cha rge extra fo r a flourish when i t i s successfu l ;th i s i sn’t, so you h ave i t grat is . I s th ere any n ews

i n Baby lon th e G reat ? My fe l low creatu res are e l ect

i ng sch ool boards h ere i n th e m idst Ofth e ages . I t i sv ery composed Of th em . I can ’ t th in k why th ey do i t.

N or why I have written a rea l l ette r. I f you write a

rea l l etter back , damme , I’

ll t ry to cor r espond withyou . A th ing unknown i n th i s age. I t i s a consequence of th e decay offa i th ; we cann ot bel i eve thatth e fe l low wi l l be at th e pa i n s to read us .

To W . E. HENLEY

Th i s is in rep ly to som e techn ical cr it ici sm s OI h is co rre spon dent onthe poem Our Lady ofthe Snows , refe rring to the Trapp i st m onastery i n the Cévennes so cal led

,and afte rwards pub l i shed in

Underwoods .I7 HER IOTRow, ED INBURGH [Apr il ,

MY DEAR HENLEY, —Heaven s ! have I don e th e l i ke ?

Clar ify an d stra in , i ndeed ? Make i t l i ke Marvel l ,no less . I ’

ll te l l you what — you may go to th e dev i l ;that ’

s what I th i n k . Be e loquent i s another Of you rp regnant suggest ions . I can not suffici en tly thank youfor that on e. Portra i t ofa person about to b e

'

e loquentatth e request of a l i tera ry fri end . You seem to fo rget,s i r

,that rhyme i s rhyme , s i r, and — go to the devi l .I ’

ll try to improve i t, but I sha’

n’

t be ab le to0, go to th e dev i l.

153


Se ri ous ly , you’

r e a coo l hand . And th en you havethe brass to ask mewhy my steps went one by on e ” ?Why ? Powers of man ! to rhyme with sun, to be su re .Why els e cou ld i t be ? And you yourse l f have been apoet ! G- r - r - r - r - r ! I ’

II n ever be a poet any more .Mena re so d— d ungratefu l and capt i ous , I d ec la re Icoul d weep .

OHen l ey, i n my h ours of easeYou may say anyth ing you p l ease

,

But when I joi n th e Muses ’ re vel ,Begad , I w i sh yo u at th e dev i l !I n va i n my ve rse I p lan e an d beve l ,L i k e Banville ’

s rhym ing devotees ;Inva i n by many an artfu l swi v e lLug i n my mean i ng by degre es ;I ’

m sure to h ea r my Hen l ey cavi l ;And grove l l i ng p rostrate onmy knees,D evote h i s body to th e seas ,H is co rres pondence to th e dev i l !

Impromptu poem .

I ’

m go ing to Shan don Hyd ropath i c cum par entibus .

Write h ere . I h eard from Lang. F e rri e r p rayeth to beremembered ; h e mean s to wri te , l i kes h i s Tourg enieffgreatly . Al so l i kes m v

“What was on th e S la te,wh ich , under a n ew title , yet u nfoun d , and with a

n ew and , o n th e who le , k i nd ly de’nouem ent, i s go ing

to Shoot u p and become a star.I see I must wri te some more to you about my

Monastery . I am a weak broth e r i n vers e . You ask

me to rewri te th ings that I h ave a l ready manage d justto write w ith th e sk i n of my teeth . I f I don

’

t rewriteth em , i t

’

s because I don ’ t see h ow to wri te them1 54


a fine Old Engl is h gent leman . But i s th ere not a h itchi n th e senten ce at foot of page 153 ? I get lost i n i t.Chapte rs V I I I . and IX. OfMered i th ’ s sto ry are verygood , I th in k . Butwho wrote th e revi ew of my book ?Whoever h e was , h e cannot wri te ; he is h uman e , but

a duffer ; I cou ld weep when I th i nk of h im ; fo r su re lyto be v i rtuous and incompeten t i s a h ard lot. I s h ou l d

p refe r to be a bold p i rate , th e gay sa i l o r- boy of immo

rality, and a publ is h er at o nce . My mind i s exti nct ;my appet i te i s e xp i r i ng ; I have fa l l en a l togethe r i n to a

ho l low - eye d , yawn ing way of l ife , l i k e th e parti es i n

Burne - J ones’

s p i ctu res . Ta lk ing of Bu rn s . (Is th i sn ot sad , Weg ? I u se th e term of rep roach not becauseI am angry with you th i s t im e, but because I am angry

wi th myse lf and des i re to gi ve pa i n .) Ta lki ng, I say ,ofRobert B urns , th e i nsp i red poet i s a ve ry gay subjectfo r study . I made a k i n d Ofch rono logica l tab l e ofh isvari ous l oves and lusts , an d have been comparat i ve ly

speech l ess eve r s i n ce . I am so rry to say i t, but th ere

was someth i ng i n h im of th e vu lga r, bagm anlike , p rofessional seducer.— Obl ige me by tak ing down an dread ing , fo r th e hundredth t im e I hope , h is Twa D ogsan d h i s Addr ess to the Uneo Guid. I am on ly a

Scotchman , afte r a l l , you see ; an d when l have beatenBurns , I am driven at once, by my parenta l fe el i ngs , to

conso l e h im with a suga r- p lum . But hang me if I

know anyth i ng I l i ke so we l l as th e TwaD ogs . Even

a common Engl i shman may have a gl impse , as i t were

from P i sgah , of its extrao rd inary merits .

Eng l ish, The a du l l peop l e, i n capab l e ofcompreh end ing th e Scotti sh tongue. Thei r h i story is SO

i nt imate ly conn ected with that of Scot land , that weI56

ADVOCATE AND AUTHO R

must refer our reade rs to that h ead i ng. The i r l i teratu rei s p ri n ci pal ly th e work ofvena l Scots . — Stevenso n ’ sHandy Cy clopcedia. Gle scow: B laikie Bannock .

Remember me i n su i tab l e fash i on to Mrs . Gosse , th e

offspring,and th e cat— And bel i eve m e e v e r you rs ,


To SIDNEY CO LV IN

Bum mkopf”was Steven son ’ s nam e for the typical pe dant,

Ge rman or othe r,who cannot clear h i s edifice of its scaffo lding

,nor

setforth the re sults Of re searchwithout i ntruding onthe reade r all itsprocesse s, ev idence s , and supports . Burn s ” i s the Cornhil l e ssayrepr inted i n Fam il iar Studies — not the rej ected Encyclopaedic article .

I7 HER IOTRow, ED INBURGH [j uly 28,

MY DEAR COLV IN, — I am j ust i n th e m idd l e of yourRembrandt . ” Th e taste fo r Bum m kopfan d h is worksi s agreeably d issemb l ed SOfa r a s I have gone ; and th e

re in s h av e neve r fo r a n i n stant been th rown upon th e

n eck ofthat wood en Pegasus ; h e on ly perks up al earn ed snout from a footn ote i n th e cel la rage of a paragraph ; just, lnShort , where h e ough t to be , to i nsp i reconfidence i n a wicked and adu l te rous gene rati on .

But , min d you , Bum k pfi s n ot human ; h e i s D agonth e fi sh god , and down h e wi l l come , sp rawl ing on

h is bel ly or h i s beh i nd , with h is - hands broken from h i s

h el p l ess ca rcase , and h i s h ead ro l l i ng o ff i n to a c o rn er.

Up wi l l r i se onth e oth er s ide , san e , p l easurab le, humanknow ledge : a th i ng of beauty an d a joy , etc .I ’

m th ree pa rts th rough“Bu rn s l ong, d ry , unsympath eti c , but sound and , Ithink , i n i ts dry way, i n ter

l 57


est i ng. N ext I sha l l fin ish th e sto ry, an d then pe rhaps“Thoreau . Mered ith has been stay ing with Mor ley ,who i s about, i t i s be l i eved , to write to me on a

l i te ra ry sch eme. I s i t Keats , hope you ? My h ea rtleaps at th e thought.— Yours eve r,

R. L. S.

To EDMUND GOSSE

With re fe rence to the te rm ofreproach,

” it m ust b e explai nedthat Mr. Gosse

,who nows ign swith on ly one i n itial

,used in the se

days to s ignwith two,E .W. G . The n icknam e Wegwas fastene d

onhim by Stevenson,partly unde r afalse im pre ss ion as to the orde r

of the se i n it ial s,partly in friend ly de r i s ion ofa pass ing fitOflam eness

,wh ich cal l ed up the m em ory of S i las Wegg ,the im m ortal l ite rary gen

tlemanwithawooden leg ofOur Mutual F r iend.

I7 HER IOTRow, ED INBURGH [j uly 29 ,

MY DEAR GOSSE , — Yours was de l i c ious ; you are ayoung person of wit ; on e of the last of them ; witbeing quite out of date , an d humour confined to th e

Scotch Church and th e Spectator i n un consc i ous survival. You wi l l p robab ly be glad to h ea r that I am up

again i n th e world ; I have breath ed aga i n , an d had a

fro l i c on th e strength of i t. Th e fro l i c was yeste rday ,Sawbath; th e scen e , th e Roya l Hote l , Bathgate ; I wen tth ere with a humorous fri en d to l un ch . The maid soonshowed h erse lf a l ass ofch a racte r. She was lookingoutof window . Onbeing asked what sh e was after,“I ’m l ook i n ’ fo r my lad , ” says sh e. I s that h im

Weel , I’

ve been look i n ’ for h im a’ my l ife, and I

’

ve

n ever seen h im yet, was th e response. I wrote h ersome verses I n th e vernacula r ; sh e read them .

“They ’

re

I58


th rough . A fi rs t c h i ld i s a r i va l , but a second i s onlya ri va l to th e first ; and th e husband stands h is groundan d may keep m arri ed al lhis l ife — a consummatio nhearti ly to be desired . Good - bye , Gosse . Write me

witty l ette r good n ews ofth e m istress .R . L . S.

100

AMATEUR EM IGRANT

MONTEREY AN D FRANCISCO

(J ULY, I879— J ULY, I88o)


made th e j ourn ey i n th e stee rage an d th e em igrant tra in .With th is p rim e moti ve of economy was combin ed asecond — that of l ea rn i ng fo r h imsel f th e p i n c h of l i fe

a s i t i s fe l t by th e unp ri v i l eged and th e poor (he h adl ong ago d isc l a im ed fo rhim se lfthe ch aracte r of a cons i stentfirst- c las s passenger i n l ife and a l so , i t Shou l db e added , a th i rd , that of turn ing h i s experi en ces to

l i te ra ry accoun t . Onboard sh i p h e took da i ly n ote swith th i s i n tent, an dwrote moreover The Story of aL i e fo r an Engl i sh magaz i n e. Arri ved at h is d e sti na

t i on , h e found h i s h ea lth , as was natura l , bad ly shaken

by th e h ardsh i ps Of th e journey ; trie d h is favouri te opena i r cure for th ree weeks at a n Angora goat- ran ch e some

twenty m i l es from Monte rey ; a nd th en l i ved from S eptember to D ecember i n that old Ca l ifo rn ia n coast- town

i tse l f, under th e cond i t i on s set forth i n th e earl ie r of

th e fo l l owi ng l ette rs , an d under a h eavy combin ed

stra i n of persona l anx i ety an d l i te ra ry effort. F rom th e

n otes taken on boa rd sh i p and i n th e em igran t tra i n h e

d rafted a n account of h is journ ey , i n tend i ng to make a

vo l ume match ing i n form,th ough i n conten ts much un

l i ke,th e ea rl i e r Inland Voyag e and Travel swithaD on

key . He wrote a lso th e essays on Thoreau an d th eJ a panese reformer, Yosh ida To raj i ro , afte rward s published i n Fam il iar Studies ofMenand Books; one of th emost v iv i d of h i s shorte r tales , The Pavil ionontheLinks , as wel l a s a great part Ofanoth er and longerstory d rawn from h is n ew exper i en ces and ca l l ed A

Vendetta inthe West; but th i s d id not satisfy h im ,

a nd was n ever fin ish ed . He p lanned at the same tim eth at ta l e i n th e sp i ri t of romanti c comedy , which took

fina l shape four yea rs later a s P r ince Otto. TowardsI64

TH E AMATEU R EM IGRANT

th e e nd of D ecember, 1879 , Stevenson moved to Sa nF ran c isco , where h e l iv ed fo r th ree months i n a workman ’ s lodgi ng, l ead ing a l ife of fruga l i ty amounti ng, i twi l l b e se en , to se l f- imposed penury , an d work ing always with th e same i ntens i ty of ap p l i cat i on , unti l h i s

h ea lth utte rly b roke down . One of th e causes wh i chcontributed to h is i l l n ess was th e fat igue h e underwen t

i n h el p ing to watch bes i de th e s i c kbed Ofa ch i l d , th es on of h i s lan d l ady. Duri ng March an d a part of Ap ri l

h e lay at d e ath ’ s doo r h i s fi rst rea l ly dangerous s i ck

n ess S i n ce ch i l dhood — an dwas s l owly tended bac k tol i fe by th e j o i nt m in i stration s of h i s futu re wife an d th ephys i c i an to whom h is lette r of thanks wi l l b e foun dbel ow . H is marriage ensued i n May, I88o ; imme

diate ly afte rwards , to t ry an d con so l i date h i s recovery ,h e moved to a deserted m i n ing- cam p i n th e Ca l iforn i a n

Coast Range ; and has reco rded th e aspects an d humoursOfh i s l i fe th ere with a master ’ s touc h i n The SilveradoSquatter s .

Th e n ews of h is dangerous i l l n ess an d app roach i ngmarri age had i n th e meant im e un locked the pa renta lh eart and purse ; supp l i es were sen t i n su ring h is p resen t

comfort, with th e p romis e of th e i r conti n uan ce fo r th e

future , an d of a co rdi a l wel come for th e n ew daughte rin- l aw i n h i s father ’ s house. Th e fo l low ing l etters ,chose n from among those wri tten du ring th e p eri od i n

questi on , d ep ic t h i s way of l ife , an d refl ect at o n ce th e

anx iety ofh is fri ends an d th e stra i n Ofth e tim e upo nh imse lf.


TO SIDNEY COLV IN

ON BOARD ss.“DEVON IA,

AN HOUR ORTWO OUT OF N EW YORK[Aug z/l st,

MY DEAR COLV IN, — I have fin i sh ed my story.

1 Th eh andwrit ing i s n ot good because of th e sh i p ’ s m i sconduct : th i rty - on e pages i n ten days at sea i s not bad .

I sh a l l write a genera l p rocurat io n about th i s sto ry on

anoth e r b i t Of paper. I am not ve ry wel l ; bad food , bada i r, an d hard work have b rough t me d own . But th e

sp i ri ts keep good . The voy age has been most i n teresti ng, and wi l l make , i f n ot a seri es of Pal l Mal l art ic l es ,atl east th e fi rs t pa rt of anewbook . Th e las t weigh tonme has been try i ng to keep note s fo r th i s purpose.I n d eed , I have worked l i ke a horse , an d am now as ti red

as a donkey. IfI sh ou l d have to push on far by ra i l , Is h a l l b ri ng noth i ng but my fine bon es to port .

Good bye to you a l l . I suppose i t i s now late afternoon with you an d a l l ac ross th e seas . What shall lfind over th ere I dare not wonder. Eve r yours ,R. L. S .

P . S .— I g o onmy way to - n ight , ifI can ; i f n ot, to

morrow : em igrant tra i n ten to fou rteen days ’ j ou rn ey ;warranted ext reme d iscomfort. The on ly Ameri ca n institutionwhich has yet won my respect i s th e ra in . Ones ees i t i s a n ew country

,th ey a re so free with th ei r water.

I h ave been stead i ly dren ched fo r twenty- fou r hours :

wate r- proof wet th rough ; immorta l sp i ri tfitfully b l i n k1 The Story ofaLie .

I66


I th i nk , I h o pe , I d ream no more

Th e d reams of oth erwhere,The ch er i sh ed th oughts of yo re ;I have been changed from what I was befo re ;And d runk too deep perchance th e lotus

ofth e a i rBes id e th e Susquehanna and a long th e

D e laware .

Unweary God me yet Sha l l b ri ngTo lands ofbrighte r a i r,Where I , now ha lf a k i ng,

Shall with enfranch i s ed sp i ri t l oud l i e rs i ng,

And wear a bo lde r fro nt tha n that wh ichnow I wea r

B es i de th e Susquehan na and a long th eD e lawa re .

Exit Muse , hurri ed by ch i l d’ s games .

Have at you aga i n , being now wel l th rough I nd iana .I n America you eat bette r th an anywhere e l s e : fact.Th e food i s h eaven ly.NO man i s any use unti l h e has dared everyth ing ;Ifeel j ust now as ifI had , an d so m ight become a man .

I f ye h ave fa i th l i ke a gra i n of mustard - seed . Thati s so true ! J ust n ow I h ave fa ith as b ig as a c igar- case ;I w i l l n ot say d i e , and do not fea r man no r fo rtune .

R. L. S.

168

TH E AMATEUREM IG RANT

To W . E. HENLEY

CROSS ING N EBRASKAMY DEAR HENLEY , — I am S i tt i ng on th e top of th e ca rswith a mi l l party from Mi s souri go i ng west fo r h i s

h ea l th . D eso late flat p ra i ri e upon a l l han ds . Here an dth ere a h erd of catt l e ; a yel low butte rfly or two ; a patch

of wi ld sunflowers ; a wooden h ouse o r two ; th en a

wooden church a lon e i n m i l e s ofwaste ; th en a windm i l l to pump wate r. When we stop , wh ich we do

often , fo r em igrants an d fre ight trave l togeth er, th e

k i n e fi rst, th e m en afte r, th ewho l e p la i n i s h ea rd si ngi ng w ith c i cadae. Th i s i s a pause , a s you may seefrom th e writ i ng . What happened to th e Old pedes

tri an em igra nts , what was th e ted ium suffered by th eI nd ian s and trappers ofour youth , th e imagi nat i ont remb les to conce ive . Th i s i s now Satu rday , 23rd, an dI have been stead i ly t ravel l i ng s i n ce I pa rted from you

at St. Panc ras . I t i s a strange v ic iss itud e from theSav i l e Cl ub to th i s ; I s leep with a man from Pennsylvan ia who has been i n th e States N avy , an d mess withh im an d th e Mi ssouri b i rd a l ready a l l uded to . We

have a t i n wash - bowl among fou r. I wea r n oth i ng

but a sh i rt and a pa i r of trousers , and n ever butto n my

sh i rt . When I l an d fo r a mea l , I p ass my coat an d fee l

d ressed . Th is l ife i s to l ast t i l l F ri d ay , Satu rday, or

Sunday n ext . I t i s a strange affa i r to b e an em igra nt ,as I h ope you shall. see i n a futurework . I wonder i f

th i s w i l l be l egib l e ; my present stat ion on th e wagon

roof, th ough a i ry compa red to th e ca rs , i s both d i rty an d

i nsecu re . I ca n s ee th e track stra igh t befo re an dI69


stra igh t beh i n d me to ei th er ho rizon . Peace of m ind

I enjoy with extreme seren i ty ; I am do ing righ t ; Iknow no one wil l th i nk so ; an d don ’ t ca re . My body,howeve r, i s a l l to wh ist les ; I d on

’ t eat ; but, man , Ica n s leep . Th e ca r i n fron t ofmin e i s chock fu l l ofCh inese .

Monday .— What i t i s to be i l l i n a n emigrant t ra i n

l et those dec la re who know . I S l ept none till late i nth e morn ing, overcome with l audanum , of wh ic h I

had luck i ly a l ittl e bo ttl e . All to - day I have eaten

noth i ng, a nd on ly d runk two cups of tea , fo r eac h ofwh ich , onth e p retext that th e one was breakfast, andth e other d inn e r, I was cha rged fifty cents . Our journ ey i s th rough gh ostly d eserts , sage - brush an d a l ka l i ,and rocks , without fo rm o r col ou r, a sad corner of th e

world . I confess I am not j ol ly , but m ighty ca lm , i n

my d istresses . My i l l n ess i s a subject of great m i rthto som e ofmy fe l low tra ve l l e rs , a nd I smi l e rath ers i ck ly at the i r j ests.We are go ing a l ong B itter Cre ek just n ow , a p lacei n famous i n th e h istory of emigrati on , a p lac e I sha l l

remember myse lf among th e b lackest. I h ope I may

get th i s posted at Ogden , U tah . R. L. S.

To SIDNEY COLV IN

[COAST L INE MOUNTA INS , CALI FORN IA ,Septem ber , 1879 ]

HERE is an oth er curious sta rt i n m y l i fe. I am l iv ing

at an Angora goat - ranch e , i n th e Coast L i n e Mounta ins ,e ighteen m i l es from Monterey . I was camp ing out,

1 70


docto r i s F rench) , and I mess with anoth er jo l ly oldF ren chman , th e st randed fifty- e igh t- yea r- Old wreck Ofa good- hearted , d iss i pated , and once wea lthy N anta i st radesman . My h ea lth goes on bette r ; as fo r wo rk ,the d raft of my book was la i d a s ide at p . 68 o r so ;and I have now

,by way of change , more than Seventy

pages of a nove l,a one—vo l ume novel , a la s ! to be

ca l l ed e i th er A Chapter inthe Exper ience ofAr izonaB r eckonr idg e or A Vendettainthe West, or a combinat i on ofth e two. Th e s cen e from Chapte r Iv. to th e

en d l i es i n Monterey and th e adj acent country ; of

cou rse , with my usua l l uck , th e p lot of th e sto ry i s

somewhat scandalous , conta in i ng an i l l egit imate fathe r

for p iece ofres i stanc e . Eve r yours , R . L. S.

To SIDNEY COLV IN

MONTEREY , CAL I FORN IA , Septem ber , 1 879 .

MY DEAR COLVIN , — I rece ived your l ette r wi th de l ight ;i t was th e fi rst word that reach ed me from th e o ld

country . I am i n good hea l thnow; I h ave been p rettyseedy , fo r I was exh austed by th e j ou rn ey an d anxi e tybe l ow even my po i n t of keep i ng up ; I am sti l l a l i ttl e

weak , but th at i s a l l ; I b eg into ing reas e , 1 i t s eems ,a l ready . My book is about ha lf d rafted : The AmateurEm ig rant, that i s . Canyou fin d a bette r name ? Ib el i eve i t wi l l b e more popul a r than any of my oth ers ;th e canvas i s so much more popula r an d la rger too .

F ancy , i t i s my fourth . That vo lum inous write r. Iwas vexed to h ear about th e l ast chapte r of The L i e,

1 Eng raisser , growfat.1 72

TH E AMATEU R EM IG RANT

an d p leased to h ear about th e rest ; i t wou ld have bee nodd if i t h ad n o b i rthmark , born wh ere a nd h ow itwas . I t shou l d by righ ts h ave b een ca l l ed th e D evonia,for tha t i s th e h ab it w ith a l l c h i l d ren born i n a steerage.I wri te to you , h op i ng for more . Give me n ews ofa l l who conce rn me , n ea r o r fa r, o r b ig o r l i tt l e. Here

,

s i r,i n Ca l i fo rn ia you have a w i l l i ng h eare r.

Monte rey i s a p la ce where th ere i s n o summer o r

winte r,and p i nes an d san d and d istan t h i l l s a n d a bay

a l l fi l l ed with rea l water from the Pa c ifi c . You wi l l

p erce ive that n o exp ense h as been spa red . I n ow l i ve

w ith a l i ttl e F ren ch docto r ; I take one ofmy mea l s i na l i ttl e F ren ch restaurant ; fo r th e oth er two , I s ponge.Th e popu l ati on of Monterey i s about th at ofa d i ssen ti ng chape l on a wet Sunday i n a strong chu rch neighb ourhood. Th ey a re mostly Mex i ca n a n d I n d ianm ixed . — Ever yours, R . L . S.

TO EDMUND GO SSE

MONTEREY , MONTEREY Co. , CALI FORN IA,8thOctober , 1 879 .

MY DEAR WEG, - I know I am a rogue an d th e son ofa dog. Yet let me tel l you , when I came h ere I had aweek ’ s m isery and a fortn igh t ’ s i l lness , and s i nce thenI h ave been more or less busy i n be ing content. Th i si s a k i nd of excuse for my laz i n ess . I h ope you wi l l

n ot excuse you rse lf. My p l ans a re st i l l ve ry un ce rta in ,and i t i s not l i k ely th at a nyth i ng wi l l happen befo reCh ri stmas . I n th e meanwh i l e, I be l i eve I sha l l l i ve onh e re “between th e sa ndh i l l s a n d th e sea , as l th i n k

Mr . Swinburn e hath i t . I was pretty nea rly s lain; myI7}


s p i ri t lay down and ki cked fo r th re e days ; I was up ata n Ango ra goat- ranch e i n th e Santa Luc ia Moun ta ins ,nursed by a n old front i ersman , a m ighty hunte r of

bea rs , and I sca rce ly s l ept, o r ate, o r thought fo r fou r

days . Two n igh ts I l ay out under a tree i n a sort Ofstu por, do ing noth ing but fetch water fo r myse lf an d

ho rse, l igh t a fi re and make coffee , an d a l l n ight awakehearing th e goat - bel l s ri ngi ng and th e tree- frogs s ing

i ng, when each new no i s e was enough to set m emad . Th en th e bea r- hunte r came round , pronouncedme rea l s i ck , a nd o rdered me up to th e ran ch e .

I twas an odd , miserab l e p i ece of my l i fe ; andacco rd ing to a l l ru l e , i t s h ou ld h ave been my death ;but afte r a wh i l e my spi ri t got up aga i n i n a d iv i n e

frenzy , an d has si n c e k i cked an d spurred my v i l e bodyforwa rd with great emphas i s an d success .Mynewbook , The Amateur Em ig rant, i s abouth a lf d rafted . I d on ’ t know if i t wi l l be good , but Ith i n k i t ough t to se l l i n sp i te of the de ll and th e pub

lishe rs ; fo r i t te l l s a n odd enough experi e nce , an d on e ,I th i nk , neve r yet to ld before. Look for my Burns

i n th e Cornhil l , and fo r my “Sto ry of a L i e i n Pau l ’ swith ered babe , th e N ewQ uarter ly. You may have

seen th e latte r e re th i s re aches you : te l l m e if i t has any

i nterest, l i ke a good boy, an d remember that i t was

writte n at s ea i n great anxi ety of m i nd . What i s you r

news ? Se nd me your works , l ik e a n ange l , aufur etam esur e of th e i r appa ri ti on , fo r I am natura l ly short ofl i teratu re , and I d o not wish to rus t.I fear th i s can hard ly be cal le d a l ette r. To say truth ,I fee l a l ready a d iffi cu lty of app roach ; I do not know

ifI am the same man I was i n Europe, perhaps I can‘74


I s en d i t to you , as I dare say Payn may h e l p , i f a l l e l sefa i l s . D ibbs and speed a re my mottoes .Do a cknowl edge The Pavil ionby retu rn . I Shall be

SOn ervous ti l l I h ea r, as of cours e I have no copy except of one or two p laces where th e vei n wou ld notrun . God p rospe r i t, poor Pavil ion May i t bring

me money fo r mysel f an d my s ic k on e, who may readi t , I do not know how soon .

Love to you r wife , An thony and al l . I sha l l wri te toCo lv i n today o r to - morrow .

— Yours ever, R. L. S.

To W . E. HENLEY

[MONTEREY , CAL IFORN IA , October ,MY DEAR HENLEY , -Many than ks fo r you r good l ette r

,

which is th e best way to fo rgive you fo r you r p revious

s i l ence . I h op e Co lv i n o r somebody has s en t m e th e

Cornhil l and th e N ewQ uarter ly , though I am tryi ng

to get th em i n San F ran c i sco . I th i n k you m ight have

sent m e ( I) som e of your arti c l es i n th e P . M. G. (2 )a pap er w ith th e announcement of secon d ed it i o n ; and

(3) th e announcement of th e essays i n Athenceum .

Th is to p ri c k you i n th e future . Aga i n , ch oose, i n

you r h ead , th e best vo lume of Labi ch e th ere i s , andpost i t to J u l es S imon eau , Monterey , Monterey Co. ,

Ca l i fo rn ia : do th i s at on ce , as h e i s my restauran t- man ,a most p l easant o l d boy with whom I d iscuss th e un i

vers e and p lay ch ess da i ly. He has been out of F rance

fo r th i rty -five years , and n eve r h ea rd of Labi ch e. I

h ave eigh tyth ree pages written Ofa story ca l l ed AVendetta inthe West, an d about s ixty pages ofth e

I76

TH E AMATEU R EMIGRANT

fi rst d raft ofThe Amateur Em ig rant. They shou ldeach cove r from I30 to I so pages when done. That i sa l l my l itera ry n ews. Do keep me posted , won

’ t you?Your lette r and Bob ’ s made th e fifth a nd S ixth I h avehad from Eu rop e i n th ree month s .

Att im es I get te rrib ly frigh ten ed about my work ,wh ich seems to advan ce too s l owly . I h ope soon

to have a greate r burthen to support, an d must makemoney a great dea l qu icker th an I used . I may get no

th ing for th e Vendetta; I m ay on ly get some forty qu i dfo r th e Em ig rant; I can not h ope to h ave th em bothdon e much befo re th e end of N ovember.

O, an d look h ere, why d id you not send me th eSpectator wh i ch s langed me ? Rogues and rasca ls, i sthat a l l you a re worth ?

Yesterday I set fi re to th e forest, fo r wh ich , had I

been caugh t, I sh ou l d h ave b een hung outof han d toth e n earest t ree , J udge Lynch being an act i ve pe rso nh ereaway . You Shou ld h ave seen my retreat (wh ichwas en ti re ly fo r st rategi ca l purposes) . I ra n l i k e h el l .I t was a fi n e S igh t. Atn igh t I went outagai n to see i t ;i twas a good fi re , th ough I say i t that shou l d not. I

h ad a n ea r escap e fo r my l ife with a revo lver : Ifireds ix cha rges , and th e Six bu l l ets a l l remai n ed i n th e ba rre l , which was choked from end to end , from muzzl eto breech , with so l i d l ead ; i t took a man th ree h ours to

dri l l th em out. Anoth er sh ot, an d I’

d have gon e tok ingdom come.

Th is i s a love ly p l ace, wh ich I am growi ng to love.Th e Pac ifi c l i cks a l l oth e r oceans outof han d ; th e re i sn o pl a ce but th e Pa cifi c coast to h ea r eterna l roa ri ngsurf. When I get to th e top of th e woods beh i n d Mon

1 77


te rey, I can h ear th e seas break i ng a l l roun d over ten ortwel ve m i l es of coast from nea r Ca rme l on my left, out

to Po int P i n as i n front , and away to th e righ t a long th e

sands ofMonterey to Castrov i l le an d th e mouth of th e

Sa l i nas . I was wish i ng yeste rday that th eworl d cou l dget— no , what I mean was that you Shoul d be kept i nsuspense l i ke Mahomet

’ s coffi n unt i l th e world had

made ha lf a revo l ut ion , then dropped here at th e sta

t ion as though you had stepped from th e cars ; you

would th en comfortab ly en ter Walte r’

s wagon (th e sun

has j ust gon e down , th e moon begin n ing to th rowSh adows , you h ea r th e surf ro l l i ng, an d smel l th e seaand th e p i nes) . T hat sha l l d epos i t you at San ch ez ’ ssa loon , where we take a d ri nk ; you are i n troduced to

B ronson , th e loca l ed ito r (“I h ave no bra i n mus ic

,he

says ;“I ’m a mechan i c , you see , but h e ’

s a n i ce fe ll ow) ; to Adol ph o San ch ez , who i s d e l igh tfu l . Mean

t ime ] go to th e P.O. fo r my mai l ; th en ce we wal k up

Al varado St reet togethe r, you now floundering i n th e

sand , now merri ly stump ing on th e wooden s id ewa lks ;I ca l l atHadse ll ’ s fo r my paper ; at l ength behol d usi n sta l l ed in Sim oneau’

s l i ttl e wh itewash ed back- room ,

round a d irty tab lec loth , with F ranco is th e baker, p er

h aps an Ital i an fi sh erman , perhaps Augusti n Dutra , an d

S imoneau h imself. S imoneau , F rancoi s , a nd I a re th eth ree su re cards ; th e others mere wa ifs . Then home tomy great ai ry rooms with five w indows Open i ng on a

ba lcony ; I s l eep on th e floo r i n my camp blankets ; you

i nsta l yourself abed ; i n th e morn ing coffee wi th th el i ttl e docto r an d h i s l i ttl e wife ; we h i re a wagon andmake a day of i t ; and by n ight I shoul d l et you up

aga i n i nto th e a i r, to be retu rn ed to Mrs . Hen ley i n th e1 78


forenoon fo l l owing. By God , you woul d enjoy you r

se lf. SOshou l d I . I h ave ta l es enough to keep you go i ng

ti l l five i n th e morn i ng , and th en th ey woul d not be atan end . I fo rget i f you asked me any quest io ns , an d I

sen t you r l etter u p to the ci ty to one who wi l l l i ke toread i t. I expect oth er l etters now stead i ly . I f I h ave

to wai t anoth e r two months, I s ha l l begi n to be h appy .

Wil l you remember m e most a ffecti onate ly to you rwife ? Shake hands with Anthony from me ; and Godb less you r mothe r.God b less Steph en ! Does h e not know thatl am aman

,an d cannot l i v e by b read a lon e , but must have gu i n

eas i nto th e ba rga i n Bu rns , I be l i eve , i n my own

m in d , i s one of my h igh - water marks ; Me ik lejohnflamesme a l ette r about i t, wh ich i s so comp l imenta ry that Imust keep i t or get i t publ i sh ed i n th e Monter ey Cal ifornian. Some of these days I sha l l s en d a n exempla i reof that paper ; i t i s huge — Ever your affectio nate fri en d ,


To P. G . HAMERTON

Thefo l lowing refe rs to Mr.Ham erton’s cand i dature,wh ichwasnot

succe ssful,for the Profe ssorsh ip ofF i ne ArtatEdinburgh .MONTEREY , CAL I FORN IA [Novem ber ,

MY DEAR MR . HAMERTON, — Your l etter to my fath e rwas forwarded to me by mistake , an d by m istak e I

opened i t. The lette r to myse lf h as n ot yet reach edme . Th i s must exp la i n my own and my fath er ’ ss i len ce . I sh a l l write by th i s or nex t post to th e on ly

l 79


fri ends I h ave who , I th i nk , woul d h av e a n i nfluence ,as th ey a re both p rofesso rs . I regret exceed i ngly th at

I am not i n Ed inburgh , as I cou ld pe rha ps have done

more , a nd I n eed not te ll you th at what I might do fo r

you i n th e matte r Of th e e l ecti on i s n e i th e r from fri e nd

sh i p no r grat i tude , but because you are th e on ly man ( I

b eg you r pardon) worth a damn . I sha l lwr i te to ath i rd fri en d , now I th i n k ofi t, whose fath er wi l l havegreat i nfluen ce .

I find here (of a l l p laces i n th e wor ld) your Essay s onA rt, wh ich I have rea d w ith s igna l i nterest. I bel i eve

I Sha l l d ig an essay of my own out of one of th em , fo r

i t s etme th i nk i ng ; i f m in e cou l d on ly p roduce yet

ano the r i n re p ly , we cou l d have th e ma rrow out

between us .

I h ope , my dea r s i r, youwi l l n ot th i n k bad ly of mefo r my long s i l e n ce . My h ead has s ca rc e been on my

shou ld e rs . I had scarce recovered from a l ong fi t ofusel ess i l l - heal th than I waswh i r l ed over h e re doubl e !qu ick tim e and by ch eape st conveyance .

I have been s i n ce pretty i l l , but p ick up , th ough sti l l

somewhat ofa mossy ru i n . Ifyou woul d V iewm y

countenan ce arigh t , com e — vi ew i t by th e pa l e moon

l ight . But that i s on the mend . I b e l i eve I h ave

n ow a d istant c l a im to tan .

A l ette rwill be more than we lcome i n th is d i stan tc l ime , wh ere I h av e a box at th e post - office — gener

a l ly , I regret to say , empty . Cou l d your r e com m endat i on i n troduce m e to an Ameri can pub l i sh er ? Mynext book I Shou l d rea l ly try to get ho l d of h e re , as itsi nterest I S Internati onal

,an d th e more I am i n th i s

coun try th e more I u nderstan d th e weight Ofyour in180


scro l l ed . A nove l whereof 85 out of, say , 140 a rep rettywe ll n igh done . A sh ort story of 50 pp . , wh ich

sha l l be fi n ish ed to - morrow , or I’

ll know th e reason

why . Th is may bri ng i n a l ot of money : but I d rea dto th i n k th at i t i s a l l o n th ree ch ances . I f th e th reewere to fa i l , I am in a bog. The n ovel i s ca l l e d AVendettainthe West. I see l am in a grasp i ng, d isma lhumou r, and shou l d , as we Ameri can s put i t, qui twri ti ng. I n truth , I am so haunted by anxi eti es that

one o r othe r i s su re to come Up i n a l l that I wri te.I w i l l s en d you h erewith a Monte rey paper wh ere

th e works of R . L . S . appear, nor on ly th at, but a l l my

l ife onstudyi ng th e advertis emen ts wi l l become c l ea r.I l odge with D r . Hein tz ; take my mea ls w ith S imon eau ;h ave been on ly two days ago shaved by th e ton soria l

a rti st Mi ch ael s ; dri n k dai ly at th e Boh emia sa l oon ; getmy dai ly pape r fromHads e ll ’ s ; was stood a dri n k today by Albano Rodriguez ; i n sho rt, th ere is scarce aperso n adve rti s ed i n that pape r but I know h im , an d Imay add sca rc e a person i n Monterey but i s there

advert is ed . The paper i s th e marrow of th e p l ace . I ts

bon es pooh , I am ti red of wri ti ng so s i l l i ly .

R. L . S.

To SIDNEY CO LV IN

[MONTEREY , D ecem ber ,TO- DAY , my dear Co lv in , I s en d you th e fi rst pa rt of

The Amateur Em ig rant, 7 1 pp . , by fa r the l ongest and th e

best of th e whol e . I t i s not a monument ofel oquence ;i n deed , I h ave sough t to be p rosa i c i n V i ew of th enatu re of th e subj ect ; but I a lmost th i n k it i s i n teresti ng.

182


Whatever i s don e about any book pub l i cat i on , twoth ings remember : I must keep a roya l ty ; and , secon d ,I must h ave a l l my books adverti sed , i n th e F ren chmann er, onth e l eaf oppos i te th e t it l e . I k now from

my ownexpe ri en ce h ow much good th i s does a nauth or with book - buy er s .

The enti re A. E. wi l l b e a l i tt le longer than th e twooth ers , but n ot very much . Here an d th ere, I fa n cy,you wi l l l augh as you read i t ; but i t seems to me rath er

a cl ever book than anyth i ng e ls e : th e book of a man ,that i s, who has pa i d a great dea l Of attenti on to contempora ry l i fe , an d not th rough th e newspapers.

I h av e n ever seen my “Burns ” ! th e da rl i ng of myh eart ! I awa i t you r p rom ised l ette r. Papers , maga

zi n es , a rti c l es by fri en ds ; rev i ews Ofmysel f, a l l wou l dbe very welcome. I

'

am a reporte r fo r th e Monter eyCal ifornian, at a sa l a ry of two do l l ars aweek ! Com

m enttr ouveg - vous ca I am a lso i n a con sp i racy with

th e Ameri can ed i to r, a F ren ch restaura nt- man , an d a nIta l i an fi sh e rman aga i n st th e Pad re . Th e en c losedposter i s my last l i te ra ry appearance. I t was put u p to

th e number of200 exemp la i res a t th e W i tch ing hour ;a nd th ey were a lmost all destroyed by e igh t i n th e

morn ing. But I th i n k th e n i ckname wi l l s t i ck . DOS

Rea les ; deux réaux ; two b its ; twenty-five cents ;about a Sh i l l i ng ; but i n p racti c e i t i s worth from n inepen ce to th re epen ce : thus two glasses of bee r wou ldcost two b i ts . Th e I ta l i an fi sh e rman , an o l d Garibald ian , i s asp lend i d fe l low. R . L. S.

1 83


To EDMUND GOSSE

The fo l lowing is in acknowl edgm e nt of Mr. Gosse ’ s vo lum e cal ledN ewP oem s.

MONTEREY, MONTEREY Co . , CAL IFORN IA ,D ec. 8, 1879 .

MY DEARWEG, - I rec ei ved your book las t n ight as I layabed with a p leuri sy , th e resu lt, I fea r, of overwork , gradua l dec l i n e of a ppeti te, etc . You know what a wooden

h earted cu rmudgeon I am about con temporary ve rse .I l i k e non e of i t, e xcep t some Ofmy own. (I l oo k

back on that sentence with p l ea su re ; i t comes from an

hon est h ea rt.) Hence you wi l l b e k i nd enough to taketh i s from me i n a ki nd ly sp i ri t ; th e p i ece

“To mydaughte r i s del i c i ous . And yet even here l am go ingto p ick h o les l am a beastly cu rm udgeon . I t i s th e

last ve rse . N ewly budd ed is off th e venue ; a n dhave n’tyou gon e ahead to make a poetry daybre aki nstea d of sti ck ing to you r muttons , an d compari ng

with th e mysteri ous l igh t Ofsta rs th e p la i n , fri en d ly,pers p i cuous human day ? But th i s i s to be a beast.The l i ttl e poem i s em in en tly p l easant, human , an dorigi nal .

I have rea d nearly th e wh ol e vo lume, an d sha l l read

i t n ear ly al l over aga i n ; you have no riva ls !Bancroft ’ sHistory ofthe United States , even i n .

a

centenary ed iti o n , i s essentia l ly h eavy fa re ; a l i tt l e goesa long way ; I respe ct B anc roft, but I do not love h im ;h e has moments when h e feelshim se lfinspir ed to OpenUp h i s imp rov isati on s upon un ive rsa l h i story and th edes ign s OfGod ; but I flatter m yse lfl am more n early

184


s pend twenty- four h ou rs i n bed . I may be wrong,but if th eniting i s to conti nue , I bel i eve I must go . I t

i s a p i ty i n one s ense , fo r I bel i eve th e class of workI m ightyet give out i s better and more re a l an d so l i dth an peop l e fan cy. But death i s n o bad fri en d ; a few

ach e s and gasps , an d we are done ; l i ke th e t ruan t

ch i ld , I am beginn ing to grow weary and t im id i n th i s

b ig , j ostl i ng c ity , an d coul d run to m y nurse, eve na l though She shoul d h ave to wh ip m e before putting

me to bed .

Wil l you k iss you r l i ttl e daughte r from me , and

te l l h e r that h er fath er has written a del igh tfu l poem

about h e r ? Remember me , p l ease, to Mrs . Gosse , to

Middlem or e , to whom some of th ese days I w i l l wri te ,to to yes , to an d to I know

you wi l l gnash you r teeth at some of th ese ; wicked ,grim , catl i ke o l d poet. IfI were God , I would sortyou as we say i n Scotl and — You r S i n cere fri end ,

R. L. S .

Too young to be ou r ch i l d b loom ing good .

To SIDNEY CO LV IN

608 BUSH STREET, SAN F RANCISCO[D ecem ber 2 6 ,

MY DEAR CO LV IN,— I am now writ i ng to you i n a café

wait i ng fo r som e musi c to begi n . For fou r days I

h av e Spoken to no on e but to my la nd lady o r land lordor to restau rant wa iters . Th is i s not a gay way topass Ch ristmas, i s i t ? an d I must own th e guts a re al i tt l e k nocked out of me . I f I could work, I cou ld

TH E AMATEU R EMIG RAN T

worry th rough bette r. But I h ave no sty l e at com

mand for th e moment , with th e secon d pa rt ofth eEm ig rant, th e last of th e novel , th e essay on Thoreau ,a nd God knows a l l , wait i ng for me. But I t rust some

th i ng can be done w ith th e fi rs t part, o r, by God , I’

II

sta rve h ere . .

1

O Co l v in , you don’

t kn ow how much good I h ave

don e myself. I fea red to th i nk th i s out by myself. I

h ave made a base use of you , and i t comes out so much

better th an I had d reamed . But I have to sti ck to work

n ow ; and here’ s D ecember gon e p retty n ea r use l ess .

But , Lord lov e you , October a nd N ovember saw a greath arvest. I t m igh t h ave a ffected th e pri c e of pape r on

th e Pac ifi c coast. As fo r i nk , th ey haven’tany ,notwhat I ca l l i nk ; on ly stuff to write cooke ry - bookswi th ,o r th e works of Hayl ey , or th e pa l l i d perambulat ion s of

th e — I can fin d nobody to beat Hay l ey . I l i ke good,

knock- me- down blac k - stra p to wri te with ; that makes

a mark and don e with it. By th e way , I h ave tr i ed to

read th e Spectator , wh ich th ey all say I im i tate, an di t ’ s very wrong of me, I k n ow but I can ’ t . I t ’

s a l lvery fine, you know, an d a l l that, but i t

’ s vap i d . Theyhave just p layed th e ove r ture to Nor ma, and l know it ’ sa good one , fo r I b i tter ly wanted th e opera to go on ; Ih ad j ust got th orough ly i nterested— an d th en no curta i n

to ris e .

I h ave wri tten myself i nto a k i nd Of sp i ri ts , b l ess you r

dea r h eart, by you r leave . But th i s is w i ld work fo r

me , near ly n i n e an d me not back ! What wi l lMrs . Car

son th i nk ofme ! Q_uite a n ight- hawk , I do dec lare.You are th e worst corresponden t i n th e wor ld — no ,not

1 H e re fol lows along calculat io n ofways and m ean s .187

1880

fET. 30

LETTERS O F R. L. STEV ENSONthat, Hen l ey i s that - we ll, l don ’ t know, I l eave th epa i r of you to H im that made you su re ly with smal l

attenti on . But h ere ’ s my serv i ce , an d I’

ll away home

to my den O! much th e bette r fo r th i s c rack , Professo rCo lv i n. R. L. S.

TO SIDNEY CO LV IN

608 BUSH STREET, SAN F RANCISCO[j anuary 10,

MY DEAR CO LV IN, -Th is is a c i rcu la r l e tte r to te l l myestate fu l ly . You h ave no right to i t , be i ng th e wo rst

of co rres pondents ; but Iwi s h to efface th e impressi o nof my last, so to you i t goes .

Any t ime between e ight an d ha lf- past n i n e i n th emorn i ng, a s l en de r gen tleman i n an u l ste r, with a vol

ume button ed i nto th e b reast ofit, may be obse rved l eavi ng N o . 608 Bush and descen d ing Powel l wi th an a ct iv e

step . The gentl eman i s R . L . S . ; th e vo lum e re lates

to B enjam in F ran kl i n , on whom he med itates on e ofh isch arm ing essays. He descends Powel l , c rosses Market ,and descends i n S i xth ona bran ch of th e o rigi na l P i n eStre et Coffee House, no less ; I b e l i eve h e wou ld becapab l e of going to th e o rigi na l i tself, i f h e cou l d on ly

fin d it. I n th e bran ch h e seats h imse lf at a tab l e cov

eredwi th waxc loth , an d a pampered men i al , of H ighD utch extract io n and , i ndeed , as yet o n ly part i a l ly ex

tracted , l ays befo re h im a cup of coffee , a ro l l , and a pat

of butte r, a l l , to quote th e de i ty , very good . A wh i l eago , an d R . L. S . used to find th e supp ly of butter insufficient; but h e has n ow l ea rned th e a rt to exactitude,and butte r and ro l l exp i re at th e same moment. For

188


and th e scrupu lousness with wh ich h e seeks to avo i dtak i ng th e fi rs t d rop of th e oth er. Th is i s partly exp la i n ed by th e fact that i f h e were to go ove r th e mark

—bang would go a ten pe n ce. He i s aga i n armed with

a book , but h i s best fr i en dswi l l l ea rn w ith pai n that h eseems a t th is hou r to ha v e d eserted the more se ri ou sstud ies ofth e morn ing . When last Obse rved , h e was

studying w ith apparen t zest th e exp lo i ts of oneRocamb ole by th e late V i comte Ponson du Te r rail. Th iswork , origina l ly of p rod igious d imens ions , h e had cut

i nto l i th s o r th i cknesses apparently fo r con ven ien ce of

ca rriage.Then th e bei ng wal ks , where i s not c erta i n . But by

about hal f- past fou r a l ight beams from th e windows

of608 Bush , and h e may be obse rved sometimes engaged i n correspondence , sometimes once aga i n p lunged

i n th e myste ri ous ri tes of th e forenoon . About s ix h e

retu rn s to th e B ran ch Origi na l , where h e on ce moreimbrues h imsel f to th e worth offivepence i n co ffee an dro l l . The even i ng i s d evoted to wri ti ng a nd read ing,and by e l even o r ha l f- past da rkness c l os es over th i swe i rd an d t rucu len t exi stence.As fo r coi n , you see I don

’ t s pen d much , on ly you an d

H en ley both seem to th i n k my work rathe r bosh nowadays , and I do want to make as much as I was making,th at i s £200 ; i f I can do th at , I can swim : last yea r ,with my i l l - h ea l th I touch ed on ly£ 109 , that would not

do , I cou l d n ot figh t i t th rough on th at ; but o n £200,

as I say , I am goodfor th e worl d , an d c aneven i n th i squ iet way save a l i tt l e , and that I must do . The worsti s my h ea l th ; i t i s suspected I had an ague ch i l l yesterday ; I sh al l know by to - morrow, an d you know if I am

190

THE PLAZA (PORTSMOUTH SQ UARE) .TH E FAVOUR ITE LOUNG ING- PLACE O F ROBERT LO U IS STEVEN SON IN SAN FRANC ISCO

,

WITH TH E MEMO R IAL TO H IM D ES IGNED BY BRUCE PO RTE R AN D WI LL IS POLK.

1880

l ET. 30


am about to i ssue fo r my l i tt l e sh i l l i ng and ha lfpennymeal , taken i n th e m idd l e of th e day , th e poo r man

’

s

h our ; and I sha l l ea t an d d ri nk to you r prosp eri tyEver you rs , R . L. S .

To SIDNEY CO LV IN

With refe rence to the fol lowing,it m ust b e explai ned that the fi rst

draft ofthe first part ofThe Amateur Em ig rant,wh en itreach ed m e

about Christmas,had seem ed to m e

,com pared to h i s prev ious trave l

pape rs,buta sp i ritl e ss record ofsqual i d expe r ience s

,l ittl e l ike ly to

advance h i s st i l l on ly hal f- e stab l i shed reputation ; and Ihadwr ittentohim to that effe ct

,i nopportun e ly enough

,with aful l e r m easure eve n

than usual ofthe frankn e s swh ich always mark ed our inte rcourse .

608 BUSH STREET, SAN F RANCISCO, CAL IFORN IA[january ,

MY DEAR COLV IN , — I rece i ved th i s morn i ng you r l ongl etter from Pa ri s . Wel l , God

’ s wi l l be done ; i f i t’ s

dul l , i t’

s du l l ; i twas a fa i r fight , an d i t’

s lost, an d

th ere ’

s an end . But , fo rtunate ly , du ln ess i s n ot a fau lt

th e pub l i c h ate s ; perhaps th ey may l i ke th i s v e i n of

dul nes s . I f th ey don ’ t, damn th em ,we ’

ll t ry th em

with anoth e r. I sat down on th e back ofyour l ette r,and wrote twe lve Cornhil l pages th i s day as eve r wasof that same desp ised Em ig rant; so you see m y mora lcou rage hasnotgone down with my in tel l ect . On ly,frankly , Co lv i n , do you th i n k i t a good plan to be so

em in ently descripti v e ,and even el oquen t, i n d isp ra i se ?You ro l l ed such a lot ofpo lysy l l ab les over m e that abette r man than I m igh t h ave been d ish eartened .

However, I was not, as you see , an d am not. Th eEm ig rantsha l l be finis h ed a nd l eave i n th e course of

192


n ext week . And th en , I ’

ll st ic k to sto ri es . I am not

frigh ten ed . I know my m ind is cha nging ; I have

been te l l i ng you so for long ; and I suppos e I am fumb l i ng fo r th e n ew vein . Wel l , I

’

ll find i t.

Th e Vendettayou wi l l not much l i ke , I da re say : andthat m ust be fin i sh ed n ext ; but I

’ l l k nock you with

The F or estState : ARomance.

I ’

m vexed about my l ette rs ; I know it i s pa i nfu l toget th ese unsat isfactory th i ngs ; but a t least I h avewritten often enough . And not one sou l eve r gi vesm e anynews, about peop l e o r th i ngs ; e v e rybody wri tesm e sermons ; i t

’ s good for me, but h a rd ly th e food

n ecessary fo r a m an who lives a l l a l on e on fo rty-fivec ents a day , a n d sometimes l ess , with quan ti t i es of

h a rd work an d many heavy thoughts . I f on e of youcou l d write me a l etter w ith a j est i n i t, a lette r l i kewhat i s w ri tten to rea l p eopl e i n th i s worl d — I am

sti l l fles h an d blood — I sh ou l d enjoy i t. S im pson d id ,th e other day , an d it d i d m e as much good as a bottl e

ofwin e. A l o nely man gets to fee l l i ke a pa riah aftera wh i l e — or no , not that, but l ik e a sa i n t an d marty r,or a k i n d ofmacerated c l ergyman with p ebbl es i n h i sboots , a p i l l a red S imeon , I

’

m damned if I know what,

but, man a l iv e, I want goss i p .

My h ea lth is b ette r, my sp i r its s tead i e r, I am not th eleast cast d own . I f th e Em ig rantwas a fa i lu re , th ePavil ion, by your l eave, was not : i t was a sto ry q uiteadequate ly an d righ tly done , I co ntend ; and when ]find Steph en , for whom certa i n ly I d i d n ot mean i t,tak ing it i n , I am bette r p l eased with i t th an before.I know I sha l l do bette r work tha n ever I h ave don e

befo re ; but, min d you , i t wi l l n ot be l i ke i t. My sym| 93


pathies an d i n te rests a re c h anged . There shall be nomore books Oftrave l fo r me. I ca re for noth ing but th emora l a nd th e d ramati c not a jot fo r th e p i cturesqueor th e beautifu l , othe r than about peopl e . Itbo red me

he l l i s h ly to wri te th e Em ig rant; wel l, i t ’

s go ing to

bore oth ers to read it ; that’

s on ly fa i r.

I Shou l d also write to oth ers ; but i ndeed I am jackt i red , an d must go to bed to a F rench nove l to com

pose myse lf fo r s l umber. Eve r you r affect ionate fri end ,R. L. S .

TO W . E. HENLEY

608 BUSH STREET, SAN F RANCISCO , CAL. ,

F ebruary , 1880.

MY DEAR HENLEY, — Before my work or anyth ing I sitdown to answer you r l ong an d ki nd l etter.

I am wel l , ch ee rfu l , busy , hopeful ; I can not be

knocked down ; I do not m ind about th e Em igrant.I n eve r th ough t i t a masterp i ece. I t was written tos e l l , an d I be l i ev e i t w i l l s e l l ; and if i t does not, th e

n ext w i l l . You n eed not be un easy about my work ; Iam on ly begi n n ing to see my true meth od .

( I ) As to Studies . There a re two more a l readygon e to Stephen . “Yosh ida Torajiro , wh ich I th i n ktemperate and adequate ; and

“Tho reau , ” wh ich wi l lwant a rea l ly Ba lzac ia n effort o ver th e proofs . But Iwant Benj am i n F rank l i n and th e ArtofV i rtue to fo llow; and perh aps a lso“Wil l iam Penn , but th i s l a st

may be p erhaps delayed fo r anothe r vo lume — I th i n knot, th ough . The Studieswill be an i nte l l igent vo lume, and i n the i r l atter n umbers more l i ke what I

I94


a l ready . I see Seraph i n a too . Gondremarck i s n otqui te so c lear. The Countess von Rosen I have ; I

’

ll

never te l l you who sh e i s ; i t’

s a secret ; but I havek nown th e countess ; wel l , I wi l l tel l you ; i t

’

s my oldRuss ian fri end , Madame ! . Certa i n scenes are , i n co n

ception, th e best I h ave ever made , except fo rHesterN obl e. Those at th e end , VonRosen an d th e Pri ncess, th e Prin ce a nd Pr i n cess , and th e Pri n cess an dGondremarck , as I now see th em from here , sh ou l d

be nuts , Hen ley, nuts . I t i rks menotto go to th emstra ight. But th e Em ig rantstops th e way ; th en a r eassu red scenario fo rHester ; th en th e Vendetta; th en two(o r th ree) Essays Benjam in F rankl i n ,

” “ThoughtsonL i terature as an Art, ” “D i a logue on Characte r an dD est iny between two Puppets , ”“The Human Comprom ise an d th en , at length — come to me, my Pr i n ce .0 Lord , i t ’

s going to be cou rtly ! And th ere i s not a nug ly person no r ah ugly scen e i n i t. Th e S late both

F anny an d I have damned u tterly ; i t i s too morbi d , ugly,and unki nd ; better starvation. R. L. S.

To SIDNEY COLV IN

608 BUSH STREET, SAN F RANCISCO [Mar ch,MY DEAR COLV IN, — My lan d lord an d Iand lady

’ s l i ttl e

four- year- ol d ch i l d i s dy i ng i n th e house ; an d 0 , what

h e has suffered ! I t ha s rea l ly affected my hea lth . 0

n ever , neve r any fam i ly for m e ! I am cured Of that.I h ave taken a long ho l i day havenotworked fo rth ree days , and wi l l n ot for a week ; for I was real ly

weary . Excuse th is sc ratch ;for th e ch i l d we ighs onl 96

TH E AMATEU R EM I GRANT

me, dea r Co lv i n . I d i d a l l I cou l d to he lp ; but a l ls eems l i tt l e , to th e po in t of crime, when one of th es epoor i nnocents l i es i n such m isery — Ever you rs ,

R. L . S.

To EDMUND GOSSE

Inthe i nte rval between thi s lette r andthe last, thewr ite rhad beendownwith the dangerous i l lne ss al ready refe rred to. A poet icalcounte rpart to th i s lette rwi l l b e found in the p ie ce beginn ing“N otyet, m y sou l , the se fr iendly fields- de se rt,”wh ichwas com posed atthesam e tim e and i s pr i nted i nUnderwoods

,p . 30.

SAN F RANCISCO , CAL. , Apr il 1 6MY DEAR GOSSE , - You have not answered my last ;an d I know you wi l l repen t when you hea r how nea r

I h av e been to anoth er world . For about s i xweeks Ih ave been i n utte r doubt ; i t was a toss - up fo r l i fe o r

death al l th at t im e ; but I won th e toss , s i r, a n d

H ades wen t offonce more discomfited. Th i s i s n otth e fi rst tim e, nor w i l l i t b e th e last, that I h ave a

fri end ly game with that gent l eman . I kn ow h e wi l l

en d by c lean ing me out; but th e rogue i s i ns i d ious ,and th e h ab i t ofthat sort of gambl i ng seems to be apart of my nature ; i t was , I s uspect, too much lndulg ed i n youth ; break your ch i ld ren of th i s tend ency ,my dear Gosse , from th e fi rst . I t i s , when on ce

formed , a hab it more fata l th an Op ium — I Speak , as St.Pau l says , l i k e a foo l . I h ave been ve ry very s i ck ; onth e verge of a gal lop ing consumpti on

,co l d sweats

,

p rostrat i ng atta cks ofcough , s i nk i ng fits i n wh i ch I

lo st th e power of speech , feve r, an d a l l th e ugl i estc i rcumstances ofth e d isease ; and I h ave cause to b less

I9 7

1880IE

’

I‘

. 30


God , my wife that is to be , and one D r. Bamford (aname th e Muse repe l s) , that I h ave come out Ofa l lt h i s , and got my feet once more upon a l i tt le h i l l top ,with a fa i r prospec t of l ife an d some newdes i re ofl i v i ng. Yet I d id not wish to d i e , nei th er ; on ly I fe l tu nab l e to go on farth er with that rough horsep lay ofhuman l ife : a man must be p retty wel l to take th ebusi ness i n good part . Yet I fe l t a l l th e t ime that I h ad

done noth ing to entit l e m e to an honourabl e d is charge ;that I h ad taken up many obl igati ons and begun manyfri endsh i ps wh ich I hadno r ight to put away from me ;and that fo r m e to d i e was to p lay th e cu r and sl i nk i ngsyba rite

,and desert th e co lours on the eve of th e de

cisive fight. Ofcours e I have don e no work fo r I donot know how long ; a n d h ere you can triumph . I

h ave been reduced to writi ng ve rses fo r amusement.

A fact. The Wh i rl igig of time brings i n its revenges ,afte r a l l . But I ’

II have th em buri ed with me , I th i nk ,for l have n ot th e h eart to burn th em wh i l e I l i ve . DO

wri te. I sh a l l go to th e mountai n s as soon as th eweath er c lea rs ; on the way th i th er, I marry myse lf ;th en I s et up my fami ly a l ta r among th e p i newoods,

3000 feet, s i r, from th e d is putatious sea . I am , dea r

Weg, most tru ly yours , R. L . S.

To DR. W . BAMFORD

With acowofTravelswithaD onkey.

[SAN F RANCISCO , Apr il , 1 880 ]MY DEAR SIR, — Wil l you l et me offer you th i s l i ttl e

book ? IfI h ad anyth ing bette r, i t Shou l d be yours.198


p roof of Thoreau to you , so that you may correct andfi l l up th e quotat ion from Goeth e . I t i s a p i ty I was i l l ,as , fo r matte r, I th i n k I p refer that to any of my essaysexcept“Burn s but th e style ,thoughqu ite man ly, n eve ratta i ns any melody or l en i ty . So much for consumptio n :I begi n to apprec iate what th e Em ig rantmust be. As

soon as I h ave done th e la stfewpages of th e Em ig rantth ey sha l l go to you . But when wi l l th at be Iknownot qu ite yet — I have to be so carefu l . Ever you rs ,

R. L . S .

To SIDNEY CO LV IN

[SAN F RANCISCO , Apr il ,MY DEAR COLV IN , My dea r peop l e te legraph ed me

inth ese words : Count on 2 50 pounds annua l ly . You

m ay i magin e what a b l essed bus i n ess th i s was . And sonow recover th e sh eets of th e Em ig rant, and post th emregiste red to me. Andnowp lease gi ve m e a l l yourvenom agai nst i t ; say your worst, an d most i n c is i ve ly ,fo r n ow i t wi l l b e a h el p , and I

’

ll make it righ t o r peri sh

i n th e attempt. N ow, do you understand why I protestedagai n st you r d epressing e loquence on th e subj ect ?When Ihad to go onany way, fo r dea r l ife , Ithoughti ta k i n d of p ity an d not much good to d iscourage me .N owa l l ’

s changed . God on ly knows h ow much

cou rage an d sufferi ng i s bu ri ed i n that MS. The secondpart was written i n a ci rc l e ofhe ll unknown to D an teth at of th e pen n i less and dy ing auth or. For dying I

was , a l th ough now saved . Anoth er week , th e doctorsa id , and I shou l d h av e been past sa l vati on . I th i n k I

sha l l a lways th ink of i t as my best work .

' There i s one200

TH E AMATEUR EM IG RANT

page i n Part I I . , about h av i ng got to shore , and s ich’

,

whi ch must h ave cost m e a l together s i x h ou rs of work

as miserab l e as ever I went th rough . I fee l s i ck even

to th i nk ofit.— Ever you r fri en d , R . L. S.

To S IDNEY COLV IN

[SAN F RANCISCO , May , 1880 ]MY DEAR COLV IN, — I rece ived your l ette r a n d p roof

to - day , and was great ly de l igh ted with th e last.I am now outofdanger ; i n but a sh ort wh i l e (i.e. assoon as th e weath er i s Sett l ed) , F . and I marry and go up

to th e h i l l s to look fo r a p lac e ;“I to th e h i l l s wi l l l ift

m i n e eyes, from whence doth come m in e a i d onc e

th e p lace fou nd , th e furn itu re wi l l fo l l ow. There , s i r, i n ,I hope, a ran ch e among th e p in e - t rees and hard by a

runn i ng brook , we are to fi sh , hunt, sketch , study Spani sh , F rench , Lat i n , Euc l id , and H istory ; and , i f p oss ib l e,not quarre l . Far from man , s i r, i n th e v i rgi n fo rest.

Thence , a s my strength returns , you may exp ect worksofgen ius. I a lways feel as if I must write a work of

gen ius some t ime or other ; an d when i s i t mo re l i ke ly

to come off, than j ust afte r I h ave pa i d a Vi s i t to Styxand go then ce to th e eterna l mountai n s ? Such a revolutioni n a man ’ s affa i rs , as l have somewhere written ,wou ld set anybody s ingi ng. When we get insta l l ed ,L l oyd an d I a re goi ng to pri n t my poet ica l works ; soa l l thos e who h ave been poet i ca l ly add re ssed shal l rece ive cop i es of th ei r add resses . T hey a re, I be l i eve ,pretty co rrect l i te rary exerc i ses , or wi l l be , with a few

fi l i ngs ; but th ey are not r ema rkab le fo r wh ite- hot20!

1880

lET. 30


veh emence of i nsp i ration ; tep i d works ! respectab leve rsifications of very p roper a nd even origina l s ent iments : k i nd ofHayleyistic, l fea r — but no , th i s i smorbi d sel f- deprec iati on . The fami ly i s a l l ve ry shakyi n h ea l th , but our motto i s now

“Al Monte ! ” i n th ewords ofDonLope, i n th e p lay th e s i ster an d I a re j ustbeat i ng th rough with two bad d i ct ionari es an d an insan e grammar. I to th e h i l ls . Yours ever,

L. S.

To C. W . STODDARD

Th i s corre spondent i s Mr. Charle s Warren Stoddard,author ofSuni

m er Cr uising inthe S outhS eas,etc.

,withwhom Stevensonhad

m ade friends in the manne r andam i d the scene s faithful ly de scr ibed inThe Wr ecker

,in the chapte r cal led Face s on the C ity Front.”

EAST OAKLAND , CAL. , May , 1880.

MY DEAR STODDARD, —I am gui l ty i n thy s ight and th e

s igh t ofGod . However, I swore a great oath that you

sh ou ld see som e of my manuscript at last ; and thoughI have long de layed to keep i t , yet i t was to be. Your e - read your story and were d isgusted ; that i s th e co l d

fi t fo l l owing th e h ot. I don ’ t say you d id wrong to bed isgusted , but I am su re you d id wrong to be d isgusted

a l together. There was , you may depen d upon it, somereason fo r you r prev ious van ity, aswe ll as your presentm ortification. I sh al l h ea r you , yea rs from now, t im id ly

begin to retrim your feath ers for a l i tt l e se lf- l audation ,and trot out th i s m isde spised novelette as n ot th e worstof you r perfo rmances . I read th e a lbum extracts withs in cere i nterest ; but I regret that you spa red to give th epaper more devel opment ; an d I conce ive that you mightd o a great dea l worse th an expand each of its pa ragra phs

202


growvery un easy. Atfi rst I was tempted to supposethat I h ad been mysel f to blame i n some way ; but now

I have grown tofear lestsome S i ckness o r t roubl e amongthose whom you love may not be the imped iment . I

b el i e v e I sha l l soon hea r , so I wait as best I can . l am ,

beyond a doubt , great ly stronger, and yet sti l l use l ess

fo r any work , and , I may say, fo r any p l ea su re . My affa i rs an d th e bad weathe r st i l l ke ep me here u nmarri ed ;but not, I ea rn e st ly hope , fo r l ong. Wheneve r I g eti nto th e mounta i n , I trust I sha l l rap id ly p ick up . U nti lI get away from these s ea fogs an d my impri sonmenti n th e house , I do not hop e to do much more th an keep

from act i ve ha rm . My doctor took a d e spond ing fi t

about me, and sca red F anny into b l ue fi ts ; but I h ave

ta l ked h er ove r aga i n . Iti s th e change l want, an d th e

b lessed sun , and a gentl e a i r i n wh ich I can s i t out and

s ee th e t rees an d runn ing wate r : th es e mere defens i ve

hygi en i cs ca nnot a dvan ce on e, th ough they may p r e

vent ev i l . I do noth i ng now, but t ry to possess m ysou l i n p eace, a nd con ti nue to posse ss my body on any

terms.CAL ISTOGA , N APA COUNTY , CAL IFORNIA .

All whi ch i s a fortn igh t ol d an d not much to th e poi n t

nowadays . Here we are , F anny an d I, an d a ce rta i n

hound , i n a l ovely valley under Mount Sa i n t H el ena ,l oo ki ng a round , o r rath er won dering when we sha l l

begi n to l ook around , fo r a house of our own . I h ave

re cei ved th e fi rst Sheets of The Amateur Em ig rant; notyet th e second bunch , as announced . Iti s a p retty

heavy , emphat i c p i ece of pedantry ; but I don’

t care ;th e pub l i c

,I veri ly be l i eve

,wi l l l i ke i t. I have exc ised

a l l you p roposed and more on my own movement.204


But I h ave not yet been ab l e to rewrite th e two spec ia lp i eces wh ich , as you sa i d , so bad ly wanted i t ; i t isha rd work to rewri te passages i n p roof ; an d th e easi est

work i s sti l l h a rd to me . But I am certa i n ly recovering

fast ; a marrie d and conva les cent be i ng.

Receiv ed J ames ’ sHawthorne, on wh ich I meditate ab last, Mi ss B i rd D i xon

’ s P enn, awr ong Cornhil l (l i kemy l uck) , an d Coquel in: fo r a l l wh i ch , an d espec ia l lyth e last , I tender my best thanks . I h ave Opened on ly

J ames ; i t i s very c l ever, very wel l wri tten , and out of

s igh t th e most i n s ide - out th ing i n th e wo rl d ; I h av e

dug up th e h atch et ; a sca l p shall flutter at my bel t e re

l ong . I th i n k my new book shou l d be good ; i t wi l l

c onta i n our adven tures fo r th e summer, so far as th es e

a re worth narrati ng ; and I h ave a l ready a few pages

of d ia ry wh ich shou l d make up b right. I am go ing to

re p eat my o l d exp eriment, after buckl i ng to a wh i l e to

wri te more co rrect ly, l i e down a nd have a wa l low.

Wh eth e r I sha l l get any ofmy novel s don e th issummer I do not know ; I w i sh to fin i sh th e Vendetta fi rst, fo r i t rea l ly cou ld n ot come after P r inceOtto. Lewis Campbel l h as made some n obl e worki n that Agamemnon ; i t su rpri s ed me . We hop eto get a house at S i lv e rado, a deserted m in ing- camp

eight m i l es up th e mounta in,now sol e ly i nh abi ted by

a mighty h unter answering to th e name of Rufe Hansome, who s l ew last yea r a hun dred and fifty dee r.Th i s i s th e motto I p ropose fo r th e n ew vo lume : Vix

cruntnonnul l i inag r is , delectati r e suafam il iar i.Hisidem pr opositum fuitquod r eg ibus, utne quar e eg er ent,ne cuipar er ent, l ibertate ute r entur ; cujus p r op r ium estsic viver e utvel is . I a lways have a terro r lestth e wish

205

1880

LETTERS OF R. Im STEVENSONShou ld h ave been fathe r to th e trans lati on , when I cometo quote ; but that seems too p la i n sail ing. I shou ld putth e Coast Rang e , that be i ng so much ch eape r to reach '

hope , soon to all, eve r

yours,

206

ALP INE WINTERS AND H IGH LANDSUMM ERS

(AUGUST, 1880 — OCTOBER , 1882 )

FTER s pen d i ng th e month s ofJune and Ju ly , 1880,i n th e rough Ca l i fo rn i an mounta i n quarters descr ibed

i n The Silverado Squatter s , Steven son took passagewith h i s w ife an d young stepson from N ewYork onth e 7thofAugust, an d a rriv ed on th e 1 7 th at L i v e rpoo l ,where h is parents and I were wa iti ng to meet h im .

Ofher n ew fam i ly , Mrs . Robert Lou i s Steven son ,brough t thus strangely and from far i n to th ei r m idst,made an immed iate conquest. To h er husban d ’

s especial happ i n ess , th ere Sp rang up between h er an d h isfath er th e c l os est poss ibl e affecti on and confiden ce.Pa rents an d fri en ds — ifi t i s p ermi ss ib l e to one of th el atter to say as much rej o ic ed to recogn is e i n S tevenson ’ s w ife a cha ra cter as strong, i n te rest i ng, andromanti c a lmost as h i s own; an i n sepa rab le Sharer ofa l l h i s thoughts, an d staunch compan io n ofa l l h i sadven tures ; th e most Open—hearted of fri e nds to a l l wh o

loved h im ; th e most sh rewd and stimulat ing c ri t i c of209

LETTE RS O F R . L . STEVENSON

h i s work ; and i n S i ckn ess , desp i te h e r own precariousheal th , th e most de voted and most effi c i ent of nurses .

But there must be l im its to th e p ra i s e of th e l i v i ng ;an d what h i s wife was to h im Steve nson has h imse lfexpressed , i n words wh ich a re th e fi ttest , an d than

wh i ch non e ever came more truly from the h ea rt .

F rom L i ve rpoo l the Stevenson pa rty we nt on to make

a stay i n Scotl an d , fi rs t at Ed inbu rgh , and afterwards

fo r a few weeks at Strath peffe r, resti ng at B la i r Atho lonth e way. I t was now , i n h is th i rti eth year,among th e woods of Tum m e lside an d under the

sh ou ld er of Ben Wyvis , that Steve nson acknowledgedfor the fi rs t t im e th e ful l power and beauty Of th e H igh

l and scenery , which inyouth , with h i s lo ngi ngs fixed

ever u po n th e South , h e had been accustomed to th i n ktoo b l eak and d eso late . I n th e h is tory of th e coun try

and its c lan s , on th e oth e r h and , and especia l ly of th e i r

p o l i t i ca l a nd socialtransformationduring th e e ighteenthcentury , h e had been a lways keen ly i nte rested . I n

conversat ions with Pri n c i pal Tul lo ch at Stra th peffe r th isi nterest was now rev i ved , and h e reso lved to attempta book on th e subj ect , h i s fath er undertak ing to keeph im supp l i ed .with books and auth orit i es ; fo r i t h ad

quick ly become apparent that h e coul d not wi nter i n

Scot lan d . The state of h i s h ea l th cont i nued to be veryth rea ten i ng. He suffe red from acute ch ron i c cata rrh ,a ccompan i ed by d isqu ieti ng lung symptoms an d great

weakn ess ; and was to l d acco rd ingly th at h e must go

for th e win ter, an d p robab ly fo r seve ra l succeed i ngwin ters , to th e mounta i n va l ley of D avos i n Switze rland , wh ich with i n the l ast few years had been comingi nto repute as ap lace of recovery , o r atleast of a rrested

2 10


wh ich became h i s home unti l h e d ied fou rteen yearsl ate r. Duri ng Stevenson ’ s fi rst season at D avos , thoughh is m ind was fu l l of l i te ra ry ente rpri ses , h e was too i l lto do much actua l work. For th e H igh land h isto ry h e

read much , but composed l i tt l e o r noth i ng, and eventually th i s h i story went to swel l th e long l i st of h is unwritten books . He saw th rough the p ress h is fi rst

vo l ume of co l l ected essays , Virg inibus Puer isque,

which came out early i n 188 1 and wrote the essay on

Pepys afte rwards pub l i sh ed i n F am il iar Studies ofMenand B ooks . Beyond th i s , h e on ly amused h imse lf with

verses . Leav i ng th e Al ps a t th e en d of Apri l , 188 1 , h e

return ed , afte r a sh ort stay i n F rance (at F onta i neb l eau ,Pari s , a nd St . Germai n ), to h i s fam i ly i n Ed i nburgh .

Thence th ewho l e party aga i n went to th e H igh lands ,th i s t ime to P i t l och ry an d Braema r.

Duri ng th e summer Stevenson h ea rd ofth e i nten dedreti rement o f Professo r FEneas Mackay from the cha i r

of H isto ry an d Consti tutiona l Law at Ed i nburgh Un ivers ity . He determi ned , with th e en couragement ofth e outgo ing professo r and of seve ra l of h is l i te ra ry

fri ends,to become a cand idate fo r the post , wh ich had

to be fi l l ed by the F a cu l ty OfAdvocates from amongth e i r own number. The duti es were l im i ted to th edel i very of a short cours e of l ectures i n th e summer

term , an d Stevenson th ought that h e might b e equa lto th em , an d m ight p rove , th ough certa i n ly a n ew ,

yet perhaps a stimu lati ng, type of p rofesso r. But

knowing th e natu re of h is pub l i c reputati on , espec ia l lyi n Ed inburgh

,where the reco l l ect io n of h i s daft studen t

days was as yet stronger than the impress io n made byh i s recent perfo rmances i n l i te rature, he was wel l

2 12

ALP I N E WINTERS AND H I GH LAND SUMMERS

aware th at h i s cand i datu re must seem paradox i ca l,and stood l i tt l e chance of succ ess . Th e e lect i on tookp lace i n th e late autumn ofth e same yea r, an d h e wasdefeated , rece iv i ng on ly th ree votes.AtP i t lo ch ry Stevenson was fo r a wh i l e ab l e to enj oyh is l i fe and to work wel l , writing two ofth e strongestofh is sh ort s to ri es of Scott ish l i fe and su perst it io n ,Thrawnjanetan d The Mer ry Men, o rigi na l ly des ignedto form part ofa vo lume to b e wri tten by h imsel f a n dh iswi fe i n co l l abo ration . AtB raemar h e mad e a b egin n i ng ofthe nursery ve rs es wh ic h afterward s grewi nto th e vo l ume cal l ed A Child’

s Gar den, and conceived and ha lf executed th e fortunate p roj ect Of Tr easur e Island, th e book wh ich was desti n ed fi rst to make

h im famous . But on e Of th e most i n c l ement of Scotti s hsummers had befo re l ong undon e a l l th e good ga ined i n

th e previ ous wi nter at D avos , and i n th e autumn oftheyea r 188 1 h e repa i red th i th e r aga in .

Th i s tim e h i s quarters were i n a smal l c ha let b e longingto th e p ropri eto rs of th e Buo l H ote l , th e Cha le t am Ste i n ,i n th e n ear n eighbourh oo d of th e Sym onds ’ s house.The begi nn i ng ofh is secon d stay was darkened by theseri ous i l l n ess Ofh is w ife ; n everth e l ess , th e winter wasone of much greate r l i terary act i vi ty than th e last. A

L i fe -

ofHazl i tt was proj ected , an d stu d i es were madefor i t, but fo r some reason th e proj ect was n ever ca rri ed

out. Tr easur e Is land was fini sh ed ; th e greater partofThe Silverado Squatter s wri tten ; so were th e essays“Ta lk an d Ta lkers , ” AGoss i p onRoman ce, ” and severa l oth er of h is best pap ers fo r magazi n es . By way of

wh im and past im e h e occup i edhimse lf, to h i s own an dh i s step son ’ s de l igh t, with th e l i tt le set of wood cuts

2 13


and verses p ri nted by th e latter at h i s toy press Th eD avos Press , as th ey ca l l ed i t a s wel l a s with m imi c

campa ign s carr i ed on between th e man and boy with

a rm ies of l ea d so ld ie rs i n th e spac i ous loft wh ich fi l l ed

th e u pper floor of th e ch a let . For th e fi rst a nd a lmostth e on ly t ime i n h i s l ife th ere awoke i n h im during th es e

winters i n Davos th e sp i ri t of lampoon ; and he poured

fo rth sets of verses , not without touch es of a Swifteanfi re, aga i n st commerc i a l frauds i n genera l , an d those of

c erta i n lo ca l t radesmen i n pa rt i cu la r, as wel l as oth ers i nmemory Ofa defunct publ ica n of Edi nburgh who hadbeen on e of h i s butts i n youth . F i na l ly, much rev i ved

i n h ea l th by th e b eneficenta i r of th e Alp i n e va l l ey, h el eft i t aga i n i n m id - s pring of 1882 , to returnonce moreto Scotl and , a nd to be once more th rown back to , o rbe low , th e po i n t where h e h ad started . Afte r a sh ort

excurs i on from Ed inburgh i nto th eApp i n country , where

h e made i nqu i ri es on th e spot i nto th e trad it i ons con

cern ing th e murder of Campbel l of Glenure , h is th reer est i ng- p laces i n Scotl an d during th i s summer wereStobo Manse , n ea r Peebl es , Loch earnh ead , and K i nguss ie . AtStobo th e dampness of th e season and th ep lace qui c kly th rew h im aga i n i nto a very l ow state of

h ea l th , from whi ch th ree subsequen t weeks of bri l l i an t

sun sh i n e i n Speys i de d i d but l i tt l e to resto re h im . I n

sp i te of th i s renewed breakdown , when autumn came

h e would no t face th e idea ofretu rn i ng fo r a th i rd season to D avos . He had h imse lf fe lt d eep ly th e austeri tya nd monotony of th e wh ite Al p i n e worl d i n winter ;and th ough h e had unquest ionably ga ine d i n h ea l thth ere, h is w ife onher part had suffe r ed much . So h emade up h i s m ind once aga in to try th e Med ite rranean

coa st of F ran c e, and Davos knew h im no more.2 I4

ALP IN E WINTERS AND H I GH LAN D SUMME RS

To A. G . DEW- SM ITH

I print atthe head ofthe fi rstwinte r ’ s l ette rs from the A lps som eve rse s from one i n rhym ewh ichhe addre ssed byway of thank s to afriend atCam bridge

,Mr. A . G . D ew- Sm ith

,whohad senthim a

pre sent ofabox ofcigarette s. Itgive s h i s fi rst gene ral im pre ss i on s ofthe p lace

,som e ofwhichhe pre sently foun d cause to m odify ; and is

ve ry characte r i st ic i n its com m ents onthe tam e behav io ur oftheval ley stream

,the Landwasse r

,atth i s part ofits course .

[HOTEL BELVEDERE , DAVOS , N ovem ber ,F IGURE me to you rse lf, I p rayA man ofmy pecu l i a r cut

Apa rt from danc i ng an d deray,I nto a n Al p i n e valley shut ;

Shut i n a k in d ofdamned Hote l,D i scountenanced by God an d man ;

Th e food — S i r, you wou ld do as we l lTo cram your bel ly fu l l ofbra n .

Th e company ? Alas , th e day

That I shou ld dwel l w ith such a crew,

With dev i l a nyth i ng to say ,N or any one to say it to l

Th e place ? Al though they ca l l i t Platz,I w i l l be bo ld and state my V i ew ;I t ’

s not a p lace at a l l — and that ’

s

Th e bottom verity, my D ew.

1 Thewho le front ofthe housewas l ighted,andthe rewe re p ipe s and

fiddles,and as m uch dancing and de raywith in as used to b e i n S i r

Robe rt’s h ouse atPace and Y ule,and such h igh season s .”— From

‘Wander ing Wi l l ie ’ s Tale ” inRedgauntlet.2 15


Th ere are , as I wi l l n ot deny ,I n numerab l e i n ns ; a road ;

Seve ra l Al ps i nd i fferen t h igh ;The s now ’ s i nv io l ab l e abode ;

El even Eng l i sh parso ns , a l lEnt i re ly i n offen s ive ; four

T ru e human beings — what I cal lH uman — th e d euce a c i p h er more ;

A c l imate of surp ri si ng worth ;I n numerabl e dogs that bark ;

Some a i r, some weathe r, and some ea rth ;A nativ e race — God save th e mark !

A race that works , yet can not work ,Yodel s

,but can n ot yode l right

,

Such as, unhe lp ’

d, with rusty d i rk ,l vowth at I cou ld who l ly sm ite.

A r i ver that from m om to n ight

D own a l l th e va l l ey p lays th e foo l ;N otonce sh e pauses i n her fl igh t,N or knows th e comfo rt Ofapoo l ;

But sti l l k eeps up , by st ra igh t o r bend ,Th e selfsame pace sh e h ath begun

St i l l hu rry , hurry , to th e en dGood God , i s th at the way to run ?

2 16


To THOMAS STEVENSON

R . L . S . h ere sk etch e s for h i s fath er the p lan ofthework on H ighlandHi storywh ich th eyhad di scusse d togeth e r inthe pre cedingsum m e r

,andwh ich P ri ncipal Tu l lochhad urgedhim to attem pt.

[HOTEL BELVEDERE] , DAvos , D ecem ber 1 2

MY DEAR FATHER , Here i s th e s ch eme as wel l as I

c an fo resee. I begi n th e book immed iate ly after th e’

1 5, as th en began th e attempt to suppress th e H igh

l ands .

I. TH IRTY YEARS ’ INTERVAL

Rob Roy .

Th e In dep endent Compan i es : th e Watch es .Sto ry of Lady G range .Th e Mi l i ta ry Roads , and D i sa rmament : Wade ;an d

Burt .

II. THE HERO IC AGED uncan F orbes of Cu l l oden .

F l o ra Macdona l d .

Th e F orfe ited Estates ; i n c ludi ngJ uri sd ict ions ; and th e admi rabl e

th e tenants .

III. L ITERATURE HERE INTERVENES

( I) Th e Oss i an i c Controversy.(2 ) Boswel l a nd J ohnson .

3) Mrs . Grant of Laggan .2 18

ALP I N E WINTERS AND H I GH LAND SUMMERSIV. ECONOMY

H igh lan d Economics .Th e Re i nstatement of th e Prop ri etors .The Evi ct io n :

Emigration .Present State .

V. RELIG ION

( I) Th e Catho l i cs , Ep iscopa ls , an d K i rk , a nd Soc.Prop . Ch ri st. Knowl edge.

(2 ) The Men.3) The D is ruption .

All th i s , ofcou rs e , wi l l great ly ch ange i n form , scope,and o rder ; th i s i s j ust a b i rd

’

s - eye glance. Thank youfor Burt, wh ich came , and fo r your Un ion notes . Ih ave read one - h al f (about 900 pages ) of Wodrow’ sCor r espondence, with some improvement, but greatfatigue. The docto r th i nks we l l ofmy recove ry , wh ichputs me i n good hope for th e futu re. I sh ou ld certainly be ab l e to make a fine h i story ofthis .

My Essays a re go i ng th rough th e p ress , an d shou ldbe outi n J anuary o r F ebrua ry — Ever affect i on ate son ,

R. L . S.

To EDMUND GOSSE

The sugge st i on s contai ned in the fo l lowing lette rs to Mr. Gosserefe rto the co l lecti on ofEngl i sh Ode swh ich that gentlemanwas thenengaged in editi ng (Kegan Pau l ,

HOTEL BELVEDERE , DAVOS -P LATZ [D ec. 6 ,

MY DEAR WEG,— I have many l etters that I ough t towrite i n p referen ce to th is ; but a duty to lette rs and to

2 19


you p reva i l s ove r any p ri vate consid eration . You arego ing to co l l ect od es ; I cou ld not wish a bette r man todo so ; but I t rembl e l est you shou ld commit two s in s

ofom iss i on . You wi l l n ot, I am su re, be so far l eft to

yourse lf as to give us no more of D ryden tha n th e h ackneyed St . Cec i l i a ; Iknowyou wi l l give us some oth ersof th ose su rp ris i ng masterp i e ces where there i s more

susta i n ed eloquence an d harmony of Engl ish numbers

than i n a l l that has been written s i n ce ; th ere i s a mach i ne about a poeti ca l young lady, an d anoth e r about

e i th er Charl es o r James , I know not wh ich ; an d th ey

are both i ndesc ribab ly fine . (Is Marve l l’

s Horatia nOdegood enough ? I ha lf th ink so . ) But my great po i nti s a fea r th at you a re on e Ofthose wh o are unj ust to ou ro l d Tennyson ’ s Duke ofWel l i ngton . I h ave j ust been

ta l k ing i t over w ith Symon ds ; a nd we agreed thatwhether fo r i ts metri ca l effects , fo r its bri ef, p la in , s ti rr ing words of portra i ture , as —he “th at n eve r lost a nEngl i sh gun ,

”

or - th e,so ld i er sa lute ; or for th e h ero i c

apostroph e to N e lson , th at ode has n eve r been su rpassed inany tongue o r time. Gran t me th e Duke , OWeg ! I suppose you must not put in yours about th e

warsh i p ; you wi l l have to adm i t worse on es , howeven— Eve r yours , R. L . S .

To EDMUND GOSSE

[HOTEL BELVEDERE] , DAVOS , D ec. 19 , 1880.

Th i s letter i s a repo rt of a l ong sederunt, also stete runt,i n smal l committee at D avos- Pl atz , D ec. 1 5, 1880.

I ts resu l ts a re unhes i tat i ngly sh ot at your h ead.2 20


you give ? The Dy ing Chr istiano r one of h i s inim itabl e courtes i es These l ast are fa i rly odes , by the Horatia nmode l , just as my dear Meddowes i s an ode in th e nameand for th e sake of Ban dus ia .

( 1 3) Whateve r you do, you’

ll give us th eGr eek Vase.

( 14) Do you like Johnson’ s loathed stage ” ?Ve rses 2 , 3, an d 4a re so bad , a l so th e last l i n e. Butthere i s a fi ne movement an d feel i ng i n th e rest.We wi l l h ave the Duke of Wel l i ngton by God . Pro

Symonds an d Stevenson . R. L. S.

To C. W . STODDARD

The prospect h e re al luded to Of a cheap e diti on ofthe l ittle trave lbook s d id n ot g etreal i sed . The vo lum e ofe ssays in the printe r’ shandswas V irg inibus Puer isque . I do not knowwhatwe re thepage s i n broad Scotch copied byway ofenclosure .

HOTEL BELVEDERE , DAVOS - PLATz , SWITZERLAND[D ecem ber ,

DEAR CHARLES WARREN STODDARD, — Many th anks toyou fo r th e l ette r and th e photograph . Wil l you th i n k

itmean i f I as k you to wa it till th ere appea rs a p rom

ised chea p ed it i o n Poss ib ly th e can ny Scot does fee lp l easure i n th e superi o r ch eapness ; but th e true reasonis th i s , that I th in k to put a few words , by way of

notes , to each book i n i ts n ew form , because that wi l lb e th e Standa rd Edit i on , without wh ich n o g.

’

s I.1 wil lb e compl ete. T he ed it ion

,briefly , sine quanon. Be

1 Gentleman ’s l ibrary .

2 2 2

A LP I N E WINTERS AND H I GH LAND SUMMERS

fore that, I shall h ope to send you my essays , wh ichare i n th e printe r ’ s h ands . I l ook to get yours soon .

I am sorry to h ea r that th e Custom House h as p roved

fa l l ib le,l i k e a l l o th er human houses a nd customs . L i fe

consi sts ofthat sort of bus in ess , an d I fear th at th ere i sa c lass of man , of wh ic h you offer n o i napt type ,doomed to a k in d of m i ld , genera l d i sappoi ntmen tth rough l i fe . I d o not bel i ev e that a man is th e more

unhappy fo r that . D i sa ppo i n tment , except w ith on e’

s

s e lf, i s n ot a very cap i ta l a ffa i r ; and th e sh am beatitude

,B lessed i s h e that expectethl i t tl e , on e of

th e truest and , i n a sense, th e most Ch ri st l i k e th i ngs inl i te ratu re .

Al ongs i de of you , I h av e been a l l my days a red can

n on ba l l of d i ss ipated effort ; here I am by th e h ee l s i n

th i s Al p i n e va l ley , with j ust so much of a p rosp ect offutu re resto ratio n as sha l l make my presen t caged estat e

eas i ly to lerab l e to m e — sha l l o r sh ou ld , I wou ld no tswearto th e word before th e tr ia l

’

s don e . I m iss a l l myobjects i n th e meantime ; a nd , than k God , l have enoughofmy old, and maybe somewhat base , ph i losophy tokeep me ona good unde rstand ing w ith myse lf andProv iden ce .

Th e mere extent of a man ’ s trave l s has i n i t someth i ng conso latory . That h e shoul d hav e l eft fri endsand enem ies i n many d i fferent and d i stant quarte rs gives

a so rt ofea rth ly dign i ty to h i s exi sten ce. And I th i n kth e bette r ofmyself fo r th e be l i ef that I h ave l eft som ei n Ca l i fo rn i a i nterested i n me and my success es. Letme assu re you , youwho hav e made fri ends a lreadyamong such va ri ous and d istan t races , that th ere

,

i s a

certa i n ph th i s i ca l Scotwho wi l l a lways be p leased to2 23


h ea r good news of you , a nd woul d be bette r p leasedby noth i ng than to l ea rn that you had th rown off you r

p resent i n cubus , largely cons isti ng ofl etters , I be l i eve ,and had sai l e d i n to some square work by way ofch ange .

And by way ofch ange i n i ts elf, l et me copy onth eothe r pages some broad Scotch I wrote for youwhen Iwas i l l last sp ri ng i n Oak la n d . I t i s n o muckl e worth '

but ye shou ld na look a gi en hors e i n th e moo ’ .— Yoursever, R. L . STEVENSON.


The ve rse s,h e re m ent ioned

,to J ohn Brown (the adm i re d author ofRab andhis F r iends)we re m eant as areply to al ette r ofcongratu la

t io n onAnInland Voyage , rece ived fromhim the year be fore . Theyar e pr inted inUnderwoods

,p. 1 66 .

D ecem ber 2 1 , 1880. DAVOS.MY DEAR PEOPLE , - I do not u nderstand th ese r e

p roaches . Th e l etters come between seven an d n in ei n th e even i ng ; and every one about th e books wasanswered that same n ight, and th e answer l eft D avos

by seven o ’ c l ock n ext morn i ng. Perhaps th e snow de

layed th em ; i f s o ,’ti s a good h i n t to younot to be un

easy atappa rent s i l en ces . The re i s n o hurry about myfath er ’ s notes ; I s ha l l n ot be writ i ng anyth ing till l

get h ome agai n , I b e l i eve . On ly I want to be abl e toke ep read ing adhoc a l l winte r, as i t seems about a l l Ishal l be fi t fo r. About J ohn Brown , I have been break

i ng my heart to fin ish a Scotch poem to h im . Some2 24


To SIDNEY CO LV IN

[HOTEL BELVEDERE , DAVOS, Chr istmas,MY DEAR COLV IN , — Thanks fo r yours ; I wa i ted , as Isa i d I woul d . I now expect no answer from you , re

gard ing you as a mere dumb cock - shy, o r a target , atwh ich we fi re our a rrows d i l igently a l l day long

,with

no ant i c i pati on i twi l l br i ng th em back to us . We areboth sad ly mortified you are n ot com ing, but h ea lth

comes fi rst ; alas , that man sh ou l d be so c razy ! What

fun we cou ld have , i f we were a l l wel l , what work we

cou ld do , what a happy p lac e we cou l d make it fo r

each oth er ! I f I were abl e to do what I want ; but

th en I am not, and may l eave that ve in .N o. I do not th i n k I sha l l requ i re to know the

Gael i c ; few th ings a re written i n th at language , o reve r were ; i f you come to that, th e number of th ose

who cou ld wri te, or even read i t, th rough a lmost a l lmy period , must, by a l l a ccounts, have been i ncred ib ly

sma l l . Ofcou rse , unti l th e book is done , I must l i vea s much as poss ib l e i n th e H igh lan ds , and that su i ts my

book a s to h ea l th . I t i s a most i nte resti ng an d sad

sto ry , an d from the’45 i t i s a l l to be written fo r th e

fi rst t ime. Th is , ofcourse, wi l l cause me a fa r greate rd ifficu l ty about authori ti es ; but I have a l ready l ea rnedmuch , and where to l ook for more. One p leasan tfeatu re i s th e va st n umber of de l ightfu l writers I sh al l

h ave to dea l wi th : Burt, J oh nson , Boswel l , Mrs .

Gran t of Laggan , Scott. There will be i nteresti ngsect ions on th e Oss i an i c controversy and th e growthofth e taste fo r H igh land scenery. I h ave to touch

2 26

ALP IN E WINTERS AND H I GH LAN D SUMMERS

upon Rob Roy , F lo ra Macdona ld , th e strange sto ry ofLady Grange , th e b eautifu l sto ry of th e tenants onth eF o rfei ted Estates , an d th e odd , i n human probl em ofth e great evi ct i ons . The re l ig ious cond i ti on s a re w i l d

,

unknown , very surp ri s i ng. And th ree out ofmy five

parts rema i n h i th erto en ti re ly unwritten . Smack !Yours eve r, R . L. S .


Chr istmas Ser m on[HOTEL BELVEDERE, DAVOS, D ecem ber 26 ,

MY DEAR MOTHER , — I was very t i red yesterd ay an d

cou ldnotwri te ; toboggan ed so fu ri ous ly a l l morn i ng ;we had a de l i ghtfu l day , crowned by an i nc red ib led i nn er — more cou rses than I h ave fingers on my

hands . Your l etter a rr i ved du ly at n igh t, an d Ithankyou for i t a s I shou ld . You need not suppose l amat a l l i n sens ib l e to my fath er ’ s extrao rd i na ry k i n dnes s

about th i s book ; h e i s a bri ck ; I vote for h im free ly.Th e assuran ce you speak of i s what we a l l ought

to h ave , an d m ight h ave , an d sh ou l d not consent to l i v e

without. That peopl e do not have i t more than th ey doi s , I b e lieve , because persons speak so much i n l a rge

d rawn , th eo l ogi ca l s im i l i tud es , a n d won ’ t say outwhatth ey mean about life ,andm an,andGod , i n fa i r a nd squareh uman language . I wonder if you o r my fath e r eve rthough t of th e Obscuri t i es that

'

l i e upon h uman duty

from th e n egat i ve fo rm i n whi c h th e Ten Commandments a re stated , o r of h ow Ch ri st was so conti nua l ly

substi tuti ng affi rmati ons . Thou sha lt not ” i s but an2 2 7


examp l e ;“Thou shal t ” i s th e l aw of God . I t was

th is that seems meant i n th e ph ras e th at not one jotno r t i tt le of th e l aw Sh ou ld pass . But what led m e

to th e remark is th i s : A k i nd of black, angry l oo k goes

with that statement of th e l aw of negati ves . To lo v eo n e

’

s n e ighbou r a s onese lf ” i s c erta i n ly much hard er,

but states l i fe so much more a cti v ely , glad ly, andk i nd ly , that you can begi n to s e e some p l easure i n i t ;and till you can see p l easu re i n th es e hard cho ices an d

bi tte r n ecess i t i es , where i s th ere any Good N ews tomen ? Iti s much more important to do right than not

to do wrong ; fu rth e r, th e one i s poss ib l e , th e othe r h asa lways been andwill eve r be imposs ibl e ; an d th e fa i thfu l designto do r ighti s accepted by God ; that seemsto m e to be the Gospel , and that washowCh rist de livered us from the Law . Afte r peop le are to l d that,sure ly th ey m igh t h ea r more en couraging s ermons . Tob low the trumpet fo r good would seem th e Parson ’ s

bus i n ess ; and s i n c e i t i s not i n ou r own strength , but

by fa i th and p ers everan c e (no accou nt mad e ofs l i p s ) ,th at we are to run th e ra ce , I do not see where t hey

get th e materia l for th ei r g loomy d iscours es. F a i th i s

not to bel ieve th e B ibl e, but to be l i eve i n God ; i f you

bel i eve i n God (o r, fo r i t’ s th e same th ing, have that

assurance you speak about) , where i s th ere any moreroom for terro r ? Th ere a re on ly th ree poss ibl e attitudes — Optim ism , which h as gon e to smash ; Pess i

m ism , which i s on th e r i s i ng hand , and very popula rwi th many c l ergymen who seem to th in k th ey areCh ri st i ans ; and th is F a i th , whi ch i s th e Gospel .Onc e you ho l d th e las t , i t i s your bus i n ess ( I) to fin doutwhat i s righ t i n any given case, and (2 ) to try to

2 28


188 1 afte rwards pub l i shed inUnderwoods . The fo l lowing lette r refe rs to aE T. 3 ! copy ofCarly le ’ sRem iniscenceswh ich Ihad sent outtohim som e t im e

afte r I cam e back to Eng land .

[HOTEL BELVEDERE, DAVOS, Spr ing ,MY DEAR CO LV IN , - My hea l th i s not j ust what i t shou ldbe ; I h ave lost weight, pul se , respiration, etc. , and gain ed

noth i ng in th e way ofmy old be l lows. But these lastfew days , with ton i c , cod - l i ve r o i l , better wi ne (th erei s some bette r now ) , an d perpetua l beef—tea , I th i n k I

have p rogressed . To say truth , I h ave been here a l i tt l e ove r l ong. I was reckon i ng up , and s i n ce I have

known you , a l ready qu ite a wh i l e, I h av e not, I be l i eve,rema in ed so long i n any one p lace as h e re i n D avos .That te l l s onmy old gi psy nature ; l i k e a v io l i n hungup , I begi n to lose what musi c th ere was i n m e ; and

with th e musi c , I d o not know what bes ides, or do not

know what to ca l l i t, but someth i ng rad i ca l ly part of

l ife , a rhythm , pe rhaps , i n on e ’ s o l d an d so bruta l ly overridd en nerves , Or perha ps a k i nd of va ri ety of blood thatth e h eart has come to look fo r.

I purposely knocked myse lf O ff fi rst. As to F . A. S . ,

I b e l i eve I am no sound authority ; I a lternate betweena sti ff d is regard and a k i n d ofhorro r. I n n e i th er moodcan a man judge at a l l . I know th e th i ng to be terri

b ly peri l ous , I fea r i t to be now a ltogethe r h ope less .Luck has fai l ed ; th e weath er has not been favou rabl e ;an d i n h er tru e h eart , th e moth er h opes n o more . But

-wel l , I fee l a great deal , that I e i th er ca nnot or wi l ln ot say , as you wel l kn ow . I t has hel ped to make me

more con sc ious of th eWo l veri n e on my own should ers ,and that a ls o makes m e a poor j udge and poor adviser.

Perhaps, i f we were a l l march ed out i n a row, and a230

ALP I N E WINTERS AND H I GH LAND SUMME RS

p i ece ofp latoon fi ri ng to th e d rums performed , i t wou ldbe wel lfor us ; a l th ough , I suppose — an d yet I wonder !— so i l l fo r th e poor moth er a nd fo r th e cl ea r w ife . But

you can see th i s makes me morbid . Suficit; expl icit.Youa re righ t about th e Car ly l e book ; F . and l are i n

a world not ou rs ; but pardon me , as far a s s end ing ongoes , we take anoth e r V i ew : th e fi rst vo l ume , alabonneheur e ! but not — n ever — th e second . Two hours ofhysteri cs ca n be no good matte r fo r a s i ck - nurs e , an d

th e strange, hard , o l d bei ng i n so lamentab le an d yeth uman a deso lati on — c ry ing out l i k e a bu rnt ch i ld , a nd

yet a lways wise ly a nd beaut ifu l ly h ow can th at en d ,as a p iece ofread ing, even to th e strong but on th e

bri n k ofth e most c rue l k i n d ofweep i ng ? I observeth e o l d man ’ s sty l e i s stronger onme than ever i t was ,an d by rights , too , S i nce I h ave just l a i d down h i s mostatta ch ing book . God rest th e ba ith o ’ th em ! But even

ifthey do not meet aga i n , how we shou l d a l l b e strengthened to be k i nd , an dnoton ly i n act, i n s peec h a lso , thatso much more important part. S ee what th i s a post l eof s i lence most regrets , not speak ing out h i s h eart.I was struck as you were by th e admi rab le, sudden ,c l ea r sunsh i ne upon South ey — even on h is works . Symonds , to whom I rep eated i t, remarked a t on ce , a man

wh o was thus respected by both Ca rly l e an d Lando rmust h ave had more i n h im than we can t race. So Ifee lwith true humi l i ty .

I t was to save my bra i n that Symonds p roposed revi ewing . He and , i t appea rs , Les l i e Steph en fea r a l i tt l e some ecl i pse ; 1 am not quite without sha ri ng th e

fea r. I kn ow my own languor as n o on e e ls e does ; i ti s a dead down - draught, a h eavy fa rde l . Yet i f I cou ld

23 1


shake offth e wol veri n e aforesa id , an d h is fangs arel ighter

,th ough perh aps I fee l th em more , I b e l i ev e I

cou ld be mysel f aga i n a wh i l e . I h ave not written any

l ette r fo r a great t ime ; non e say i ng what I fee l , s i n ce

you were h e re,I fan cy . Be du ly obl iged fo r i t, an d

take my most earn est thanks not on ly fo r th e books

but fo r you r l ette r. — You r a ffectionate R . L . S.

Th e effect of read ing th i s on F anny sh ows me I mustte l l you I am very hap py , peacefu l , and j ol ly , excep t fo r

questi ons ofwork and th e states of oth er peop l e .Woggins ends h i s l ove .

To H . F . BROWN

A close i nt imate ofJ . A . Sym onds,and frequent v i s itor atDavos ,was Mr . H orat i o F . Brown , author ofU] ? onthe Lagoons , etc. He

tookwarm ly , as d i d every one,to Steven son . The fo l lowi ng two

note s ar e from acopy of Penn ’ s F ruits ofS ol itude , pri nted atPh i lade lph ia

,wh ich Stevenson senthim as agift th i swi nte r afte r h i s return

to Ven ice .

DAVOS, 188 1 .MY DEAR BROWN , — Here i t i s , with th e mark ofa San

F ran c i sco bouquiniste. And i f eve r i n a l l my“humanconduct I h ave don e a better th i ng to any fe l l ow

creature than hand i ng onto you th i s Sweet , d ign ifi ed ,an d who lesome book , I k now I s ha l l h ea r of i t onth el as t day. To write a book l i ke th i s were imposs ib l e ;at l east on e can han d i t oh— with a wrench — on e toa noth er. My wife c ri es outand my own heart m i s

gives me , but st i l l h ere i t i s . I cou ld s carce ly better

p rove myse lf you rs affect ionate ly,R. L. STEVENSON .

2 32

188 1

IET. 3 1


Moon - s een and merry, under th e t re l l i ses ,F l ush - faced th ey p layed with old po lysy l l ab les ;

Spri ng scents i n s p i red , old wine d i l uted ,Love and Apo l l o were th ere to ch orus .

N owth es e , th e songs , rema i n to ete rn i ty ,Those , on ly those , th e bount ifu l cho ristersGone — th ose a re gon e , th ose un rememberedS l eep an d a re s i l en t i n earthfor ever.

So man h imse l f a ppea rs a nd evan i sh es ,So sm i l es and goes ; a s wandere rs ha l t i ng at

Some green - embowered h ous e , p lay th ei r mus i c,P lay a nd are gon e on th e wi ndy h ighway ;

Yet dwel l s th e st ra i n ensh ri n ed i n th e m emoryLong after th ey depa rted eterna l ly ,

F orth - fa ri ngtow’

rd far mounta i n summits,Ci t i es of men onth e s ound i ngOcean .

Youth sang th e song i n years immemoria l ;B rave Chant i c l ee r, h e sang and was beaut ifu l ;B i rd - haunted , green tree—tops i n s p ri ngt im eHeard and were p leased by th e vo ice ofs i ngi ng ;

Youth goes , a nd l eaves beh i nd h im a p rod igy

Songs s en t by thee afa r from Ven et ia nSea- grey Iagunes , s ea- paven h ighways ,D ear to m e h ere i n my Al p i n e exi l e .

P l eas e, my dear B rown , forgive my horri d delay.

Symonds overworked and knocked up . I offm ys l eep ; my wife gone to Pari s . Weath er l ovely.

Yours ever, ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON.234

ALP I N E WINTERS AN D H I GH LAND SUMMERS

Monte Gen eroso i n May ; h ere, I th i nk , till th e endofApri l ; wri te agai n , to prove youa re forgiv i ng.


Monte Gene ro sowas given up ; and ontheway hom e to ScotlandSteven sonhad stopped for awh i le atFontai neb leau

,and then in

Par i s ;whence , fi nding h im se lf unp l easantly affected by the cl imate,he pre sently took refuge atSt. Ge rmain .

HOTEL DU PAV I LLON HENR I IVST. GERMA IN—EN- LAYE , Sunday , May I st, 188 1 .

MY DEAR PEOPLE , — A week i n Pa ri s reduced m e toth e l im pness and lac k ofap pet i te p ecu l ia r to a k i d glove

,

and gave F an ny a j umpi ng sore th roat. I t ’ s my bel i ef

th ere i s d eath i n th e kett l e th ere ; a pest i l ence or th e

l i k e. We came out h ere, p itched onth e Star andGarter (th ey ca l l i t Somebody

’

s pavi l i on) , found th e

p lac e abed ofl i l acs and n ighti nga l es (fi rs t t im e I everh eard one) , a nd a lso ofa b i rd ca l l ed th e p iasseur , ch eerfulestofsy lvan c reatu res , an i dea l com i c opera i n its e l f.“Come a long, what fun , h ere

’ s Pani n th e n ext gladeat p i cn i c , a nd th i s - yer

’

s Arcad ia , and i t’

s awfu l fun ,and I ’ve had a glass

,I w i l l n ot d eny

,but n ot to s ee i t

onme , ” th at i s h i s mean i ng as n ea r a s I can gath er.Wel l , th e p lace (fo res t ofbeech es a l l n ew - fledg ed,

grass l i k e ve lvet , fleets of hyaci nth) p l eas ed us an dd id us good . We tri ed all ways to find a ch eaper p lace,but cou l d fi nd noth i ng safe ; co ld , damp , bri ck- floored

rooms and s i ch ; we cou l d n ot l eave Pa ri s t i l l yours even days ’ s ight ondraft exp i red ; we dared not goback to be m iasmatised i n th es e homes ofputrid i ty ;

235

188 1

EST. 31


so he re we are ti l l Tuesday i n th e Star and Carter .

My th roat i s qu ite cured , appet i te a nd strength on th emend . F an ny seems a ls o p ick i ng up .

Ifwe are to come to Scot land , Iwil l h ave fir—t rees ,and I want a burn , th e fi rs fo r my phys i ca l

,th e wate r

fo r my mora l h ea l th . Eve r affect i onate son

To EDMUND GOSSE

At P itlochry,Steven son was for som e week s in good health

andwork i ng orde r. The i nqu ir ie s about the later l i fe ofJ eanCaval ie r

,the Prote stant leade r i n the Cevenne s

,re fe r to a l ite rary

sch em e,whethe r of romance or h i story I forget

,wh ichhad been in

h i s m i n d eve r s ince the Trave lswithaD onkey .

P ITLOCHRY , PERTHSH IRE , j une 6 , 188 1 .

MY DEAR WEG, Here I am i n my nati ve l a nd , being

gently b lown and ha i l ed u pon , and s i tt i ng n eare r and

n earer to th e fi re. A cottage n ear a moor i s soon to

recei ve ou r human forms ; i t i s a l s o n ear a burn to

wh ich Professo r B lack i e (no less !) has wri tten s ome

vers es i n h i s h ot o ld age , and n ear a fa rm from whencewe s ha l l d raw cream and fatness . Shou ld I b e m ovedto j oi n B lacki e , I s ha l l go upon my knees and p rayhard aga i n st temptati o n ; a l th ough , s i n ce th e n ew Ve r

s i on , I do not know th e p roper form of words . Theswol l en

,ch i l d i s h

,and pedanti c van i ty that moved the

sai d revi s ers to put “bri ng ” fo r “l ead , ” i s a s ort ofl i te ra ry fau l t that ca l l s fo r a n etern a l h e l l ; i t may be

qu ite a sma l l p l ace,a sta r ofth e l east magn i tude , and

Shabbi ly furn i s h ed ; th e re sha l l th e revi sers

ofth e B ib l e and oth er abso l ute ly loaths om e l i tera ry2 36

188 1

A!T. 3 1


count onmy undyi ng grati tude . Lang ’ s L ib ra ry i s

very p leasant read i ng . My bookwil l reach you soon ,fo r I wri te about i t today .

— Yours eve r,RO BERT LOU IS STEVENSON.

To SIDNEY COLV IN

Work on ase rie s oftale s of te rro r , or, ashe cal le d them,

crawle rs

,

” p lanned lnco l laborat i o nwith h i swi fe , soon supe rseded for them om ent other l ite rary inte re sts in h i s m i n d .

K INNA IRD COTTAGE , P ITLOCHRY , PERTHSH IRE,j une , 188 1 .

MY DEAR CO LV IN , The B lack Manand OtherThe B lack ManI . Th rawn J anet.I I . Th e D evi l onCramond Sands .

Th e Shadow onth e B ed .The Body Snatch ers .Th e Cas e Bottl e .Th e K i ng ’ s Horn .

Th e Acto r ’ s Wife .The Wreck of th e Susanna.

Th is i s th e n ew work on wh ich I am engaged withF anny ; th ey a re a l l s upernatu ra l .

“Th rawn J anet15 offto Steph en , but as i t i s a l l i n Scotch h e cannottake i t, I know. I t was so good, I cou ld not h e lp sendi ng it . My h ea lth improves . We have a l ove ly spoth ere : a l i tt l e green gl en with a burn

,a wonderfu l burn ,

g o ld and green and snow-white, s i ngi ng l oud and low238

ALP I N E WINTERS AND H I GH LAND SUMMERS

i n d ifferent steps ofi ts ca reer, n ow pouri ng over m i n i atu re crags

,n ow frett i ng i tse l f to death i n a maze of

rocky sta i rs and pots ; n eve r was s o sweet a l i tt l e ri ver .Beh i nd

,great purple moorlands reach i ng to Ben Vrackie .

Hunger l i ves h ere , a lon e with larks an d sh eep . Sweetspot , sweet s pot.

Write m e a word about Bob’

s p rofesso ri ate and

Lando r,a nd what you th i n k ofThe B lack Man. Th e

ta les are all ghast ly . Th rawn J anet frigh ten ed meto d eath . Th ere wi l l maybe be anoth er “Th e D eadMan ’ s Lette r. I b e l i eve I sha l l recover ; an d I am , i n

th i s b less ed h ope, yours exuberant ly , R . L. S .

To PRO FESSORfENEAs MACKAYTh i s and the n ext four or five lette rs refe r to the cand idature ofR . L. S . forthe Edinburgh Chai r.

K INNA IRD COTTAGE, PITLOCHRY ,Wednesday , june 2 1 , 1881 .

MY DEAR MACKAY , — What i s th i s I h ea r — th at you a re

reti r i ng from you r ch ai r. I t i snot, l hope , from i l lh ea l th

But i f you are reti ri ng, may I ask i f you have p rom

i sed you r suppo rt to any successo r ? I h ave a great

m i nd to try . Th e summer s ess i on wou ld su i t m e ; th echa i r wou ld su i t m e — ifon ly I wou ld su i t i t ; I c erta i n lyshou ld work i t hard : th at I can p rom is e. I o n ly wish

i t were a few years fromnow, when I h ope to haves ometh i ng more substant i a l to s h ow for mysel f. U pto th e p res en t t ime, a l l that I h ave pub l i sh ed , even bor

239

188 1

3 1

LETTERS OF R. Ia STEVENSON

deri ng onh is to ry , has been i n a n occas i ona l form , andI fea r th i s i s much aga i nst me .P l eas e l et me h ear a word i n a nswer, and be l i eve me ,yours very s i n cere ly, RO BERT LOU IS STEVENSON .

To PROFESSORfENEAS MACKAYK INNA IRD COTTAGE , P ITLOCHRY , PERTHSH IRE

[j une,MY DEAR MACKAY , — Than k you very muchfor yourk i nd l etter, and st i l l more for you r good Opi n i on . You

a re not th e on ly one whohas regretted my absen ce fromyour l ectu re s ; but you were to m e , th en , on ly a part of

a mangl e th rough wh ic h I was bei ng s lowly and unwi l l

ing ly d ragged — part of a cou rs e wh i ch I had not chos en— part , i n a word , of a n organ is ed boredom .

I am glad to have you r reas on s fo r gi vi ng u p th e ch a i r ;th ey are part ly p l easant

,and part ly h onou rabl e to you .

And I th i n k on e may say that every man who publ ic lyd ec l i n es a p lu ra l i ty ofoffices makes i t perceptib ly mored ifficu l tfor th e n ext man to accept th em .

Every one te l l s me th at I come too l ate upon th e fi el d ,every on e bei ng p l edged , wh ich , seei ng it i s yet too early

fo r any one to come u pon th e fi e ld , I must regard as apol i te evas i on . Yet a l l advi s e me to stand , as i t m ight

s erve m e agai n st th e n ext vacancy . So stand I sha l l ,un less th i ngs a re changed . As i t i s , with my h ea lth th i s

summer c l ass i s a great attract i on ; i t i s p erhaps th e on lyh ope I may have ofa perman en t i n come . I h ad suppose d the n eeds ofth e ch ai r m ight be met by choos i ngevery year some peri od ofh is to ry i n wh i ch questi ons of

240

188 1

LETTERS O F R. I2 STEV ENSON

I sure ly n eed not add , dea r lad , that i f you don’

t fee l

l i ke i t , you wi l l on ly have to pac i fy me by a l ong l ette ro n gene ra l sub j ects , when I s h a l l hasten to respond i nrecompense fo r my assau l t u pon th e posta l h ighway .

To EDMUND GOSSE

K INNA IRD COTTAGE , P ITLOCHRY [j uly ,

MY DEAR WEG, Many thanks fo r th e testimon ia l ;many thanksfor your b l i nd , wonderi ng l ette r ; manywish es , l a st ly , fo r you r swift recove ry . I n somn ia i s

th e oppos i te po l e from my comp la i n t ; wh ich bri ngs

with i t a n e rvous l ethargy , an un k i n d , unwho l esome ,and ungent l e somno l ence , fru i tfu l i n h eavy h eads a nd

h eavy eyes at morn i ng. You cannot s l eep ; wel l , I canbest exp la i n my state thus : I cannotwake . S l eep ,l i k e th e l ees ofa poss et , l i ngers a l l day , l ead- h eavy , i n

my kn ees and ank l es . Weight onth e sh ou lders , torpo ronth e bra i n . And th e re i s more than too much Ofthat from an ungratefu l h ound who i s n ow en j oyi ngh is fi rs t d ecent ly competent a nd p eacefu l weeks fo r

c los e u pon two yea rs ; happy i n a b ig brown moor

beh i nd h im , a nd an i n comparab le bu rn by h i s s i d e ;ha ppy, above a l l , i n some work fo r at last I am atwork with that app et i te and confiden ce that a lonemakes work suppo rtab l e .Itold you I h ad someth i ng e ls e to say . I am veryted i ous i t i s anoth e r request . InAugust a nd a goodpart of September we s ha l l be i n B raemar, i n a hous ewi th s ome accommodati on . N owB ra ema r i s ap lace

242

ALP I N E WINTERS AND H I GH LAND SUMME RS

patron i s ed by th e roya l ty of th e S i s te r K i ngdomsV i cto ria and th e Ca i rngorms , s i r, h onou ri ng th at coun

try- s id e by th ei r conj unct p res ence . Th is s eems tome th e s pot for A Bard . N owcan you come to seeusfor a l i tt l e wh i le ? I can prom is e you, you must

l i ke my fath er, becaus e you a re a human bei ng ; you

ought to like B raemar, becaus e ofyou r avocati on ;a nd you ought to l i ke me , because I l i k e you; a ndaga i n , you must l i ke my wife , becaus e s h e l i kes cats

and as for my moth er we ll, come a nd see, what doyou th i nk ? that i s best . Mrs . Gosse , my wife te llsme , wi l l have oth e r fi sh to fry ; and to b e p la i n , Is h ou l d not l i ke to as k h er ti l l I h ad seen th e h ouse .But a l on e man I know we shall be equa l to . Q u

’

endis-tn? Viens . Yours , R . L. S .

To P. G . HAMERTON

K INNA IRD COTTAGE, PITLOCHRY [july,

MY DEAR MR. HAMMERTON, (There goes th e s econdM ; i t i s a certa i n ty . ) Than k youfor you r p rompt a ndk i nd an swer, l i tt l e as I des erved i t, th ough I hope tos h ow you I was l ess u ndeserv i ng th an I s eemed . But

j ust m ight I de l ete two words i n you r testimon i a l ?Th e two words “and lega l '

were u nfortunate ly

wi nged by chance aga i n s t my weakes t s pot, and

would go fa r to damn me.I t was not my b l i ss that l was i nte rested i n when Iwas marri ed ; i t was a s o rt of marri age inextr em is;and i f I am where I am , i t i s th anks to th e ca re ofthat

243


lady who marri ed me when Iwas a mere comp l i cati onofcough and bones , much fi tte r for an emblem ofm orta l i ty than a bri degroom .

I had a fa i r experi ence of that k i nd of i l l n ess when

a l l th e women (God ble ss th em !) tu rn round upon th est re ets and l ook afte r you with a look that i s on ly too

k i n d not to be c rue l . I h ave h ad n e arly two years of

more or l ess p rostrat i o n . l have don e nowork whateve r s i n ce th e F ebrua ry befo re l as t unti l qu ite ofla te .To be p rec i s e , unti l th e begi n n i ng of last month , exactly two essays . All l a stwi n te r Iwas at D avos ; a ndi ndeed I am home h ere j ust now aga in st th e doctor ’ sord ers , a nd must soon be back aga i n to that unki nd ly

h aun t“upon th e mounta i ns vi s i tan t th e re goes n oange l th ere but th e ange l ofdeath .

1 Th e deaths ofl as t wi nter a re sti l l so re s pots to m e . So , you see,I am not very l i ke ly to go ona wi ld exped iti on

,c i s

Stygi an at l east. Th e t ruth i s, I am sca rce justifi ed i n

stand i ngfor th e c ha i r, th ough I h ope you wi l l n ot ment ion th i s ; and yet m y hea l th i s one of my reasons , fo rth e c l as s i s i n summ e r.I h op e th i s statement ofmy case wi l l make my longn egl ect ap pear le ss unk i nd . I t was certa i n ly not becauseI eve r fo rgot you , or your unwonted ki n dness ; and i t

was not because I was i n any s ense ri ot i ng i n p l easu res .

I am glad to h ea r th e catamaran i s on h er l egs aga i n ;you have my warmest wish es fo r a good cru i se down

th e Saone ; and yet th ere comes some envy to thatwish , for when s ha l l I go c ru i s i ng ? Here a sh eer

h u l k , a las ! l i es R . L . S . But I wi l l conti nue to hop e

1 The reference i s ofcourse to Wordsworth ’s S ong atthe F eastofB r ougham Castl e .

244


Why have you n ot sent me a testim onial ? Everybody e lse but you has responded , and Symonds , butI ’

m afra i d h e ’

s i l l . Do th i nk , too , i f anybody e ls e

wou ld wri te me a test imon ia l . I am to l d quanti ty

goes far. l have good on es from Rev . Professor Campb e ll, Professo r Me ik lejohn, Lesl i e Ste ph en , Lang, Gosse ,an d a very shaky one from Hamerton .

Grant i s an e lecto r, so can’

t , but has written m ek in d ly . F rom Tu l lo ch I have not yet h eard . Do h el p

m e with suggestions . Th is o ld cha i r, with i ts £2 50

and i t s l ight work , would make me .I t l ooks as i f we shoul d take Cater s cha let 1 after a l l ;but 0 ! to go back to that place , i t s eems crue l . I h av e

not yet rece ived th e Lan do r ; but i t may be at home ,deta i n ed by my moth er, who retu rns to - morrow.

Bel i e v e me , dea r Co lv i n , eve r yours , R. L . S.

You rs came ; th e c lass i s i n summer ; many than ks

fo r th e test imon ia l , i t i s bul ly ; arri ved a long with i tan oth er from Symonds , a l so bu l ly ; h e i s ill, but notl ungs , thank God — fev er got i n I ta ly . Wehave takenCater ’ s cha l et ; so we are n ow the a ri sto

’

s of th e va l l ey.Th ere i s n o hope for m e, but if th ere were , you wou ldhea r sweetness an d l ight stream ing from my l i ps.

Th e Merry MenC hap . I . Ei l ea n Aros .

I I . What th e Wreck had brough t to T i pAros . Top

III. Past an d Present i n Sandag Bay .

Tale .

Iv. Th e Gal e.v. A Manout of th e Sea .

1 At Davos- P latz .

246

ALP I N E WINTERS AND H I GH LAN D SUMMERS

TOW . E. HENLEY

K INNA IRD COTTAGE , P ITLOCHRY , j uly , 1 88 1 .

MY DEAR HENLEY , -I hope, th en , to h ave a v is i t from

you . I f befo re August, h ere ; i f l ate r, at B raema r.Tupe !And now , m onbon, I must babb l e about The Merry

Men, ” my favou ri te work . Iti s a fan tasti c sonata about

th e sea and wrecks . Chapter I . “Ei l ean Aro s - th e

i s la n d , th e roost , th e“merry men , th e th ree peop l e

th ere l iv i ng — sea superst i ti on s . Chapter I I . “Whatth e Wreck had brought to Aro s . Eh, boy what ha d

i t ? S i l ve r an d c locks an d brocades , an d what a consc ien ce , what a mad bra i n ! Chapter I I I . “Past an dP res en t i n Sandag Bay — th e n ew wreck and th e o l d— so o ld — th e Armada treasu re - Sh i p , SantIna Trinidth e grave i n th e heath e r — strangers th ere . Chapter Iv.

Th e Gal e — th e doomed sh i p — th e sto rm — th e

drunken madman on th e h ead — cri es i n th e n ight.

Chapter v.

“AManout ofth e Sea . But I mustnotbreath e to you my p lot. I t i s , I fan cy , my fi rst rea l

s hoot at a story ; a n odd th i ng, s i r, but, I b e lieve , my

own, th ough th ere i s a l itt l e of Scott ’ s P irate i n i t , ash ow shou l d th e renot He h ad th e root of romance i n

such p la ces . Aros i s Ear raid, where I l i ved lang syn e ;the Ross ofGrisapOl i s th e Ross ofMu l l ; Ben Ryan , BenMore. I h ave written to th e m idd l e of Chapter Iv.

L i k e en ough , when it i s fin i sh ed I sha l l d isca rd a l l chaptering s ; fo r th e th ing is written stra igh t th rough . I t

must , unh app i ly , be rewri tten — toowe ll written notto be.

247


The cha i r i s on ly th ree month s i n summer ; that i swhy I try fo r i t. I f I get i t, whi ch I sha l l not, I shou l dbe i ndependent a t on ce . Sweet thought. I l i ked you rByron wel l ; your Berl ioz bette r. NOone woul d remark

these cuts ; even I , who was look i ng for i t, kn ew it not

a t all to be a tor so. The paper st rength ens me i n myrecomm e ndati on to you to fo l low Co l vi n ’ s h i n t . Giveus a n 1830 ; you wi l l d o i t wel l , and th e subj ect sm i leswide ly on th e world

1830 : A Chapter ofArtisticHistory , by Wil l i am Er

nest.Hen l ey (or ofSocial and ArtisticHistory , as th e

th i ng m igh t grow to you) . S i r, you migh t be i n th eAth enaeum yet with that ; and , bel i eve me , you m igh t

and would be far better, th e autho r Ofa readab l e book .

— You rs eve r, R . L . S .

The fo l l owi ng names have been i nven ted forWogg

by h i s clear papaGrunty - pig (when he i s sc ratched) ,Rose - mouth (when he comes fly ing up wi th h i s rose

l eaf tongue depend i ng) , an dHoofen—boots (when h e has h ad h i s foots wet) .How wou ld Tal esfor Winter Nights do

To W. E. HENLEY

The Spe l l of good health d id n ot last long,andwith abreak ofthe

weathe r cam e areturn ofcatarrhal troub le s and haem orrhage . Th is lette r an swe rs som e cr it ici sm s m ade by h i s corre spondent on“The M e rryMen” as drafted in MS .

248


To SIDNEY COLV IN

The refe rence to Landor in the fo l lowi ng i s to avo lum e of m ine inMr . Morl ey ’ s se rie s of Engl i sh MenofLette rs .” Th i s and the n exttwo or th re e yearswe re those ofthe Fen ian dynam ite outrage s atCle rkenwe l l Pri son , the Towe r of London, the H ouse ofLords

,etc.

P ITLOCHRY , August, 188 1 .

MY DEAR COLV IN, — Th i s i s th e fi rs t l ette r I have wri ttenth i s good whi l e . I h ave h ad a bruta l co ld , not perhaps

very wise ly treated ; l ots of b lood — for me , I m ean . I

was so wel l,h owever, before , th at I s eem to be sa i l i ng

th rough with i t sp l end id ly . My appet ite n ever fa i l ed ;i nd eed , as I got worse , i t sharpen ed — asort Ofreparatory i nsti n ct. N owI fee l i n a fa i r way to get roundsoon .

Monday , August(2nd, i s i t — We set outfo r th e

Sp ita l of G l ensh ee , an d reach B raemar on Tuesday.

Th e Braemar ad dress we can not learn ; i t l ooks as ifBraema r ” were al l that was necessary ; i f pa rt i cu la r,you can address 1 7 Heriot Row. We shal l b e d el ighted

to see youwh en eve r, and as soon as eve r, you canmake i t poss ibl e .

I h ope h earti ly you wi l l surv i ve me , an d do notdoubt i t. There are s even o r eight peop l e i t i s no partof my sch eme i n l i fe to su rv i ve — yet ifl cou l d but hea lm e of my b e llowse s , I cou l d have a j o l ly l i fe — have i t,even now , when I ca n work an d stro l l a l i tt l e, as I h avebeen do i ng ti l l th i s co l d . I h ave so many th ings tomake l i fe sweet to me , i t s eems a p ity I cannot have

2 50

ALP I N E WINTERS AN D H I GH LAND SUMMERS

th at oth er one th i ng — h ea l th . But th ough you wi l lbe angry to hear i t, I be l i eve , for myself at least, whati s i s best. I b e l ieved i t a l l th rough my worst days

,

and I am not ashamed to p rofess i t now.

Landor has j ust tu rn ed up ; but I h ad read h im alrea dy . I l i k e h im extremely ; I wonder if th e

“cutswere perhaps not advan tageous . I t s eems quitefullen ough ; but then you know I am a com p r essionist.I f I am to cri t i c i s e, i t i s a l i tt l e sta i d ; but th e c lass i ca li s a p t to l ook so . I t is i n cu rious contrast to that inexp ress i ve , unp lann ed wi lde rn ess of F orste r

’ s ; c l ea r, read

ab l e, p rec i s e , an d suffi c i e ntly human . I see noth ing

losti n i t, th ough I cou l d h ave wish ed , i n my Scotc hcapac i ty , a trifle c l ea re r and fu l l e r expos i t i on ofh ism ora l att i tude , wh ich i s not qu ite c l ea r from here.He and h is ty ran n i c ide ! I am i n a mad fury about

th ese exp los ions . I f that i s th e n ew worl d ! D amn

O’

DonovanRossa ; damn h im beh i n d and befo re , above ,bel ow, an d round about ; damn , dera c i nate, a nd destroy

h im , root and branch , se lf a n d company, worl d without

en d . Amen . I write th at for spo rt i f you l i ke , but I

w i l l p ray i n earn est , O Lo rd , i f you cannot convert,k i n d ly del ete h im !

Sto ri es natura l ly at— ha lt. Hen l ey has seen oneand app roves . I be l i eve i t to be good myse l f, evenr eal good . -He has a lso seen an d app roved on e ofF anny ’ s . I t wi l l mak e a good vo lume. We haven ow :

Th rawn J anet (with Steph en ) , p roof today.Th e Shadow onth e B ed (F an ny ’ s Copy ing) .Th e Merry Men(scrol l ed) .Th e Body Snatch ers (sc ro l led) .

2 51

188 1

IET. 3 1


Ingerm isTh e T ravel l i ng Compan i on .Th e Torn Su rp l i ce (notfinal title) .

Yours ever, R. L. S.

TO DR. ALEXANDER J APPDr. Japphadwr itten to R . L . S . cr it ic i s ing statem ents of fact and

Op in ion i n h i s e ssay on Thoreau,and expre ss ing the hope that they

m ight m e et and d iscuss the i r d iffe rence s . Inthe i nte rval betweenthe last l etter and th i s Steve nsonwith all h i s fam i lyhad m ove d toBraemar.

THE COTTAGE , CASTLETON OF BRAEMAR,Sunday , August, 1 88 1 .

MY DEAR S IR, — I sh oul d long ago have wri tten tothank you for your k i n d and frank lette r ; but i n mystate Of h ea l th papers a re ap t to get m i s la id , and you rl ette r h as been va i n ly hunted for un ti l th i s (Sunday)morn ing.

I regret I sha l l n ot b e abl e to see you i n Edi nbu rgh ;one v is i t to Ed inbu rgh h as a l rea dy cost m e too dea r i n

th at i nva l uabl e particu la r, h ea l th ; but if i t shou l d be at

all poss ibl e for you to push on as fa r as B raemar, I b el i eve you would find an attenti v e l i stener, and I can

offer you a bed , a drive , and necessa ry food , etc .

I f, however, you s hou l d n ot be ab l e to come thus

far, I can p rom ise you two th i ngs : F i rst, I sh a l l re l ig ious ly revi se what I h ave written , an d bring out more

c l early th e poi nt of V iew from wh ich I regarded Thoreau ; second , I sh a l l i n th e Prefac e reco rd your obj ecti on .The poi n t of V i ew (an d I must ask you not to fo rgetthat any such short paper i s essent ia l ly on ly a section

252


ered much energy . I t i s rea l ly extrao rd i nary that Is houl d h ave recovered as wel l as I h ave i n th is b l ight

i ng weath e r ; th e wi nd p i p es , th e ra i n comes in squa l l s ,great b lac k c l oud s a re cont i nua l ly o ve rh ead , an d i t i s a s

co l d as Ma rch . Th e country i s d el igh tfu l , more cannotbe sa i d ; i t i s very beauti fu l , a perfect j oy when we get

a b l i n k of sun to see i t i n . Th e Q ueen knows a th ingor two, I p erce i ve ; sh e has p i cked out th e finest h ab i

tab l e spot i n B rita i n .

I h ave done no work , and sca rce wri tten a l ette r fo rth ree weeks , but I th in k I sh ou l d soon begin agai n ; my

cough i s n ow very t rifl i ng. I ea t wel l , an d seem to have

lost butl itt l e fles h i n th e m eanwh i l e . I waswonderful ly well befo re I caugh t th i s h orri d co ld . I n eve r

th ought I sh oul d h ave been a s wel l aga i n ; I rea l lyenj oyed l i fe and work ; and , ofcourse , I n ow have agood hope that th i s may retu rn .

I su ppose you h ea rd of our ghost stori es . They a resomewhat d el ayed by my co ld an d a bad attack of

laz i n ess , embro idery, etc . , under wh ich F anny had been

some time prostrate . I t i s h o rri d that we can get n o

bette r weathe r. I d i d n ot get such good accounts ofyou as m igh t have been . Youmust im i tate me . l am

nowone of th e most consc i en ti ous p eop l e at try ing toget bette r you eve r saw . I h ave a wh i te h at , i t i s much

admi red ; a l so a p la i d , and a h eavy stoop ; so I take mywalks abroad , W i tc h ing th e worl d .

Last n igh t I was beaten at ch ess , an d am sti l l gri nd ingunder the b low. Ever you rfa i thfu l fri en d

ALP I N E WINTERS AND H I GH LAN D SUMME RS

To EDMUND GOSSE

THE COTTAGE (LATE THE LATE MISSCASTLETON OF BRAEMAR, August10, 188 1 .

,MY DEAR GOSSE, — Come onth e 24th, th ere i s a d ea rfe l low. Everybody e l se wants to come later, an d i twillbe a godsend fo r, s i r — Yours s i n ce re ly .

You can stay as l ong as you behave decent ly, an d aren ot s i ck of, s i r — Your obed i en t, humb l e se rvan t .We have fam i ly worsh i p i n th e h ome of, s i r — Yoursrespectfu l ly .

Braema r i s a fin e country, but n oth ing to (what youwi l l a l so see) th e maps of, s i r— Yours i n th e Lo rd .

A ca rr iage an d two span k i ng hacks d raw up da i ly atthe hou r oftwo befo re th e h ouse of, s i r — Yours tru ly .

The ra i n ra in s an d th e wind s do beat upon th e cottageofth e late Mi ss Macgregor a nd of, S ir — You rs affecti o nat

’

ely.

I t i s to be trusted that th e weath e r may imp rove ere

you know the ha l l s of, s i r You rs emphat i ca l ly.All wi l l be glad to we lcome you, n ot excep ti ng, s i rYours ever.

You wi l l n ow have gath e red th e lamentab le inte llectu

‘

a l c o l l apse of, s i r — Yours i n deed .

And noth i ng remai n s fo r m e but to S ign myse l f, s i rYours, ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON .

N. B .— Each ofth es e c l auses h as to be read with

extreme gl ibn ess , coming down whack upon th e S i r.Th i s i s Very important . The fine sty l i s ti c i nsp i rat i onwi l l e lse be lost.

3 55


I comm it th e man who made, th e man who so ld , andth e woman who sup p l i e d me w ith my p resent excru

ciating gi l t n ib to that p lace where th e worm n ever .d i es .The referen ce to a deceased H igh land lady (ten d i ngas i t does to foster unava i l ing sorrow) may be witha d van tage om itted from th e add ress , whi ch wou ldth erefore run — The Cottage , Cast leton of B raemar.

I

To EDMUND GOSSE

THE COTTAGE , CASTLETON OF BRAEMAR ,August1 9 , 1 88 1 .

IF you had an unc l e whowas a sea capta i n and wentto th e N orth Pol e , you had bette r bring h i s outfit. V er

bum sap ientibus. I look towards you .

R . L. STEVENSON.

To EDMUND GOSSE

[BRAEMAR] , August1 9 , 188 1 .

MY DEAR WEG, — I have by an extrao rd inary dro l l e ryofF ortune sen t Off to you by th i s day ’ s post a P. C. inviting you to app ea r i n sea ls k in . But th i s had refe ren ce to th e weath er, an d not at a l l , as you may have

been l ed to fan cy , to our rusti c ra iment of an even i ng.

As to that q uesti on , I woul d dea l , i n so fa r as i n m e

l i es , fa i r ly with a l l men . We are not d ressy peopl eby nature ; but i t sometimes occurs to us to enterta i nangels . Inth e country , I b e l i eve, even angel s may b e

256

LETTERS O F R. L. STEV ENSON

an d a treasure , and a mutiny, and a de re l ic t s h i p , an d

a curren t , and a fin e o l d Squ i re T re lawn ey (th e rea lTre , purged ofl i te rature and s in , to su i t th e i nfan tm in d) , and a docto r, and anoth er docto r, an d a sea

cook wi th one l eg , and a sea - songwi th th e chorusYo-ho-ho and a bott le of rum (at th e th i rd Ho you

hea v e at th e capstan bars ) , which i s a real buccan ee r’ s

song , on ly known to th e crew of th e late Capta i n F l i n t

(d i ed of rum at KeyWest, much regretted , fri endswi l lp l ease accept th i s i n timat ion) ; and lastly , woul d yoube su rpri sed to h ear, i n th i s conn ect ion , the name ofRoutledg e ? T hat ’

s th e ki nd ofman I am , b last you r

eyes . Two chapte rs are writte n , an d have been triedon L l oydwi th great success ; th e troubl e i s to work ito ffwi th out oath s . Buccaneers without oath s - bricks

wi th out st raw. But youth and th e fond pa ren t have

to be consu l ted .

And n ow look he re — th i s i s n ext day — an d th re echapters a re wri tten and read . (Chapte r I . Th e OldSeadog at the Adm iral B enbow. Chapter 11. B lack Dogappears an d d isappea rs . Chapter III. Th e B l ack Spot.)All now hea rd by L l oyd , F . , and my fath e r and moth er,with h igh app roval. I t

’ s qu ite s i l ly and horrid fun ,andwhatl want i s th e bestbook about th e Buccan eersthat can be ha d — th e latte r B ’ s above al l, B lackbea rd

and s ich , and get N utt or Ba i n to sen d i t sk imm ing by

th e fastest post. AndnowI know you ’ l l write to me ,fo r Th e Sea- Cook ’ s sake .Your “Admi ra l Gu in ea ” i s cu ri ously n ear my l i n e ,but of cours e I ’

m foo l i ng ; an d you r Adm i ra l soundsl i ke a Shub lim e gent. St i ck to h im l i ke wax —he ’

ll

do. My Tre lawn ey i s , as I i nd i cate , seve ra l thousand2 58

ALP IN E WINTERS AN D H IGH LAND SUMME RS

sea - mi l es offth e l i e ofth e o rigi na l o r your Admi ra lGuin ea ; a nd bes i des , l have no more about h im yetbut on e menti on of h i s name , and I th in k i t l i ke ly h e

may turn yet farth er from th e model i n th e cours e of

han d l i ng. A chapte r a day I mean to do ; th ey a re

sho rt ; and pe rh aps i n a month“The Sea - Cook may

to Rout l edge go , yo-ho-ho and a bottl e of rum ! MyT rel awney has a strong dash of Landor, as I see h imfrom h ere. N owomen i n th e story , L l oyd ’ s o rd ers ‘

and who so bl ith e to Obey ? I t ’ s awfu l fun boys

sto ri es ; you just i ndu lge th e p l easu re of you r h ea rt ,that ’ s all ; n o troubl e , n o st ra i n . The on ly st i ff th i ngis to get i t en d ed — that I don ’ t see , bu t I l ook to a

vo lcan o . Osweet, Ogen erous , Oh uman to i l s ! Youwould l i ke my bl i n d begga r i n Chapte r I I I I b e l i eve ;n o writ i ng, j u st d ri ve al ong as th e words come and th epen wi l l s c ratc h ! R. L. S . ,

Author of Boy s’

Stor ies .

To DR. ALEXANDER J APPTh i s cor re spondenthad pai d h i s Vi s it as propo sed

,d iscusse d the

Thoreau d iffe rence s,l i stened de l ighted ly to the fi rst chapte rs ofTr ea

sur e Is land,and proposed to offe rthe story for pub l icat i on to h i s friend

Mr. H ende rson,p 'ropr ietor and editor of Young F ol ks .

BRAEMAR , 188 1 .

MY DEAR DR . JAPP, My father has gon e , but I th i n k

I may take i t upon me to ask you to keep th e book .Ofall th i ngs you cou l d do to en dea r you rse l f to me

,

you have done th e best, for my fath er and you have

taken afancy to each oth er .259


I do not know how to than k you for a l l your k i ndtroub l e i n th e matter of The Sea - Cook, ” but I am notu nmi ndful . My h ea l th i s sti l l poo r ly , and l have addedi ntercosta l rh eumati sm a new attracti on — whi ch

sewed me up n ear ly doub l e for two days , an d st i l l gi vesm e a l i st to sta rboard — l et us be ever nauti ca l !

I d o not th i n k w ith th e start I h ave th ere wi l l be any

d iffi cu lty i n lett i ng Mr . Henderson go ahead when ever

h e l i kes. Iwill write my sto ry up to i ts legitimatecon c lusi on ; an d th en we shal l be i n a pos i t ion to judge

wheth er a sequel wou ld be desi rab l e, an d I wou ld th enm yself know bette r about i ts p ract i cab i l i ty from the

story - te l l e r’

s po in t ofV i ew.—Yours eve r Very s i n cere ly,

R. L. STEVENSON.

To W . E. HENLEY

Th i s tel l s ofthe farthe r progr e ss ofTr easur e Is land, ofthe pricepai d for it

,and ofthe m ode st hope swithwh ich itwas launched .“

The poet ” i s M r. Gosse . The proj ect ofa h ighway story,

“J e rryAb ershaw,” remai ned a favourite onewith Stevenson

,unt i l itwas

supe rseded three or four years late r by anothe r,that of“The Great

North Road,

”wh ich in its turnhadto b e abandon ed,from lack of

health and le i sure,afte r som e six or e ight chaptershad beenwr itten .

BRAEMAR, Septem ber , 188 1 .

MY DEAR H.ENLEY, — Thanks fo r you r last. The £ 100

fe ll th rough , or dwind led at l east i n to somewhere about£30. However, that I ’Ve taken as a mouthful , so youmay look out fo r The Sea- Cook , or T reasur e Is land :A Ta l e of th e Buccan eers ,

” i n Young F olks. (Th eterms are £2 105. a page of4500 words ; that ’

s not260


J e rry Ab ershaw. J erry Ab e rshaw. J e rry Ab e rshaw.Th e Sea—Cook is now in i ts s ixteenth chapter

,an d

b i ds fo r we l l u p i n th e th i rt i es . Each th ree chapters i s

worth £2 105 . So we ’ ve £ 1 2 1os . a l ready.D on

’

t read Ma rryat ’ s P irate anyhow ; i t i s wri tten i nsa nd with asalt- spoon : ari d , feeb le , va i n , totteri ng p ro

ducti on . But then we ’

r e not a lways all th ere . Hewas al l somewhere e ls e that tri p . I t ’

s damnab l e ,Hen l ey . I don

’

t go much on “The Sea - Cook ” ; but ,Lord , i t

’

s a l i tt l e fru i t i e r than th e P irate by Cap ’ nMa rryat.

S i n ce th is was written “The Cook i s i n h is

n ineteenth ch apter. Yo- heave, ho ! R. L. S.

To THOMAS STEVENSON

With al l h i s ' throat and lung trouble s act ive ly renewed,Steven son

fledto Davos agai n i n Octob e r . Th i s t im ehe and h i swi fe and stepsonoccupied a sm al l house by th em se lve s , the Chalet am Ste i n , n earthe Buo l H ote l . The e le ct ion to the Edinburgh profe ssorsh ipwas sti l lpending

,andthe fo l lowi ng note to h i s fathe r shows thathe thought

for am om ent of g iv ing the e lectors aspe cim en of h i s qual ificat i on s i nthe shape of am agaz i ne art icl e on the Appin m urde r athem e afte rwards turn ed to so m uch m ore v ital account i n the tale s ofK idnappedand Catr iona.

[CHALET AM STE IN , DAVOS, Autumn,MY DEAR FATHER , I t o ccu rre d to me last n ight i n bed

that I cou l d wri te

Th e Murder of Red Col i n ,A Sto ry ofth e F orfeited Estates.

2 62


serious ly so ; and th i s combinationoftwo i n va l i d s verymuch dep resses both .

I h ave a vo lum e of republ ish ed essays com ing out with

Chatto a nd Windus ; I wi s h th ey would come , that mywife m igh t h ave the rev i ews to d i vert h er. Oth erwisemy news i snil . I am up h ere i n a l i tt l e cha l et, on th eborders of a p in ewood , ove rlooki ng a great part of th e

D avos Tha l , a beautifu l s cen e at n ight, with th e moonupon th e snowy mounta i ns , and th e l ights warm lysh i n i ng i n th e v i l lage. J . A. Symonds i s n ext doo r tome , j ust at the foot of my H i l l D i ffi cu l ty (th i s you wi l lp l ea se rega rd as th e House Beautifu l) , and h i s soc ietyi s my great s tand- by.

D id you see I had j o ined th e ban d of the rejected ?Hard ly one of us, sa i d my confr er es at th e bar.I was b lamed by a common fri en d fo r ask ing you to

give m e a test imon ia l ; i n th e c i rcumstan ces h e thought

i t was i nde l icate . Lest , by some ca lam ity, you shoul deve r h avefe ltth e same way , I must say i n two wordshow th e matter appea red to me . That s i l ly sto ry ofth e e l ect io n a l te red i n no ti ttl e th e v al ue of you r testimony : so much fo r that. Onth e oth er h and , i t l e d meto take qu i te a part i cu la r p l easure i n ask i ng you to give

i t ; an d so much fo r th e other. I t rust, even if you

can not sh are i t, you wi l l u nderstand my V i ew .

I am i n t reaty with B ent l ey fo r a l i fe of Haz l i tt ; I h ope

i t wi l l notfall th rough , as I love the subj ect , and appearto h ave foun d a pub l is h er who loves i t a l so . That , Ith i nk , makes th ings more p leasant. You know I am a

ferven tHaz littite ; I mean rega rdi ng h im as the Engl ishwriter who has had the scanti est just i c e . Bes ides wh ich ,I am anxious to wri te b iography ; rea l ly , ifI understand

2 64

ALP I NE WINTERS AN D H I GHLAND SUMMERS

myse lf i n quest of p rofi t, I th i n k i t must be good to l i vewith anoth e r man from bi rth to death . You have tr i ed

i t, and know .

How has th e cru i s i ng gon e ? Pray remember m e toMrs . Hamerton an d your son , an d be l i eve me , yoursvery S i n ce re ly , ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON.

To CHARLES BAXTER

[CHALET AM STE IN] , DAVOS, D ecem ber 5 , 188 1 .

MY DEAR CHARLES, — We have been i n m iserab l e case

h ere ; my wife wo rse an d worse ; an dnows ent awaywith L l oyd fo r s i ck- nu rse, I n ot bei ng a l lowed to godown . I do not know what i s to become ofus ; an dyou may imagin e how rotten I h ave bee n fe e l i ng, andfee l now, alone with my wease l - dog an d my Germanmaid , on th e top of a h i l l h ere, h eavy m ist and th i nsnow all about me , and th e devil to pay i n g ene ral. I

do n ’ t ca re so much fo r so l i tud e as I us ed to ; resu l ts , Is uppose, of ma rri age.

Pray w rite m e someth i ng ch eery. A l i tt le Edi nburghgoss i p , i n H eaven

’ s name. Ah! what wou ld Inotgiveto s tea l th i s even i ng with you th rough th e b ig, echo ing

co l l ege archway , and away south un de r th e street lamps ,an d away to dear B rash ’ s , now defu nct ! But th e old

t ime i s dead a lso, n ever, n eve r to rev ive. I t was a sad

t im e too , but so gay and so hopefu l , and we had suchspo rt w ith a l l ou r low Sp i rits an d all ou r d i stres ses , tha t i tlooks l i ke a k i n d of lampl i t fa i ry lan d beh i n d me. Ofo rten Ed i nburgh m inutes — S i xpen ce between us , a n d th eever- g lori ous Loth i an Road , o r dea r myste ri ous Le i t hWa lk ! But h ere, a sh ee r hu lk , l i es poor Tom Bowl i ng ;

2 65


here i n th i s strange p lace , whose very strangeness wou ldhave be en h eaven to h im th en ; and asp i res , yes , C. B . ,

with tea rs , afte r th e past. See what comes of be ingl eft a l on e . Do you remember Brash ? th e sh eet ofglassthat we fol l owed a long George Street ? Gran ton ? th en igh t at Bonny m ainhead? th e compass n ear th e s ignofth e Twinkl ing Ey e ? th e n igh t I lay o n th e pavementi n m isery ?

I swea r i t by th e eterna l skyJ ohn son nor T homson n e ’ e r shall d i e !

Yet I fan cy th ey are dead too ; dead l i ke B rash .R. L. S .


The n e xt i s afte r go ing down to m e et h i swi fe and stepson , after theform e rhad left the doctor ’ s hands atBe rne .

CHALET BUOL , DAVOS- PLATz , D ecem b er 2 6 , 188 1 .

MY DEAR MOTHER , — Yesterday , Sunday and Ch ri s tmas , we fi n ished th i s eventfu l j ourn ey by a drive i n an

opens l eigh none oth ers were to b e h ad — s even

hours on end th roughwhol e fo rests of Ch ri stmas trees .The co l d was beyon d bel i ef. I h av e often suffered lessat a dentist ’ s . Itwas a c l ea r, sunny day , but th e su n

even at noon fa l l s , at th i s season , on ly h ere an d thereinto th e Prattigau. I k ept up as l ong as I coul d i n an

imi tat ion of a street s i nger

Away , ye gay l an dscapes , ye gardens of roses, etc.

Atlast L l oyd remarked , a b lu e mouth speaki ng from acorpse- co loured face, You seem to be the on ly one

2 66


sh rewd , au ld - farra nt peasant body, who gives us goodfood and keeps us i n good sp i ri ts . I f we cou l d on ly

understan d what s h e says ! But sh e speaks Davos lan

guage , wh ich i s to German what Aberdeen - awa’ i s toEngl ish , so i t comes h eavy . God bl ess you , my dearGummy ; an d so says F anny forbye . Eve r you r affectionate ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON .

To CHARLES BAXTER

[CHALET AM STE IN , DAVOS] , 2 2nd F ebruary ,

’

82 .

MY DEAR CHARLES, — Your most welcome lette r h asra i sed c l ouds of su l ph u r from my horizon .I am g lad you h ave gone back to you r mus i c . L i fei s a poor th i ng, I am more and more conv inced , with

out anart, that a lways wai ts fo r us and i s a lways new.

Artan d marri age a re two very good stand - bys .I n an arti c l e wh i ch wi l l appea r sometim e i n the

Cornhil l ,“Ta l k an d Ta l kers , an d where I h ave ful ll engthe ned th e conversati on of Bob , Hen l ey , J en ki n ,S imp son , Symonds , an d Gosse , I h av e at th e en d ones ing le word about you rse lf. I t may amuse you to see it.We are coming to Scotlan d afte r a l l , so we sha l l m eet ,wh ic h p l eases me, and I do bel i eve I am strong enoughto stan d i t th i s t im e. My kn ee i s s t i l l qu ite l ame.My wife i s better aga i n . But we take i t by turns

iti s th e dog that i s i l l n ow. Eve r yours , R. L. S .

To W. E. HENLEY

Mr. H en leywas atth i s tim e and for som e years fo l lowi ng editor ofthe Magazine ofArt, andhad enro l led R . L . S . am ong h i s contribu

268

ALP IN E WINTERS AND H I GH LAND SUMMERS

tors th i s i s the m ean ing ofthewords be lowabout SanFranci sco .

Inthe early m onths ofth i s year a hurtkn ee k ept Steven son m orein doors thanwas good forhim .

[CHALET AM STE IN, DAVOS- PLATZ ,F ebruary ,

MY DEAR H ENLEY , Here comes th e l ette r a s p romised

last n ight. And fi rs t two requests : Pray sen d th e enc l osed to c/o B lackmore ’ s publ i sh er , ’ti s from F anny ;second , p ray sen d usRoutledg e ’ s sh i l l i ng book , EdwardMayh ew ’ s D ogs , by retu rn i f i t can b e managed .

Our dog i s very i l l aga i n , poor fe l l ow , l ooks ve ry i l ltoo , on ly s l eeps at n igh t because of morp h i n e ; an d we

do n ot know what a i l s h im , on ly fear i t to b e canke r ofth e ear. He makes a bad , b la ck spot i n ou r l ife , poor,se lfi sh , s i l ly l i tt l e tangl e ; an d my wife i s wretch ed .

Oth erwise sh e i s b ette r, stead i ly an d s lowly movi ng u pth rough a l l h er re l apses . My knee n ever gets th e l east

better ; i t hu rts to - n ight, wh i ch i t h as n ot don e for long.

I do notsuppose my doctor knows a ny least th ingabout i t. He says i t i s a n erve that I stru ck , but Iassu re youh e does n ot know .

I h ave just fin i sh ed a paper, A Goss i p onRomance,i n wh ich I h ave tri ed to do , very popu larly , about on eh a lf of th e matte r you wanted m e to t ry . I n a way,I h ave foun d an answer to th e quest i on . But th e sub

jectwas h ard ly fi t fo r so ch atty a paper, an d i t i s a l l

l oos e ends . I f eve r I do my book onth e Artof L i teratu re , I shal l gath er them togeth er an d be c l ea r.TO- morrow , h avi ng once fin ish ed offth e touch es st i l ldue onth is , I sh a l l ta ck l e“San F ran cisco ” for you . Thenth e t id e of work wi l l fa i rl y bu ry me , lost to v i ew an dhope . You have n o i dea what i t costs me to wri ng out

2 69


mywork now . I have certa in ly been a fo rtn igh t ove r

th i s Roman ce , sometimes five hours a day ; an d yet i t i sabout my usua l l ength eigh t pages or so — and woul d

be a d— d s ight th e bette r fo r anothe r curry . But Ido

not th i n k I can hon estly rewr i te i t a l l ; so I ca l l i t done ,an d shall on ly stra ighten words i n a rev is i on cu rrent ly .

I had mean t to go on fo r a great wh i le , and say a l l

manner of enterta i n i ng th ings . But a l l ’ s gone . I am

now an id iot. Yours eve r, R. L . S .

To W . E. HENLEY

The fol lowing fl ight offancy refe rs to suppose d e rrors ofj udgm entonthe part of anem i nent firm of pub l i she rs

,withwhom Steven sonhad atth i s t im e n o conn e cti on . Ve ry soon afte rwards

,itshou ld b e

noted,he ente red into re lat ion swith them wh ich proved equal ly

p leasant and profitab le to both part ie s,andwe re cont i nued onthe m ost

cordial te rm s unt i l h i s death .

[CHALET AM STE IN , DAVOS, Spr ing ,

MY DEAR HENLEY , Last n ight we had a d in n erparty , cons ist i ng of the JohnAdd ington , curry , on ions( lovely on ion s) , a n d beef- steak . So un usua l i s any excitem ent, that F . an d I fee l th i s morn ing as i f we had

been to a co ronat ion . However, I must , I suppose ,wri te.

Iwas so rry about you r femal e contributo r squabbl e .’

T i s very comi c , but rea l ly unp l easant. But what care IN owthat I i l l ustrate my own books , I can a lways offeryou a si tuati o n i n ou r house — S . L . Osbourn e an d Co.

As an auth or gets a ha lfpenny a copy ofverses , an d ana rti st a p enny a cut, perh aps a proof- reade r m ight getsevera l pounds a yea r.

2 70


stu cco o rnament ! I Shoul d read both th e autobi ographyan d th e j ourna l s b efo re I looked at one of the p l ays ,beyon d th e n ames of th em , wh ich sh ows that Sa i n tsbury was right

,and I do care more fo r l i fe th an fo r

poetry. N o — I tak e i t back . Do you know one of

the t raged i es — a B ibl e tragedy too — David — waswri tten i n h i s th i rd p eriod much about th e same tim e

as Lear ? The comedy, Apr ilRain, i s also a l ate work .

B ecketti s a fi ne ranti ng p i ece, l i keRichar d Il . , butvery fin e for th e stage. I rvi ng i s to p lay i t th is autumn

when I ’m in town ; th e part rath e r su i ts h im — but

who i s to p layHenry P— a tremen dous c reation , si r.

B e tterto n i n h i s p ri vate journa l seems to have seen th i s

p i ece ; an d h e says d ist i n ctly th at H en ry i s th e best

pa rt i n any p l ay . Though , h e adds , “how i t bew ith th e an c i en t p lays I know not. But i n th is I h ave

ever feared to do i l l , and i ndeed wi l l not be p ersuaded

to that undertak i ng. So says Bette rton . Rufus i sn ot so good ; I am not p leased withRufus ; p la in ly ar ifacim ento of some i nferio r wo r k ; but th ere a re som edamned fine l i n es . As fo r the pure ly sat i ri c i l l - mindedAbelar d andHeloise, anothe r Tr oilus , quoi ! i t i s notp l easant, tru ly , but what strength , what verve , what

know ledge ofl i fe ! And th e Canon ! What a fin ish ed ,h umorous , ri ch p ictu re i s th e Canon ! Ah, th ere wasnobody l i ke Shakespeare. But what I l i ke i s th e Dav i dan d Absalom busin ess : Absa lom is so wel l fe lt — you

love h im as D av i d d id ; D av i d’ s speech i s on e ro ll of

roya l mus i c from th e fi rst a ct to th e fifth .I am enj oy i ng Solom onCrabb extremely ; So lomon ’ scap i ta l adventure with th e two h ighwaymen an d Squi reTrecothick and Pa rson Vance ; i t i s as good , I th i nk , as

2 72

ALP IN E WINTERS AND H I GHLAN D SUMM ERS

anyth i ng i n J os eph And rews . I h ave just come to th epart where th e h ighwayman wi th th e b lack patch ove rh is eye h as tr i cked poo r Solomon in to h i s p lac e, andth e sq ui re and th e parson are h ear ing th e ev i den ce .Parso n Van ce i s sp lend id . How good , too , i s o ld Mrs .

Crabb an d th e coastguardsman i n th e th i rd chapter, orh er del ightfu l quarre l with th e sexton of Seaham ! Lo rdConyb eare i s su re ly a l i tt l e overdon e ; butl don ’ t kn owei the r ; h e

’

s such damned fin e sport . Do you l i k e Sa l lyBarn es ? l

’

m i n love with h er. Constab l e Muddoni sa s good as Dogberry and Verges put togeth er ; when

h e takes Solomon to th e cage , a nd th e h ighwaymangives h im Solomon ’ s own gui n ea fo r h i s pa ins , an dk isses Mrs . Muddon, a nd j ust then up d rives LordConyb eare , an d i nstead of he lp i ng So lomon , ca l l s h ima l l th e rasca l s i n Ch ri sten dom — O Henry F i e l d i ng,Hen ry F i e l d i ng ! Yet p erhaps th e s cen es at Seah ama re th e best. But I ’m bewi ldered among a l l th es eexce l lences.

Stay, cri ed a voi ce th at made th e we lki n c rackTh i s h ere ’

S a dream , return an d study B LACK !

Eve r yours, R. L. S.

To ALEXANDER IRELAND

The fo l lowing is i n rep ly to al ette r Steven sonhad r ece ived onsom eque st i on s connectedwith h i s propo sed L ife ofHaz l itt from the vete rancr it ic and b ib l i ograph e r S i nce deceased , Mr. A lexande r I re land . Atthe foot i s to b e found the fi rst refe rence to h i snewam usem ent ofwood- engravingfor the Davos P re ss.

2 73


[CHALET AM STE IN, DAVOS, Mar ch,MY DEAR S IR, Th is fo rm idab le pape r n eed not a larmyou ; i t a rgues noth ing beyond penury of othe r so rts ,an d is not at a l l l i ke ly to l ead me into a long lette r. I fI were at a l l gratefu l i t woul d , fo r yours has j ust passedfor m e a consi de rab l e pa rt of a sto rmy even ing. Andspeak ing of grat i tud e, l et me at once and with b ecomi ng eage rness accept your ki nd i nv i tati o n to Bowdon .I sh a l l hope, i f we can agree as to dates when I am

nearer hand , to come to you sometime i n th e month of

May. I was p l eased to h ear you were a Scot ; Ife e lmore at h ome with my compatri ots a lways ; perhaps

th e more we are away , th e stronger we fee l that bond .

You ask about D avos ; I h ave d i scoursed about i ta l ready, rather s i l l i ly I th ink , i n th e Pal l Mal l , and I

mean to say no more , but th e ways of th e Muse a re

d ub i ous and obscure , an d who knows ? I may be

wi l ed aga i n . As a p lace of res idence, beyond asp lendidc l imate , i t h as to my eyes but one advantage — th en eighbourhood of J . A. Symonds — I dare say youknow h i s work , but th e man is fa r more i n te resti ng.

I t h a s don e me , i n my two winters’

Alp i n e ex i l e , muchgood ; s o much , that I h ope to leave i t now for ever,but wou ld not be understood to boast. I n my p resen t

un pardonab ly c razy s tate , any co l d m ight sen d meSki ppi ng, e i th er back to D avos , or furth er off. Let ushope not. I t i s dea r ; a l i tt le drea ry ; very fa r frommany th ings that both my taste and my needs promptm e to seek ; and a l togeth e r not th e p lac e that I shouldchoose ofmy free wi l l .I am ch i l l ed by you r desc ri ptio n of th e man i n ques

tion, thoug h I had a lmost argued so m uchfrom h is co ld2 74


P .P .S.— l en c l ose a good j oke — atl east , I th i n k so

my fi rst effo rts a t wood - engrav ing pr in ted by my

stepson , a boy ofth i rteen . I w i l l p ut i n a lso on e of

my late r attempts . I have been n i n e days at th e art

observe my progress . R. L. S.

To EDMUND GOSSE

Steven son and Mr. Gossehad be en p lann ing a volum e inwh ichsom e ofthe fam ous h i stor ical m urde r case s shou ld b e reto ld .

DAVOS , Mar ch23 , 1882 .

MY DEAR WEG, And I h ad just written th e best noteto Mrs . Gosse th at was i n my power. Most bl amabl e.

I now send (fo r Mrs . Gosse)

BLACK CANYON.

Al so an adve rt is emen t of my new appea ran ce as poet

(bard , rath er) and harti s onwood . The cut rep resentsth e Hero and th e Eagl e, an d i s embl emati c of Co rtez

fi rst v i ewing th e Pac ifi c Ocean , wh ich (acco rd ing to th ebard Keats) i t took p lace i n D ari en . T he cut i s '

much

adm i red for the sen tim ent ofd i scovery , th e man ly p roport i on s ofth e voyager, an d th e fin e impress i on of

trop i ca l s cen es an d th e untrodd en WASTE , so ap t ly rend ered by th e h arti s .I wou ld s en d you th e book ; but Ideclare I

’m ruined.I gota p enny a cut an d a ha l fpen ny a set ofvers es fromth e flint- h ea rted pub l i sh er, and on ly on e specimen copy,as l ’

m a s inn er . was a posto l i c a longsid e ofOsbou rne .

I h op e youwill be abl e to dec i ph er th i s, written at2 76

ALP IN E WINTE RS AND H I GH LAN D SUMME RS

steam speed with a b reaki ng pen , th ehotfastpos tmana t my h ee ls . N o excuse , says you . N one, s i r, says

I , a nd touch es my’

atmost c iv i l (ext rao rd i na ry evolut i o n ofp en , now qu ite doomed — to resume l have

not put p en to th e B loody Murde r yet. But i t i s earlyon my l i s t ; an d wh en once I get t o i t, th ree weeksshou ld see th e l ast b lood - sta i n — maybe a fortn ight.For I am begin n ing to combin e an extrao rd i nary labo

rious s l owness wh i l e at work , with th e most su rp ri s

ing ly qu i ck resu lts i n th e way of fin ish ed manuscri pts .How goes Gray Co lv i n i s to do Keats . My wife i s

still not we l l.— Yours ever, R. L . S.

To DR. ALEXANDER J APP[CHALET AM STE IN , DAVOS , Mar ch,

MY DEAR DR . JAPP, — You must th in k me a fo rgetfu lrogue, as i n deed I am ; fo r I h ave but n ow to l d my

pub l i sh er t o sen d you a copy of th e Fam il iar Studies .

However, I own I h ave de layed th i s lette r t i l l I cou l dsend you th e enc losed . Rememberi ng th e n ights atB raemar wh en we vi s i ted th e P i ctu re Ga l l e ry , I h oped

th ey m igh t amuse you . You see , we do some pub

lishing h ereaway . I sha l l h op e to see you i n town in

May. Always yours fa ith fu l ly ,RO BERT LOU IS STEVENSON.

To DR. ALEXANDER J APPThe refe rence s i n the fi rst paragraph are to the vo lum e Fam il iar

Studies ofMenand Books .

2 77


CHALET BUOL, DAVOS, Apr il 1 , 1882 .

MY DEAR DR. JAPP, — A good day to date th i s l ette r,which i s i n fact a confess i on of i n capaci ty. During my

wife ’ s i l l n ess I somewhat lost my h ead , a nd ent i re l yl ost a great qu i re of corrected p roofs . Th is i s on e ofth e resu l ts ; I ho pe there a re non e more s eri ous . Iwasn eve r so s i ck of any vo lume as I was of that ; I was con

tinually rece iv i ng fresh proofs with fresh i nfin ites ima ld iffi cul ti es . I was i l l — I d i d rea l ly fea r my wife was

worse than i l l. We ll, i t’

s out n ow ; an d though I

have observed severa l ca re l essn esses myse lf, an d nowhere ’ s a noth e r ofyour finding — ofwh ich , i n deed , Iought to be ash amed it wi l l only justify th e sweepingh umi l i ty ofth e Preface .Symonds was actua l ly d in ing with us when you rl ette r came , and I commun icated your remarks . Hei s a fa r bette r and more i nte resti ng th i ng than any of

h i s books .The El ephant was my wife ’ s ; so sh e i s p roporti onate ly e late you sh ou l d h ave p icked i t out fo r p ra is efrom a co l lection , l e t m e add , so rep l ete with th e h igh est

qua l i t i es of a rt.

My wicked carcase, as J oh n Knox ca l l s i t, ho lds togeth er wonderfu l ly . I n add it io n to many oth er th i ngs ,an d a vo l ume of trave l, I find I have written , s i n ce D e

cem b e r , 90 Cornhil l pages ofmagaz in ework — essaysan d stori es : words , an d I am none th e worse

I am th e better. I begi n to hope I may, i f n ot outl i veth i s wolveri n e upon my shoul ders , at l eas t carry h imbrave ly l i ke Symonds an d Al exander Pope. I b egin to

take a p ride i n that hope .I sh al l be much i nterested to see you r cri ti ci sms ; you

2 78


1882 mean i t sha l l , of cours e goes to L loyd . Lemme see,I

m ' 32 havenowded icated toW. E. H . [Wil l iam Ern est H en ley].S . C. [S i d ney Co l v i n] .T . S . [Thomas Stevenson] .S imp . [S i r Walte r S impson] .

T here rema i n : C. B . , th e William ses - you know

th ey were th e parti es who stuck up fo r us about ou rmarri age , an d Mrs . W . was my guard ian a nge l

,and

ou r B est Manand Bri desma id ro l l ed i n on e , and th eon ly th i rd of th e wedd ing party — m y s ister- ln- l aw ,

who is booked fo r P r ince Otto — J enk i n I suppose

sometim e — Geo rge Me red i th , th e on ly man of gen ius

of my acqua i ntan ce, and then I be l i eve I’

II have to take

to th e dead , th e immorta l memory bus i ness .Ta l ki ng of Mered i th , I hav e just r e - rea d fo r th e th i rdand fourth t ime The Egoist. When I shall have read i tth e s ixth o r seven th , I begi n to see I sh al l know about

i t. You wi l l be aston ish ed when you come to r e - read

i t ; I h ad no i dea of the matte r — human , red matte r —hehas contr ived to p lug and pack i nto that strange and

adm i rab l e book . Wil loughby is , of cou rse , a pure d i s

covery ; a comp lete s et of n erves , not h eretofo re examined, an d yet runn i ng a l l over th e human body — asu i t

of n erves . Cl a ra i s th e best gi rl ever I saw anywhere .

Ve rnon i s a lmost as good . Th e manner an d th e faultsof th e book greatly j ustify th emse lves on furth er study .

On ly D r . Mi dd l eton does n ot hang together ; an d Ladi esBusshe a nd Cu lmer sontdes m onstruosite’s. Vernon

’

sconduct makes a wonderfu l Odd contrast with Dan ie l

280

ALP I N E WINTE RS AND H I GH LAND SUMMERS

D e ronda’ s . I see more an d more that Mered ith i s bui l tfo r immorta l i ty .

Ta lk i ng of wh ich , Heywood , as a small immorta l,an im m ortalet, c laims some attent io n . The Womankil l edwithKindness i s one ofth e most str i k ing nove ls— not p lays , though i t

’

s more of a p lay than a nyth i ng

e lse of h i s — I eve r read . He had such a sweet, sound

sou l , th e old boy. Th e death ofth e two p i rates i nF ortune by Seaand Land i s adocument. He h ad ob

vious ly been presen t, an d hea rd Purser a n d Cl i n to ntake death by th e bea rd with s im i la r b raggadoc ios.Purser an d Cl i nton , names of p i rates ; Sca r let an d Bobb ington, names of h ighwaymen . He h ad th e touch of

names , I th i nk . N o man I eve r knew had such a sense ,such a tact, fo r Engl ish n omen clatu re ; Ra i nsforth ,Lacy , Aud l ey , F orrest, Acton , Spencer, F rankfo rd

so h i s n ames run .

Byron not on ly wrote D onjuanh e ca l l ed J oan ofArc a fanati ca l strumpet.” These a re h i s words . Ith i n k th e doub l e sham e , fi rs t to a great poet, secon d toan Engl is h n obl e , passes words .

Here i s a st range goss i p . - I am yours loquaci ous ly,R. L. S .

My lungs are sa i d to be i n a sp lend id state . A c rue l exami nat i on , an exanim ati o n I may ca l l i t, had th is b rav eresult. Taiaut.’ H i l lo ! Hey ! Stand by ! Avast ! Hurrah !

To MRS . THOMAS STEVENSON[CHALET AM STE IN, DAVOS , Apr il 9 ,

MY DEAR‘

MOTHER , - Herewith p leas e find be latedb i rthday present. Fanny has another.

28 1


Cockshot J enki n.J ack Bob .Burly H en ley.Ath e lred ! S impson .Opalste inSymonds.Purce l Gosse.

My dea r moth er,howcan I keep up with you rbreath l ess changes ? I n nerl e i th en , Cramond , Bridge of

Al l an , Dunb lane, Se l k i rk . I l ean to Cramond , but I

sha l l b e p l eased anywh ere , any resp i te from D avos ;n eve r m in d

,i t h as been a good , though a dear l esson .

N ow, with my imp roved hea lth , i f I can pass th e summer, I be l i eve I shal l be ab l e n o more to exceed , n omore to d raw on you . I t i s t ime I suffi ced for myse lfi n deed . And I b e lieve l ca n .I am sti l l fa r from sati sfi ed about F anny ; sh e i s ce r

tainly bette r, but i t i s by fi ts a good dea l , an d th e sym ptoms cont in ue , wh i ch shoul d not be. I h ad h er per

suaded to l eave with out m e th i s ve ry day (Satu rday8th) , but th e d is c l osure of my m ismanagement brokeup that p lan ; sh e wou ld not leave me lestI sh ou ldm ismanage more . I th i n k th i s a n unfa i r revenge ; but

l have been so both e red that I can not struggl e. All

D avos has been d ri n ki ng our win e. D uri ng th e monthofMa rch , th ree l i tres a d ay were d runk — O, i t i s toos icken i ng and that i s on ly a spec imen . I t i s enoughto make any on e a m isanth rop e, but th e right th i ng is

to hate th e donkey th at was duped — wh ich I devoutly do .I h ave th is wi nter fin ish ed Tr easur e Is land, written

th e preface to th e Studies , a smal l book about th e In282


o r to give th em the i r o ld decen t names , Tweedda l ean d Ett ri ck . Th i n k of hav ing been ca l l ed Tweedda l e ,and be i ng ca l l ed PEEBLES ! Did I ever te l l you my skit

o n my own trave l books ? We unders tan d that Mr .Steven son has i n th e p ress anoth e r vo lume of unconventional trave ls : P er sonal Adventur es inP eeblesshir e .

j e latr ouve m e’

chante . Yours affect ion ate ly ,R. L . S .

Did I say I had seen a vers e on two ofth e Buccan eers ?I d id , and cu

-

y- est.

To EDMUND GOSSE

Mr. Gossehad m i stak en the nam e ofthe Peeb le ssh i re manse,and is

reproached accord ingly. Gray ” i s M r. Gosse ’ s vo lum e onthat poetin Mr. Morley ’ s se r ie s ofEng lishMenofLetter s .

STOBO MANSE , PEEBLESSH IRE [july ,

I WOULD shoot you , but I have no bowTh e p lac e i s not ca l l ed Stobs , but Stobo.As Gal l i c K i d s comp la i n of Bobo ,I mou rn fo r you r m i stake of Stobo .

F i rst, we sha l l be gon e i n September. But i f you th i n kofcomi ng i n August , my mothe r wi l l h un t fo r youwith p l easu re. We shou ld a l l be overj oyed — thoughStobo i t cou l d not be , as i t i s but a ki rk and manse ,but poss ib ly somewhere with i n reach . Let us know.

Second , I h ave read your Gray with ca re . A mored ifficul t subje ct I can s ca rc e fan cy ; i t i s c rush i ng ; yetI th i n k you h ave managed to shadow forth a man , anda good man too ; and honest ly , I doubt ifI coul d have

284

ALP I N E WINTE RS AND H I GH LAND SUMME RS

done th e same . Th i s may seem ego i st i c ; but you a renot such a foo l as to th i n k so . I t i s th e n atu ra l express i on ofrea l p ra i se . Th e book as a who l e i s readab le ;your subject p eeps every h ere an d th ere out of th e

c ran n i es l i ke a shy v io let —he cou l d do no more — an dh i s a roma h angs th e re.

I wri te to catch a m i n i on ofth e p ost. Hence brev ity.Answer about th e h ouse. Yours affect ion ate ly ,

R . L. 5.

TOW. E. HENLEY

Inthe h eat ofconve rsat i on Steven sonwas accustom e d to i nvent anynum be r offict it i o u s pe rsonage s

,gene ral ly Scotti sh

,and to g ive them

nam e s andto setthem p laying th e i r imaginary parts in l ife,reputab le

or othe rwi se . Many ofthe se inventi on s , ofwhom Mr. P i rbr ight Sm ithand Mr. PegfurthBannatyn ewere two ,

assum ed for h im se lf and h i sfriends a k i n d of substant ial ex i stence ; and con stantly in talk

,and

occas i onal ly inwr iti ng,hewou ld keep upthe p lay ofreport ing the i rsayings and doings qu ite grave ly , as in the fo l lowing .

[STOBOMANSE , july ,

DEAR H ENLEY, I am not worth an old damn . I

am a l so crus hed by bad n ews ofSymonds ; h i s goodlung go ing ; I can not h el p read i ng i t as a persona l h i n t ;God h e l p us all ! Rea l ly I am not very fi tfor work ;but I t ry , t ry, and n oth i ng comes ofi t .I b e l i eve we shall h ave to leave th i s p l ace ; i t i s low,

damp,an d mauchy ; th e ra i n itrainethevery day ; and

th e g las s goes tol—de- rOl- de- r i dd le.Yet i t ’ s a bonn i e b i t ; I wi sh I cou ld l i ve i n i t, butdoubt . I w i sh I was wel l away somewh ere e l se. I

fee l l i k e fl igh t s ome days ; h onou r b righ t.

P i rbright Smith i swe ll. OldMr . PegfurthBan natyne2 85


i s here stay i ng at a country i nn . H is who le baggagei s a pa i r ofsocks an d a book i n a fishing - basket ; and

h e borrows even a rod from th e land lo rd . He wa lkedh ere over th e h i l l s from Sanquha r, he says

,

l i k e a mavis . I n atu ra l ly asked h im about Haz l i tt .Hewouldnae take h i s d ri n k , h e sai d , a quee r, queerfe l l ow . But d i d not s eem fu rth e r commun i cat i ve .He says h e has become “r e le eg ious , but sti l l swea rsl i k e a troope r. I as ked h im i f h e had n o h eadquarters .NO l i k e ly , sa i d h e . He says h e i s wri ti ng h i s mem

o i rs , wh ich wi l l be i n te rest i ng. He once met Borrow ;th ey boxed ;

“a nd Geord ie , ” says th e o ld man , ch uck l i ng ,“gave me th e damnedes t h i d i ng. OfWordsworth h eremarked , Hewasnae s ound i n th e fa i th , s i r, and am i l k- b looded , b lue- s pectac l ed bi tch fo rbye . But h i s

po ’mes a re grand — th ere ’

s n o denyi ng that. I as kedh im what h i s book was . “Ihavenae mi nd , sa i d h e— that was h i s o n ly book ! Ontu rn i ng i t out, I foundi t was one of my own, and on sh owing i t to h im , h eremembered i t a t once . 0 ay,

” h e sa id , I m i nd

now. I t ’

s pretty bad ; ye’

II have to do bette r tha n

that , chie ldy, and chuck led , chuck l ed . He i s a st range

old figure, to be su re . He can not endu re P i rbrigh tSmith a m ere aesthatic, ” h e sa id . Pooh I F i s h

i n ’ a nd re leeg ion— th es e are my aysthatics , h e

wound u p .I th ough t th i s wou ld i nte rest you , s o s c ribb led i tdown . I s t i l l h ope to get more out ofh im about Hazl i tt th ough h e utte r ly pooh - pooh ed th e i deaof wri t i ng

H . 3 l i fe . Mal i fe now , h e sa id . th e re’ s been queer

th i ngs i n it. He i s s even ty-nm e ! but may wel l l as tto ahundred l— Yours eve r, R. L. S.

286

MARSE I LLE S AND HYERES

(OCTOBER, 1882 — AUGUST, 1 884)

N th e two years and odd months s i n ce h i s retu rnfrom Cal i forn ia , Stevenson h ad made no so l i d gai n

ofh ea lth . H is wi nters , and esp eci a l ly h i s s econ d wi nter, a t Davoshad s eemed to do h im much temporarygood ; but du ring th e summers i n Scotl and h e had l os tas much as h e had gai n ed , or more. Lovi ng Proven cean d th e Med iterran ea n shore from ofo l d , h e now made[ up h i s m ind to try th em once aga i n .

As th e ways and restri ction s ofa s ett l ed i nva l i d wererepugnan t to Stevenson ’ s ch a racter an d i n sti n cts , s owere th e l i fe an d soci ety of a regu lar i nva l i d stati ondep ress i ng an d uncongen ia l to h im . H e determ i n ed ,accordi ngly, to avo i d s ett l i ng i n one of th es e , and hop edto fin d a su i tab le c l imate and hab i tat i on th at s hou l d ben ea r, th ough not i n , som e centre of th e act i ve an d

o rd i na ry l i fe ofman , with access ib l e markets , l ib ra ri es ,and oth er res ou rces . I n September, 1 883, h e s ta rt ed

wi th h i s cous i n Mr . R . A. M. Stevenson i n s earch ofan ew h om e, an d th ought fi rst ofWeste rn Proven ce, a

289


regi on n ew to h im . Arri v i ng at Montpe l l i e r, h e wasla id up aga i n with a bad bout of h i s lung troubl es ; and ,th e docto r not recommend i ng h im to stay , re turned toMa rse i l l es . Here he was re j oi n ed by h i s wife , a nd aftera few days ’ exp l o rati on i n th e ne ighbourhood th ey

l ighted on what seemed exactly th e domic i l e th eywanted . Th iswas a roomy and attract i ve enough houseand gard en ca l led th e Campagne D efl i, nea r th e manu

facturing s uburb of St . Marce l , i n a s h e lte red pos i ti oni n fu l l v i ewof th e shape ly coastward h i l ls . By theth i rd week i n Octobe r they were i nsta l l ed , and i n eagerhopes of p leasant days to come and a retu rn to worki nghea lth . Thes e hopes were no t rea l is ed . Week afte r

week went on , and th e haemorrhage s and fi ts of feve r

a nd exhausti o n d i d not d im i n i sh . Work , excep t occa

sional verses , and a part of th e sto ry ca l l ed The Tr easur e ofF ranc/yard, would not flow , and th e t im e had

to be wh i l ed away with games of pati ence and othe r

res ources of th e s ick man . N early two months weret hus passed ; duri ng th e who le of on e of th em Stevenson had not bee n ab le to go beyond th e gard en ; and by

Ch ri stmas h e had to face th e fact that th e a i r Ofth ep lace was ta i nted. Anep i dem ic offever, due to somed efect of d rai nage , broke out , and i t became clear that

th i s cou l d b e no hom e for Stevenson . Acco rdi ngly ,a t h i s wife ’ s i nstance , th ough havi ng sca rce th e strength

to t rave l ; h e left sudden ly fo r N i ce , sh e stayi ng beh i ndto pack th ei r chatte ls and wind up th e i r affa i rs and responsib ilities as we l l as m igh t be . Va ri ous m isadventu res

,miscarriages ofte l egrams , j ourn eys taken at c ross

purposes , and th e l i ke , maki ng exis tence uncom fortab lyd ramati c at th e moment , but not needfu l to be recounted

290


tles) , on The B lack Ar r ow(des ignated h ere i nafter, onaccou nt ofi ts Old Engl i sh d ia l ect, as tush ery and

othe r u ndertak i ngs p rospered we l l . I n th e autumn th e

publ i cat ion ofTr easur e Island i n book form broughtw ith i t th e fi rs t breath ofpopu la r app lause. The readerwi l l s ee h ow modest a p ri c e Stevenson was content ,nay

,de l ighted

,to rece ive for th i s c lassi c . I t was two

or th ree years yet befo re h e cou l d ea rn enough to support h imse l f and h is fam i ly by l i te ratu re : a th i ng h e had

a lways been earnest ly bent on doi ng , regard i ng i t as

th e on ly j ustificati on fo r h i s chosen way ofl i fe . I n th em ean time , i t must b e u nderstood , whatever h e lp h en eeded from h is fath e r was from th e h ou r of h i s mar

riag e a lways amp ly and ungrudgi ngly given .

I n September of th e sam e year, 1883, Ste v enson hadfel t d eep ly th e death of h i s o l dfriendJam e sWalter F e rr i er (s ee th e essay Old Mo rta l i ty

” and th e references

i n th e fo l l owing l ette rs) . But sti l l h i s h eal th h eld outfa i r ly , unti l , i n J anuary , 1884, ona vi s i t to N i ce , h e wasu n expected ly p ros trated an ew by an acute congesti on

ofth e i ntern a l o rgans , whi ch fo r th e tim e bei ng b rough th im to death ’ s door. Retu rn i ng to h i s h ome, h i s r ecove ry had been on ly parti a l wh en , after fou r months

(May, a recu rren ce ofvi o l en t haemorrhages fromth e lung once more p rostrated h im complete ly ; soon

afte r wh i ch h e qui tted Hyeres , a nd th e ep i dem i c ofch o le ra whi ch b roke outth ere th e sam e summer p reven ted a l l thoughts ofh i s retu rn .The t im e, both du ri ng th e hap py and h ard-worki ng

month s of Ma rch - D ecember, 1883, an d th e s em i- convalescence of F ebrua ry—May, 1884, ;was a p ro l ifi c one i nth e way ofcorrespondence ; and th ere i s perhaps n o

2 92

CHALET LA SOLITL'

DE. HYERES .


I ndeed , s i r, I am doub ly surp ri sed at your correspondent

’

s e rro r. That J ames Payn shou l d h ave borrowedfrom me i s a l ready a strange concept i on . Th e auth orofLostSir Massing ber d and By P r oxy may be trustedto i n ven t h i s ownstori es . Th e author of A Grapefr om a Thornkn ows enough , i n h i s own righ t, ofth ehumorous and path et i c s i des Ofhuman nature.But what i s fa r more monstrous — what argues tota l

ignoran ce of th e man i n questi on — i s th e i dea that

J ames Payn cou l d eve r h ave t ransgress ed th e l im its ofp rofess i ona l p ropri ety . I may tel l h i s th ousands ofreaders on your s i de ofth e At l anti c that th e re breath esn o man of l etters more i n s pi red by k i ndness and gener osity to h i s breth ren of th e p rofess i on , and , to put an

end to any poss ib i l i ty oferro r, I may be a l l owed toadd that I often h ave recourse , and that I had recou rs e

on ce more but a few weeks ago , to th e va luab l e p rac

t ica l h e l p wh i ch h e makes i t h i s p l easu re to extend to

younger men .

I s end a dup l i cate of th i s l etter to a London week ly ;for th e m istake , fi rst s et fo rth i n you r co lumns , hasa l ready reach ed England , and my wanderi ngs h ave

made me perhaps l ast of th e p ersons i nterested to h ea r

a word of it. — I am , etc . ,ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON.

To R . A. M. STEVENSON

TERM INUS HOTEL, MARSE I LLE ,Satur day [October ,

MY DEAR BOB , — We have found a house !— atSa in tMarce l Ban l i eu e de Mars ei l l e . Ina l ove ly va l l ey b e

2 94

MARSE I LLES AND HYERES

tween h i l ls pa rt wooded , part wh i te c l iffs ; a h ouse ofa d i n i ng- room , of a fin e sa l on — on e s i de l i n ed with al ong d ivan — th ree good bed rooms (two of th em with

d ress i ng- rooms ) , th ree sma l l rooms (ch ambers of bonneand s i ch ) , a la rge k i tch en , a lumber - room , many cup

boards, 3 back cou rt , a la rge , l a rge o l i ve ya rd , cu lt i vated

by a res i den t pay san, a we l l , a be rceau , a good dea l ofrockery

,a l i tt l e p i n e s h rubbery , a ra i lway stat i on i n

front, two l i n es of omn ibus to Mars e i l l e .£48 p er an num .

I t i s ca l led Campagne D efli! query Campagn e D ebug?Th e Campagn e D em osquito goes onhere n ight ly , an di s ve ry dead ly. Ere we can get i n sta l l ed , we sha l l be

beggared to th e doo r, I s ee .

I vote for s epa rati ons ; F .

’

s a rri va l h ere , afte r ours epa rati on , was better fun to me than bei ng marri ed

was by far . A s epa rati on comp leted i s a most va luab l e

p roperty ; worth p i l es — Ever you r affect i onate cous i n ,R . L . S.

To TH OMAS STEVENSON

TERM INUS HOTEL , MARSE I LLE, l e 1 7thOctober , 1882 .

MY DEAR FATHER , We grow , every t ime we see

i t, more de l ighted wi th ou r h ous e . I t i s five mi l es outof Ma rse i l l es , i n a l ove ly spot , among l ove ly wooded

and c l iffy h i l l s — most mountai nous i n I i n e — far love lie r ,to my eyes , than any Al ps . To- day we have been outi n ventory i ng ; a nd though a m ist ra l b l ew , i t was d e

l igh tfu l i n a n open cab , a nd our h ous e wi th th e wi n

dows open was h eaven ly, soft , d ry , sunny , s outh ern .2 95


I fear th ere are fl eas — iti s ca l led Campagn e D efli— andI look forward to to ns of i nsecti c i d e be i ng employed .I h ave had to wri te a l etter to the N ewYor k Tr ibune

a nd th e Athenaeum . Payn was accused of stea l i ng my

stori es ! I th i n k I have put th i ngs handsomely fo r h im .

J ust got a s ervant ! — Ever affecti o nate so-n,

R . L. STEVENSON .

Our s ervant i s a Muck l e Hash of a Weedy !

To MRS . THOMAS STEVENSONThe n ext two m onths ’ lette rshad pe rfo rce to con s ist ofl ittle savebul leti n s ofbackgoing health , and consequent di sappo intm ent andi ncapacity forwork .

CAMPAGNE DEFLI, ST. MARCEL,BANL IEUE DE MARSE I LLE , N ovem ber 13 , 1882 .

MY DEAR MOTH ER , — You r de l ightfu l l ette rs du ly a rr i vedth i s morn ing. They were th e on ly good featu re of th eday

,wh i ch was not a success . F anny was i n bed — s he

begged I wou ld not Sp l i t u pon h er, s h e fe lt so gu i l ty ;but as l b e lieve

'

she i s better th i s even i ng, an d has agood chance to be righ t aga i n i n a day or two , Iwilldis rega rd h er orders . I d o not go back , but do not go

forward — or not much . I t i s , i n one way , miserab lefo r I can do n o work ; a very l i tt l e wood- cutti ng , th e

n ewspapers , and a note about every two days to write ,comp l ete ly ex hausts my su rp lu s en ergy ; even Pati encel have to cu l ti vate with pa rs imony . I s ee , i f I cou ld

on ly get to work , that we cou ld l i ve h ere with com fo rt ,a lmost with luxury . Even as i t i s , we shou ld be ab le

2 96


h im proofs l i ke yon . Horace may hae been a betterhand at th e c l i n k than Stev i son — mind , I

’

m n o say i n ’ ’t— but onyway h e was n eve r sae wee l pr entit. Damned ,but i t ’ s bonn i e ! Hoo mony pages wi l l th ere be , th i n k

ye ? Stevi son maun hae s en t ye th e feck o’ twenty

sangs — fifte enI ’ s e warrant. Wee l , that’

II can make

th retty pages , gi n ye were to p rent on ae s id e on ly ,whi l k wad be perhaps what a man 0

’ your g r eati d eeswould be ettlin’ at , man J oh n son . Then th ere wad beth e Pre - face , an

’ prose ye ken p rents oot langer than

po’

try at th e h i nder end , fo r ye h ae to say th i ngs i n’t.

An’ th en th ere ’

11 be a t i t l e- page and a ded i cati on and

an i nd exwi’ th e fi rst l i n es l i k e , and th e dei l a n’ a ’ .

Man, i t ’

ll be grand . Nae cop i es to be given to th eLib e rys .

I am a lan e mysel f, i n N i ce , th ey ca t, but damned , I

th i n k th ey m ich t aswe l l ca ’ ’tN esty . Th e P i l e- on, ’

s

th ey ca ’ ’t,’

s aboot as b ig as th e ri ve r Tay at Perthand i t ’ s ra i n i n ’ maist l i ke G reen ock . Dod, I

’

ve s een ’

s

had mai r 0 ’ what th ey ca ’ th e I- ta l ia n at Muttonhole .

I- ta l ia n ! Ihaenae s een th e sun fo r e i ch t a nd fortyh ou rs . Thomson ’

s be tte r, I be l i eve . But th e body’

s

fa i r attenyated. He ’

s doon to se evenstan e e leeven,an ’ h e sooks awa ’ at cod- l i ve r i l e , till i t

’

s a fa i r d isgrace .

Ye s ee h e tak ’ s i t on a drap brandy ; and i t’

s my bel i ef,i t ’

s j ust an excus e for a d ram . He an ’ Stevi son gangaboot th ei r lane , m aistly ; th ey ’

re company to ei th er,l i k e , an

’ wh i l es th ey ’

ll speak 0’

J oh nson . Buthe ’

s far

awa’

, Iosh me ! Stevison’s la s t book ’

s i n a th i rd

ede etion; an ’ i t ’

s bei n ’ t rans lated ( l i k e th e psaulm s 0’

D av id , nae l es s) i nto F rench ; and an e ediotth ey ca'

Ash er - a ki nd 0’ ri va l ofTauch n i tz— i s bri ngi n ’ h im

2 98

MA RSE I LL ES AND HYERES

ooti n a paper book for th e F rench i es a nd th e Germanfo l k i n twa vo lumes . Sae h e ’

s i n l uck , ye se e — Yours ,THOMSON.

To ALISON CUNN INGHAM

The ve rse s refe rred to i n the fo l lowi ng ar e those ofA Child’sGarden.

[N ICE, F ebruary , 1883 ]MY DEAR CUMMY,

— You must th in k , an d qu ite j ust ly ,that I am one of th e mean es t rogues i n c reat i on . But

th ough I do not write (which i s a th i ng I h ate) , i t by

no means fo l l ows th at p eop l e a re out ofmy mi nd . I t

i s n atu ra l that I s h ou ld a lways th i nk more or l ess aboutyou

,a nd st i l l more natu ra l th at I s hou ld th i n k of you

when I wen t back to N i ce . But th e rea l reason why

you have be en more i n my m i nd th an usua l i s b ecause

of some l i tt l e vers es that I h ave been wri t i ng, and that

I m ean to make a book of; and th e rea l reason of th i sl e tte r (a l th ough I ough t to have wri tten to you anyway)i s th at I h ave j ust seen that th e book i n quest i on must

be ded i cated to

ALISON CUNN INGHAM ,

th e on ly person who wi l l rea l ly unders tand it . I don ’ tkn ow when i t may be ready , for i t h as to be i l l us trated ,but I h ope i n th e meant im e you may l i ke th e i d ea ofwhat i s to be ; and when th e time comes , I shall t ry tomake th e ded icat i on as p retty as I can make i t. Ofcou rs e , th i s i s on ly a flou ri s h , l i k e tak i ng offone ’ s hat ;but s ti l l , a person who has taken th e troub l e to write

th i ngs does notded i cate th em to any one with outmean i ng i t ; and you must j ust try to take th i s ded ica

299

18831ET. 33


tion i n p lace of a great many th i ngs that I m ight havesa i d , and that I ought to h ave done , to p rove that I am

not a ltogeth er unconsc i ous of th e great debt of grat i tude

I owe you . Th i s l i tt l e book , which i s a l l about mych i l dh ood , sh ou ld i ndeed go to no oth er person but you ,who d i d s o much to make that ch i ld hood happy .

Do you know , we came very n ea r s end i ng fo r youth i s wi nte r. Ifwe had not h ad news th at you were i l ltoo, I a lm ost be l i eve we s hou l d h ave don e so , we were

so much i n troub l e.

I am now very we l l ; but my wi fe h as had a very ,ve ry bad s pe l l

,th rough overwork and anxi ety , when I

was lost! I su ppose you h eard of that. Sh e s endsyou h e r l ove , and hopes you wi l l wri te to h e r, thoughsh e n o more tha n I deserves i t . Sh e would add a wordh ers e l f, but s he i s too p layed out . - I am , eve r you r o ld

boy, R . L . S .

To W . E. HENLEY

Steven sonwas by th i s tim e beginn ing to send hom e som e Of the MS .

ofA Child’s Garden,the title ofwh ichhad n ot yetbeen settled .

The p iece s as fi rst num be re d are i n adiffe rent orde r from that afte rwardsadopted

,butthe reade rwi l l eas ily identi fy the refe rence s .

[N ICE , Mar ch, 1883 ]MY DEAR LAD , — Th is i s to announce to you th e Ms . of

N ursery Verses , now numberi ng XLV I I I . p i eces o r 599verses , whi ch , of cou rs e , one migh t augment ad infinitum .

But h e re i s my notion to make a l l c l ea r.I do not want a b ig ugly qua rto ; my sou l s i ckens at

300

LETTERS OF R. L. STEV ENSONobj ectmenti on ed i n th e text, were i t on ly a loaf ofbread or a cand lesti ck , i s a most de l ightfu l th i ng to ayoung ch i l d . I remember th is keen ly.

Ofcou rse , i f th e arti s t i ns i sts o n a la rge r form ,I

must, I suppose , bow my head . But my idea I am

convi nced i s th e bes t , and wou ld make th e book tru ly ,not fash i onab ly

,pretty .

I fo rgot to mentio n that I sha l l h ave a ded i cat i on ; Iam go i ng to ded i cate ’ em to Cum m y ; i t wi l l p lease her,and l ighten a l i tt l e my burthen ofi ngratitude. A lowaffa i r i s th e Muse bus i ness .I wi l l add no more to th is l es t you sh ou ld want to

commun icate with th e a rt i s t ; t ry anothe r s h eet. I

wonder h ow many I ’

ll keep wanderi ng to .

O, Iforgot. As for th e ti t le , I th i nk“N urs ery V ersesth e best. Poetry i s n ot th e strong poi n t of th e text,and I sh ri n k from any t it l e that might seem to c la im

that qua l i ty ; oth erwise we migh t have“N ursery

Muses o r N ewSongs of I nnocence (but that werea b lasph emy) , o r R imes ofI n nocence th e last not

bad , or — ani d ea The J ews ’ Harp , or — now I haveit The Penny Whist l e .

THE PENNY WH ISTLENURSERY VERSES

BY


ILLUSTRATED BY

And h ere we have an excel l ent frontis p i ec e , of a pa rtyp layi ng on a P. W . to a l i tt l e ri ng of danc i ng ch i ld ren .

302

MARSE I LLES AN D HYERES

THE PENNY WH ISTLEi s th e name for me.

F oo l ! th i s i s a l l wrong, here i s th e tru e nam e

PENNY WHISTLESFOR SMALL WH ISTLERS.

Th e second t i t l e i s que ried , i t i s p erhaps bette r, ass imp ly PENNY WH ISTLES.

N or you , OPenny Whist le r, grudgeThat I you r i nstrument debaseBy wors e perfo rmers still we j udge ,And give that fife a s econd p lace !

Cross ed pen ny wh ist l es onth e cove r, o r e ls e as h eafof’ em .

SUGGEST IONS

Iv. The p rocess i on — th e ch i l d runn i ng beh i n d i t .Th e p rocess i on ta i l i ng offth rough th e gates ofac l oudy ci ty.

1X . F or eignLands — Th is wi l l , I th i n k , want twop lates — th e ch i l d c l imbing, h i s fi rst g l impse over th e

gard en wa l l , with what h e sees — th e tree s h oot i ngh ighe r and h ighe r l i k e th e beansta lk , and th e V i ew

widen i ng. Th e river s l i p pi ng i n . Th e road a rri v i ngi n F a i ry la nd .

x. Windy N ights — The ch i ld i n bed l i sten i ng— th eh orseman ga l l op i ng.

303


X I I . Th e ch i l d h el p l es s ly watch i ng h i s sh i p — th en h egets sma l l e r, an d th e doll j oyfu l ly comes a l i ve — th epai r l and i ng on th e i s l and — th e s h i p ’ s deck with th e

dol l s teeri ng and the ch i l d fi ri ng th e penny cannon .

Q uery two p lates ? The do l l s h ou ld n eve r come properly a l i ve .xv . Bui l d i ng ofth e sh i p — s tori ng h er— N avigati on

Tom ’ s acc i dent, th e oth e r ch i l d pay i ng no attenti on .

xxx1. The Wind — I s ent you my noti o n ofa l ready .

XXXV I I . F or eignChildr en— The fo re ign types danc i ng i n a j i ng—a— ri ng, with th e Engl i s h ch i l d push i ng i nth e m idd l e . Th e fo re ign ch i ld ren l ooki ng at a nd showi ng each oth e r marve l s . Th e Engl is h ch i ld at th e le esideofa roast ofbeef. Th e Eng l i s h ch i ld s i tt i ng th i nk i ngwith h i s p i ctu re- books a l l round h im , and th e j i ng-a- ri ng

ofth e fo re ign ch i l d ren i n m i n iatu re dan ci ng over th ep i ctu re- books .

XXX IX . D ea r arti st , can youdo me th at ?XL I I . Th e ch i l d bei ng sta rted off— th e bed sai l i ng,cu rta i n s and a l l , upon th e s ea — th e ch i l d wak ing and

fi ndi ng h imsel f at h ome ; th e co rn er ofto i l ette m igh t beworked i n to l ook l i ke the p i er.

XLV I I . The l ighted part of th e room , to be carefu l ly

d i st i ngu ish ed from my ch i l d’

s dark hunt i ng grounds.

A s haded lamp . R . L. S.

To MRS . THOMAS STEVENSONHOTEL DES I LES D ’OR, HYERES, VAR,

Mar ch2MY DEAR MOTHER, — Itmust be at l east a fortnight

s i n ce we h ave had a s cratch of a pen from you ; and i f304

188333


will be coo l i n summer. There a re two rooms be lowwith a ki tc hen

,and fou r rooms above , a l l to ld — Eve r

you r affect i onate s on , R . L . STEVENSON.

TO THOMAS STEVENSON

Cassandra”was a n icknam e ofthe e lde r Mr . Stevenson for h i sdaughte r- in- law. The schem e of ap lay to b e foun ded on Gr eatExp ectationswas one of ahundred form ed in the se days and afte rwardsgiven up .

HOTEL DES ILES D ’OR, BUT MY ADDRESS WILL BECHALET LA SO L ITUDE , HYERES- LEs- PALM IERS , VAR,

F RANCE, Mar ch1 7 , 1883.

DEAR SIR, — You r undated favour from Eastbourn e

cam e to hand i n cou rs e ofpost , and I now hasten toacknowledge i ts rece i p t . We must ask you i n future ,fo r th e conven i en ce of ou r bus i n ess a rra ngements , tost ruggl e with a nd tread be low your feet th i s most unsati sfactory and uncommerci a l h ab i t . Our Mr . Cassand ra i s bette r ; our Mr . Wogg exp ress es h imse l fd issati sfied with ou r n ew p lace of bus i n ess ; when l efta lo n e i n th e front s h op , h e bawled l i ke a pa rrot ; i t i s

supposed th e offices are h au nted .

To tu rn to th e matte r ofyour l ette r , your remarks onGr eatExpectations a re very good . We have both reread itth i s wi nte r, and I , i n a manner, twice . Th e obj ectbei ng a p lay ; th e p lay , i n i ts rough out l i n e , I n ow see ;a nd i t i s extraord i nary h ow much of D i ckens h ad to

be d isca rd ed as unhuman , imposs ib l e, and i n effecti ve '

a l l th at rea l ly remai n s i s th e l oan of a fi l e (but from agrown -up young man who knows what h e was doing,a nd to a conv ict who , a l th ough h e does not know it, i s

306

MA RSE I LLES AND HYERES

h i s fath er— th e fath e r knows i t i s h i s son) , and th e factofth e convi ct- fath er ’ s return and d isc losu re ofh imse l fto th e s on whom h e has made ri ch . Everyth i ng e ls e

has been th rown as id e ; an d th e pos i ti o n hashadto beexp la i n ed by a p ro logue wh ich i s p retty strong. I h ave

great h opes ofth i s p i ece , wh ich i s very am iab le and , i np laces , ve ry st rong i ndeed : but i t was cu rious howD i cken s had to be ro l l ed away ; h e had made h i s s to ry

turn on such improbabi l i t i es , such fantasti c trifles , notona good human bas i s , such as l recogn ised . You are

righ t about th e casts , th ey were a cap i ta l i d ea ; a gooddesc ri pt i on ofth em at fi rs t, and th en afte rwards , say

second , fo r th e lawyer to h ave i l l u s trated poi n ts out ofth e h i sto ry ofth e o rigi na ls , dust i ng th e pa rt i cu la r bust— th at was a l l th e d eve lopment th e th i ng wou ld bea r.D i c kens k i l l ed th em . Th e on ly rea l ly wel l- executedscenes a re th e ri vers id e ones ; th e escape i n part i cu la r i s

exce l l en t ; an d I may add , th e captu re of th e two convi cts at th e begi n n i ng. Mi s s Havi sham i s , p robab ly ,th e wors t th i ng i n human fi ct i on . But Wemmick I

l i k e ; and I l i ke Trab b’

s boy ; and Mr .Wops le as Ham leti s s p l end i d .

The weath er h e re i s great ly im proved , and I hope i nth ree days to be i n th e cha l et . That i s , i f I get s omemon ey to float m e th e re .

I h o pe you a re a l l r igh t aga i n,and wi l l keep bette r.

Th e month of March i s past i ts m id- ca reer ; i t must soon

begi n to tu rn towards th e lamb ; here i t ha s a l ready begun

to do so ; a nd I hope m i lder weathe r wi l l p i ck you up .Wogg has eaten a fo rpet of ri c e and m i l k , h is bea rd i s

s t ream i ng, h i s eyes wi ld . I am bes i eged by demandsofwork from Ameri ca .

307

1883

33


Th e £50 has j ust a rri ved ; many thanks ; I am nowat ease — Ever you r affect i onate s on , p r o Cassandra ,Wogg and Co. , R. L. S .

To MRS . SITWELL

CHALET LA SOLITUDE , HYERES [Apr il ,MY DEAR FR IEND , — I am one of th e l owest ofth e— butthat ’

s understood . 1 rece i ved th e c0py,

1 excel l en t ly

wri tten , with I th i n k on ly one s l i p from fi rs t to las t. I

h ave struck out two , and added five or s i x ; s o they now

number forty—five ; when th ey a re fi fty , th ey sha l l outonth e world . I

,have not written a l ette r for a c rue l

t ime ; I h ave been , and am , s o busy , drafti ng a long

story (fo r m e ,

’

I mean) , about a hu ndred Cornhil l pages ,or say about as l ong as th e D onkey book : P r ince Ottoi t i s ca l l ed , a nd i s , at th e p res ent h ou r, a s ore bu rthen ,but a h opefu l . Ifl had h im a l l d rafted , I s hou ld wh ist l ea nd s i ng . But no : th en I ’

II have to rewrite h im ; and

th en th ere wi l l be th e publ i s h ers , a las ! But some tim e

or other, I s ha l l wh ist l e and s i ng, I make no doubt .I am goi ng to make a fo rtun e , i t h as n ot yet begun ,fo r I am not yet clear of debt ; but as soon as I can , I

b egi n u pon th e fortun e . I shall begi n i t with a h a lfpenny , and i t sha l l en d with h orses an d yachts and all

th e fun ofth e fa i r. Th i s i s th e fi rs t rea l grey hai r i n

my cha racte r : ra pac i ty h as begun to Show , th e greed ofth e p rotuberant gutt l er. Wel l , doubtl es s , when the

h our stri kes , we must a l l gutt l e and p rotub e . But i t

comes h ard ononewho was a lways so wi l l ow- S l enderan d as care l ess as th e dai s i es .

1 Fai r Copy ofsom e ofthe Child’s Gar denve rse s.308

LETTERS OF R. Im STEVENSON

To EDMUND GOSSE

CHALET LA SOL ITUDE , HYERES [Apr il ,MY DEAR GOSSE , — I am very gu i l ty ; I s h ou ld havewri tten to you long ago ; and n ow , th ough i t must bedone , I am so stup i d that I ca n on ly bo ld ly recapitu

l ate . A ph ras e ofth ree m embers i s th e outs id e of mysyntax .

F i rs t, I l i ked th eRover bette r than any of you r oth ervers e . I be l i eve you a re right, a nd can make stori es i n

vers e . Th e las t two stanzas and one o r two i n th ebegi nn i ng— but th e two last above a l l — I th ough t ex

ce llent. I s uggest a pu rsu i t of th e ve i n . I f you want

a good story to treat , get th e Mem oir s ofthe Cheval ierj ohnstone , and do h is passage of th e Tay ; i t wou ld beexce l l en t : th e d i nn er i n th e fi e ld , th e woman h e has to

fo l l ow,th e d ragoon s , th e tim id boatmen , th e brave

l asses . Itwoul d go l i k e a charm ; l ook at i t, and youwill say you owe me one .Second , Gi lde r ask i ng me for fi cti on , I sudden ly tooka great reso lve , and have packed offto h im my n ewwork , The Silverado Squatter s . I do not fo r a momentsuppose h e wi l l tak e i t ; but pray say a l l th e good

words you can fo r i t. I sh ou ld be awfu l ly glad to get

i t taken . But i f i t does not mean d ibbs at o nce,I sha l l

b e ru i n ed fo r l i fe . Pray wri te s oon and beg G i lder

your p rett i es t fo r a poor gent l eman i n pecu n ia ry S l oughs .F ourth , next t im e I am supposed to be at d eath

’ s door,wri te to m e l i ke a Ch ri st i an , and letnot you r co rre

spondence attend onbus i n ess — Yours ever,R . L. S.

3 10

MA RSE I LLES AN D HYERES

P .S.— I s ee I have l ed you to concei ve th e Squatter s

£

1

1

883

are fi cti on . Th ey are n ot, a las !33


CHA LET SOL ITUDE , May 5MY DEAREST PEOPLE, — l have had a great p i ece ofn ews .

There h as been Offeredfor Tr easur e Island— how muchdo you suppose I b e l i ev e i t wou ld be an exce l l ent j es tto keep th e answer t i l l my next l ette r. For two cents

I wou ld do so. Sha l l I ? Anyway , I’

11 tu rn th e page

fi rs t. N o - wel l — A hund red pounds , a l l a l i ve , O! A

hundred j i ngl i ng, t i ngl i ng, go lden , minted qu id . I s

n ot th i s wonderfu l ? Add th at I h avenowfin ish ed , i n

d raft , th e fi fteenth chapte r of my nove l , a nd have on ly

five befo re me , and you wi l l s ee what cause of grati tud eI have.Th e weath e r, to look at th e pe r con tra sh eet, con t i nuesvomitab l e ; and F anny i s qu i te out of sorts . But , rea l ly,with such cause ofglad ness , I havenotth e h ea rt to b ed is p i ri ted by anyth i ng. My ch i l d

’ s vers e book i s fi n ish ed,

d ed icati on and a l l , and out of my hands — you may te ll

Cum m y ; Silverado i s don e , too , and cast u pon th e

wate rs ; and th i s n ove l so nea r comp leti on , i t d oes l ookas

’

i f I s h ou ld support myse lf without t roubl e i n th efutu re . I f I h ave on ly h ea lth , I can , I th an k God . I t

i s d readfu l to be a great, b ig man , and not be ab le to buyb read .Oth at th i s may last !I h ave to - day pai d my rent for th e h a l f yea r , t i l l th e

m idd le of September, and got my leas e : why they havebeen so long, I k n ow not .

3“

18831ET. 33


I wis h you a l l sorts of good th i ngs .When i s our marriage dayP— You r l ov i ng and ecstati c

son, TREESURE B I LAAN.I t ha s beenfor me a Treasu re I s land veri ly.

To MR. AND MRS. THOMAS STEVENSONLA SOL ITUDE, HYERES, May 8, 1883 .

MY DEAR PEOPLE , — I was d isgusted to h ea r my fathe r

was n ot s o wel l . I h ave a most troub l ed ex is ten ce of

work and bus i ness . But th e work goes we l l , wh ich i s

th e great affa i r. I m ean t to h ave wri tten a most d e

l igh tfu l letter ; too ti red , however, and must stop .Perhaps I ’ ll fi nd t im e to add to i t e re post .I h ave retu rn ed refresh ed from eati ng, but h ave l i tt l e

t im e,as L l oyd w i l l go s oon with th e l etters o n h i s way

to h i s tutor, Loui s Robert ( I I) , with whom h e learns

Lati n i n F ren ch , an d F ren ch , I suppose , i n Lat i n , wh ichs eems to me a capi ta l educati on . He, L l oyd , i s a greatb i cyc l e r a l ready , and has been l ong d istan ces ; h e i s

most n ewfangl ed ove r h i s i n strument , and does not

wi l l i ngly convers e onoth e r subj ects .Our l ovely gard en i s a p rey to sn a i l s ; I h ave gath eredabout a bush e l , wh i ch , not havi ng th e h eart to s lay , I

s tea l fo rth witha l an d depos i t n ea r my neighbou r ’ sgarden wa l l .

,

AS a cas e ofcasu i s try , th i s p rese ntsmany poi nts ofi n te res t. I l oath e th e s nai ls , but from

loath i ng to a ctua l butch e ry , t ruc i dat i on ofmulti tudes ,th ere i s s ti l l a step that I h es i tate to take . What, th en ,to do with th em ? My neighbou r

’ s vi neyard , pardy !

3 1 2


I was rendered unwe l l by th e a rri va l ofyou r ch eque,and , l i k e Pepys ,

“my hand sti l l s h akes to wri te ofi t .”To th i s gratefu l emoti on , and not to D . T. , p lease attrib

ute th e raggedness of my hand .

Th i s yea r I shou ld be ab l e to l i ve a nd keep my fami lyonmy own earn i ngs , and that i n sp i te ofeight monthsand more of perfect i d l eness a t the end of las t and

begi n n i ng of th i s . I t i s a sweet thought .

Th is s pot , ou r garden and ou r V i ew , a re sub- ce lesti a l .I s i ng da i ly with my Bunyan

,that great ba rd ,

I dwel l a l ready th e n ext door to Heaven !

I f you cou ld s ee my r oses , and my a loes , and my figmarigo ld s , and my o l i ve s , and my Vi ew over a p la i n ,a nd my Vi ew of certa i n mountai n s as gracefu l a s Apol l o ,as s evere as ! eus , you wou ld not th i n k th e ph ras e ex

agg e rated.

I t i s b l owi ng to—day ahotmistra l , which i s th e devi lor a n ea r connect io n of h i s .

Th i s to catch th e post— You rs affecti onate ly ,R. L. STEVENSON.

To EDMUND GOSSE

LA SOL ITUDE , HYERES- LEs- PALM IERS , VAR,F RANCE , May 2 1 , 1883 .

MY DEAR GOSSE , — Th e n ight gi veth advi ce , genera l lybad advi ce ; but I have taken i t . And I h ave writtend i rect to G i ld er to te l l h im to keep th e book 1 back and

1 The S ilverado S quatter s .


go onwith i t i n N ovember at h i s lei su re . I do notknow if th i s wi l l com e i n t im e ; i f i t doesn’t, ofcours eth i ngs wi l l go on i n th eway p roposed . Th e £40, or,

as I p refe r to put i t, th e 1000 francs , has been such ap i erc i ng sun - ray as my who l e grey l ife i s gi l t wi tha l .Onth e back ofi t I can endu re. I f th es e good days ofLongmanand th e Century on ly las t, i t wi l l be a verygreen world , th i s that we dwel l i n and that ph i l osophers

m i sca l l . I have n o tas te fo r that ph i l osophy ; give me

la rge sums pa i d on th e recei p t ofth e Ms . and copyrightres erved , and what do I ca re about th e n on - beent ?On ly I k n ow it can ’ t last . Th e dev i l a lways has a n impor two i n every house , and my imps a re getti ng l i ve ly.Th e good lady , th e dear , ki nd lady , th e sweet , exce ll en t l ady , N emes i s , whom alon e I adore , has fixed her

wooden eye upon me . I fa l l p ron e ; s pare me, Moth er

N emes i s ! But catch h er !

I mustnowgo to bed ; fo r I h ave had a whoresoni nfluenza co ld

,a nd h ave to l i e down al l day , and get up

on ly to mea l s and th e de l ights , J un e de l ights , ofbus in ess co rres pondence .

You sai d n oth i ng about my subj ect fo r a poem .

D on ’ t you l i k e i t ? My own fi shy eye has been fixed

oni tfor p rose , but I bel i eve i t cou ld be th rown outfi ne ly i n vers e , and hence I res ign and pass th e h and .Twig th e comp l iment — Yours affecti onate ly ,

R . L. S.

To W . E. HENLEY

Tushe ry ”had been a nam e i n use between Stevenson and Mr.H enleyfor r omance s ofthe Ivanhoe type . He nowapp l ie s it tohis

3 15

1883

L ETTERS O F R . L. STEVENSON

owntale ofthe Wars ofthe Rose s,The B lack Ar r ow

,wr ittenfor

33 Mr. H ende rson ’ s Young F olks, ofwh ich the officewas i nRed L i onSquare .

[HYEREs, May ,

THE i nfluenza has busted me a good dea l ; Ihave no s pri ng, and am headachy. SO, as my good

Red L i o n Counter begged me for anoth er Butche r ’ s B oy— I tu rn ed me to — what th i n kest ’

ou — to Tush ery,by

th e mass ! Ay, fri end , a whol e ta l e of tush ery . Andevery tush e r tush es me so free , that may I be tush ed i f

th e who l e th i ng i s worth a tush . The B lack Ar r owA Tal e ofTunstal l F or esti s h i s name : tush ! a poo rth i ng !

Wi l l Tr easur e Island p roofs be com i ng soon , th i n kyouI wi l l now make a confess i on . I t was th e s igh t of

you r maimed st rength an d masterfu l n ess th at begot

J oh n S i l ve r i n Tr easur e Island. Ofcours e , h e i s noti n any othe r qua l i ty or featu re th e l eas t l i k e you ; but

th e i dea of th e maimed man , ru l i ng and dreaded by th e

sound , was enti re ly taken from you .

Otto i s , as you say , not a th i ng to extend my pub l i con. Iti s queer a nd a l i tt l e, l i tt l e b i t free ; and some of

th e pa rti es a re immora l ; and th e who l e th i ng i s not a

romance , no r yet a comedy ; no r yet a romanti c comedy

but a k i n d of p repa rati o n of s ome of th e e l ements of allth ree i n a glass j a r. I th i n k i t i s not with out meri t , butI am n ot a lways onth e l eve l of my argument, and someparts are fa l s e , and much of th e rest i s th i n ; i t i s morea tri umph fo r myse lf than anyth i ng e ls e ; fo r I s ee , b e

yond i t, bette r s tuff. I h ave n i n e chapters ready , o ralmost ready , for p ress . My fee l i ng woul d be to get it

3 1 6


A lyt le J ape of TUSHERIEBy A. Tush er

The p leasa nt rive r gushesAmong th e meadows green ;

Athome th e author tush es ;For h im i t flows unseen .

Th e B i rds among th e BI‘I'shesMay wanton onth e sp ray ;But va i n fo r h im who tushes

Th e brightn ess of th e day !

The frog among th e rushesS i ts s i ngi ng i n th e b lue .

By’

r la ’ ki n ! but th es e tushesAre wearis ome to do !

The tas k enti re ly c rush esThe Sp i ri t of th e bardGod p i ty h im who tush es

H i s tas k i s very hard.

The fi l thy gutter s lush es ,The c louds a refull ofra i n ,

Butdoomed i s h e who tushesTo tush and tush aga i n .

Atm om with h is h ai r- b rush es ,St i l l tus h h e says , and weeps

Atn igh t aga i n h e tush es ,And tushes t i l l h e s l eeps .

3 18


And when at length h e piishesBeyond th e rive r da rk

’

Las , to th e man who tush es ,Tush ” shall be God ’ s remark !To W. E. HENLEY

The ve rse s al luded to are som e of those afte rwards co l lected inUnderwoods.

[CHALET LA SOL ITUDE , HYERES , May ,

DEAR HENLEY , — You may be su rp ri s ed to h ea r that Iam nowa great write r ofve rs es ; that i s , however, so .I have th e man i a n ow l i ke my bette rs , a nd fa i th , i f I

l i v e t i l l I am forty , I shall have a book ofrhymes l i kePo l l ock , Goss e, or whom you p l ease. Rea l ly, I h avebegun to l ea rn s ome ofth e rud iments ofthat t rade, andhave wri tten th ree or fou r p retty enough p i eces ofoctosy l lab i c n onsense, s em i - s eri ous , s em i- sm i l i ng. A ki n d

ofpros e Herri ck , d ivested ofth e gift ofve rs e, a nd youbehol d th e Bard . But I l i k e i t. R. L. S

To W. E. HENLEY

The“newd ict i onary m ean s,ofcourse

,the first in stalm ents ofthe

great Oxford D ict i onary ofthe Engl i sh Language,ed ited by D r. J . A . H .

Murray.HYERESUune,

DEAR LAD , — I was de l igh ted to h ea r th e good newsabout B ravo , h e goes uph i l l fast . Let h im bewareofvan i ty , a nd h e wi l l go h igh er ; l et h im be sti l l d iscontented , and ,

l et h im (i f i t m igh t be) see th e meritsandnotth e fau lts ofh is ri va ls , and h e may swarm at

3 l 9


last to th e topga l l ant . There i s n o oth e r way. Ad

m irationi s th e on ly road to exce l l en ce ; a nd th e cri t i ca lSp i ri t k i l l s , but envy and i nj usti c e a re putrefact io n oni ts feet.

Thus fa r th e mora l i st. The eage r auth or now begsto kn ow wheth e r you may have got th e oth e r Whist l es , and wheth e r a fresh p roof i s to b e taken ; a lso

wheth e r i n that cas e th e ded i cat io n s hou l d n ot be

pri n ted th erewith ; Bulk D e l ights P ub l i s h ers (origi na l

a phorism ; to be sa i d s ixteen t im es i n success i on as a

tes t of sobri ety) .

Your wi ld an d raven i ng commands were recei ved ;but can not be ob eyed . And a nyway , I d o assure youI am gett i ng bette r every day ; and i f th e weath e r wou ld

but tu rn , I s h ou l d s oon be Obse rved to wa l k i n horn

p i pes . T ru ly I am on th e m end . I am st i l l ve ry carefu l .I hav e th e n ew d i ct i onary ; a j oy , a th i ng ofbeauty , andbulk . I shall be raked i ’ th e moo ls befo re i t ’s fi n ish ed ;that i s th e on ly p i ty ; but m eanwh i l e I s i ng.

I beg to i nfo rm you that I , Robert Lou i s Stevenson ,auth or ofB rashianaand oth e r works , am mere ly begi nn i ng to commence to prepa re to make a fi rst s tart at

t ryi ng to understand my p rofess i on . Oth e h eigh t a nddepth of nove l ty and worth i n any art ! an d 0 th at I

am p riv i l eged to swim and sh ou lder th rough such

ocean s ! Cou ld one get out ofs ight of l an d— a l l i n th eb lu e ? Al as n ot , bei ng an ch ored h ere i n fl esh , and th e

bonds ofl ogi c bei ng st i l l about US .

But what a great Space and a great a i r th ere i s i n th es esmal l s ha l l ows where a l on e we ven ture ! and h ow neweach s igh t , squal l , ca lm , or sun ri s e ! Ana rt i s a fin e

fortune , a pa l ace i n a pa rk , a band ofmusi c, h ea lth ,320


LA SO L ITUDE HYERES [Summ er ,DEAR LAD, — Glad you l i ke F onta i n eb l eau .

”l am go ing

to be th e means,under h eaven , of ae ratIng or lite rating

your pages . The i dea that because a th i ng i s a p i ctu rebook a l l th e writ i ng Shou ld be on th e wrong tack i s tr istebut wides pread . Thus Hokusa i wi l l b e rea l ly a goss i ponconvent i on , o r i n great part. And th e Ske l t wi l l beas l i k e a Charl es Lamb as I can get i t. Th e write rs hou ld write , a nd n ot i l l ustrate p i ctu res : e ls e i t

’

s

boshYour remarks about th e ugly a re my eye . Ugl i n essi s on ly th e p rose ofhorro r. I t i s wh en you a re n ot ab l etowri te Macbeththat you write Ther eseRaquin. F ash

ion s a re externa l : th e ess en c e of a rt on ly va ri es i n s o

fa r as fash io nwi dens th e fi e l d of i ts ap p l i cat i on ; art i s

a m i l l whose th i rl age , i n d ifferent ages , widens andcontracts ; but , i n a ny cas e and unde r any fash i on , th e

great man p roduces beauty , te rro r, an d m i rth , and the

l i tt l e man p roduces c l evern ess (persona l i t i es , psych ol

ogy) i n stead of beauty , ugl i n ess i n stead of terro r, an d

jokes i nstead of mi rth . As i t was i n th e begi nn i ng , i s

n ow, and sh a l l be eve r, world with out end . Amen !

And even as you read , you say , “Ofcours e , quel ler engaine .

’ R . L. S .

To AL ISON CUNN INGHAM

The pe rson s m entio ned be lowi n the fourth paragraph are cousin s ofthewr ite r and playmate s ofhis ch i ldhood ; two of them ,

nam e d Lewi sl ike h im se lf

,afte r the i r Bal four grandfathe r

,had be en n icknam ed afte r

the i r b irthplace s D e lh i ” and Cram ond to avoi d confus i on .

32 2


LA SO L ITUDE, HYERES [Summ er ,MY DEAR GUMMY , — Yes , I ownI am a rea l bad co rre

spondent, and am as bad as ca n be i n most d i recti ons .I h ave been add i ng some more poems to you r book.I wish th ey wou ld l ook Sha rp about i t ; but, you see,th ey are try i ng to find a good arti st to make th e illustraa

t i o ns,without wh ich no ch i l d wou ld give a k i ck for it.

I t wi l l b e qu i te a fi ne work , I h op e. Th e ded i cati on i s:a poem too , and has been qu i te a long wh i l e wri tten ,but I do not mean you to see i t till you get th e book ;keep th e j e l lyfor th e l ast, you know , a s youwoul d

often re commend i n former days , s o now you can take

you r own medi c i n e.

I am very sorry to h ea r you have been so poorly ; Ihave been very wel l ; i t u s ed to be qu ite th e othe r way ,used i t n ot ? Do you remember maki ng th e wh ist l e a tMount Chessie ? I d onotth i n k i twas my kn i fe ; I b el i eve i t was you rs ; but rhyme i s a very great monarch ,and goes befo re h onesty , i n th es e affa i rs at l east. Do

you remember, a t War riston, one autumn Sunday ,when th e beech nuts were on th e ground , s ee i ng h eaven

Open ? I wou ld l i ke to make a rhyme ofthat, butcannot

I s i tnotstrange to th i n k of a l l th e changes : Bob ,

Cramond , D e lh i , Mi n n i e , and Hen ri etta, all marri ed , andfath ers an d moth ers , and you r humb le s ervant j ust th e

one poi n t bette r OffAnd such a l i tt le wh i l e ago allch i l d ren togeth er ! Th e tim e goes swift an d wonderfu l ly even ; an d i f we are n o wors e than we are, weshou l d be gratefu l to th e p ower that gu ides us . For

more than a generati on I have now been to th e fore inth i s rough wor ld , and been most tende r ly h e lped , and

333


done c rue l ly wrong , and yet escaped ; and h ere I am

st i l l , th e worse fo r wea r, but with some fight i n m e

st i l l , a nd not u n th ankfu l — no , sure ly notunthan kfu l ,or I were th en th e worst of human bei ngs !My l i tt l e dog i s a ve ry much better ch i l d i n every way ,

b oth more l ov i ng and more amiab l e ; but h e i s n ot fond

ofst rangers , a nd i s , l i k e m ost ofh is k i nd , a great, s pec l ous h umbug.

F an ny has been i l l , but i s much better aga i n ; she now

goes donkey rides with a n o ld woman , who com p l i

ments h er on her F ren ch . That o ld woman — s even tyodd— i s i n a par lous sp i r i tual s tate.

Pretty soon , i n th e n ew s ixpen ny i l l ustrated magaz i ne ,Wogg

’

s p i ctu re i s to a p pea r : th i s i s a great h onour !

And th e poor sou l , whose van i ty wou ld j ust exp lod e i fh e cou ld u nde rstand i t , wi l l n eve r be a bi t th e wiser !With much love , i n wh i ch F an ny j o i ns , bel i eve me ,your affect i onate boy , RO BERT LOU IS STEVENSON.

To W. E. HENLEY

LA SO LITUDE , HYERES, Summ er , 1883 .

DEAR LAD ,- Snatches i n retu rn fo r yours for thi s l i ttle

on ce , I’

mwe ll to wi ndward of you .

Seventeen chapte rs ofOtto are now drafted , an dfindi ng I was work ing th rough my vo i ce and getti ngsc re echy , I h ave turn ed back aga i n to rewr ite th e ea r l i e rpart. I t h as , I d o be l i eve , s ome me ri t : of what o rde r,ofcours e , I am th e las t to know ; and , tri umph Oftriumphs , my wife— m y wifewho hates and loathes and

324


my sh i ps come home , I w i l l attack th e d rama i n earn est.I can not m ix th e Ske i n s . Thus , th ough I

'

m mora l ly

sure th ere i s a p lay i n Otto, I dare not l ook fo r i t : Is h oot stra ight at th e story .

As a sto ry , a comedy , I th i n k Otto very wel l constructed ; th e echoes a re very good , a l l th e s ent iments

ch ange round , an d th e poi n ts ofV i ew are conti nua l ly ,and, I th i n k (i f you p leas e) , happi ly contrasted . N on e

ofi t i s exact ly fun ny , but s ome ofi t i s sm i l i ng.

R . L . S .

To EDMUND GOSSE

The reference i s to Mr. Gosse ’ s vo lum e cal led S eventeenthCenturyStudies.

LA SOL ITUDE , HYERES [Summ er ,MY DEAR GOSSE , — I have now l ei s u re ly read your volume ; p retty soon , by th e way , you wi l l rece ive one of

m i n e .I t i s a p l easan t , i n struct i v e, an d s ch o la rly vo lume .

Th e th ree best be i ng , qu ite outof s igh t — Crash aw,

Otway , and Eth erege . They a re exce l l en t ; I h es i tatebetween th em ; but p erhap s Crashaw is th e most b ri l

I i a nt.

Your Webster i s n ot my Webste r ; nor you r H erri ck

my Herri ck . Onth es e matters we must fi re a gun toleeward , s h ow our co lou rs , and go by . Argument i simposs ib l e. Th ey a re two of my favou ri te authors :Herri c k above a l l : I s u ppos e th ey are two of yours .

Wel l , J anus- l i ke , th ey do behol d us two with d ivers ecountenances , few features a re common to thes e d ifferentavata rs ; and we can but agree to d iffer, but sti l l

32 6


with grat i tud e to our enterta i n ers , l i k e two guests atth e same d i n n er, one ofwhom takes c l ea r and onewhite soup . By my way of th i nk i ng, nei th e r ofusn eed be wrong.

Th e other pape rs ar e a l l i n terest i ng, adequate , clear ,a n d with a p l easant sp i c e of th e romanti c . I t i s a book

you may be wel l p l eased to h ave so fin ish ed , an dwilldo you much good . Th e Crashaw is cap ita l : cap i ta l ;I l i ke th e taste of i t. Prefa ce c l ea n an d d ign ifi ed . Theh and l i ng th roughout workman l i ke , with some fou r o r

five touch es of p rec ios ity, wh ich I regret .With my thanks fo r i nfo rmation , enterta inment, a nd

a p le asu rab l e envy here a n d th ere . Yours affect i onate ly, R . L . S.

To W. E. HENLEY

During the h e ight ofthe Provengal sum m e r,Steven sonwentwith

h i swife to m e et h i s parents atthe Bath s of Royat i n Auve rgn e,whe rehe stayed for S ixweek s

,andwh ere all passed p l easantlywith n o r e

turn of i l ln e ss . Soon afte rhewas settled agai n atHyere s,hehad a

great shock i n the d eath ofone ofthe o lde st and m ost i nt imate ofh i sfr i ends of Edinburgh days

,Mr . Jam e s Walte r Fe rr ie r (see the e ssay“O ld Mortal ity ” i n Mem or ies and P ortraits) . Iti s i n accordance

with the e xpre ssedwi sh Of th i s gentlem an ’ s surv iv ing si ste r that publicity i s given to the fo l lowi ng lette r .

LA SOL ITUDE , HYERES- LES - PALM IERS, VAR,Septem ber 1 9 , 1883.

DEAR BOY ,— Our l etters v igorous ly cross : youwill

ere th i s have recei ved a note to Coggi e : God kn ows

what was i n i t .

I t i s strange , a l i tt l e befo re th e fi rst word you sen t

me — so late — ki nd ly late , l know and fee l — I was

32 7


th in k i ng i n my bed , when I kn ewyou I ha d s i x fri endsB ob I had by nature ; th en cam e th e good J ames

Walter — with a l l h is fa i l i ngs — th e g entl emanof th elot , a la s to s i nk so low , a la s to do so l i tt l e , but n ow,

tha n k God , i n h i s qu i et rest ; n ext I foun d Baxter

wel l do I remember tel l i ng Wal te r I h a d unea rthed a

W . S . that I though t would do i twas i n th e AcademyLane

,an d h e questioned me as to th e S ign et ’ s qualifi

cat i ons ; fourth came S impson ; somewhere about th esame time , I b egan to get in t imate with J enk i n ; last

came Co lv i n . Then , on e blac k winter afte rnoon , l ongLes l i e Steph en , i n h i s velvet jacket , met me i n th e Spec .by appo i ntment , took me o v er to th e infirm ary, a nd i n

th e c rack l i ng, b l igh t ing gas l igh t s howed me th at o l dh eadwhos e exce l l en t re presen tati on I se e befo re me i nth e photograph . N owwhen a man has s i x fri ends , toi n troduce a s eve nth i s usual l y ho pe l es s . Yet wh e n

you were p re sen ted , you took to them an d th ey to you

upon th e n a i l . You must h ave been a fine fe l l ow ; butwhat a s ingu la r fo rtun e I must h ave had i n my s i xfri en ds th at you shou l d take to a l l . I don

’

t kn owi f i ti s good Lati n , most p robably not ; but th i s i s en sc ro l l edbefo re my eye s fo r Walte r : Tandem e nubibus inapr icum p r operat. Rest, I suppose , l know , was a l l

tha t rema i n e d ; but 0 to look back , to remembe r a l l th e

m i rth,a l l th e k i ndn ess , a l l th e h umorous l im ita ti ons and

l oved defects of that cha ra cter ; to th in k that h e was

young with m e , Sha ring that weath er- beaten , F ergussonianyouth , l ook i ng forward th rough th e c l ouds toth e sunburst ; an d now cl ean gone from my path , s i l ent

- wel l ,we ll. Th i s has been a strange awake n i ng.

Last n ight , when I was a lon e i n th e house, with th e328


When I come to th in k ofit, I d o not knowwhat I sa i dto h is s i ste r, an d I fea r to try aga i n . Cou l d you send he r

th i s ? There i s too much both about yourse lf an d me i nit; but th at, i fyou do not m ind , i s but a mark ofsince rity.

I t wou ld l et h er know how enti re ly , i n th e m ind of ( Isuppose) h is o l dest fri end , th e good , t rue F e rri e r ob lite r

ates th e memory of th e othe r,who was on ly h i s l u nati cb roth er.J udge of th i s fo r m e an d do as you p l ease ; a nyway ,I wi l l try to write to h er aga i n ; my last was some k in d

of scrawl th at I cou ld not s e efo c ry ing Th is cameupon me , remember, with te rrib l e suddenn ess ; Iwassurprised by th i s d eath ; an d i t i s fifteen or s ixteen

yea rs s i nce fi rst I saw th e handsome face i n th e Spec.I mad e sure , bes ides , to h ave d i ed fi rst. Love to you

,

you r wife, a nd h er s i ste rs — Eve r yours , dea r boy ,R . L. S .

I n eve r k new any man so supe ri o r to h imsel f a s poor

J ames Walter . Th e best ofh im on ly came as a v i s i on ,l i k e Co rs i ca from the Co rn ich e . He n eve r gave h i s

measure e i the r mora l ly o r i n te l l ectua l ly . Th e curse wasonh im . Even h is fr i ends did not know h im but by fi ts .I h ave passed hours w ith h im when h e was sowi s e ,good , a nd sweet , that I neve r knew th e l i ke of i t i n any

other. And fo r a beauti fu l good humour h e had nomatch . I remembe r break i ng i n upon h im once with

awh ol e red - hot story ( i n m yworst mann er) , pouri ngwords u pon h im by th e hour about som e truck notworth an egg th at had befal le n me ; an d sudde n ly,som e ha lf h our afte r, find i ng that th e sweet fe l l ow had

some conce rn of h i s own Ofi nfin i te ly greate r import,330


that h e was pati ently an d smi l i ng ly waiti ng to consu l tm e on . Itsounds noth i ng ; but th e cou rtesy an d th eunse lfishne ss were perfect. I t m akes m e rage to th i n khow few kn ew h im , andhowmany had th e c han ce tosn eer a t th ei r b etter.

Wel l , h e was not wasted , that we kn ow ; th ough i f

a nyth ing looked l i ke r i rony than th i s fi tt i ng ofa manoutwith th ese ri ch qua l i t i es and facu lt i es to be wrecked

and aborted from th e very s tocks , I d o not know th e

name of it . Yet we see th at h e has l eft an i nfluence ;th e memory ofh is pat i en t cou rte sy has Often ch eckedme i n rudeness ; has i t not you ?

You ca n form no id ea ofhowhandsome Walte r was .Attwenty h e was sp lend id to see ; th e n ,

too, h e had th e

sense of power i n h im , and great hop e s ; h e looked fo r

wa rd , ever j esti ng of cou rs e , but h e looked to see h imse l f

where h e had th e righ t to expect . He be l i eved i n h im

self p rofoun d ly buthenever disbel ieved inother s . To th erough est H igh land studen t h e a lways had h is fi ne, k ind ,open d ign ity ofm anne r ; an d a good word beh i n d h i s back.Th e las t t im e th at I sawh im befo re l eavi ng fo rAmerica

— itwas a sad b low to both ofus . When h e h eard Iwas l eav i ng , and that m igh t be th e lasts time we m igh tmeet — ita lmost was so -he was terrib ly upset, andCame roun d at on ce . We sat late , i n Baxter

’ s empty

house , where I was s l eep i ng. My dea r fri end Wal te r

F erri e r : O ifl had on ly written to h im mo re ! i f on lyon e ofus i n th es e l ast days h ad beenwe ll ! But I everch eri shed th e honou r of h i s fri endsh i p , and n ow when

h e i s gon e, I know what I h ave lost sti l l b ette r. We

l i v e on , mean ing to meet ; but when th e h ope i s gon e,th e pang comes . R. L . S .

33 !


TO EDMUND GOSSE

LA SOLITUDE , HYERES - LES - PALM IERS ,2 6thSeptem ber , 1 883 .

MY DEAR GOSSE , — Ita ppe ars a bo l t from T ransatl a nt i cai s necessary to produce four l i n es from you . Iti s n otflatter i ng ; but as I was a lways a ba d corresponden t ,’ti s a v i c e to wh ich I am len i ent . I gi ve you to know,however, that I h ave a l ready twic e ( th i s makes th ree

t imes) sent youwhatl p le as e to ca l l a l ette r, and rece ivedfrom you i n return a subterfuge — or n oth i ng .

My p resent purpose , however, wh i ch must n ot be

postponed , i s to ask you to te legraph to th e Ameri ca ns .Afte r a summer Ofgood h ea l th Ofavery rad ian t o rd er,toothach e an d th e death of a very Old fri end , wh ichcame upon me l i ke a thu nderc l ap , ha ve rather sh elved

my powers . I sta re upon th e paper. not write . I w is hI cou l d write l i ke your Scu l pto rs ; yet I am wel l awareth at I sh ou l d n ot try i n that d i rect io n . A certa i n

warmth (tep i d enough) a nd a certa i n dash of th e p i c

tureSque a re my poor essenti a l qua l i t i es ; and iflwentfoo l i ng afte r th e too c lass i ca l , I m igh t lo se even th ese .

But I env i ed you that page .

I am , of cou rse , deep i n sch emes ; I was so ever.

Executi on a lon e somewhat ha lts . How much do you

make per an num,I wonder ? Th i s yea r,for th e fi rs t

t ime , I sha l l pass £300 ; I may even get h alfway to th e

n ext m i l eston e . Th is seems but a fa i n t remunerat i on ;an d th e dev i l ofi t i s , that I manage , with s i ckn ess , a n dmoves , an d educat ion , and th e l i ke , to keep stead i ly i nfront of my in come . However, I conso l e mysel f with

332


LA SOLITUDE , HYERES - LEs - PALM IERS , VAR[October ,

CO LV IN , CO LV IN , CO LV IN , — Yours rece ived ; a lso i n te rest i ng copy of P . Whistles . I n th e multi tude ofcounse llo rs th e B ib l e d ec la res the re i s wisdom , sa id my

great - un c l e ,“but I hav e a lways foun d i n th em d is

tra cti on . Iti s extrao rd ina ryhowtastes vary : th esep roofs ha v e bee n handed about , i t a ppears , and I h avehad severa l l etters and — di stra ction .

“fEsop : th eMi l l e r and th e Ass .

N otes on deta i l s1 . I l ove th e oc cas iona l t rocha i c l in e ; an d so d id

many excel l en t wri te rs befo re me .

2 . Ifyou don ’ t l i ke A Good B oy , I d o .

3. InEscape atB edtim e, I found two suggestions .Shove fo r abo v e i s a correct ion of th e p ress ; i twas sowri tten . Twink l ed i s just th e erro r ; to thech i l d th e sta rs appea r to be there ; any word that sug

gests i l l us i on i s a ho rro r.

4. I do n ’ t ca re ; I take a d ifferen t V i ew of th e vocat ive.

5.“Bewi l de ri ng and“childe ring a re good enough

for me. These are rhymes , j i ngl es ; I d o n’

t go fo r

ete rn i ty an d th e th ree un iti e s .

I wi l l d e l ete some of those con demned , bu t not a l l .

l don ’ t ca re fo r th e name Pen ny Whistl es ; I sen t a s h eaf

to H en l ey when I sent em . But I ’ve forgot th e oth ers .

Iwouldjustas soon cal l ’ em R imes fo r Ch i l d ren as

anyth ing el se . l am not p roud no r pa rti cu la r.

Your remarks o n The B lack Ar r owa re to th e poi nt .I am p l eased you l i ked Crookback ; h e i s a fe l lowwhosehe l l i sh en ergy has a lways fi red my attenti on . I w i sh

334


Shakespeare had wri tten th e p lay afte r h e had l ea rn edsome of th e rud iments of l i te ra ture and a rt ra th er th an

before . Some day Iwi l l r etick le th e Sabl e Mi ss i l e,a nd sh oot i t, m oy ennantfinances , once more i nto thea i r ; I c an l ighten i t of much , and devote some more

attention to D i c k 0’

Glouceste r. I t’

s great sport towrite tush ery .

By th i s I reckon you wi l l h ave h ea rd of my p roposed

excursiolorum to th e I s l e s ofGreece , th e I s l es ofGreece ,an d k i n dred s i tes . Ifth e excursiolorum goes on , thati s

,i f m oy ennantfinances comes o ff, I sha l lwri te to beg

you to co l l ect introductiolorum s fo r m e.

D i st i nguo : 1 . Silverado was not written i n Am e ri ca ,but i n Switze rl an d ’

s icy mounta in s . 2 . What you read

i s th e b le ed i ng an d d isembowel l e d rema in s ofwhatlwrote . 3. Th e good stu ff i s a l l to come — so I th i n k .

Th e Sea F ogs ,” “Th e Hunter ’ s F am i ly , ”“To i l s and

P l easu re s bel l es pag es . Yours ever,RAMNUGGER.

O Seel ey i s too c leve r to l i ve, an d the book a gem .

But why has h e read too much Arno ld ? Why wi l l h e

avo i d obv iously avo i d — fine wri ti ng up to wh ich h eh as l ed ? Th i s i s a win ki ng, cu rl ed - a nd - o i l ed , u ltra

cultured,Oxford- don so rt of an affectat i on th at i nfuriates

my hon est soul . You see — th ey say how

unbombast i cwe a re ; we come righ t up to e l oquence,an d , when it

’

s hanging on th e pen , dam m y, we scorn

i t ! I t i s l i te rary D eronda - i sm . I f you don ’ t wantth e woman , th e image , o r th e ph rase, morti fy your

van i ty and avoi d th e appeara nce of wanti ng th em .

335


TO W . H . LowManhattanm ent i on ed be lowi s the nam e of aSho rt- l ived N ewYork

m agaz i ne,the editor Ofwh ichhad asked th rough M r. Lowfor acon

tributionfrom R . L . S .

LA SOLITUDE , HYERES, OctoberMY DEAR LOW, Some day o r oth er, i n Casse l l

’ s

Magaeine ofArt, you wi l l see a paper wh i chwill i n terest you , and where your nam e appears . Iti s ca l led

F onta i n eb leau : V i l l age Communi ties ofArti sts , andth e S ignatu re of R . L . Stevenson wi l l be foun d an nexed .

Pl eas e te l l th e ed itor of Manhattanth e fo l lowi ngsecrets fo r m e : l st, Thatl am a beast ; 2nd, that I owe

h im a l ette r ; 3 r d, that I h av e losth is , and cannot reca l l

e i th er h i s name o r add ress ; 4ih, th at I am very deep i nengagements ,wh ich my absurd h eal th makes i t ha rd fo rm e to overtake ; but 5th, that I wi l l b ea r h im i n m ind ;othand l ast, that I am a brute .My add ress i s s t i l l th e same, and I l i v e i n a most

sweet co rn er of th e un i verse , sea and fin e h i l l s befo re

m e,an d a ri ch , vari egated p l a i n ; and at my back a

c raggy h i l l,l oaded with vast feuda l ru i ns . I am very

qu i et ; a perso n pa ss ing by my door ha l f sta rt l es me ;but I enj oy th e most a romati c a i rs , and at n igh t th emost wonderfu l V i ew i nto a moonl i t gard en . By day

th i s garden fades i n to n oth ing, overpowered by its

su rround ings an d th e luminous d ista nce ; but at n igh ta nd when th e moon i s out, that ga rden , th e a rbou r,th e fl igh t of sta i rs that mount th e a rt ific ia l h i l lock , th e

336


I f you were p ri v i l eged to give some happi ness to

you r pa rents , I kn ow your art wi l l ga i n by i t. By God,

itwil l ! Sic subscr ibitur , R. L. S.

TO R . A. M. STEVENSON

LA SOLITUDE , HYERES- LES - PALM IERS[October ,

MY DEAR BOB ,— Yes , I got both you r l ette rs at Lyons ,but have been s in ce th en decading i n s eve ra l steps .Toothach e ; fever ; F erri e r

’

s death ; l ung . N owi t i sd ec i ded I am to l eave to - morrow , penn i l ess , fo r N i c e tosee D r . Wil l i ams .

I was much struck by you r last. I h ave written a

breath l ess n ote on Rea l i sm fo r H en ley ; a fifth part of

th e subj ect h u rri ed ly touched , wh ich wi l l show youhow my thoughts a re d ri v i ng . You a re now at last

begi nn i ng to th in k upon th e problems of exe cuti ve,

p la st i c a rt, for you a re now fo r th e fi rst t ime attack ing

them . H ith erto you have spoken and thought Oftwoth i ngs — tech n ique a nd the ar s artium , o r common

background of a l l a rts . Stud iowork i s th e rea l touch .That i s th e gen i a l e rro r of the presen t F ren ch teach i ng.

Rea l i sm l r egard as a mere questi on Ofmethod . Thebrown foreground ,

” “o l d mastery , an d th e l ike ,rank i ng with v i l la n el l es , a s tech n i ca l spo rts an d pas

t imes . Rea l a rt, wheth e r id ea l Or rea l i s ti c , add ressesp rec i se ly th e same fee l i ng , an d seeks th e same qual i ti es— significance or cha rm . And th e same v e ry sam ei nsp i rati on is on ly method ica l ly d i fferent iated acco rd

i ng as th e artis t i s an a rrant rea l i st or an arrant idea l ist.

338


Each , by h is own meth od , seeks to save and p erpetuateth e same s ign ifi can ce or cha rm ; th e on e by supp ress i ng,th e oth e r by fo rc i ng, deta i l . All oth er idea l i sm i s th ebrown foregroun d over aga i n , and hen ce on ly a rt i n th esens e Ofagame , l i ke cup and ba l l . All othe r rea l ism is

not a rt at a l l — but not a t all. I t i s , th en , a n i ns in cere

an d showy handi c raft.

Were you to re - read some Ba l zac , as I have beendoi ng

,i t wou ld great lyhe lp to clear your eyes . He

was a man who n eve r found h i s method . Aninarticulate Shakespea re

,smoth ered under forc ib l e- feeb l e deta i l .

I t i s astou nd ing to th e ri per m in d how bad h e i s , how

feebl e,howuntrue , how ted iou s ; a nd , of cou rse , when

h e surrendered to h i s temperament, how good an d

powerfu l . And yet n eve r p la i n n or c l ea r. He cou l d

not consen t to be du l l , and thus became so . He wou l d

l eave noth ing undeve loped , a nd thus d rowned out of

s igh t of land amid th e mult i tude of c ry i ng an d incong ruous deta i l s . There i s but on e a rt — to om i t ! OifIknew how to om it, I wou ld ask no oth er knowledge .

A man who knew how to om it wou ld make an Il iad

of a dai ly pape r.

Your defin it i on of seei ng i s qu ite right . I t i s th e fi rs t

pa rt of om iss i on to be partly bl i nd . Art i st i c s ight i s

j ud ic i ous b l i ndness . Sam Bough 1 must h ave been ajo l ly b l i n d o l d boy . He wou l d turn a corn er, look fo ron e - ha lf o r quarter m inute , an d th en say , Th is ’

ll do ,lad . D own he sat, th ere an d th en , with who l e

arti st i c p l an , sch eme ofco lour, an d th e l i ke , an d beganby l ay i ng a foundation of powerfu l and seem ingly in1 Thewe l l - known Scott i sh landscape pai nte r ,whohadbeen afrien d

ofSteve nson ’ s i n youth .

339


congruous co lou r on th e block . He saw , not th e scen e ,but th e water- co l our sketch . Every a rt ist by s ixty

sh ou l d so beh o l d nature . Where does h e l earn that ?I n th e stud i o, I swear. He goes to nature fo r facts ,re lat i ons , val ues — materia l ; as a man , befo re writ i ng

a h isto ri ca l n ovel , reads u p memoirs . But i t i s not by

read i ng memoi rs that h e has l ea rn ed th e sel ective c ri

te r ion. He has l ea rn ed that i n th e pract i c e of h i s a rt ;and h e Wi l l n ever l earn i t wel l , but when d isengagedfrom the a rdent struggl e ofimmed iate rep res entat ion ,ofrea l i st i c an d exfacto a rt. He l earns i t i n th e c rysta llisationof day - dreams ; i n changing , not i n copy ing,fact ; i n th e pu rsu i t of th e id ea l , not i n th e study ofn ature . These temp l es of a rt a re , as you say, inaccess ib l e to th e rea l i st i c c l imber. I t i s not by l ooki ng at

th e s ea th at youget

The mu l ti tud i nous seas i n ca rn ad in e,

n or by look i ng at Mont B lan c th at youfin d

And v i s ited a l l n igh t by troops of sta rs .

A k i n d of ardour of th e blood is th e moth er of a l l th is ;an d accord i ng as th i s ardou r i s swayed by knowledge

and seconded by craft , th e a rt exp ress ion flows cl ea r, an d

sign ifican ce an d charm , l i k e a moon ri s i ng, are bornabove th e barren juggle of mere symbols .

Th e pa i nte r must study more from natu re than th em anOfwords . But why ? Because l i te rature dea l sw i th men ’ s bus in ess an d pass i ons wh ich , i n th e game

ofl ife , we are i rres isti bly obl iged to study ; but pa int340


Your l ette r, however, was very much va lued , a ndhasbeen read often er th an once . What you say about

you rs el f I was glad to h ea r ; a l i ttl e d ecen t res ignat ion

i s n ot on ly becom ing a Ch ri stian , but i s l i ke ly to be ex

ce llentfo r th e h ea l th of a Ste v enson . To fret andfume i s undignified, su ici da l ly foo l i sh , an d theo logica l ly un pa rdonab l e ; we ar e h e re notto make , but totre ad p redesti n ed , pathways ; we are th e foam of awave , and to p reserve a p roper equan im i ty i s not

m ere ly th e fi rst part of subm iss i on to God , but th e

ch i ef of poss ibl e k i n dnesses to those about us . I am

l ecturi ng myse l f, but you also. To do our best i son e pa rt, but to wash our h ands sm i l i ngly of th e

consequence i s th e n ext pa rt, ofa ny sens ib l e v i rtue .I h av e come , for th e moment , to a pause i n my mora lworks ; fo r I h ave many i ro ns i n th e fi re , and Iwi s h tofi n ish someth i ng to bring co i n befo re I can affo rd to goon with what I th in k doubtfu l ly to be a duty . I t i sa most d iffi cul t work ; a touch of th e pa rso n wi l l d ri v e

off th ose I h ope to i nfluence ; a touch ofoverstra i n edIaxity, b e sides d isgusti ng, l i ke a grimace , may do harm .

N oth i ng that I h ave ever seen yet speaks d i rectlya nd efficacious ly to young men ; and I do hope I mayfind th e a rt an d wisdom to fi l l u p a gap . The greatpo in t, as I see i t, i s to ask as l i tt l e as poss ib l e , andmeet , i f i t may be, every V i ew or absen ce of v i ew ; an d

itshou l d be , must be , easy . Honesty i s th e on e de

side ratum ; but th i n k how hard a one to meet . I th i n k

a l l th e t im e of F erri e r a nd mysel f ; these a re th e pa i r

that I add ress. Poo r F err ie r, so much a bette r man than

I , an d such a tempo ra l wreck . But th e th i ng of wh ich

we must d ivest our minds i s to look parti a l ly upon

342


oth ers ; al l i s to b e v i ewed ; and th e c reature j udged ,as h e must be by h i s Creator, not d issected th rough a

p rism ofmora ls , but i n the unrefracted ray . So seen ,a nd i n re lat i on to th e a lmost omn ipoten t surround ings ,who is to d i st i ngu ish betwee n F . and such a man as

D r . Cand l i sh , o r between such a man as D av i d Hume

and such an on e a s Robert Burns ? To compa re mypoor and good Walte r with myself i s to make me

sta rt l e ; h e , upon a l l g rounds above th e mere ly exped i

ent, was th e n ob ler bei ng. Yet wrecked utte rly ere

th efull age of manhood ; an d th e last sk i rm ish es sowel l fought, so human ly usel ess , so path eti ca l ly b rav e,on ly th e l eaps of an exp i ri ng lamp . All th i s i s a very

po i nted i n stance . I t shuts th e mouth . I h ave l ea rn ed

more , i n som e ways , from h im than from any oth e r

sou l I ever met ; an d h e , strange to th i nk , was th e best

gentl eman , i n a l l k i nde r senses , that I ever knew .

Ever you r affect i onate son ,ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON.

To W. H . LowThe paper refe rred to atthe beginn ing ofthe secon d paragraph is

one onR . L. S . i n the Century Magazine , the fi rst se r iously criticalnot ice

,say s Mr. Low

,wh ich appeared ofhim i n the State s .

[CHALET LA SOLITUDE, HYERES , Oct. 23 , 1883 ]MY DEAR Low, C

’

estd ’

unboncamarade ; and I ammuch obl iged to you fo r you r two l etters an d th e enc losu re. T im es a re a lityle ch anged with a l l ofus s i n c eth e ever memorabl e days ofLavenue : ha l lowed be h i s

343


name ! ha l l owed h i s o ld F l eu ry ! of wh ich you di d not

see — I th i n k as I d i d — th e gl orious apotheos i s : ad

vanced on a Tuesday to th ree fra ncs , on th e Thursdayto s ix , an d o n F ri day swept o ff, bo l us bo lus , fo r th e

p ropri eto r ’ s p rivate con sumption . Well , we had thesta rt of that p ropri eto r. Many a good bottl e came ou r

way , and was , I th i n k , worth i ly madewe l come .I am p l eased th at Mr . Gi l der s hou ld l i k e my l iterature ;and I a sk you part icu la rly to thank Mr . Bunne r (have I

th e name righ t ?) for h i s not i c e,wh i ch was ofthatfri en d ly ,h ead long sort that rea l ly p l eases an autho r l i k e what th e

F ren ch cal l a shake - han ds . I t p l ea sed me th e more

com ing from th e Sta tes , where I have met n ot muchrecogn it ion , save from th e buccan ee rs , and above a l l from

p i rates who m isspel l my name . I saw my book adve r

tised i n a number of th e Cr itic as th e work Ofone R . L.

Steph enson ; and , I own , I bo i l ed . I t i s so easy to know

th e name of a man whose book you have sto l en ; fo r

th ere i t i s , at fu l l l ength , onth e t i t l e - page of you r booty.But no , damn h im ,noth e ! He calls me Steph enson .

These woes I on ly refe r to by th e way , as th ey set ah ighe r valu e on th e Century noti ce .I am now a person with an estab l i sh ed i l l - h ealth — a

wife a dog possessed w ith an ev i l , a Gadaren e Spi ri ta cha l et on a h i l l , l ook ing out over the Med i terran ean

a c erta i n reputat io n and very obscure finances . Othe rwise , very much th e same , I guess ; an d were a bottl eofF l eu ry a th ing to be obta i n ed , ca pab l e of d evelop ingtheori es a longwi th a fi t sp i ri t even as of yo re . Yet In ow draw near to th e Mi d d l e Ages ; nea r ly th ree yea rsago , that fata l Th i rty struck ; and yet th e great work i sn ot yet done — not yet even conce ived . But so, as one

344


[HYERES, N ovem ber ,MY DEAR LAD, Ofcourse , my seamansh i p i s

jIm m y : d id I not beseech you I knownot h ow often tofi nd me an anc i en t mari n e r - and you

,whose own

wife ’ s own broth er i s one of th e an ci ente st , d id noth i ngfor me ? As for my seamen , d i d Run c iman ever knoweighteenth - century Buccaneers ? N o ? Wel l , no more

d id I . But I h ave known an d sa i l ed with se amen too,

an d l i ved and eaten with th em ; a nd I made my put—upshot i n n o great ignorance , but as a put - up th i ng has to

be mad e , i. e. to be coh eren t an d p i ctu resque, and damn

th e expense . Ar e th ey fa i rly l iv ely on th e wi res ? Then ,favou r me with you r tongues . Are th eywooden , andd im , a nd no sport ? Th en i t i s I that am s i l en t, oth erwis e n ot. Th ework , strange as i t may sound i n th eea r, i s n ot a work of rea l i sm . The n ext th ing I sha l lh ear i s that th e et iquette i s wrong in Otto ’ s Cou rt !With a warra nt , and I mea n it to be so , and th e who le

matte r n eve r cost me ha lf a thought . I make these

paper peop l e to p leas e mysel f, an d Skel t, and GodAlm ighty , an d w ith no u l ter io r purpose . Yet am I

morta l mysel f ; fo r, as I rem i n d you , I begged fo r a

supervi s i ng marin er . Howe v e r, my hea rt i s i n the righ tp lace . I have been to sea , but I n e ve r c rossed the

th resh o l d of a cou rt ; a n d th e cou rts Sha l l be th eway Iwant ’ em .

I ’

m glad to th in k I owe you th e rev i ew that p l eased

me best of a l l th e revi ews I ever h ad ; th e on e I

l i ked best before that was ’

s on th e A rabians.These two are th e flowers ofth e co l l ect i on , accordi ngto me . To l i ve read ing such revi ews and d ie eati ngortolan s — S i c h i s my asp i rat i on .

346

MA RSE ILLES AND HYERES

Wheneve r you come youwill b e equa l ly wel come .

I am tryi ng to fi n i sh Otto ere you sha l l a rri ve , so as tota ke a nd be ab le to en joy awe l l - ea rned — O yes , awel l- earn ed — ho l iday . Longman fetched by Otto : i si t a spoon or a spo i l t ho rn Momen tous , i f th e l atte r ;i f th e former, a spoon to d i p much p ra i se an d pudd i ng,and to gi v e , I d o th i n k , much p l easure. Th e last pa rt,now in hand , much sm i l es upon me. Ever you rs ,

R . L. S.

TO MRS . THOMAS STEVENSON

LA SOL ITUDE , HYERES [N ovem ber ,MY DEAR MOTHER , — You must n ot b lame me too

much for my si l en ce ; I am over h ead an d ea rs i n work ,an d do not know what to d o fi rs t. I h ave been hard

at Otto, h ard at Silverado p roofs , wh ich I have workedover aga i n to a tremendous exten t ; cutti ng, add i ng,rewri ti ng, unti l some ofth e wors t chapters ofth eo rigi na l a re n ow , to my m ind , as good as any . I was

th e more bound to make i t good , as I had such l ibera l

term s ; i t’ s not fo r want of t ry i ng if I h ave fa i l ed .

I got your l etter on my bi rth day ; i n deed , that was

h ow I found i t out about th ree i n th e aftern oon , whenposti e comes . Thank you for a l l you sa i d . As fo r my

wife , that was th e best i nvestment ev e r made by man ;but“i n our bran ch ofth e fami ly we seem to marry

wel l . I , consideri ng my p i l es ofwork, am wonderful ly wel l ; I h ave not been so busy fo r I know not h ow

long. I h ope youwill s end me th e money I asked ,however, as I am not on ly penn i less, butsha l l rema i n

347


so i n a l l h uman p robab i l i ty fo r some cons id erab l e t ime .I have got i n th e mass of my e xpectati ons ; an d the

£ 100 wh ich is to float us on th e n ew yea r ca nnot

come due t i l l Silverado i s a l l ready ; I am del ay ing i t

mysel f fo r th e moment ; th en wi l l fo l low th e b i nde rsand th e t ravel l e rs and an i nfin ity of other nu i san ces ;a nd on ly at th e l ast , th e j i ng l i ng - t ingl i ng .

Do you know that Tr easur e Island has appea red ?I n the N ovember numbe r ofHenley ’

s magazi n e , a cap ita l

number anyway , th ere i s a funny publ i s h er’ s puff of i t

fo r your book ; a lso a bad a rti c l e by me . Lang dotesonTr easur e Island : “Except Tom Sawy er and theOdy ssey , h e writes ,

“I n e v er l i ked any romance somuch . I w i l l en c lose th e l e tte r th ough . Th e Boguei s angel i c , al th ough very d i rty. I t h as ra in ed — atl ast ! I t was jo l ly co l d when th e ra i n came .

I was overjoyed to h ea r such good n ews of myfather. Let h im go onat that ! Eve r you r affectionate

R. L . S .

To SIDNEY COLV IN

LA SOL ITUDE , HYERES - LEs - PALMIERS, VAR[N ovem ber ,

MY DEAR CO LV IN, — I h ave been bad , but as you wereworse , I fee l n o shame. I ra is e a b loom i ng countenance , not th e evid ence Ofase lf- righteous sp i ri t.I continue my uph i l l fight with the twi n sp i ri ts of

bank ruptcy an d i n d igesti on . D uns rage about my por

ta l , at l east to fan cy’ s ear.

I suppose you h ea rd of F erri e r’ s death : my o ldest

348


LA SOL ITUDE, HYERES [N ovem ber ,MY DEAR H ENR IETTA , — Certa i n ly ;who e l s e would theybe ? More by token , on that parti cu lar occas i on , youwere sai l i ng unde r th e tit l e of Pri ncess Royal ; I , after afuri ous contest , under that of Pri nc e Al fred ; an d Wi l l i e ,sti l l a l i tt l e su lky , as th e Pri n ce of Wal es . We were a l li n a buck basket about ha lfway between th e swi ngan d the gate ; and I can s ti l l s ee th e P i ra te Squad ronh eave i n s ight u pon th e weather bow .

I wrote a p i ece besi des on G ian t Bunker ; but I was

n ot happi ly i ns p i red , a n d i t i s condemned . Perh aps

I ’

ll t ry aga in ; h e was a horri d fe l l ow , G ian t Bunke r !a n d some ofm y happ iest hours were passed i n pu rsu i to f h im . You were a cap i ta l fel l ow to p lay : h ow few

th ere were who could ! N on e bette r tha n yourse lf. I

s ha l l n ever forget some of th e days at B ri dge of Al l an ;th ey were on e golden d ream . See A Good Boy i nth e P enny Whistles , much of th e sent iment ofwhich i staken d i rect from on e even i ng at B . ofA. when we had

had a great p lay with th e l i tt l e G lasgow g ir l . Ha ll owed be th at fa t book of fa i ry ta l es ! Do you remem

ber acti ng th e F a i r One with Go ld en Locks ? What aromanti c d rama ! Genera l ly speaki ng,

”

when eve r I

th in k of p l ay , i t i s p retty c erta i n that you w i l l com e

in to my h ead. I wrote a paper ca l l ed Ch i l d ’ s Pl ay

once , where , I be l i e ve , you or Wi l l i e would recogn iseth i ngs .

Su re ly Wi l l i e i s just th e man to marry ; and ifhis wifewasn’ta happy woman , I th i n k I cou ld te l l h e r whowas to blame. I s the re n o word of i t ? Wel l , th eseth i ngs a re beyond arrangement ; an d th e wi nd b lowethwhere i t l i steth — wh ich , l obse rve , i s gen era l ly to

350


wards th e west i n Scot lan d . Here i t prefers a southeasterly cou rse , and i s ca l l ed th e Mi st ra l — usua l ly with

an adj ect ive in front. But i f you wi l l remember my

yesterday’

s toothach e and th i s morn i ng’

s c ri ck , you wi l l

be i n a pos it io n to ch oose an adj ect i ve fo r you rse lf.

N otthat th e wind i s unhea lthy ; on ly when it comesstro ng, i t i s both ve ry h igh and very co ld , wh ich makesi t th e d- v- l. But as I am writ i ng to a l ady , I h ad

bette r avo i d th is top i c ; winds requ i ri ng agreat scop e

oflanguag e .

Pl ease remember me to all at h ome ; gi ve Ramsay apennyworth ofac idu lated drops fo r h i s good taste.And bel i eve me , you r affect ionate cous i n ,


To MISS F ERR IER

LA SOL ITUDE, HYERES , VAR, N ovem ber 2 2 , 1883 .

DEAR M ISS FERR IER , — Many than ks fo r th e photograph .

I t i s — we l l , i t i s l ik e most ph otographs . The sun isan a rti st o f too much ren own ; and , at any rate , we

who kn ew Wa lte r“i n th e brave days of o l d wi l l bed iffi cu l t to p lease .

I was in exp ress ibly touch ed to get a lette r from somelawyers as to some money . I h ave n ever h ad any

account with my fri en ds ; some have ga i n ed an d some

lost ; and I shou ld fe el th e re was someth ing d ish onest

i n a pa rtia l l iqu i dat io n even if I cou l d reco l l ect th e facts ,whichI cannot. But th e fact Ofh is h av ing put as i deth is memorandum touched me great ly .

35 !


Th e mystery of h is l ife i s great . Our ch em ist i n th i sp lace, who had been at Ma lvern , recogn i sed th e p i cture .You may remember Wa lte r had a romanti c a ffect i on for

a l l pha rmac ies ? and th e bott les i n th e windowwe refo r h im a poem ? He sa i d on ce that h e knew no p le a

sure l i ke d riv i ng th rough a lam pl i t c i ty , waiting fo r th e

c hemists to go by .

All th es e th ings re turn n ow .

He had a p retty fu l l trans l at i on of Sch i l l e r ’ s xEstheticLetter s , wh ich we read toge th e r, as wel l as the secon dpa rt of Faust, i n G lad sto ne Te rrac e, h e h el p i ng mewith th e German . Th e re i s n o keepsake I shou l d moreva lue than th e MS. ofthat trans la tion . Th ey were th ebe st days I ever hadwi th h im , l i tt l e d ream i ng all woul d

so soon be over. I t n e eds a b low l i ke th is to conv i ct

a man of morta l i ty an d its burth e n . I a lways though tI sh ou l d go by myse lf ; not to su rv i ve . But now I fee las i f th e ea rthwere underm in ed , and al l my fri en dshave lost on e th i ckness of rea l i ty s i n ce that on e passed .

Those are happy who can take i t o therwise ; with th atI fou nd th i ngs a l l begi nn ing to d is l imn . Here we have

no abid ing c ity , an d on e fel t as th ough h e h ad — and

0 too much acted.

But i f you tel l m e , h e d i d n ot feel my s i len ce . How

ever,he must h ave don e so ; an d my gu i l t i s i rre parab l enow. I th an k God at least h earti ly that h e d i d n otresen t i t.

P l ease remember me to S i r Al exande r and LadyGrant , to whose care I wi l l add ress th i s . When next

I am in Ed i nburgh I w i l l take flowers , a las ! to th e

West K i rk . Many a long hour we passed i n grave

yards , th e man who has gon e an d I— or rather n ot352


wi th ca re . Enfin,nous ver r ons . My labou rs have th i s

yea rfor th e fi rst t im e been rewardedwi th upwards of£350 ; th at of i tse l f, so base we ar e ! encourages me ;a nd th e bette r tenor of my h ea l th yet more — Rememberme to Mrs . Low, and be l i eve me , yours most s i n cere ly ,


To THOMAS STEVENSON

LA SOLITUDE , D ecem ber 20, 1883 .

MY DEAR FATHER , — I do not know wh ich of us i s to

b lame ; I suspect i t i s you th i s t ime . The last accountsof you were pretty good , I was p leased to see ; I am ,

onth ewho le , ve ry wel l — su ffering a l i tt l e st i l l frommy feve r a nd l i ve r compl i cati ons , but bette r.

I have j ust fin ish ed re - read i ng a book , wh ich I coun

se l you above a l l th ingsnotto read , as i t h as made m e

ve ry i l l , and wou l d make you worse — Lockha rt ’ sScott. Iti s worth read i ng, as a l l th ings a re from timeto time tha t keep us nose to nose with fact ; though Ith i nk such readi ng may be abused , and th at a greatd ea l of l ife i s bette r spent i n read ing of a l igh t and yet

ch iva l rous stra i n . Thus , no Waverl ey nove l approachesi n power, blackness , b i ttern ess , and mora l e l evat i on toth e d ia ry and Lockhart ’ s n arrati v e of th e en d ; and yetth e Waver ley N ovels a re bette r read i ng fo r everydaythan th e L i fe . You may take a ton i c da i ly , but notph lebotomy .

The great doub l e danger of tak ing l ife too eas i ly , an dtak ing i t too ha rd ,howdi fficult i t i s to ba lan ce that !But we are a l l too l ittl e i nc l i n ed to fa ith ; we are all, i n

354

MA RSE ILLES AND HYERES

ou r serious moments , too much i n c l i n ed to fo rget that

a l l are s in n ers , and fa l l justly by th ei r fau l ts , an d th erefo re that we have no more to do with th at th an with

th e thunder- c loud ; on ly to trust , a nd do our best, an dwear as sm i l i ng a face as may be fo r others an d our

se lves . But th ere i s n o roya l road among th i s com

p l i c ated bus i n ess . Hege l th e German got th e bes tword of a l l p h i l osophy with h i s anti n om i es : th e con

trary of eve ryth i ng i s i ts postu late. That i s , of course ,gross ly expressed , but gi ves a h i n t ofth e idea , wh ichconta in s a great dea l ofth e mysteri es of re l igion , and avast amount ofth e p racti ca l wisdom of l ife . For your

part, th ere i s no doubt as to your duty — to take th ings

easy and be as happy as you can , for you r sake , an d

my moth er ’ s, and that of many bes i des . Excuse th i s

sermon . Eve r your lo vi ng son , R. L . S.


LA SOL ITUDE, D ecem ber 25 , 1883 .

MY DEAR FATHER AND MOTHER , - Th i s i t i s supposedwi l l reach you about Ch ri stmas , an d I be l i eve I sh ou l di nc l ud e L l oyd i n th e greet ing. But I want to l ectu re

my fath er ; he i s n ot gratefu l enough ; he i s l i ke F anny ;h i s res ignati on i s n ot th e “t ru e b lu e . A man who

has ga i ned a ston e ; whose son i s bette r, and , afte r so

many fe a rs to th e contra ry , I da re to say, a c red i t toh im ; whose busi ness is a rranged ; whose marri age i s a

p ictu re — what I sh oul d ca l l res ignat ion i n such a cas e

as h i s would be to take down h i s fidd le and p lay aslood as ever h e coul d. That an d naught e lse . And

355

LETTE RS OF R . L. STEVENSON

now , you dear old p i ous i ngrate, onth i s Ch ristmasmorn i ng, th i n k what your merc ies have b een ; an d do

notwalk too fa r before your breakfast — as far a s toth e top of I n d i a Street, th en to th e top of D undas Street,an d th en to your a i n sta i rhe ld; a nd d o not forget thate ven as laborar e, so j ocular i, estorar e ; and to behappy th e fi rst step to bei ng p i ous .

I h ave as good as fi n ish ed my nove l , an d a h ard j obi t has been — but n ow practi ca l ly over, laus deo .

’ Myfi nanc ia l p rosp ects bette r th an ever befo re ; my exce l l en twi fe a touch dolo rous , l i ke Mr . Tommy ; my Boguequ ite converted , an d myself i n good Spi rits . 0 , sen dCurry Powder per Baxter. R. L. S .

To MRS. THOMAS STEVENSON

[LA SOL ITUDE , HYERES] , lastSunday of’83.

MY DEAR MOTHER , — I give my fath er up . I gi ve h im

a parab l e : that th e Waver l ey N ovel s are better readingfo r every day than th e tragi c L i fe. And h e takes i tbacks i de fo remost, an d shakes h i s h ead , and i s gloom ie r

th an ev e r. Tel l h im that I give h im up. I don’

t want

n o such a pa rent. Th i s i s n ot th e man fo r my money.

I do not ca l l th at by th e name of re l igion wh i ch fi l l s a

man with bi l e. I wri te h im a whol e letter, bidd ingh im beware ofextremes , and tel l i ng h im that h is gl oomis ga l l ows - worthy ; a nd I get back an answer — Pe ri shth e th ought of i t.Here am I on th e th resh o l d of anoth er yea r, when ,

acco rd ing to a l l h uman fores ight, I s h oul d long ago

356


41884 l eas t i nfluen ce on th e mi nds ofchildren. But th ey learnT. 34fine sty le and some austere thInkIng unconscrous ly.

Ever you r lov ing son,

R. L . S.

TO MR. AND MRS . THOMAS STEVENSON

LA SOL ITUDE , HYERES- LES - PALM IERS , VAR,january 1

MY DEAR PEOPLE , — A Good N ewYea r to you . Theyear c l oses , l eav i ng me with £50 i n th e ban k , owing

n o man noth i ng, £ 100 more due to me in a week o r

so , an d £ 150 more i n th e course of th e month ; and I

ca n l ook back ona tota l recei p t of£465 os. 6d. fo r th el ast twe lve month s !And yet I am not happy !Yet I beg ! Here i s my beggary

1 . Se l la r ’ s T r ia l .2 George Borrow ’ s Book about Wa les.

3. My Grandfath er’ s T ri p to H o l la nd .

4. And (but th i s i s , I fea r, impossib l e) th e Be ll RockBook .

When I th in k of h ow las t yea r began , after fourm onths of s i ck ness and id l en ess , a l l my p lans gon e towate r

,myse lf sta rt i ng a lon e , a k i n d of spect re , fo r N i ce

— shoul d I not be gratefu l ? Come , l et us s i ng unto

th e Lord !N or sh ould I fo rget th e expected V i s i t, but Iwill notbel i eve i n that ti l l i t befa l l ; I am no cu l ti vator of disap

pointm ents , ’

ti s a h erb th at does not grow in my gar

d en ; but I get som e good crops both ofremorse and358


grati tu de. The last I can recommend to a l l ga rdeners,

i t grows best i n sh i ny weath er, but once wel l grown ,i s ve ry ha rdy ; i t do es not requ i re much labour ; on lythat th e husbandman sh ou l d smoke h is p i pe about th e

flowe r - p lots and adm i re God’

s p l easant wonders .Winte r green (othe rwise known as Res ignati on , o r th efa ls e grati tude p lan t sp ri ngs i n much th e same so i l ;i s l i tt l e hard i er, i f at a l l ; an d requi res to be so dugabout and dunged , that there i s l i tt l e margi n l eft fo r

p rofi t. The va ri ety known as th e B lack Winter green(H . V . Steven son i ana) i s r ath er fo r o rnamen t than

profi t.“J oh n , do you see that bed of res ignati on ? “I t ’

sdo i n ’ brave ly , s i r.

“J oh n , I w i l l n ot h ave i t i n mygard en ; i t flatte rs not th e eye an d comforts not th e

stomach ; root it out.“S i r, Ihae s een 0

’ th em

that rase as h igh as n e tt l es ; gran’ p lants ! What

th en Were th ey as ta l l a s a l ps , i f st i l l u n savou ry an d

bl eak,what matte rs i t ? Outwi th it , th en ; a n d i n i ts

p lace put Laughte r an d a Good Conc e i t (that cap ita lh om e eve rgreen ) , a n d a bush of F l oweri ng P i ety but

see i t b e th e floweri ng so rt — th e oth er spec ies i s n o

ornament to any gen tl eman’

s Back Garden .

JNO. BUNYAN .

To SIDNEY COLV IN

Inthe i nte rval betwe e n the last lette r and th i s,thewr ite rhad been

atdeath ’ s door from a sudden attack of inte rnal conge st i on,wh ich

happen ed during a vi s it to N ice early in January . Afte r a slowrecove ryhehad return ed to h i s h ouse atHyere s

,and for a t im e

seem ed to b e pick ing up again .

359


LA SOL ITUDE , HYERES - LES - PALMIERS, VAR,9thMar ch, 1884.

MY DEAR s . C — You wi l l a l rea dy h ave rece ived a no t

ve ry san e note from me ; so you r pat i ence was re

warded may I say , your pati en t s i l ence However,

now comes a lette r, whi ch , o n rece i pt, I thus acknowledge .I h ave a l ready exp ressed mysel f as to th e politicalaspect . About Graham e , Ife e l happ i er ; i t does se emto h ave been rea l ly a good , n eat , honest p iece of work .

We do not seem to be s o bad ly Offfor commandersWol se l ey an d Roberts , and th i s p i l e ofWoods , Stewarts ,Al i sons , Graham es , an d the l i ke . Had we but ONEs tatesman on any s i d e of th e house !

Two chapters of Otto do rema i n : one to rewrite, oneto c reate ; an d I am not yet ab l e to tack le th em . For

me , i t i s my chiefo ’ works ; h ence p robab ly not so fo r

oth ers , s i nc e i t o n ly means th at I h ave h e re attacked

th e greatest d i ffi cu l ti es . But some chapte rs toward sth e end th ree i n particu la r — I do th i nk come off. I

fi nd them st i r ri ng , dramati c , an d not unpoeti ca l . We

sha l l see , however ; as l i ke as n ot, th e effo rt wi l l be

more obv iousthan th e success . For , Ofcourse , Istrungmysel f hard to ca rry i t out . Th e n ext wi l l com e eas ie r,an d poss ib ly be more popu l a r. I be l i eve i n th e co v eri ng of much paper, each t im e with a d efin ite an d not too

d iffi cu l t a rti st i c purpose ; an d th en , from tim e to time ,d rawi ng onese l f up an d tryi ng

,i n a superi o r effort , to

combin e th e fac i l i t i es th us acqui red or improved . Thuson e p rogresses . But, mind , i t i s very l i kely th at th eb ig effort, i n stead of bei ng th e masterp i ece , may be th e

b l otte d copy , th e gymnast i c exe rc i se. Th is n o man360

LETTERS O F R . L. STEV EN SON

when i t ’ s nonsense ; and when he gets an e ffect (th ough

i t ’ s sti l l n onsense an d mere Poé ry, not poesy ) i twakensme . Ce quine m eurtpas nea rly k i l l e d me with laugh i ng ,and l eft m e wel l i t l eft me very nearly adm iringthe o l dass . Atl east, i t s th e k i nd of th ing one feel s onecouldn’tdo . The d readfu l moon l igh t, when th ey a l lth ree s i t s i l en t i n th e room — by Geo rge , s i r, i t

’

s ima

g ined — an d th e bri ef s cen e between th e husband andwife i s a l l th ere . Q uantcmfond, th e who l e th i ng, ofcourse

,i s a fever d ream , an d worthy of ete rna l laugh ter.

Had th e young man broken ston es , and th e twowomenbeen ha rd- work i ng hon est p rosti tutes , th e re h ad been

an end of th ewho l e immora l an d basel ess bus i ness :you cou l d at l east have respected th em i n that case .I a l so re ad Petr onz’us Ar biter , wh ich i s a rumwork ,not so immora l as most modern works , but s i ngu la rly

s i l ly . I ta ck l ed some Tac i tus too. I got th em with a

d readfu l F rench c rib on th e sam e page with th e text,wh ic h h el ps m e a long and d ri ves me mad . The F renchdo not even try to t ran s late . They try to be much morec lass i ca l th an th e cl ass ics ,wi th a stoundi ng resu l ts ofbarre nness and ted ium . Taci tus , I fe ar, was too so l i dfo r me . I l i k ed th ewar part ; but th e d reary i ntrigu inga t Rome was too much . R . L . S.

To MR. D ICKTh i s corre spondentwas for m any years head cle rk and confident ial

assi stant the fam i ly firm atEdinburgh .

OLITUDE, HYERES , VAR, 1 2thMar ch, 1 884.MY DEAR MR . D lCK ,

— I ha v e been a great wh i l e owi ngyoua l ette r ; but I am not without excuses , as you have

362


h ea rd . I ove rworked to get a p iece of work fin ish ed

before I had my hol i day , th ink ing to enj oy i t mo re ; an d

i nstead of that, th e mach in ery n ea r ha nd cam e sundry i n

my hands ! l ik e Murdie’

s un ifo rm . However, I am now ,

I th i n k , i n a fa i r way of recovery ; I th i nk I was made,what th e re i s of me, ofwhipco rd an d tho rn - sw itch es ;sure ly l am tough ! But Ifancy l sha l l n ot ov erd riveaga i n , o r not so long. I t i s my th eo ry th at work i s

h igh ly benefic ia l , but that i t s hou ld , i f poss ib l e, a nd cer

tainly fo r such partia l ly b roken - down i nst ruments as th e

th i ng I ca l l my body, be taken i n batch es , with a c l ea r

b reak an d breath i ng spa ce between . I a lways do vary

my work , l ay ing on e th i ng as i de to take up anoth e r, not

m erely because I be l i eve i t rests th e bra i n , but because I

h ave found it most benefic ia l to th e resu lt. Read i ng ,Bacon says

,makes a ful l man , but what makes me ful l

onany subj ect i s to ban i s h i t fo r a t ime from all my

thoughts . However, what I now propose i s , out of everyquarte r, to work two month s a nd rest th e th i rd . I

be l i eve I sh a l l get more done , as I gen era l ly manage , onmy presen t sch eme , to h ave fou r month s

’ i mpoten t i l l

n ess a nd two ofim pe rfecth ea lth on e befo re, one after,I b reak down . Th is, at l east, i s n ot an eco nom i ca ld iv i s i o n of th e yea r.

I r e - read th e oth er day th at h eart - break i ng book , th eLife ofScott. One sh ou l d read su ch works n ow andth en , but 0, not often . As I l i ve, I fee l more and more

th at l i te ratu re sh ou ld be ch ee rfu l and brave - sp i ri t ed ,even i f i t can not be made b eautifu l and pi ous and

h ero i c . We wish i t to be a green p lace ; th e Waver l eyNovels are better to re - read than th e over- t ru e L i fe

,fine

as clear S i r Wa lter was . Th e B ibl e , i n most parts , i s a363


ch ee rfu l book ; i t i s our l i tt l e p i p i ng th eo logi es , t racts ,an d sermons th at are du l l an d d owie ; and even th e

Shorte r Catech ism , which i s scarce ly a work of conso

latio n , open s with th e best an d sho rtes t and comp letestse rmon eve r wri tten upon Man’ s ch ief en d . Bel i eve

me, my dear Mr . D i ck , very s i n cere ly yours ,ROBERT Lours STEVENSON .

P . S . You see l have ch anged my hand . I was

th reaten ed appa rent ly wi th scriven er’

s c ramp , and at

any rate had got to write so small that th e rev isa l

ofmy MS. t ri ed my eyes , h en ce my signatu re alone re

mai ns upon th e o l d mode l ; fo r it appears that i f I

c ha nged that, I sh ou ld be cut offfrom my V i vers .R. L. S .

To COSMO MONKHOUSE

Th i s correspon dentwas a friend ofold Sav i le C lub days ; the driftof h i s lette r caneas i ly b e gue ssed from th i s rep ly. The refe rence toLam b is to the e ssay on the Re storati on dramat i sts .

LA SOL ITUDE , HYERES—LEs- PALM IERS, VAR,Mar e/J 1 6 , 1884.

MY DEAR MONKHOUSE, — YOUsee w ith what p rom ptitude l p lunge i n to co rrespondence ; but th e truth i s , Iam condemned to a com plete i n act i on , stagnate d is

mal ly , and love a lette r. Yours , wh ich woul d h avebeen wel come at any t ime , was thus doub ly p rec ious .Dove r sounds somewhat sh iveri ng ly i n my ears .You shou l d see th e weathe r I have c l oud l ess, c l ea r as

c rystal , with just a punkah - draft of th e most aromati c

364


Here l i es a man who neve r d id

Anyth i ng but what h e was b id ;Who l ived h is l ife i n pa l try ease ,And d i ed of commonp lace d isease .

To confess p la i n ly , I h ad i ntended to spend my l i fe

(o r a ny l e i su re I m ight hav e from P i racy upon the h igh

seas ) as the l eader Ofa great ho rde ofi rregul a r cava l ry ,devastati ng who l e va l l eys . I can sti l l , l ook i ng back ,see m yse lfinmany favou ri te atti tud es ; s igna l l i ng fo r aboat from my p i rate sh i p with a pocket- handkerch ief

,

l a t th e jetty end , and one o r two of my bo ld b ladeskeep ing th e crowd at bay ; o r e l se tu rn ing i n th e sad d l e

to l ook back at my who l e command (some five thou

san d strong) fo l l owing me at th e h an d - gal lop up th e

road outof th e burn i ng va l ley : th i s last by moon l igh t.

Etpointdntout. I am a poor sc ribe , and have scarce

broken a commandment to menti on , an d h ave recent ly

d i ned upon co ld vea l ! As for you (who probab ly hadsome ambiti ons ) , I h ea r of you l i v i ng at Dover, i n lodgi ngs , l i ke th e beasts ofth e fi e ld . But i n h eaven , when

we get th ere , we shal l h ave a good time, and see some

rea l ca rnage . For h eaven i s — must b e — that great

K i ngdom of Ant i nom ia , which Lamb saw dim ly adumb rated i n th e Country Wife, where th e worm wh ic hn ever d i es (th e consc ien ce) p eacefu l ly exp i res , and th es in n er l i e s down bes id e th e Ten Commandments. T i l lth en , here a sh eer h ul k l i es poo r Tom Bowl i ng, withn e i th er h ea l th n or v icefor anyth i ng more sp i ri ted tha np ro c rast i nat i on , whi ch I maywe l l ca l l th e Conso lat ionStakes of Wickedness ; and by whose d i l igen t p racti c e,without th e l east amusement to ourse lves , we can rob

366


th e o rphan and bri ng down grey ha i rs with so rrow to

th e dust.

Th is aston i sh i ng gush of nonsense I now hasten toc lose, envelop e , an d exped ite to Shakespea re

’ s Cl i ff.

Remember m e to Shakespea re , a n d bel i eve me , yoursve ry s i n cere ly, RO BERT Lours STEVENSON.

To EDMUND GOSSE

Mr . Gossehadwr itten de scr ib ing the officewh ichhe then occupied ,ap icture sque old- fash ioned cham be r in the uppe r storie s ofthe BoardofTrade .

LA SOLITUDE, HYERES- LEs- PALM IERS, VAR,Mar ch1 7 , 1 884.

MY DEAR GOSSE , You r office — office i s p rofan e lysa i d — your bower upon th e l ea ds i s d iv i n e . Have

you , l i k e Pepys ,“th e right to fidd le ” th e re ? I se e

you mount the compan ion , barb i ton i n h and , a nd ,flutte red about by c ity spa rrows , pou r forth you r sp i ri t

i n a vo lun ta ry. N owwhen th e spri ng b egi n s , youmust l ay i n your flowers : how do you say about a

potted hawthorn ? Would i t b l oom ? Wal lflower i sa ch o i ce pot- herb ; l i ly - of-the~valley,

too , a n d ca rna

t i on , and I nd ian c ress tra i l ed about the wi ndow , i s n o t

on ly beaut ifu l by co l ou r, but th e l eaves a re good to eat.

I recommend thyme and rosemary for th e aroma ,wh ic h shou l d not be left upon - on e s id e ; th ey a re goodqu i et growth s .Onone ofyour tabl es keep a grea t map sp read out ;a cha rt i s st i l l better — ittakes one furth er the havens

with th ei r l i tt l e an chors , th e rocks, banks , an d sou nd

i ngs , are ado rab ly mari n e ; and such furn iture wi l l su i t36 7


your sh i pshape habi tat ion . Iwi s h I cou ld see th osecabi ns ; th ey sm i l e upon me with th e most i nti mate

charm . F rom your l eads , do you beho l d St. Pau l’

s ?

I a lways l i ke to see th e F oo l scap ; i t i s London per se,an d no spot from wh i ch i t i s v i s ib l e i s without r o

mance . Then i t i s good companyfor th e man oflette rs ,whose veritab l e n urs i ng Pater - N oster i s so n ear at h and .

I am a l l at a stan dsti l l ; as i d l e as a pa i n ted sh ip , but n ot

so pretty . My roman ce , whi ch h as so n ea rly butch ered

me i n th e wri ti ng , not even fin i sh ed ; though so n ea r,th ank God , th at a few days of to l erab l e strength wi l l

se e th e roof upon that structure . I h aveworke d veryha rd at i t , an d so do not expe ct any great publ ic fa v our.Inm om ents ofejj ’ort, one l earns to do tb e easy thing stb rztpeop le l ike . Th ere is th e go l den maxim ; thus on esh ou ld stra i n and th en p lay , stra i n aga i n and p lay aga i n .

Th e stra i n i s fo r us , i t educates ; th e p lay i s for thereader, a n d p leases . Do you not fee l so ? We areever th reaten ed by two contrary fau l ts : both dead ly .

To s in k i nto what my forefath erswou l d have ca l l ed

rank confo rmity , an d to pou r forth ch eap rep l i ca s ,upon th e one h and ; upon th e oth e r, an d sti l l more insidiously p resent, to fo rget that a rt i s a d i vers i on an d a

decorat i on , that no tri umph o r effo rt i s of va l ue, nor

anyth i ng worth reach i ng except ch arm — Yours affectionate ly, R. L . S .

To MISS F ERR IER

LA SOLITUDE, HYERES- LES- PALM IERS, VAR[Me r e ly 2 2 ,

MY DEAR MISS FERRiER, — Ar e you real ly go i ng to fa i lus ? Th i s seems a d readfu l th ing. My poor wife, who

368


papers to l d you . Th e n ews great n ews g loriousnews — sec - ond ed- ition! ” went th e round i n Engl an d .

Anyway , Inowthan k you fo r you r p ictures , wh ich ,parti cu la rly th e Arcad ian one , we a l l (Bob i n c l ud ed , h e

was h e re s ic k - nurs ing me) much l i ked .

Herewi th a re a set of verse swh ic h I th ought p rettyenough to send to p ress . T hen I though t of theManhattan, towa rdswh om I ha ve gui l ty and com punct i ous fee l i ngs . Last , I h ad th e best though t ofa l l — tosend th em to you i n case you might th i n k th em su i tab l e

fo r i l l ustrat ion . Itseemed to me qu i te i n you r vei n .

I f so , good ; i f n ot, hand them on to Manhattan, Century ,

or Lippincott, at you r p l easu re , as all th re e d es i re mywork o r preten d to . But I t rust th e l i n es wi l l no t go

unatte nded . Some ri vers id e wi l l haun t you ; and 0 !be tender to my bath ing gi r l s . The l i n es a re cop ied i nmywife ’ s h and , as I ca n not see to wri te otherwi s eth an with th e pen of Co rmoran , Gargantua , o r N im rod .

Love to you rwi fe — Yours eve r, R. L. S.

Cop i ed i t myse lf.

To THOMAS STEVENSON

LA SOLITUDE , Apr il 1 9 , 1884.MY DEAR FATHER , — Yeste rday Ivery powerfu l ly statedth eHer esis Stevensoniana, o r th e comp lete body of d iv i n ity of th e fam i ly th eo logian , to Mi s s F erri e r. Shewas much impressed ; so was I . You are a great

h eres ia rch ; and I know no bette r. Whaur th e dev i l

37°


d id ye get th on about th e s oap ? I s i t a l togethe r you r

own? I n ever hea rd i t e l sewhere ; and yet I suspect i tmust hav e been hel d at some tim e o r oth er, an d if youwere to l ook up you wou l d probablyfin d you rse lf condemned by some Counc i l .I am glad to h ea r you are so we l l . The hea r i s ex

ce llent. Th e Cornhil ls came ; I made Mi s s F e rri er readus “Th rawn J anet , ” and was qu i te bowled ove r bymy ownworks . Th e Merry MenI m ean to makemuch longer, with a who le n ew de

'nouernent, not yetqu ite c lea r to me “Th e Sto ry of a L i e ” l must rewri te enti re ly a l so , as iti s too weak and ragged , yet i s

worth savi ng fo r th e Adm i ra l . Did I ever te l l you that

th e Admi ra l was recogn ised i n America ?When th ey are a l l on th ei r l egs th i s wi l l make an ex

ce llentco l l ecti o n .Has D avi e n eve r read Guy Manner ing ,RobRoy , o r

The Antiquary All of wh ich a re worth th reeWaverl ey s . I th i n k Kenilworthbette r than Waver ley N ig el ,

too ; a n d Q uentinDurwar d about as good . But i t

shows a true p i ece ofi n s igh t to prefer Waver l ey , fo r i t

is d iffe rent ; an d though not qu ite coh erent, betterworked i n parts th an a lmost any oth er : su re ly more

ca refu l ly. I t i s u nden iabl e that th e love of th e s la p - dashand th e sh oddy grew upon Scott wi th success . Pe r

haps i t does on many of us , wh ich may be th e gran i te

o n wh ich D .

’

s Opi n i on stands . However, I h o ld i t, i n

Pat ri ck Wal ker’ s ph rase , fo r a n o l d , condemned ,

damnab l e erro r.” D r . S imson was condemned byP. W. a s be ing a bagful of” such . One ofPatri ck ’ samen iti es !

Another ground there may be to D .

’

s op i n ion ; th ose

37 l


1884who avoid (or seek to avo i d) Scott’ s fac i l i ty a re apt to

M ' 34be con ti nua l ly stra i n i ng and tortu ri ng th e i r sty l e to geti n more of l i fe . And to many th e extra s ign ifi can cedoes n ot redeem the stra i n . D OCTOR STEVENSON.

TO COSMO MONKHOUSE

LA SOL ITUDE , HYERES [Ap r il 24,DEAR MONKHOUSE , — Ifyou a re i n l ove with repose,h e re i s you r oc cas ion : change with m e. l am too b l i n d

to read , h ence n o read ing ; I am too weak to walk ,h enc e n o walk i ng ; I am not a l l owed to speak , hence

no tal k ing ; but th e great s imp l ificat i on h as yet to be

named ; fo r, ifthis goe s on, I sh a l l soo n h av e noth ing toeat — and h ence, O Hal le l uj ah ! h enc e n o eati ng. Theo ffe r i s a fa i r one : I h av e n ot so ld m yse lfto th e d ev i l , fo r Icoul d n ever fi nd h im . I am marri ed , but so a re you . I

som etimeswr i te verses , but so d o you . Come !Hiequies/AS fo r th e commandments , I have broken th em

so smal l that th ey are th e dust of my chambers ; you

wal k upon th em , tr i tu rate an d tooth less ; an d with th e

Go los h of Ph i l osophy , th ey sh a l l n ot b i te you r h eel .True , th e ten ement i s fa l l i ng. Ay, fri end , but you rs

a lso . Tak e a larger Vi ew ; what i s a yea r or two ?dust i n th e ba lan ce ! ’

T i s done , beho ld you CosmoSteven son , an d m e R . L Monkh ouse ; you at Hyeres,I i n London ; you rejo i c i ng i n th e c l amm iest repos e, meproceed i ng to tear you r tabernac l e i n to rags , as I h ave

a l ready so admi rab ly torn my own .My p lace to wh ich I n ow in troduce you — iti s yours

372


To W . E. HENLEY

HYERES , May , 1 884.DEAR BOY, OldMorta l i ty 1 i s out , and Iam glad tosay Coggi e l i kes i t. We l i ke h er immensely.

I keep bette r, but n o great shakes yet; cannot work— cannot : that i s flat , not even verses ; as fo r p rose ,that more acti ve p lace i s s hut on me long s i nce .

My V i ewof l i fe i s essentia l ly th e com ic ; and th eromanti ca l ly com i c . As YouLike Iti s to me th e mostb i rd - haunte d spot i n l ette rs ; Tempestand TwelfthN ightfo l low . These are what I mean by poetry andna ture . I make an e ffort ofmy mind to be qu i te on ewi th Mo l iere , except upon th e stage ,wh ere h i s inim itabl efeux de scene beggar bel ief ; but you wi l l Observeth ey a re stage - p lays — th i ngs adhoe ; not grea t Olympia n d ebau ch es of th e h ea rt an d fan cy ; hence more

perfect , and n ot so great . Th en I come , afte r gre atwanderi ngs , to Carm osine an d to Fantasia; to on e pa rtof La D ernie‘r e Aldini (wh i c h , by th e by ,we mightdramati se i n aweek) , to th e n otes that Mered i th hasfound , Evan an d th e posti l i on , Ev an and Rose , Harryi n Germany. And to m e th ese th i ngs a re th e good ;beauty

,touch ed with sex an d l augh te r ; beautywi th

God ’ s earth fo r th e ba ckground . T ragedy does notseem to me to come off ; an d when i t does , i t does so

by th e h ero i c i l l us i on ; th e a nti - masque has been

om i tt ed ; laughter, wh ich atten ds o n a l l ou r steps i nl i fe , a n d s i ts by th e d eath - bed , and certa i n ly redacts th e

ep i taph,l aughter h as been lost from these great- h ea rted

1 The e ssay so cal led . See Mem or ies and P ortraits .

374

MARSE ILLES AND HYERES

l i es . But th e comedy wh ich keeps th e beauty an dtouch es th e te rrors of our l i fe (laughter an d tragedy - lna- good - humour having kissed) , that i s th e l ast word

of moved rep resentati on ; embraci ng th e greatest num

ber of el ements of fate and ch aracter ; an d tel l i ng its

sto ry, n ot with th e one ey e of p i ty , but with the twoof p i ty an d m i rth . R . L. S.

TO EDMUND GOSSE

Early in May Steven sonhad been agai n ve ry dange rously i l l fromham orrhage ofthe lungs, and lay for seve ralwe ek s betwe en l i fe anddeath

,unt i l about the beginn ing ofJ ulyhewas brought sufficiently

round to venture by s lowstage s onthe j ourney to England,stay ing for

two or thre eweek s atRoyat ontheway . H i s corre spondenthadlate ly been appo inted C lark Read e r in Engl i sh L ite rature atTr in ityCo l lege

,Cam bridge.

FROM MY BED , May 2 9 , 1884.DEAR GOSSE ,— Th e n ews ofth e Professo rate foun dme i n the arti c le ofwel l , ofh eads or ta i l s ; I am sti l li n bed , an d a very poor pe rson . You must th us excuse my damned delay ; but, I assu re you , Iwas del ighted . You wi l l be l i eve me th e more , i f I confess

to youthat my fi rst sentiment was envy ; yes , s i r, o n

my b lood- bo ltered couch I env i ed th e professor. How

ever, itwas not of l ong durat i on ; th e doub l e th ough t

th at you deserved and that you wou ld th o rough ly enj oy you r success fe l l l i ke ba l sam on my wounds. Howcame i t that you n ever commun icated my rejection of

Gi ld er ’ s offer for th e Rhone ? But i t matters not .Such ea rth ly van it i es a re over fo r th e present. Th is

375

LETTE RS OF R . L. STEVENSON

has been a fine we l l - conducted i l l n ess . A month i n

bed ; a month of s i l en ce ; a fortn ight of not sti rri ng my

righ t ha nd ; a month of not moving without be i ng

l i fted . Come ! Cay est: dev i l i s h l i ke be ing dead .

Yours , dea r Professo r, academ ical ly , R . L. S .

I am soon to be moved to Royat ; a n i n va li d va l etgoes with me ! I got h im cheap — Second—han d .

I n tu rn i ng ove r my l ate fri en d F erri e r ’ s common

p lace book , I find th re e poems from Viol and F lutecop i ed out i n h i s h an d : WhenF lower -tim e, Love inWinter , an d Mistrust. They a re cap i ta l too . But Ith ought th e fact woul d i nterest you .He was no poetiste i th er ; so i t mean s th e mo re . Love inW. l I l i ke thebest.


HOTEL CHABASS IERE , ROYAT [j uly ,

MY DEAR PEOPLE — The weath er has been demon iac ;I h ave had a skiff of co ld , an d was fi nal ly ob l iged to

take to bed en ti re ly ; to - day , howeve r, i t h as c lea red ,th e sun sh i nes , an d I begi n to

[Several day s after . ]I h ave bee n out on ce , but now am back i n bed . I

am bette r, and keep bette r, but th e weath er is a mere

i nj ust i c e. Th e im i tati o n of Ed i nburgh is , at times , deceptive ; th ere i s a n ote among th e ch imney- pots thatsuggests Howe Street ; th ough [ th i n k th e sh ri l l est s poti n Ch ri stendom was not Upon th e Howe Street s i d e,but i n front, j ust unde r th e Mi ss G raemes

’

b ig ch imney

376

LETTE RS OF R . L. STEV ENSONHistory ofthe P lague,History oftheGr eatStorm , ScotchChur chandUnion. And th ere my knowledge of D efoeends — except a book , th e name of wh ich I forget , about

Peterborough i n Spa i n , wh ich D efoe obv i ous ly d id n otwrite

,a nd cou ld not have wri tten i fhe wanted . To

which of thes e does B . J . refe r ? I guess i t m ust be th e

h i s tory of th e Scott i s h Chu rch . I j est ; fo r, of cou rse ,

I knowi t must be a book I have neve r read , andwh ichth i s makes me keen to read — I mean CaptainSing l eton.Cani t be got and sen t to m e ? IfTr easur e Island i s ata l l l i k e i t, i t wi l l be de l ightfu l . I was j ust th e oth er day

wonderi ng at my fo l ly i n n ot rem emberi ng i t,when I

was wri t i ng T. I. , as a m i n e fo r p i rate t i ps . T. I. came

out ofK i ngs l ey ’

s AtLast, where I got th e D ead Man’ s

Chest— and thatwas th e s eed — and out of th e greatCapta i n J oh nson

’

sHistory ofN otor ious P irates. Th escenery i s Ca l i forn ia n i n part , an d i n part chic.

Iwas down - sta i rs to - day ! So now Iam a made manti l l t he n ext t ime . R . L . STEVENSON .

I f i t was CaptainSing leton, s end i t to me , won ’ t

you ?

Later .— My l i fe dwind l es i n to a k i nd of va l l ey ofth e

s hadow p icn ic . I can not read ; so much of th e t im e (as

to - day) I must not speak above my breath , that to p laypati ence , or to s ee my wife p lay i t, i s become th e b e - a l l

and th e end- a l l of my d im caree r. To add to my gai ety ,I may wri te l ette rs , but th ere a re few to answer. Pa

tience and Poesy a re thus my rod and staff; with theseI not unp l easant ly support my days .I am very d im , dumb , dowi e , and damnab l e. I hate

378

MA RSE I LLES AN D HYERES

to be s i l enced ; an d i f to ta l k by s ign s i s my forte (as I

cointend) to unde rstand th em can not be my wife ’ s .Donotth i n k me unhappy ; I have not been so fo r years '

but I am b lu rred , i n h abi t th e debatab l e front i er of s l eep ,and have but d im des ign s upon ac t i vi ty . Al l i s at a

standst i l l ; books c l os ed , paper put as ide , th e voi ce , th eeterna l vo i ce ofR. L . S . , wel l s i l enced . Hence th i s

p l ai n t reach es youwith no v ery great mean i ng, no verygreat pu rpose, a nd written part i n s l umber by a h eavy ,

somnol ent , superan nuated son of a bedpost .

379

L IFE AT BOURNEMOUTH

(SEPTEMBER , 1884— DECEMBER, 1885)

RRIVINGi n England at th e end ofJ u ly , 1884, Stevenson took up h is quarte rs fi rs tfor a few weeks at

R i chmond . He was compel l ed to abandon th e hope of

mak i ng h i s pe rman en t h ome at Hyeres , part ly by th e

renewed fa i lu re th ere of h i s own hea l th , part ly by a

bad outbreak ofch o le ra wh ich occu rred i n th e old Provencal town about th e t im e h e l eft i t. Afte r consu lta

t i o n with s eve ra l docto rs , a l l ofwhom he l d outhopesofu lt imate recovery desp i te th e gravi ty ofh is p resentsymptoms , h e moved to Bou rn emouth . Here h e found

i n th e h eath s and p i n ewoods some d is tant s emblan ceof th e landscape ofh i s n at i ve Scotla nd , a nd i n th e sandycu rves of th e Channe l coast a passab l e subst i tute fo r

th e bays and promonto ri es of h i s be loved Med i te rran ean .

Ata l l events , h e l i ked th e p lace wel l enough to be wi l li ng to try i t for a h ome ; an d such i t became fo r a l l but

th ree years , from September, 1884, to August , 1887 .

These , a lthough i n the matte r ofh ea l th th e worst a ndmost try i ng years of h i s l i fe , were i n th e matte r of

383


work some ofth e most act i ve a nd successfu l . For th e

fi rs t two or th ree month s th e Stevensons occu pi ed al odgi ng on th e West Cl i ff ca l l ed We ns l eyda l e ; fo r th e

n ext fou r or five , from m id - N ovember, 1884, to March ,1885, th ey were tenan ts of a h ouse named BonallieTowers , p l easant ly s i tuated am i d th e p i n ewoods ofB ranksome Park , a nd by its n ame reca l l i ng fami l i a r

Mi d loth i an assoc iati ons . Last ly , about Easte r, 1885,th ey ente red i nto occu pat i on of a h ouse of th ei r own

,

given by th e e lde r Mr . Stevens on as a s peci a l g ift to h i sdaugh te r- in— l aw , and renamed by i ts n ew occupants

Ske r ryvore , i n rem i n i scen ce of one of th e great l ighth ous e works ca rri ed outby th e fam i ly fi rm ofi th eScotti sh coast.Du ri ng a l l th e t im e of Stevenson ’ s res id en ce at Bou rn emouth h e was compel l ed to l ead th e l i fe , i rksom e to h im

above a l l m en , but born e with i nvi n c ib l e sweetn ess and

pati ence, ofa ch ron i c i n va l i d and a lmost constant

p ri son e r t o th e h ous e . A great pa rt ofh i s t im e hadperfo rce to be spent i n bed , and there a lmost a l l h i s

l i tera ry work was produced . Often for days , and sometimes fo r who l e weeks togeth er, h e was fo rb idden to

speak a loud , and com pel l ed to ca rry on conversati on

wi th h i s fam i ly and fri e nds i n wh i s pers or with the

h e l p ofpenci l and pape r. The few excu rs i ons to a d i stan ce wh ich h e attem pted — most common ly to myh ouse at th e B rit i sh Museum , once to Cambri dge , once

to Mat l ock , once to Exeter, and once i n 1886 as far as

Pari s — th es e excu rs i on s genera l ly ended i n a b reakdown

and a h urri ed retreat to h ome and bed . N everth e l ess ,h e was ab l e i n i nterva l s of c omparat ive eas e to rece i ve

and en j oy th e V i s i ts offri en ds from a d is tan ce , both old384


WENSLEYDALE , BOURNEMOUTH ,Sunday , a8thSeptem ber , 1884.

MY DEAR PEOPLE , — I keep bette r, and am today downsta i rs fo r th e fi rs t t im e . I find th e lockers enti re ly

empty ; not a cen t to th e front . Wi l l you pray send us

some ? Itb lows a n equ i nocti a l ga l e,and has blown

for n ea rly a week . N imbus B rita n n i cus ; p i p i ng wind ,l ash i ng ra i n ; th e s ea i s a fin e co lou r, a nd wind - bound

sh i ps l i e at a n ch or u nder th e Old Harry rocks , to makeone glad to be ashore .Th e Hen l eys are gone , and two p lays pract ica l ly d one .I h ope th ey may p roduce some of th e ready .

— I am ,

ever affect i onate s on , R . L . S .

To W . E. HENLEY

The re i s n o ce rtai n clue to the date ofthe fo l lowing ; ne itherhas itbe en possib le to m ak e surewhatwas the enclo sure m e nti on ed . Thespecial i l lne ss refe rred to seem s to b e that of the prece ding May atHyere s .

[WENSLEYDALE, BOURNEMOUTH , October , 1884DEAR BOY ,

— I t rust th i s finds youwe l l ; i t l eaves meso- so. Th e weather i s s o co l d that I must st i ck to bed ,wh ich i s rotten and ted ious , but can

’

t be h el p ed .

I find i n th e b l ott i ng- book th e enc losed , which I

wrote to you th e eve of my b lood . Is i t n ot s trange ?

That n ight,when I natu ra l ly th ought I was coopered ,

th e though t of i t was much i n my mind ; I th ought i t386

L I FE AT BOU RN EMOUTH

had gon e ; and I th ough t what a st range p rophecy I h ad

made i n j est, and how i t was i ndeed l i ke to be th e endofmany l ette rs . But I h ave written a good few s i n ce ,and th e sp e l l i s b roken . I am j ust as p l eas ed , for Iea rn est ly d es i re to l i ve. Th i s p l easant m i dd l e age i ntowhose port we are steeri ng i s qu i te to my fancy . I

wou ld cast anchor h ere , and go ash ore fo r twenty years ,a nd see th e manners of th e p lace . Youth was a great

time,but somewhat fussy . N owi n m iddle age (ba r

lucre) a l l s eems m igh ty p lac i d . I t l i kes me ; I s py a

l i tt l e bright cafe i n on e co rne r of th e port, i n front ofwh ich Inowp ropose we s hou l d s i t down . There i sj us t enough of th e bust l e ofth e harbou r an d no more ;and th e sh i p s a re c l os e i n , regard i ng us with ste rn - win

dows — th e sh i ps that b ri ng dea l s from N orway andparrots from th e I nd i es . Let us s i t down h ere fo rtwenty years , with a packet of tobacco and a d ri nk ,

and ta l k of art and women . By and by , th e who l e c i tywi l l s i nk , a nd th e sh i ps too , and th e tab l e , an d we a l so ;but we sha l l h ave sat fo r twenty years a nd had a fi n eta l k ; a nd by that t ime , who knows? exhausted th esub j ect .I send you a book wh ic h (or l am mistook) wil l p l ease

you ; i t p l eased me. But I do des i re a book of adventu re — a romance — and no man wi l l get or write m e

one . D umas I h ave read an d re - read too often ; Scott,too, an d I am short. I wan t to h ea r swords c lash . I

want a book to begi n i n a good way ; a book , I guess ,l i ke Tr easur e Island, a las ! which I have neve r read ,a nd can not though I l i ve to n in ety. I wou ld God thatsom e one e lse h ad written it ! By a l l th at I can lea rn ,i t i s th e very book for my comp la i nt. I l i ke th e way I

387

LETTERS OF R. Im STEV ENSONl 884 h ea r i t Open s ; and th ey tel l me J oh n S i l ve r i s good fun .

34And to me i t i s , a n d must eve r be, a d ream un rea l i s ed ,a book unwritten . O m y s ighing s afte r romance, ore ven Ske lte ry, an d O! th e wea ry agewh i ch wi l l p roduce me ne ith er !

CHAPTER I

Th e n igh t was damp an d c loudy , th e ways foul.T he s i ngl e horseman , c loaked an d booted , who pu rsuedh i s way ac ross Wi l l e sden Common , had not met at ravel l e r, when th e sound of wheel s

CHAPTER I

Yes , s i r, sa i d th e o ld p i lo t ,“sh e must h ave

d ropped i n to th e bay a l i tt l e afo re dawn . A queer

c raft sh e l ooks .“Sh e shows no co lou rs , retu rn ed th e young gentl e

man , mus ingly .

“They ’

re a- l oweri ng of a quarter- boat , Mr . Mark ,resumed th e o l d sa lt. We sha l l soon know more ofh er

Ay, rep l i ed th e young gen t l eman ca l l ed Mark ,an d h ere , Mr . Sead rift, comes your sweet daughte r

N an cy tri pp i ng down th e c l i ff.“God bless h e r k i n d h ea rt, s i r, ej acu l ated o ld

Sead rift.

CHAPTER I

Th e notary,J ean Ross igno l , had been summoned to

the to p of a great house i n th e I s l e St. Lou is to make388


You are very righ t to express you r admi ration fo r th eresource d i sp layed i n Gdipus King ; i t i s a m i rac l e .Would i t n ot h ave been wel l to mention Vo l ta i re

’

s inte re sting on slaugh t , a th ingwh ic h gives th e best l essonofth e d i fferen c e of n eighbou r a rts s i n ce a l l h i s cr iti

cism s ,wh i c h had been fata l to a narrat ive , do notamount among th em to exh ib i t on efl aw i n th i s masterp iece of d rama . F or th e d rama , i t i s p erfect ; th ough

su ch a fab l e i n a roman ce m igh t make th e reade r c ra ck

h i s s i d es , so im perfect , so eth erea l ly s l igh t i s th e ve risim ilitude requ i red of these convent i ona l , rigid , an d egg

danc i ng a rts .

Iwas sorry to s ee no more ofyou ; but sha l l con c l udeby hop ing for bette r luck next t ime . My wife begs to

be remembered to both ofyou— Yours s i n cere ly ,RO BERT LOUIS STEVENSON.

To ANDREW CHATTO

WENSLEYDALE , BOURNEMOUTH , October 3 , 1884.DEAR MR . CHATTo,

— I h ave an offer of £2 5 fo r Ottofrom Ameri ca . I do not know if you mean to h ave th e

American rig h ts ; from th e nature Of th e contract , Ithinknot : but if you u nde rstood that you were to sel l th e

sh eets , Iwi l l e i th e r h an d ove r th e barga i n to you , o rfin ish i t myse l f an d han d you ove r th e money if you a re

p l eased with th e amount. You see , I leave th i s qu itei n you r h ands . To parody an o ld Scotch story of se rvant and master : i f you don

’ t know that you h ave a

good autho r, I k now that I h ave a good pub l i sh er.390


Your fa i r, Open , and handsome dea l ings a re a goodpoi n t i n my l ife , an d do more fo r my crazy hea l th tha n

has yet been done by any docto r . V ery tru ly yours ,ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON.

To W . H . LowItwas som e twenty m onth s s ince the p lan ofpub l i sh ing A Child’sGar deni n the fi rst i n stance as apicture - bookhad bee n m ooted (seeabov e

,p . 3OI) . Butithad neve r tak e n effect

,and i n the fo l lowing

March the vo lum e appeare dwithout i l lustrat i on s i n England,and also

,

I be l ieve,i n Am e r ica.

BONALLIE TOWERS , BRANKSOME PARK ,BOURNEMOUTH , HANTS, ENGLAND ,

F ir stweek inNovem ber , I guess, 1884.MY DEAR LOW,

— N ow, l oo k here , th e above i s myadd ressforthre e months , I h op e ; cont inue , on you r part,i f you p leas e , to write to Ed inburgh , wh ich i s safe ; butie s . Low th i nks of com ing to England , sh e m igh t takea run down from Lon don (fou r h ours from Waterloo ,mai n l i n e) and stay a day o r two with us among th ep in es . I f not, I h ope i t wi l l be on ly a p leasu re d eferredt i l l you can j o in h er.My Ch i ld ren

’

s V ers eswill be pub l ish ed h ere i n avo lume ca l l ed A Child ’

s Gar den. Th e sh eets a re i nh and ; I wi l l see ifl cannot sen d you th e l ot, so that youm igh t h ave a bi t ofa sta rt. I n that case I wou l d donoth i ng to publ is h i n th e States , an d you m igh t trv ani l l ustrated ed i t ion th ere ; wh ich , ifthe book wentfair lvover here, might, when ready , be imported . But of th i s

more fu l ly ere long. You wi l l see som e verses of m i n e

i n th e last Magazine ofArt, with p i ctu res by a young39 1


lady ; rath er p retty , I th i nk . I f we fi nd a market fo r

Phasel lulus loquitur , we can try anoth e r. I hope i t

i sn’tnecessary to put the ve rse i nto that rustic p ri n ti ng .

I am Ph i l i st i n e enough to p refe r c l ean p ri n te r’

s type ;i ndeed , I c an form no idea Of th e verses thus transcribed

by th e i n cu lt and totte ri ng hand ofth e d raughtsman ,no r gath e r any im p ress i o n beyond one of wearin e ss tothe eyes . Yet th e other day , i n th e Century , I sawi tim puted a s a c rime to Vedde r th at h e h ad not th us

travesti ed Omar Khayyam . We l ive i n a rum age of

mus i c with out a i rs , sto ri es w ithout i n c iden t, p ictu res

with out beauty, Ameri ca nwood - engravi ngs that shou ldh ave been etch i ngs , an d d ry— poi n t etch i ngs that ough t

to have been m e zzoti nts . I th i n k of giv i ng ’ em l i te ra

tu re without wo rds ; a n d I be l i eve i f youwere to tryi nvi s ib l e i l l u stratio n , i t wou l d en joy a con s i derab l evogue . So long as a n a rt is t i s onh i s h ead , i s pa i n ti ngwith a flute , or writes wi th an etch er

’

s n eed le , o r con

d ucts th e orchestra wi th a mea t—axe , a l l i swe l l ; an dp laud its sh ower a long with roses . But any p la i n man

who tri es to fol low th e obtrus i ve canon s ofhis a rt , i s buta commonpl ac e figure. To hel l wi th h im i s th e motto ,or at l east n ot th at ; fo r h e wi l l h a v e h i s reward , but h ew i l l n ever be th ought a perso n ofparts .

january 3, 1885 .

And h ere h as th i s been ly ing near two months . Ih av e fa i l ed to get togeth er a p re l im in ary copy of the

Ch i ld ’ s V e rse s fo r you , i n sp ite of doughty efforts ; but

ye ste rday l sent you th e fi rst sh eet oft h e defin it i ve ed it i on , an d sha l l con ti nue to s end th e oth ers as th ey come .

I f you can , and ca re to , work th em — why so , we l l.392


about an address ; though I th i nk , i f we coul d meet, we

cou ld a rrange someth i ng su i tabl e . What you proposewould be wel l enough i n a way , but so modest as to sug

gest awh i n e . F rom that po i n t of V iew i twou ld bebetter to change a l i tt l e ; but th is , whethe r we meet o r

n ot, we must d iscuss . Ta it , Ch rysta l , th e Roya l Soc iety , a nd I , a l l th i n k you amply deserve th i s h onour an dfar more ; i t i s n ot th e T rue B lue to ca l l th is seri ous comp lim enta“tri a l you sh ou ld be glad ofth i s r ecognit i on . As fo r resign ing, that i s easy enough i f found

n ecessary ; but to refuse woul d be husky an d unsatisfa ctory . Sic subs . , R . L . S .

My co l d i s s t i l l ve ry h eavy ; but I ca rry i t wel l .F an ny i s very very much out ofsorts , p ri n ci pa l ly th roughperpetua l m ise ry with me . Ifear l have been a l i tt l ei n th e d umps , which , as y ou know, sir , i s a very greats i n . I must try to be more ch eerfu l ; but my cough is

so seve re that l h ave sometim e s most exhausti ng n ights

and very p eev i sh waken i ngs . However, th i s sha l l be

remed ied , an d last n igh t I was d ist i n ct ly bette r tha n

th e n ight before . The re i s , my dear Mr . Steven son (soI mora l is e b land ly as we S ittogethe r on th e d e vi l ’ s ga r

d enwall) , n o more abom inabl e si n tha n th i s gloom ,

th i s p laguey p eev i sh ness ; why (say I)what matte rs i ti f we be a l i ttl e un comfortab l e — that i s no reason for

mangl i ng ou r unhappy wives . And th en I tu rn andg irnon th e unfortunate Cassandra— Your fe l l ow cul pri t,

R. L . S.

394

L IFE AT BOU RN EMOUTH

TO W . E. HENLEY

The Arabs ” m ent ione d be loware the stor ie s com pr i s ing thevolum e Mor e N ewA rabianN ights The Dynam ite r .

WENSLEYDALE , BOURNEMOUTH , N ovem ber , 1884.DEAR HENLEY , — We are a l l to p i eces i n h ea lth , andheav i ly h and icapped with Arabs . I have a d readfu l

cough , whose attacks l eave me cetat. 90. Ineve r l et uponth e Arabs, all th e same , and rare ly get l ess thane igh t pages out of hand , th ough h ard ly ab le to comedown - sta i rs fo r twi tte r i ng kn ees .I shall put i n ’

s l e tter. He says so l i tt l e ofh isc i rcumsta n ces that I am i n a n imposs ib i l i ty to give h im

adv i ce more spec ifi c than a Copy - book . G ive h im my

love, however, an d tel l h im it i s th e mark of th e paroch ia l gent l eman who has n eve r trave l led to find a l l

wrong i n a fore ign land . Let h im ho l d on , and hew i l l find on e country as good as anoth er ; an d i n th e

meanwh i l e l et h im res i s t th e fata l B ri t i sh ten dency to

commun icate h i s d issati sfaction wit h a country to its

i nhab itants . ’

T i s a good i dea , but i t somehow fa i l s top l eas e. I n a fo rt n igh t

, ifI can k eep my sp i ri t i n t hebox at all, I shoul d be n ea rly th rough th i s Arabi an

desert ; so can tack le someth i ng fresh .— Yours ever,

R . L . S.

To THOMAS STEVENSON

Mr. Stevenson,the e lde r

,had read the play ofAdm iral Guinea,wr itten in S eptem be r by h i s son and Mr . H en ley in co l laborat ion , andhad prote sted

,withhis usual veh em ence offe e l ing and expre ss ion,

395


IS84 agai n st the stage confrontat ion ofprofane b lackguardry in the pe rsonI‘ET 34ofPewwith evange l ical p iety in that of the reform e d slav ing captai nwho give s h i s nam e to the pi ece .

BONALLIE TOWERS, BRANKSOME PARK ,BOURNEMOUTH (THE THREE B ’

s )

[N ovem ber 5,MY DEAR FATHER , — AIIOW me to say , i n a str i ct ly

P i c kwick ian sense,th at you ar e a s i l ly fe l l ow . I am

pa i ned i n deed,but how shou ld I b e o ffended ? I th in k

you exaggerate ; I ca nno t fo rget that you had th e same

im press i on of the D eacon; a nd yet , when you sawi tp l ayed

,were l ess re v o l ted than you looked fo r ; and I

w i l l s t i l l h ope that th e Adm iral a l so i s not so bad a s

you suppose . There i s o n e po i nt , h owe v e r,where Id iffe r from you very frankly . Rel igion i s i n th e worl d ;I do not th in k you are th e man to deny th e importan ce

of i ts rOle ; an d I h ave long de c i ded not to l eave i t on

one s i de i n a rt. Th e oppos i tio n of th e Adm i ra l a n dMr . Pewi s n ot , to my eyes , e i th er ho rrib l e o r i rreverent ;but i t may be , and it p robably i s , very i l l don e : what

th en ? Th is i s a fa i lu re ; bette r l uck n ext t im e ; morepower to th e e lbow , more d iscreti on , more wi sdom i n

th e des ign , and th e o l d defeat becomes th e scen e ofth en ew V i cto ry. Concern you rse lf about n o fa i l u re ; th ey

do not cost l ive s , as i n engi n eering ; th ey are th e pier r esper dues of successes . F ame is (tru ly) a vapou r ; do notth i nk of i t ; i f th e writer mean s wel l an d tri es h ard , no

fa i lu re wi l l i nj ure h im , whether with God o r man .

I w ish I coul d h ea r a brighter accoun t of you rse l f ; but

I am i nc l i n ed to acqu i t th e Adm iral of h aving a sha re

i n th e respons ib i l i ty. My very h eavy co ld is , I h op e,d rawing off; and th e change to th is cha rming house in

396


ma h oast 1 begude i n th e aifte rnune . I t i s rea l ly r e

m aurkab le ; i t’

s p rovidenshle , I be l i eve . The i n k wasnae fa i r d ry , th e wordswe renae weel ooten ma mouth ,when bang ! I got the lee . The ma i r ye th i n k o

’

t,Thomson , th e l e ss ye

’

ll l i ke th e l ooks o ’

t. Proavidence(I

’

m no say i n ’ ) i s all ve ra wee l inits place ; but i fProavidence has nae m ainne rs , wha ’

s to l ea rn ’t?

Proavidence i s a fine th i ng , but hoo wou ld you l i keProavidence to keep you r ti l l fo r ye ? Th e ri ch t p la cefo r Proavidence i s i n th e k i rk ; i t ha s n aeth i ng to dowi’p rivate co rrespondence between twa gentl emen , no rfre endly c racks , no r a We e bi t word of scu lduddery 2

ah i n t th e doo r, nor, i n shoart,wi’ onyhol e - and- cor

ner war k , what Iwould call. I ’

m pairfec ’

ly wi l l i n’

to meet i nwi’ Proavidence , I ’

ll be p rood to m e et i nwi’ h im , when my time’

s come and I cannae dae nae

bette r ; but i f h e’ s to come Sk i nk i ng aboot my sta i r -fit,

damned , l micht a s wee l be dei d fo r a’ th e comfo rt I ’

II

can ge t i n l i fe . Cannae h e no be mad e to unde rstand

that i t ’ s ben eath h im Gosh , ifI was i n h i s bus i ness , Iwouldnae ste i r my hei d for a p la i n , au l d ex- e lder that,

tak ’ h im th e way h e tak s’

h imsel ’ ,’

s j ust aboot as honest

a s he ca n weel affo rd , a n ’ but fo r a wheen au l d scanda l s ,nea r fo rgotten n oo , i s a pairfec’ ly respectab l e a nd thorough ly decen t man . Or i f I fash edwi’ h im ava ’ , i t wadbe k i n d 0

’

handsome l ike ; a pun’- note unde r h i s sta i r

doo r, or a bottl e 0’

aul d , b l ended ma lt to h i s b i t marn

i n’

, as a teshtym onial l i k e yon ye ken sae weel aboot,but mai r successfu ’

Dear Thomson , have I ony money ? Ifl have , sendit, fo r th e loard

’

s sake . J OHNSON .1 Cough . 2 Loose talk .

398

L I FE AT BOU RNEMOUTH

To MIss F ERR IER

BONALLIE TOWERS, BOURNEMOUTH ,N ovem ber 1 2 , 1884.

MY DEAR COGG IE , — Many th anks fo r th e two photoswh i ch now decorate my room . I was parti cu la rly glad

to have th e Bel l Rock . I wonder if you saw me p lunge,lance i n rest , i n to a controversy therean en t ? Itwas a

very on e- s id ed affa i r. I s l ept upon th e fi e l d ofbatt l e ,paraded , sang Te D eum , and came home after a rev i ewrath e r than a campa ign .

P l ease tel l Campbel l I go t h is l etter. Th e WildWoman of th e West has been much am i ss an d com

pla i n i ng sore ly. I h ope noth i ng more seri ous i s wrong

with h er than j ust my i l l - h ea lth , an d consequen t an x ietya n d l abour ; but th e deuce of i t i s , that the caus econtinues . I am about knocked out of t im e now:a m iserab le , snuffling , sh ive ri ng, fever- st ri cken ,n igh tmare - ri dden , knee - jotte ring , hoast- hoast- hoasti ng

sh adow and remai n s of man . But we ’

II no gi e ower

jistyet a b itti e . We ’

V e see n waur ; a n d dod , mem ,

i t ’

s my bel i ef that we ’ l l s ee bette r. I d i n n a ken ’

at

I ’

ve muck l e mai r to say to ye, or , i n deed , onything ;but s there

’

s guid-fallowship , guid h ea l th , and th ewal e o ’ guid fortun e to your bonn i e se l ’ ; an d my re

spec ’ s to th e Pe rfessor an d h iswi fe , an d th e Prinshiple ,an ’ th e B el l Rock an ’ ony ith e r pub li c chara’te rs tha tI ’m acquauntwi . R . L . S.

399


TO EDMUND GOSSE

J ust be fore the cr ipp l i ngfitofi l lne ss above recorded , Steven sonhadaccepte d acom m i ss ion from the Pal l Mal l Gazette for a crawle r ” orCh r i stm as story of the b lood - curdl i ng k in d . Hehad be en unab l e tofin ish for th i s purpose the tal ehehad fi rst i ntende d ;had tried thepub l i she rswith Markheim (afte rwards printed in the co l l ect i on cal l edMerry Menwh ich prove d too Short ;had then furb ished up aswe l l

ashe could atale drafted In the P itlochry days , The Body Snatche r,wh ichwas adve rti sed in the stre ets of London by sandwich - m encarry

ing po ste rs so horrific that th eywe re suppre ssed,i f I rem em be r r ight

,

by the po l ice . Steven son r ightly thought the tal enotup to h i s be stm ark

,andwou l dnottake the fu l l paym entwh ichhad b een bargain ed

for. His corre spondentwas j ust about to start ona tour to theUn ited State s .

BONALLIE TOWERS, BRANKSOME PARK ,BOURNEMOUTH , N ov . 15 , 1884.

MY DEAR GOSSE , — Th is Mr . Morl ey 1 of you rs i s a

most d es pe rate fe l l ow . He has sen t me (fo r my Op i ni on) th e most trucu l en t ad vert i s ement I ever saw ,

i n wh ich th ewh ite ha i rs ofGladston e a re d raggedrou n d T roy beh i nd my chari ot whee ls . What ca n

I say ? I say n oth i ng to h im ; an d to you , I conten t

myse lf w ith remark i ng th at h e seems a despe ra tefe l l ow .

All l u ck to you on you r America n adventure ; may

you fi nd h ea lth , wea l th , and en te rta i nment ! I f yousee , as you l i ke lywill, F ran k R . Stockton , p ray greeth im from me i n words to th i s effect

1 Mr . Charl e s Morley,atth i s t im e m anage r or assi stant m anage r of

the Pal l Mal l Gazette .

4oo


s ibl e . I know very wel lhowyou must feel ; you arepass i ng a bad tim e .

Our n ews must seem very imperti n ent. We haveboth been i l l ; but I , a t l east, am bette r. The Bogue ,who i s letout eve ry n ight fo r ha lf an hour ’ s yapp i ng,i s an chored i n th e moon l ight

,just before th e door, and ,

und er th e be l i ef that h e i s watchdog at a l ive farm b e

l eaguered by moss - t roope rs , i s s imp ly ra i s i ng Ca i n .

I can add noth i ng more , but just thatwe wish toh ear a s soon as you h a v e noth i ng e ls e to do — not tohu rry , of cours e — ifi t ta kes th re e mon th s , no matte r,but bea r us i n m i nd — With best l ove from both of us ,ever you r most affect io nate fri en d ,

R . L . STEVENSON .

To HENRY J AMES

The fol lowing to Mr . H en ry Jam e s re fe rs to the e ssay Of R . L . S .

cal led“AHum b l e Rem on strance ,"wh ichhad j ust appeared in Longm an’s Magazine . M r . Jam e shadwr itten ho lding outthe prospectofa cont in uance of the friendly controve rsywh ichhad thus b eenopen ed up between th em onthe aim s and qual itie s offi ct i on .

BONALLIE TOWERS , BRANKSOME PARK ,BOURNEMOUTH , D ecem ber 8 , 1884.

MY DEAR HENRY JAMES, Th i s i s a ve ry brave h ea ri ngfrom more po i nts than one . The fi rst po i nt i s thatth ere i s a hope ofa s equel . For th i s I l aboured . Seriously, from th e dea rth of i n fo rmation an d thoughtfu l

i nte rest i n th e art of l i terature , th ose who try to p rac

t i s e i twi th any del iberate purpose run th e r i sk of findi ng no fi t aud i ence . Peop le suppose i t i s “th e stuff"

402


th at i n terests th em ; th ey th i nk , fo r i nstan ce , that th e

p rod igi ous fine thoughts and sent iments i n Shakespeareimpress by th e i r ownweight, not understand i ng thatth e un po l i sh ed d iamond i s but a ston e . They th i n kthat stri k ing s ituat i ons , o r good d ia l ogue , a re got by

study i ng l i fe ; th ey wi l l n ot ri s e to understand thatth ey a re p repared by de l iberate a rtifice an d set Offbypa infu l suppress ions . N ow, I want th e who l e th i ngwel l venti l ated , fo r my own educati on and the publ i c

’ s ;a n d I beg you to look as qu i c k a s you can , to fo l lowme up with every c i rcumstance of defeat where we

d i ffer, and (to p reven t th e flouti ng of th e la i ty ) to em

phasise th e po i nts where we agree. I t rust you r paper

w i l l s h ow me th e way to a rejo i nd e r ; a nd that rejo i n der

I sha l l h ope to make w ith so much art a s to woo o r

d ri ve you from your th reaten ed s i l en ce . I woul d not

ask bette r than to pass my l ife i n beat i ng out th i s

qua rte r of co rn with such a secon der as you rse lf.

Po int th e second — I am rej o ic ed i ndeed to h ea r you

speak so k ind ly ofmy work ; rej o i ced an d surp ris ed .

I seem to myse lf a very rude , l e ft- h anded countryman ;not fi t to be read , fa r l ess compl imented , by a man so

accomp l i sh ed , so ad ro i t, so c raftsman l i k e as you . You

wi l l happ i ly n ever h ave cause to unde rstand th e despa i rw ith wh ich a write r l i ke myse lf con s ide rs (say) th epark scen e i n Lady Bar ber ina. Every touch surpri s es

m e by i ts i ntangib le p rec is i on ; an d th e effect wh endon e, as l igh t as syl l abub, as d ist i n ct as a p i ctu re , fi l l s

m e with envy . Each man among us prefers h i s owna im , an d I p refe r m in e ; but when we come to spea k

ofperfo rmance , I recogn is e myse lf, compared wi th you,to be a lout a nd s louch of th e fi rst wate r.

403

LETTE RS OF R . L . STEV ENSON

Where we d iffer, both as to th e des ign of sto ri es and

th e d e l i n eat io n of cha racte r, I begi n to lament . Ofcou rse , I am not so du l l as to ask you to desert your

wa l k ; but cou ld you not , i n on e nove l , to ob l ige a s i n

c ere adm i re r, an d to en ri c h h i s sh e lves with a be loved

vo lume , coul d you not , a nd m igh t you not , cast yourch aracters i n a mou ld a l i tt l e more abstract an d academ ic

(dea r Mrs . Pennym anhad a l ready , among your o th erwork , a taste ofwhatI mean) , and p i tc h the i nc i d ents ,I do not say i n any stronger, but i n a s l igh tly more

emphat i c key — as i t were an e p isode from on e of th e

old (so— ca l le d) nove l s of adventu re ? I fea r you wi l l

n ot ; and I suppose I must s igh ingly adm it you to be

righ t. And yet, when I see , as i t were , a book ofTomJ on es hand le dwi th your exqu is ite p re c i s i on an d shotth rough wi th those s i de - l ights of reflect i o n i n wh ic h

you excel , I re l i nqu i sh the d e a r V i s i o n wi th regret.Th in k upon i t.As you know , I be l ong to that besotted c lass of man ,th e i nva l i d : th i s puts me to a stand i n th e way of V i s i ts .But i t i s poss ib l e th at some day you may fee l that a day

n ear the sea and among p i n ewoods wou ld be a pl easan t

c h ange from town . Ifso , p lease l et us know ; an d mywife and Iwi l l be de l igh ted to put you up , and give youwhat we can to eat and drink (l have a fa i r bott l e ofclaret) .Onth e back ofwhi ch , bel i ev e me , you rs s in cere ly ,


P . S.— I reopen th i s to say that I h ave r e - read my

pape r, and can not th i n k I have at a l l su cceed ed i n being e i th er ve rac ious o r po l i te. I kn ew, of cou rse , that I

too k you r paper mere ly as a p i n to hang my own re404


th e verses ; th e p i ctures to the Seagul l I th ough t cha rm

i ng ; those to th e secon d have l eft me with a pa i n i n

my poor bel ly and a swimm ing i n th e h ead .

About money , I am aflo d no more , and I warn

you,un l ess I have great I sha l l h ave to fa l l u pon

you at th e N ewYea r l ike a hund redweigh t of bri cks .D octo r, rent , ch em ist , a re a l l th reaten i ng ; s ickness has

b i tterly d e layed my work ; and un l ess , a s I say , I have

th e m isch i efs l uck , I shal l comp lete ly break down .

Ver bum sapientibus . I do not l i ve ch eap ly , and I qu es

t ion ifI ever sh a l l ; but if on ly I h ad a ha l fpenny worthofhealth, Icoul d now eas i ly suffice . The las t breakdownofmy head is what makes th i s bankruptcy p robab le .F an ny i s sti l l out ofsorts ; Bogue bette r ; se l f fa i r, buta stranger to th e b l ess i ngs of s l eep — Eve r a ffecti onate

son , R . L. S .

TOW. E. HENLEY

BONALLIE TOWERS, BOURNEMOUTH [D ecem ber ,DEAR LAD ,

- l have made up my mind about th e

P . M. G an d send you a copy , wh ich p lease keep orretu rn . As fo r not gi v i ng a reduct ion , what a re we ?Are we artists o r c ity men ? Why do we sneer a t

s tock - b rokers ? O nary ; I w i l l n ot take th e £40. Itook that a s a fa i r p ric e fo r my best work ; Iwas notab l e to produce my best ; and I wi l l be damn ed iflsteal w i th my eyes open . Suficit. Th is is my l ookout.As fo r th e paper bei ng rich , certa in ly i t i s ; but I am

honou rab l e . I t i s n o more above me i n money thanth e poo r s l aveys an d cads from whom I look fo r h on esty

a re below me. Am I Pepys , th at because I can find th e

406

L I FE AT BOU RN EMOUTHcounten an ce of“some of our ab lest merchants, thatbecause — a n d — pour fo rth Ian-gu id twaddl e and getpa i d fo r it , I , too , s houl d

“c heerfu l ly conti nue to stea l ” Pl am not Pepys . I do not l ive much to God an d honour ;but I wi l l n ot w i lfu l ly turn my back onboth . I am ,

l i k e all th e rest of us , fa l l i ng eve r l ower from the brigh ti deas I began with , fa l l i ng i n to greed , i n to id l eness , i n to

m idd le- aged an d s l i ppere d fi res i d e coward ice ; but i s i t

you, my b old b lade, that I h ea r cry i ng th i s so rd i d and

rank twadd l e i n my ear? Preach ing th e dankest G rundy

i sm and upho ld i ng th e ran k customs of our trad e — you ,who a re so crue l h ard upon th e customs Of th e pub l i sh ers ?

Oman , l oo k at th e B eam i n our ownEyes ; an d whatever e l s e you do , do not p l ead Sata n

’ s cause , o r p lea d

i t fo r a l l ; e ithe r embrace th e bad , o r respect th e good

when you see a poor d evi l t ry i ng for i t . I f th i s i s th e

hon esty of autho rs to take what you can get an d con

so l e yourse lfb ecause pub l i s h ers a re ri ch — take my namefrom th e ro l l s of that a ssoc iat i on .

’

T i s a caucus ofweaker th i eves, j eal ous of th e stronger. — Eve r yours ,

THEROARINO R . L. S .

Youwi l l s ee from the en c l osed that I h ave stuck towhat I th i n k my dues p retty tigh tly i n sp i te of th i s

flourish : th es e are my words fo r a poo r ten- pound

note !

TO W . E. HENLEY

BONALLIE TOWERS, BOURNEMOUTH[Winter ,

MY DEAR LAD , Here was l i n bed ; not writ i ng, noth ear ing, an d find ing myself gent ly an d agreeab ly i l l

407


used ; and beho l d I l ea rn you a re bad yourse lf. Get

your wife to send us a word how you a re . I am bette r

dec ide d ly . Bogue got h i s Ch ri stmas ca rd , and behaved

we l l fo r th ree days afte r. I t may i nterest th e cyn i ca l to

l ea rn th at I sta rted my last haemorrhage by too sedu lous

attenti on s to my dea r Bogue . The st i ck was b roken ;a nd that n igh t Bogue ,who was attracted by th e extraordinary ach i ng ofh is bones , a nd i s a lways i nc l i n ed toa seri ou s V i ew of h is own a i lm ents , announced with h is

customary pomp that he was dyi ng. Inth is case , h owever, i t was not th e dog that d ied . (He h ad tri ed tobi te h i s mothe r

’

s an kles .) I have written a l ong and

p ecu l ia rly sol em n pape r onth e tech n i ca l e l ements ofsty l e. I t i s path - break i ng and epoch - mak ing ; but I do

not th i nk th e pub l i cwi l l b e read i ly con voked to i ts p erusal. D id I te l l you th at S . C. had r i sen to th e paper

onJ ames ? Atl ast ! Obutl was p l eased ; he’ s (l i ke

J ohn n ie ) been lang, l ang o’ comi n ’ , but h e re h e i s . He

wi l l not obj ect to my futu re m anmuvr e s i n th e samefi e ld , as h e has to my former. All th e fam i ly a re h ere ;my father bette r tha n I ha v e s een h im th ese two yea rs ;my mothe r th e same as ever. I do t rust you a re bette r,an d I am yours eve r, R. L. S.

To H . A. J ONES

BONALLIE TOWERS, BRANKSOME PARK ,BOURNEMOUTH , D ec. 30; 1 884.

DEAR S IR ,— I am so accustomed to h ear nonsense

spoken about a l l th e arts , an d th e d rama i n parti cu la r,that I cannotrefra i n from say i ng “Than k you for

408


loo ; can you get me any of th ese ? Th i e rs , idle Th ie rsa lso . Canyou he l p a man gett i ng i nto h i s boots forsuch a huge cam pa ign ? How are you ? A Good N ewYea r to you. Imean to have a good one , but on Whosefund s I ca nnot fan cy : not m in e l eastways

,as I am a

mere de re l i ct and dri ft b eam - onto bankruptcy .

For God ’ s sak e , remembe r th e man who s etou tforto conque r Arthu r Wel l es l ey , with a b roken be l l owsan d an empty pocket— Yours eve r,

R . L . STEVENSON .

TO THOMAS STEVENSON

Steven sonhad bee n aske d by h i s fath e r to look ove r the proofs ofapape rwh ich the latte rwas about to read

,as Pre s i dent ofthe Royal

Society of Edinburgh,

“On the Pr inc i pal Cause s ofS i lt i ng in E stuar ie s

,i n connect i onwith the Manch e ste r Sh i p Canal Sch em e .

[BONALLIE TOWERS , BOURNEMOUTH] ,14thjanuary , 1885 .

MY DEAR FATHER , — I am gla d you l ike th e ch anges.

I own I was p leased with my han d’

s darg ; you may

observ e , I have co rrected severa l erro rs wh i ch (youmayte l l Mr . D i ck) h e had a l l owed to pass h i s eagl e eye ; I

w ish th ere may be non e i n m i n e ; at l east, th e o rd er i s

bette r. Th e second t i tl e , “Some n ew Engin e eri ng

Q uest i on s i nvo l ved i n th e M. S . C. Sch eme of last Sessi on ofP. , l i k es me th e best . I th in k i t a very good

paper ; and l am va in enough to th i n k I have materia l ly

h el p ed to pol i sh th e d i amond . I ended by feel ing qu ite

p roud of th e pape r, as i f i t had been m in e ; th e n ext

t ime you have as good a one , I w i l l overhau l i t for th e

wage s of fe el ing as c l ever a s I d i d wh en I had managed

4Io


to understand and he l ped to s eti t c lea r. I wonder if Ia nywhere m isapp rehended you ? I rather th in k not at

th e las t ; at th e fi rst shot I know I m issed a po in t o r

two . Some of what may appea r to you to be wantonchanges , a l i ttl e s tudy W i l l sh ow to be necessary .

Yes , Car ly l e was ashamed of h imse l f a s few men have

been ; and l et a l l ca rp e rs look at what h e d id . He pre

pa red a l l th es e papers for pub l i cati on with h i s ownhand ; a l l h i s wife

’ s compla i n ts , a l l t h e e v i d en c e of h i sownmisconduct : who else would have done so much ?I s repentance, wh ich God accepts , to h ave no ava i l with

men ? nor even w ith th e dead ? I h ave h eard too much

aga in st th e th rawn , d iscomfortab l e dog : d ead he i s , an d

we may be glad of i t ; but h e was a bette r man th a n

most of us, n o l ess patent ly than h e was a worse . Tofi l l th e world with wh in ing i s aga i n st all my V i ews : Id o not l i ke imp i ety . But — but — th ere a re two s i d esto a l l th i ngs, and th e o ld sca l ded baby had h i s nob l es ide — Eve r affectionate son , R. L . S.

To S IDNEY CO LV IN

BONALLIE TOWERS, BOURNEMOUTH , january , 1885 .

DEAR s . C. , I have addressed a l ette r to th e G . O. M.

apr opos of Wel l i ngton ; and I became aware , you wi l lbe i n te rested to h ea r, ofan overwhelm ing respect fo rth e old gent l eman . I can blaguer h i s fa i l u res ; but

when you actua l ly address h im , and bri ng th e two

statu res an d record s to confron tati on , d ismay is th e re

su l t. By mere conti nuan c e of yea rs , h e must impose ;th e man who h el ped to ru l e Englan d befo re I was con

4I I

LETTE RS OF R . L . STEVENSON

ceived, strikes mewi th a n ew sense of greatn es s andantiqu i ty , when I must a ctua l ly beard h im with th e co l d

fo rms of co rrespondence . 1 sh i ed at the n ecess i ty of

ca l l i ng h im p la i n “S i r ” ! Had h e been “My l o rd , I

had been happ i e r ; no , I am no equa l i ta ria n . Honour

to whom honour i s due ; an d if to n one , why , the n ,honour to th e o ld !

Th e se, 0 S lade Professo r, a re my unva rn i sh ed sentiments : Iwas a l i tt l e su rp ri sed to find th em so ex

treme , and the refo re I commun i cate th e fact .

Be labour thy b ra i n s,as towh om itwou l d be we l l to

questi on . I h av e a smal l s pace ; I wi sh to make apopu la r book , nowhere obscu re, n owhere , i f i t can be

h e l ped , unhuman . Itseems to me th e most hopefu lp l an to te l l th e ta l e , so fa r as may be , by anecdote. He

d id not d i e ti l l s o recently , th ere must be hund reds

who remember h im , and thousan ds who have sti l l ungarn ered sto ri es . D ea r man , to th e breach ! Up ,so ld i e r Of th e i ron dook , u p , S l ades, an d at

’ em ! (which ,conc lus ive ly , he d id n ot say : th e at

’ em - ic th eo ry i s to

be d ism i ssed) . You know p i l es offe l l ows who mustreek with matter ; he l p !he lp I— Yours ever,

R . L . S .

To SIDNEY COLV IN

Inthe two fo l lowi ng lette rs i s expre ssed som e ofthe d i stre s s andb itte rne sswithwh ich , i n com m o nwith m ost Eng l i shm en

,Steven son

fe lt the c i rcum stance s of Gordon ’ s abandonm ent i n the Soudan andthe fai lure ofthe b e lated attem pt to re scuehim . The adv ice to go onwith m y book ” refe rs , ifl rem em be r r ight

,to som e schem e for the

repub l icat i on i n book form ofstray m agaz ine pape rs ofm i ne of am oreor le ss pe rsonal or b iog raph ical nature .

41 2


When wi l l you r h o l iday be ? I sent your l ette r to

my wife , an d fo rget . Keep us i n m ind , and I hope we

sha l l b e abl e to rece ive you .

To J . A. SYMONDS

BOURNEMOUTH , F eb ruary , 1885 .

MY DEAR SYMONDs , — Yes , we have both been veryn eglectfu l . I had horri d luck , catch i ng two thunder

i ng influenzas i n August and N ovember . I recovered

from th e las t w i th d ifficu lty , but have come th rough

th i s bl uste ri ng wi nterwi th some genera l success ; i nth e h ouse , up an d down . Mywi fe , howeve r, hasbeen pa i nfu l ly upset by my heal th . Last yea r, ofcourse , was crue l ly try i ng to h er n erve s ; N ice an d

Hyeres are bad expe ri en ces ; and th ough sh e i s not ill,th e doctor tel l s m e that p ro longed anxi ety may do he r

a r eal misch i ef.

Ife e l a l i tt l e Old an d fagged , and chary of speech ,and not very su re of Sp i ri t i n my work ; bu t cons ideri ng what a yea r I h ave passed

,andhowl have twi ce

sat on Ch aron’ s p i erh ead , I am surpri s i ng.

My fath er h as p resente d us with a very p retty home

i n th is p lace , i n to wh i ch we h ope to move by May. MyCh i ld

’ s V e rses come out n ext week . Otto begi ns toappea r i n Apri l ; Mor e N ewA rabianN ights as soon asposs ibl e . Moreove r, l am neck deep i n Wel l ington; al soa sto ry on th e sto cks , The Gr eatN orthRoad. O, I am

busy ! L loyd i s at co l l ege i n Ed i nburgh . That is , Ith i nk , a l l that c an be sa i d by way of n ews .Have you readHuckl eber ry F inn? I t conta in s

414


many excel lent th i ngs ; above a l l , th e who l e story of ahealthy b oy’

s dea l i ngs with h i s consc ien ce , i n c red iblywe ll done .My own consc i en ce i s bad ly se ared ; a want of p iety ;yet I p ray fo r it, tac itly , every day ; bel i ev i ng it, afte rcourage

,th e on ly gift worth h av i ng ; an d its wan t, i n

a man of any c la ims to honou r, qu ite unpa rdonab le .

Th e tone ofyour letter s eemed to me very soun d . I n

the s e dark days of pub l i c d ishonour, I d o not know

that on e can do bette r than carry our p rivate tria lsp i ously . What a p i cture i s th i s of a nat io n ! N o man

that I can se e , onany si de o r party , seems to have th ele ast sense of ou r i n effabl e shame : th e deserti on ofth ega rri son s . I te l l my l i tt l e pa rab l e th at Ge rmany too k

England , and th en th e re was an I nd ian Mutiny , and

B i sma rck sa id : “(mi te right : l et D e l h i a n d Ca l cuttaan d Bombay fa l l ; an d l et th e women and ch i l d ren be

treated Sepoy fash ion,and peop l e say , O, but th at

i s ve ry d i fferent ! And th en I wish I were dead .

Mi l l a i s (I h ear) was pai nt i ng G ladston e when th e n ews

came of Go rdon ’ s death ; Mi l l a i s was much affected , a nd

Gladston e sa i d ,“Why ? Itisthe man’s owntem er ity !

Voilate Bourg eois ! l e voilanu But why shou ld Ib lame G ladston e, when I too am a Bourgeo i s ? when I

h ave h el d my peace ? Why d id I ho l d my peace ?

Because I am a scepti c : i.e. a Bou rgeo i s . We bel i eve

i n n oth i ng, Symonds ; you don’ t, and I don

’

t ; an d

th ese a re two reasons , out of a h an dfu l of m i l l i on s ,why England stan ds befo re th e worl d d ri p p i ng wi th

bl ood and daubed with d i shonou r. I w i l l fi rst try to

take th e beam outof my own eye , t rusti ng that eve n

private effort somehow betters and braces th e genera l415


atmosphere . See , for exampl e , i f Engl and has sh own

(I put i t hypotheti ca l ly ) one spa rk of man ly sens ib i l ity ,th ey have been sh amed in to i t by th e spectac l e ofGordon . Po l i c e -Office r Cole i s th e on ly man that Is ee to adm i re . I d ed i cate my N ewArabs to h im and

Cox, i n d efau l t ofoth er great pub l i c ch aracte rs .You rs ever most affection ate ly,


To EDMUND GOSSE

The fo l lowi ng refe rs to anediti o n of Gray,with note s anda Short

pre fatory L i fe by Mr . Gosse ; and to the pub l icat io n of A Child’s

Gar denofVer ses .BONALLIE TOWERS , BOURNEMOUTH ,

Mar ch1 2 , 1885 .

MY DEAR GOSSE , — I was i ndeed much exerc is ed how

I cou l d be worked i n to Gray ; a nd 10 !wh en I saw it,th e pa ssage seemed to have been wri ttenwi th a s ingl eeye to eluc i date th e — worst — wel l , n ot a ve ry good

poem of Gray ’ s . Your l i tt l e L i fe i s excel l ent , c lean ,n eat, effi c ie nt . I h ave rea d many of you r notes , too,with p l easu re

‘

. Your connect ion with G ray was a

h appy c i rcumstance ; i t was a su i tabl e conj un ct i on .

I d i d not an swer your l ette r from th e States , fo r whatwas I to say ? I l i ked gett ing it and read i ng it ; I was

rather flattered that you wrote i t to me ; and th en I’

ll

te ll you what I d i d — I put i t i n th e fi re . Why ?

We l l , just because i t was very natura l an d expan s ive ;and th i n ks I to myse lf, ifl d i e one of th ese fin e n ights ,th i s i s just th e l ette r th at Gosse wou l d not wish to goi nto th e hands of th i rd parti es . Was I we l l i n sp i red ?

416


I am now a beast ly h ouseho lder, but have not yetente red on my domain . When I do , th e soc ia l re volut i onwi l l p robably cast me back upon my dung- h ea p .

There i s a person ca l l ed Hyndman whose eye i s onme ;h is s tep i s b eHynd me as I go . I sha l l ca l l my house

Ske r ryvor e when I get i t : SKERRYVORE : c’

estbonpour lapoe

’

shie . I w i l l con c l ud ewi th my favouri tesentimen t : “Th e worl d i s too much with me .

RO BERT LOU IS STEVENSON ,TheHer m itofSker ry vor e.

Auth or of“J o h n Van e Tempest : a Romance , ” Her

be rt an d Hen rietta : or th e N emes i s of Sent iment,“Th e L i fe a nd Adventures ofCo lo ne l B ludye r F o rtescue

,

” “Happy Homes and Ha i ry F aces , ” “A Pound

ofF eath ers and a Pound of Lead , part autho r of

Mi n n ’ s Compl ete Capric i ous Correspondent : a Manua l

ofN atty , N atu ra l , an d Knowing Lette rs , ” and ed ito r ofth e Poeti ca l Rema in s of Samue l Burt Crabbe , knownas th e Me lod ious Bott l e - Holde r.

Un ifo rm with th e above

T h e L i fe and Rema in s of th e Reve rend J acob D eg raySquah, autho r ofHeave- yo for th e N ewJ erusa lem .

“A Box of Cand les ; o r th e Paten t Spi ri tua l Safe tyMatch , an d A Day with th e Heaven ly Harri e rs .

”

To W . H . LowThe dedicati on refe rre d to i s that of a forthcom ing i l lustrate d

editi o n ofKeats ’s Lam ia.


BONALLIE TOWERS, BOURNEMOUTH ,Mar ch1 3, 1885 .

MY DEAR LOW, Your suc cess has been immense. Iwish you r lette r had come two days ago : Otto, a las !has been d isposed of a good wh i l e ago ; but i t was on lyday befo re yesterday that I s ett l ed th e n ew vo lume of

Arabs . However, for th e futu re , you and th e son s ofth e deified Scribn e r a re th e men for me . Real ly th eyhave beh aved most h andsomely . I can not l ay my

han d on th e papers , or I wou l d te l l you exact ly h ow it

compares with my Eng l is h ba rga in ; but i t c ompa reswe ll. Ah, i f we had th at copy right, I do bel i eve i twou l d go fa r to make me so l vent , i l l - h ea l th and a l l .I wrote you a letter to th e Rembrandt, i n wh ich Istated my vi ews about th e ded icati on i n a very bri efform . I t w i l l give me s i n cere p l easure , a nd w i l l make

the second ded i cation I have rece i ved , th e oth er be ing

from J ohn Add i ngton Symonds . I t i s a compl iment I

va l u e much ; I don’ t k now any that I shou ld p refer.

I am glad to h ear you have wi ndows to do ; that i s a fin e

busi n es s, I th i n k ; but, a la s ! th e glass i s so bad nowadays ; rea l i sm i nvad i ng even th at, aswe ll as th e hugei nferi o ri ty of ou r tech n i ca l resou rce corrupti ng everyti nt . St i l l , anyth i ng th at kee ps a man to deco rat ion i s ,i n th i s age , good for th e artist

’ s sp i ri t .

By th e way , have you seen J ames and me onth enove l ? J ames , I th i nk , i n the August or Sep tember— R. L . S. i n th e D ecember Longman. I own Ithinkth e e

’

col e be‘

te, of wh ich I am th e ch amp ion , has th ewh ip h and of th e a rgument ; but as J ames i s to make arejo i n de r, I must not boast . Anyway th e controversy

i s amus ing to see . I was terrib ly t ied down to space,

49


whi ch has made th e en d congested an d du l l . I sh al l

s ee if I can afford to sen d you th e Apri l Contemporary— but I dare say you see i t anyway — as i twill conta i n a paper ofmin e on sty le , a so rt ofconti nuati on ofold arguments on art i n wh ic h you h ave wagged a

most e ffecti ve tongue . I t i s a sort of sta rt upon my

T reat i se on th e ArtofL i te ratu re : a sma l l , ari d bookthat shall some day appea r.With eve ry good wish from me an d mi n e (sh ou ld I

not say sh e and hers to you and yours , bel i eve

me you rs eve r, ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON .

To P. G . HAMERTON

Thework ofh i s corre spondent’ swh ich R . L . S . n ot ice s in the fo llowing i s

,ofcourse

,the sum ptuous vo lum e Landscape Se e ley Co .

,

1885. The passage s spe cial ly refe rred towi l l b e found pp . 46—6 2 ofthatwork .

BOURNEMOUTH , Mar ch1 6 , 1885 .

MY DEAR HAMERTON , — V ari ou s th ings h ave been r e

min di ng me of my m isc onduct : F i rst, Swan’ s app l i ca

t i on fo r you r address ; s econ d , a s igh t ofth e sh eets ofyour Landscape book ; an d la st , you r note to Swan ,wh ich h e was so k i nd as to forwa rd . I trust you wi l l

n ever suppose m e to be gu i lty of anyth i ng more seri ousth an an i d l en ess , part i a l ly excusabl e. My i l l - h ea lthmakes my rate of l i fe h eav i e r th an I canwe ll meet, an dyet stops m e from earn ing mo re . My consc i enc e,sometimes p erhaps to o easi ly st ifled , but st i l l (fo r mytime of l i fe a nd th e pub l i c manners of th e age) fa i rlywe l l a l ive, fo rces me to p erpetua l an d a lmost end less

420


ha rd en ed Wo rdsworthians , not that I amnotone m yse lf. By coveri ng up th e con text, and ask ing them toguess what th e pa ssage was , both (and both a re ve ryc l ever peop l e , one a wri te r, one a pa i n ter) pronouncedi t a gu id e- book Do you th in k i t an u nusua l ly good

guide - book I a sked , and both sa i d , N o, not a t

a l l ! Thei r grimace was a p i ctu re when I sh owed th eo rigina l .

I trus t you r h ea l th a nd that of Mrs . Hamerton keep

bette r ; your last account was a poor one . Iwas unabl eto make out th e V is i t I h ad hoped , as (I do not knowif youh ea rd of i t) I h a d a ve ry V io l ent an d dangeroushaemorrhage las t sp r i ng . I am almost glad to h av e seen

death so c l os e with a l l my wi ts about me , a nd not i n

th e customary lass i tude an d d i sen chan tmen t ofd isease.Even th us c l ea rly beh el d I find h im not so terr ib l e as

we suppose . But, i n deed , with th e pass ing of years ,th e decay ofstrength , th e loss of a l l my o ld a cti ve andp l easan t h abits

,th ere grows more a n d more upon me

that b e liefinth e k i ndn ess of th i s sch eme of th i ngs , a ndth e good ness of ou r ve i l ed God , which i s an excel l en t

an d pac i fyi ng compensati o n . I trust, i f you r h ea l th

conti nu es to troubl e you , you may find some of th e sam e

bel i ef. But p erhaps my fin e d iscove ry i s a p i ece of art ,and be longs to a characte r coward ly , i n to l e ra nt of c e rta i nfeel i ngs , an d apt to se lf- decept ion . I don ’ t th in k so ,h owever ; an d when I fee l what a weak an d fa l l ib l eves se l I was th rust i n to th i s h urly - burly , and withwhatmarve l l ou s k in dn ess th e wind has been tempered to myfra i l ti es , I th i n k I sh ou ld be a strange k i n d of ass to fee l

anyth i ng but grati tud e.Ido not know why I sh ou ld i nfl i c t th i stalk upon you ;

42 2


but when I summon th e rebe l l i ous pen , h e must go h is

own way ; I am no Mi ch ae l Scott, to ru le th e fi end ofco rrespondence . Most days h e w i l l n on e of me ; andwhe n he comes , i t is to rape me where h e wi l l — Yoursvery s i n cere ly, ROBERT LOU IS STEVENSON.

To W ILL IAM ARCHERAn anonym ous rev iewofA Child’sGarden

,appear ing in March

,gave

R . L . S . so m uch p leasure thathewrote (in the fourwords , N owwho are you ? to i nqu i re the nam e ofitswr ite r

,and learned that it

was Mr. Arche r,withwhomhehad h ithe rtohadno acquai ntance .He the reupon ente re d into fr ie nd ly corre spondencewith h i s cr itic.

BOURNEMOUTH , Mar ch2 9 , 1885 .

DEAR MR . ARCHER , — Yes , I h ave h eard ofyou and readsome ofyour work ; but I am boun d i n pa rti cu la r tothank you for th e noti c e of my verses . “T he re , I

sa id , th rowing i t ove r to th e fri en d who was stay i ngwith me,

“i t ’ s worth wri t i ng a book to d raw an a rti c l el i k e that. Had you been as h ard upon me a s you were

am iab le , I try to te ll myse lf I sh ou l d h ave been nobl i n de r to th e m eri ts of your noti c e . For I saw th ere ,to adm i re an d to be Very gratefu l for, a most sober,agi l e p en ; an env iab l e touch ; th e marks of a reade r,such as one i magin es fo r one ’ s se l f i n d reams , thoughtfu l , c ri ti ca l , and ki n d ; an d to put th e top on th i s me

mori a l co l umn , a greater read i n ess to desc ribe th e autho r

crit i c i s ed th an to d i sp lay th e ta l en ts of h is censor.

I am a man blase’

to i n jud ic ious pra i se (th ough I h op esome ofi t may be jud i c iou s too) , butl have to than k

423

1885


you fo r THE BEST CR IT ICISM I EVER HAD ; an d am th erefore,35 dearMr . Arche r, th e most gratefu l cr itickee now extant,

RO BERT LOU IS STEVENSON .

P .S.— I congratu late you on living inth e co rn e r of a l l

London that I l i ke best. Ap r opos , you are ve ry rightabout my vo l unta ry avers i o n from th e pa i nfu l s i d es of

l i fe. My ch i l dh ood was i n rea l i ty avery m ixed exp e rie nce

,full offever, n ightmare , i n somn ia , pa i n fu l d ays andi n term inab l e n igh ts ; and I can speak wi th l ess autho ri ty

ofgardens th an of that other lan d of counterpane .

But to what end sh ou l d we ren ew th ese sorrows ? Thesu ffer i ngs of l i fe may be hand l ed by th e ve ry greatest i n

th e i r h ou rs ofi n s igh t ; i t i s ofits p leasures that ou r common poems sh ou l d be fo rm ed ; th es e a re th e experi en ces

that we shou ld seek to reca l l o r to p rovoke ; an d I say

with Thoreau , “What righ t have I to comp la i n , whohave no t c eased to wonder an d , to add a rid e r of my

own , who h ave no remedy to o ffe r. R . L . S .

To MRS . F LEEMINGJ ENK IN

The n ext two or three m onth s y ie ldedfewor n o lette rs of intere stthe fo l lowi ng refe r to the death of P rofe ssor F leem ing J enk i n ,who i nSteven son ’ s early student days atEdinburghhad been both thewarm e st andthewi se st of h i s e lde r friends (died J une l 2

,

[SKERRYVORE, BOURNEMOUTH , j une,MY DEAR MRS . JENK IN , You know how much and for

how long I h av e loved , res pec ted , an d adm i red h im ; Iam on ly ab l e to fee l a l i tt le wi th you . Butl knowhowh e wou l d hav e wish ed us to feel . I n eve r kn ew a bette r

man , no r one to m e more lovab le ; we sha l l a l l fee l424


To MRS . FLEEMINGJ ENK IN

[SKERRYVORE, BOURNEMOUTH , june,MY DEAR MRS . JENK IN , — I shou l d h ave wri tten soone r,but we are i n a bustl e, and I have been very t i red ,th ough sti l lwe ll. Your very ki n d note was most welcome to me . I shall be very much p l eas ed to have youca l l m e Lou rs , as h e has now don e fo r so many years .S ixteen , you say ? i s i t so long ? Itseems too sh ortn ow ; but ofth at we cannot judge , a nd must notcomp la i n .

Iwi sh that e i th er I o r my wife cou ld do anyth i ng fo r

you; when we can , yo u wi l l , I am sure , command us .Itrustth at my noti c e gave you as l i ttl e pa i n as was

poss ib l e . I found I had so much to say , that I p referred

to keep i t fo r anoth e r p lac e and make but a n ote i n th e

Academy . To try to draw my fri en d at great er l ength ,a nd say what h ewas to me and h i s i ntimates , what agood influence i n l ife an d what an examp le , i s a desi re

that grows upon me. I t was st range, as I wrote th e

n ote , h ow h is o ld tests and c ri t i c i sms haunted m e ; an d

i t rem inded me afresh with every few word s how much

I owe to h im .

I h ad a note from Hen ley , very bri ef an d ve ry sad .

We none of us yet fee l th e l oss ; but we know what h e

wou ld h ave sa i d a nd wish ed .

Do you know that D ew- Smith has two photographsof h im , nei th er very bad ? and on e giv i ng a l i vely ,th ough not flatte ri ng a i r of h im i n co nversati o n ? I f

you have not got th em , would you l i ke me to write toD ewand ask h im to give you p roofs

426


l was so p l eased th at h e an d my wife made fr i ends ;th at i s a great p l easu re. We foun d and hav e p rese rvedone fragment (th e h ead) of th e d rawing h e made andtore u p wh en he was last h ere . He had prom ised tocome and stay w ith us th i s summer. May we not

h ope, at least, some tim e soon to h ave one from you ?— Be l i ev e m e, my dea r Mrs. J enk i n , with th e most rea lsympathy, you r s i n cere fri en d ,


D ear me, what h appi n ess I owe to both ofyou!

TOW . H . LOW

InAugust ofth i s year Steven son m adewithhiswi fe anexcursi on tothewe st (stopping atDorche ste r on theway, for the p leasure ofsee ingMr . Thomas Hardy athom e), andwas detai ned for seve ralweek s atExete r by a b ad fitof haem orrhage . H i s corre spondence i snotresum ed unti l the autum n .

SKERRYVORE, BOURNEMOUTH , October 2 2 , 1 885 .

MY DEAR LOW,— I trust you a re n ot an noyed with

me beyon d forgi ven ess ; fo r i nd eed my s i l en ce has been

d ev i l i sh p ro longed . I can on ly te ll you th at I h ave been

nearly s i x month s (more than s i x ) i n a st range cond it i onof co l lapse, when i t was imposs ib l e to do any work ,an d d ifficu l t (more d iffi cu l t than you would suppose)to write th e merest n ote. I am now bette r, but notyet my own man i n th e way of bra i ns , and i n h ea l th

on ly so- so. I suppose I s ha l l lea rn ( I begi n to th in k Iam l ea rn ing) to fight th i s vast, vague feather- bed of an

obsess i on th at n ow over l i es and smoth ers me ; but i nth e begin n i ngs of th ese confl i c ts , th e i n experi e nc ed

42 7


wres tl e r i s a lways worsted , an d I own I hav e been q u ite

exti n ct. I w ish you to know, th ough i t ca n b e noexcuse , that you a re n ot th e on ly on e of my fri ends by

many whom I have th us n eglected ; and even now ,

h av i ng come so very late i nto th e possess i on of myself,

with a s ubstant ia l c ap i ta l of debts , an d my work sti l l

mov i ng wi th a d esperate s l owness — as a ch i l d m igh t

fi l l a sandbag with i ts l i ttl e handfu l s — and my future

d eep ly p ledged , th ere i s a lmost a touch of V i rtue i n myborrowing th es e h ours to write to you . Why I sa i d“hou rs I know not ; i t wou ld look blue fo r bo th ofus ifl made good theword .

I was writ i ng you r address th e other day , ordering a

copy of my n ext, P r ince Otto, to go you r way . I hope

you h ave n ot seen i t i n pa rts ; i t was not m eant to be

so read ; an d on ly my poverty (d ishonou rably ) consentedto th e ser i a l evo lution .

I w i l l s en d youwi th th i s a copy of th e Engl is h ed i tionofth e Child ’

s Gar den. I h ave h ea rd th e re i s some V i l eru l e of th e post - office i n th e States aga i nst i n scri pt i on s ;so I sen d h erewith a p i ec e ofdoggere lwh i c h Mr . Bun

ner may , i f h e th i nks fi t, copy off th e fly- Ieaf.Sargent was down agai n an d pa i n ted a portra i t of mewalk i ng about i n my own d in i ng- room , i n my ownve l veteen j acket , and twist i ng as I go my own mous

tach e ; at on e corn er a gl impse of my wife , i n an I n d ian

dress,an d seated i n a ch a i r that was onc e my grand

fathe r ’ s ; but s i nc e some months goes by th e name of

Hen ry J ames ’ s , fo r i t was th ere th e nove l i st loved to s i t— adds a touch of poesy and com ica l i ty . Iti s , I th i n k ,excel le nt , but i s too ecc ent ri c to be exh ib i ted . I am at

one extreme corne r ; my wife, i n th is W i ld d ress , an d428


market. I th i n k you do good th ere . Whether (con

side ring ou r i n timate re lati ons) you would not dobette r to refra i n from revi ewi ng me , I w i l l l eave to

you rse l f : were i t a l l o n my s id e , you coul d fo resee

my answer ; but the re i s your s id e a lso , where youmust be th e judge .As fo r th e Satur day . Otto i s no foo l , th e reade ri s l eft i n no doubt as towh eth er o r not Seraph i na wasa Messa l in a (th ough much i t would matte r, i f you cometo th at ) ; and th erefo re on both th ese po i n ts th e re

v i ewer has been un just. Second ly , th e romance l i esp rec i se ly i n th e free i ng of two spi ri ts from th ese court

i n trigues ; and he re I th i n k th e rev i ewer showedhimse lfdu l l . Last ly , i f Otto

’ s speech i s offens iv e to h im,

he i s on e of th e la rge c lass of unman ly and ungene rous

dogs who arrogate a nd d efi l e th e nam e of man ly . As

for th e passages quoted , I d o confess that some of th emreek gorgonically ; th ey a re excess i ve , but th ey a re noti n e l egant after a l l . Howeve r, had he attacked me on lyth ere , h e wou ld h ave sco red .

You r c ri ti c i sm on Gondrem ark i s , I fa ncy , right . I

th ough t a l l you r cri t ic i sms were i ndeed ; on ly your

pra i s e c hokes me . Yours eve r, R . L. S.

To W I LL IAM ARCHER

The paper re fe rred to in th i s andthe fo l lowi ng lette rs i s onewh ichMr . Arch e rwrote ove r h i s owns ignature in the Novem be r n um be r ofTim e

,amagaz i nenowe xti nct.SKERRYVORE, BOURNEMOUTH , October 28, 1885 .

DEAR MR . ARCHER , — I have rea d you r paper with my

customary adm i rat ion ; i t i s very witty , very adro it ; i t

430


contai n s a great dea l that i s exc el l ent ly true (part i cu larlythe parts about my sto ri es an d th e descri pt i on ofme asan a rti st i n l i fe) ; but you wi l l n ot be surp ri sed i f I do

not th in k i t a ltogeth er j ust. I t seems to me , i n particula r, that you have wi lfu l ly read al l my works i n te rm sof my ea rl i est ; my aim , even in sty le, has qu ite changedi n th e last s i x o r s even yea rs ; and th i s I shoul dh ave thought you would h ave noti c ed . Aga in , you r

fi rst remark upon th e affectati on of th e i ta l i c names ; ap ract i c e on ly fo l lowed i n my two affected l itt l e booksoft rave l , where a typograp h ica l m inauder ie of th e so rtappea red to me i n cha racter ; an d what you say of i t,th en , i s q u ite j ust. But why shou l d you forget you rse lf and use these same i ta l i cs a s an index to myth eo logy some pages fu rth er on? Th is i s l igh tn es softou ch i ndeed ; may ' l say , i t i s a lmost sh arpness ofp ract i c eExcus e th es e remarks . I h ave been onth e who lemuch i n terested , and sometimes amused . Are you

aware that th e p ra is e r of th i s b rave gymnasium has

n ot s een a canoe no r taken a long wa lk s i nce ’

79 that

h e i s ra re ly out of th e h ous e nowadays , and carri es h i s

a rm i n a s l i ng ? Canyou imagi n e that h e i s a backs l i dden commun i st , a nd is su re h e wi l l go to h e l l (i fth ere be such an exce l l en t i nsti tuti on) fo r th e luxury i nwh ich h e l i ves ? And can you be l i eve th at , th ough i ti s gai ly exp ress ed , th e th ought i s h ag and ske leton i nevery moment of vacui ty or d epress i on ? Canyoucon ceive h ow profound ly I am i rri tated by th e oppos i te

affectat i on to my own , when I see strong men and ri c hmen b leati ng about th ei r s orrows and th e burth en ofl i fe , i n a wor ld fu l l of“ca nce rous paupers , and poor

43 l


s i ck ch i ldren , and th e fata l ly bereaved , ay, and downeven to such happy creatu res a s myse l f, who has yet

been ob l iged to stri p h imsel f, on e afte r another, of a l lth e p leasu res th at h e h ad ch osen except smok i ng (andth e days of th at I know i n my heart ought to be over) ,Iforgot eat i ng , wh ich I s ti l l e n j oy , and who sees th ec i rc l e of im potence c l osi ng very s l owly but qu ite

stead i ly a round h im ? I n my Vi ew , one dank , d is

p irited word i s ha rmfu l , a crim e ofl e‘se-humanité, ap i ece of acqui red evi l ; every gay , every bright word orp i ctu re , l i k e every p l easan t a i r ofmus i c, i s a p i ece ofp l easure s et afloat ; th e reade r catch es i t , and , i f h e be

h ea lthy , goes on h is way re j o i c i ng ; and i t i s th e bus in ess of a rt so to s end h im , as often as poss ib l e.

For what you say , s o ki nd ly , s o p retti ly , so prec i s e ly,ofmy sty l e , I must i n part i cu la r than k you; th ougheven h ere , I am vexed you sh ou l d not h ave rema rked

onmy attempted change of mann er : s eem i ngly th i sattempt i s st i l l qu i te u nsuccessfu l ! Wel l , we shallfight i t outonth i s l i n e i f i t takes a l l s ummer.And n ow fo r my las t word : Mrs . Stevenson i s veryanx i ous that you shou l d s ee m e , and that sh e sh ou l d

s ee you , i n th e fl esh . I f you at a l l s h are i n th ese Vi ews ,I am a fixtu re . Write o r te l egraph (giv i ng us t im e ,h owever, t o te l egraph i n rep ly , l est th e day be im poss ib l e) , and come down here to a bed and a d i nn er.What d o you say , my dear crit i c ? I shall be tru lyp leased to s ee you ; and to exp la i n at greate r l engthwhat I m ean t by say i ng n arrati ve was th e m ost ch aracte ristic mood ofl i terature, onwh ich poi nt I h avegreat h opes I s ha l l persuade you — Yours tru ly ,

RO BERT LOU IS STEVENSON.432


fel low,who is qu ite furi ous at bottom because I am too

orthodox,j ust as Purce l l was savage because I am not

orth odox enough . I fa l l between two stoo l s . Iti s odd ,too

,to s ee h ow th is man th i n ks me a fu l l- blooded fox

hunte r,and te l l s me my ph i l osophy wou ld fa i l i f I lost

my hea l th o r had to gi ve up exerc i s e !

Ani l lu strated Tr easur e Island wi l l be out n extmonth . I have had an early copy , and th e F rench

p i ctu res a re adm i rab l e . Th e a rti st has got h i s typesup i n Hogarth ; he i s fu l l of fi re and sp i ri t, can d raw andcan compose , and has understood the book as I m eant

i t , all but on e o r two l i tt l e acci dents , such as maki ng

th eHispaniola a brig. I wou ld send you my copy,

butI cannot; Iti s m y n ew toy , and I cannot d ivo rcemysel f from th is en j oymen t .

I am keepi ng rea l ly bette r , and have been out about

every second day , though th e we ath er i s co ld and very

wi ld .

I was del ighted to h ea r you were keep i ng better ;you and Archer wou ld agree , more sham e to you !

(Arch er i s my pes s im ist c ri t i c . ) Good - bye to a l l ofyou

,with my best l ove . We had a d readfu l overhau l

i ng of my conduct as a s on th e other n ight ; and my

wife stri p ped me of my i l lu s i ons and made me adm it I

h ad been a detestab l e bad one . Ofone th i ng i n pa rticular sh e convicted me i n my own eyes : I m ean , a

most unki nd ret i cen ce , whi ch hung on me th en , and I

co nfess sti l l h angs on me now , Whenl t ry to assureyou that I d o love you - Ever you r bad son ,


434

L IFE AT BOU RN EMOUTH

To HENRY J AMES

SKERRYVORE, BOURNEMOUTH , October 28, 1885 .

MY DEAR H ENRY JAMEs , - Atl as t, my wife bei ng at aconcert, and a story bei ng don e , I am at some l iberty

to wri te and give you of my V i ews . And fi rs t, many

thanks fo r th e works that came to my s ickbed . Andsecond , and more important , as to th e P r incess .

1 Wel l ,I th i n k you are goi ng to do i t th i s tim e ; I can not , of

cou rs e , fo resee , but th es e two fi rs t n umbers seem to

me p ictu resque and sound and fu l l of l i n eament,an d

very much a n ew departu re . As fo r you r young lady ,sh e i s a l l th ere ; yes , s i r, you can do l ow l i fe , I b e l i eve .The p ri s on was exce l len t ; i t was ofth at natu re oftouch thatl sometimes ach i ngly m iss from you r fo rmerwork ; with some of th e grime , th at i s , a nd some of

th e emphas i s of s ke l eto n th e re i s i n natu re. I p ray you

to take grim e i n a good sense ; i t n eed not be ignob l e

d i rt may have d ign ity ; i n natu re i t usua l ly has ; an d

you r p ri s on was impos i ng.

And now to th e mai n poi n t : why do we not s eeyou ? Do not fa i l u s . Make a n a l a rm i ng sa crifi ce , and

let us see H en ry J ames’

s cha i r ” p rope r ly occu pi ed . I

n eve r s i t i n i t myse l f (th ough i t was my grandfath er’ s) ;

i t h as been consec rated to guests by you r approva l , an dnow stands at my e lbow gap ing. We have a new

room , too , to i ntroduce to you — ou r last baby , th e

d rawi ng- room ; i t n eve r c ri es , and has cut i ts teeth .L i k ewise , th ere i s a cat now . I t p romis es to be amonster of l az i n ess and se l f- sufficiency.

1 P r incess Casamassima.

435


Pray see, i n th e N ovember Tim e (a d read name for amagazi n e ofl igh t read i ng) , a very c l ever fe l l ow , W .

Arch e r, stat i ng h is V i ews of m e ; th e rosy- gi l l ed“athletico—aesth ete and warn i ng me , i n a fath erly man ner,that a rh eumatic fever wou ld t ry my ph i l osophy (as

i nd eed i t would) , and that my gospe l would not d o fo r“th ose who are s h ut outfrom th e exerc i s e of anyman ly vi rtu e save renunciat i on . To those wh o knowthat r i ckety and c l o i s te red s pectre , th e rea l R . L. S . ,

th e paper, bes ides bei ng c l ever i n i ts e lf, p res ents ra re

e l ements of s port . Th e c ri ti ca l pa rt s a re i n pa rti cu la rvery brigh t and n eat

,a nd often excel l en t ly true . Get

i t by a l l manner of means .

I h ea r ona l l s i d es I am to be attacked as an immora lwri te r ; th i s i s pa i n fu l . Have I at las t got, l i k e you , to

th e p i tch of be i ng attacked ? ’

T i s th e consecrati on I

l ack — and cou ld do w ith out . N otthat Arch er’

s paper

i s a n attack,or what e i th er h e or I, I bel i eve , would

ca l l o n e ;’ti s th e attacks on my mora l i ty (wh ich I had

th ought a gem of the fi rs t water) I referred to .

N ow, my dear J am es , come — come— come . Th eSp i ri t (that i s me) says , Come ; and th e br id e (and that i smy wife) says , Come ; and th e best th i ng you can do

fo r u s and you rs e lf and you r work i s to get up an d do

so right away — Yours affect i onate ly ,RO BERT LOU IS STEVENSON.

To W I LL IAM ARCHER

[SKERRYVORE, BOURNEMOUTH ] , October 30, 1885 .

DEAR MR . ARCH ER , — Iti s poss ib l e my fath er may besoon down with m e ; h e i s an old man an d i n bad

436


c la res n o l ean i ng towards th e b lack , n o i n iqu i ty on th e

la rge sca l e i n fate ’ s d oi ngs , rath e r a marbl e equa l i ty,d read not crue l , givi ng and tak i ng away and recon

ciling .

Why have I not wri tten my Tim on Wel l,h ere i s

my worst qua rre l wi th you . You take my young

books as my last word . Th e tendency to t ry to saymore h as pass ed un pe rcei ved (my fau l t, that) . Andyou make n o a l l owan ce fo r th e s l owness with wh i ch a

m anfi nds a nd tri es to l ea rn h i s too l s . I began wi th an eat b ri s k l i tt l e s ty l e , a nd a sharp l i tt l e knac k of pa rtia l

observat i on ; I h ave tri ed to expand my means , but sti l l

I ca n on ly utte r a part of what I wi s h to say , and am

bound to fee l ; and much of i t wi l l d i e uns poken . But

i f I had th e pen ofShakespeare , I h ave no Tim ontogi ve forth . I fee l k i nd ly to th e powers that be ; Ima rve l th ey sh ou ld us e me s owe l l ; a nd when I th i n kofth e cas e of others , Iwonder too , but i n an othe r vei n ,wheth e r th ey may not , wheth er th ey must n ot , be l i ke

me , st i l l w ith some compensat i on , some de l ight . Tohave suffered , nay , to suffer, sets a keen edge on whatremai n s of th e agreeab l e . Th is i s a great truth , andhas to be lea rn ed i n th e fire — Yours ve ry t ru ly ,


We expect you , remember that.

To W I LL IAM ARCH ER

SKERRYVORE, BOURNEMOUTH , Novem ber 1 , 1885 .

DEAR MR . ARCHER , — Youwi l l s ee th at I h ad a l readyhad a s ight ofyour a rti c le and what were my thoughts.438


One th i ng i n your l ette r puzz l es m e. Are you , too,n ot i n th e witn ess- b ox ? And i f you are , why take awi lfu l ly fa ls e hypoth es i s I f you knew I was a ch ron ic

i nva l i d , why say that my ph i l osophy was unsu i tab le tosuch a case ? My ca l lfor facts i s n ot so genera l asyou rs , but a n ess ent i a l fact shou ld not be put th e oth e rway about .Th e fact i s , consc i ous ly or n ot , you doubt myh onesty ; you th i n k I am making faces , and at h eart

d i sbe l i eve my utterances . And th i s I am d is posed toth i n k must sp ri ng from your not havi ng h ad enough ofpa i n

,sorrow , and troubl e i n you r ex i stence . I t i s easy

to h ave too much ; easy a l so o r poss ib l e to have tool i tt l e ; enough i s requ i red that a man m ay app rec iate

what e l ements ofconso lat i on and j oy th ere a re i n everyth i ng but abso lute ly overpoweri ng physi ca l pa i n o r d i s

grace, and h ow i n a lmost a l l c i rcumstan ces th e humansou l can p lay a fa i r part. Youfea r l i fe, I fa n cy , onth ep rin c i p l e ofth e hand of l i tt l e emp l oyment . But p erhaps my hypoth es i s i s a s u n l i ke th e truth as th e on e

you ch ose . Wel l , i f"

i t b e so , i f you have had t ri a l s ,s i ckn ess , th e a pproach of death , th e a l i enat i on offri ends , poverty at th e h ee l s , and have not fe l t you rsou l tu rn round upon th es e th i ngs and s pu rn them

under— you must be very d ifferen tly made from me,

and I ea rn est ly be l i eve from the maj o ri ty ofmen .But at l east you are i n th e right to wonder and com

p la i n .To say a l l Stay he re . All at once ? Thatwou ld requi re a word from th e pen of Gargantua .We say each parti cu la r th i ng as i t comes up

,and“with that sort of emphas i s thatfor th e t ime th ere

439


s eems to be no oth e r. Words wi l l not oth erwises erve us ; n o, no r even Shakes pea re , who cou ld noth ave put As You Like Ita nd Tim oni n to one with outru i nous l oss both ofemphas i s a nd substance . Is i t

qu i te fa i r th en to keep you r face so stead i ly on mymost l igh t—hearted works , and then say I recogn is e no

evi l ? Yet i n th e pape r on Bu rns , fo r i n stan ce , I Showmyse l f a l i ve to s om e sorts of evi l . But th en

,perh aps

,

th ey a re not you r so rts .

And aga i n : to “say all ”? All : yes . Everyth i ng :no. Th e tas k were e nd l ess , th e effect nil . But my

a l l , i n such a vast fi e ld as th i s of l i fe , i s what i n te rests

me , what stands out, what takes oni ts e l f a p resen c efo r my imagi nati on or makes a figure i n that l i tt l e

t ri cky abbrev iati o n wh ich i s th e best that my reason can

conce ive . That I must treat, or I shall be foo l i ng withmy readers . That, and n ot th e al l of some one e ls e .And h ere we come to th e d iv i s ion : not on ly do Ibe l i eve that l i te ratu re sh ou ld gi ve j oy , but I s ee a un iverse , I suppose , eterna l ly d ifferent from yours ; as o l emn

,a te rrib l e , but a Ve ry j oyous an d nob l e u n i

vers e,where sufferi ng i s n ot a t l east wanton ly i nfl i c ted

,

th ough i t fa l l s wi th d i s pass i o nat e parti a l i ty , but where

i t may be and gene ra l ly i s n ob ly bo rn e ; where , above

a l l (th i s I be l i eve ; p robab ly you don’ t : I th i n k h e may ,

with cancer) , any b rave manmay make out a l i fe wh ich

sh a l l b e happy fo r h imsel f, and , by so bei ng, b eneficen t to those about h im . And i f h e fa i l s , why shou l dI h ea r h im weep ing ? I m ean i f I fa i l , why shou ld I

weep ? Why shou l d y ou hear m e ? Then to memora l s

,th e consc i ence , th e affecti ons , and th e pas

s i o n s are , I w i l l own fra nk ly and sweep i ngly , so in440

1885JET. 35


But , aga i n , th ere i s th is mountai n- range between us

thaty ou donotbel ieve m e. Iti s n ot flatte ri ng, but

th e fau l t i s p robab ly i n my l i terary art.

To W . H . LowThe“other thing com ing out m enti oned be lowi n the last paragraph butonewas The Strange Case ofD r . j eky l l and Mr .Hy de .

SKERRYVORE, BOURNEMOUTH , D ecem ber 2 6 , 1885 .

MY DEAR LOW,— Lam ia has not yet tu rned up , but

you r l ette r came to me th i s eve n i ng wi th a scent ofth e Bou l eva rd Montpa rnasse that was i rres i st ib l e . Thesand of Lavenue ’

s c rumb led under my hee l ; and the

bouquet of the o ld F l eury cam e back to m e , and Irem embered th e day when I found a twenty francp i ec e unde r my fet i s h . Have you that feti s h sti l l ? and

has i t b rough t you luck ? I remembered , too , my fi rs t

s igh t of you i n a frock coat a nd a smoki ng- ca p,when

we passed th e even i ng at th e Cafe de Med ic i s ; and mylastwh en we sat and ta lked i n th e Pa rc Monceau ; a ndall th es e th i ngs made me fee l a l i tt l e young agai n

,

whi ch,to on ewho has been most ly i n bed fo r a month

,

was a V i v i fy i ng change .Yes , you are lucky to have a bag that ho ld s you

comfo rtab ly . Mi n e i s a strange contri vanc e ; I don’

t

d i e , damme , and I can’ t get a l ong on both feet to save

my sou l ; I am a ch ron i c s ickist; and my work cri p p l es

a long between bed and th e parlour, between th e medic i n e bottl e and th e cupp i ng glass . Wel l , I l i ke my l i fe

a l l th e same ; an d shou ld l i ke i t non e th e worse iflc ou ld have anoth e r ta l k with you , though even my

442


ta lksnowa re measured out to me by th e mi nutehandl i ke po i sons i n a m in im glass .

A photograph wi l l be taken of my ugly mug and

sen t to you for u lteri o r pur poses : I h ave anothe r th i ng

com i ng out, whi ch I d i d n ot put i n th e way of th e

Scribners , I can sca rc e te l l h ow ; but I was S i c k andpen n i l es s an d rath er back on th e world , a nd m ismanaged it. I t rust th ey wi l l forgive me .

I am sorry to hea r ofMrs . Low ’ s i l lness , a nd glad toh ea r of h er recovery. I w i l l ann oun ce th e com i ng

Lam ia to Bob : h e steams away at l i te ratu re l i ke smoke .I h ave a beauti fu l Bob on my wal l s , and a good Sa rgent ,and a de l igh tfu l Lemon ; an d you r etch i ng now hangsframed i n th e d i n i ng- room . So th e arts su rroundm e .

— Yours , R. L. S .

443

letters and miscel lani es of robert louis stevenson qgzguv

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