attraction and charm which the other would have fully appreciated. Many years after this period, Hogg retained a careless brightness of conversation and joyous manner which were seen in no other man. The union of the shepherd and the poet formed a combination as rare and striking as that of the Soldado with the divinity student of Marischal College, in the person of the renowned Dugald Dalgetty. One day, after Hogg had been in London, Allan Cunningham chanced to meet James Smith of the "Rejected Addresses," at the table of the great bibliopole, John Murray. "How," said Smith, aloud to Allan, "how does Hogg like Scotland's small cheer after the luxury of London?" "Small cheer!" echoed Allan; "he has the finest trout in the Yarrow, the finest lambs on its braes, the finest grouse on its hills, and, besides, he as good as keeps a sma' still [smuggled whiskey]. Pray, what better luxury can London offer?" All these sumptuosities the Shepherd cheerfully shared with the wayfarers who flocked to Altrive Cottage.

Another visitor at Abbotsford during the season of 1817, was Lady Byron. "I have had the honour," says Laidlaw, "of dining in the company of Lady Byron and Lord Somerville. Her ladyship is a beautiful little woman with fair hair, a fine complexion, and rather large blue eyes; face not round. She looked steadily grave and seldom smiled. I thought her mouth indicated great firmness, or rather obstinacy. Miss Anne Scott and Lady Byron rode to Newark.”

In the Waverley Novels, then appearing in that marvellously rapid succession which astonished the world, there was an ample reservoir of wealth, if it had been wisely secured, as well as of fame. But an alarming interruption was threatened by the illness of the novelist. His malady-cramp of the stomach, with jaundice-was attended with exquisite pain; but in the intervals of comparative ease his literary labours were continued; and it certainly is an extraordinary fact in literary history that under such circumstances the greater part of the "Bride of Lammermoor," the whole of the "Legend of Montrose," and almost the whole of "Ivanhoe" were produced. The novelist lay on a sofa dictating to John Ballantyne or to Laidlaw, chiefly to the latter, as he was always at hand, whereas Ballantyne was only an occasional visitor at Abbotsford. Sometimes in his most humorous or elevated scenes, Scott would break off with a groan of torture, as the cramp seized him, but when the visitation had passed, he was ever ready gaily to take up the broken thread of his narrative and proceed currente calamo. It was evident to Laidlaw that before he arrived at Abbotsford (generally about ten o'clock) the novelist had arranged his scenes for the day, and settled

in his mind the course of the narrative. The language was left to the inspiration of the moment; there was no picking of words, no studied curiosa felicitas of expression. Even the imagery seemed spontaneous. Laidlaw abjured with some warmth the old-wife exclamations, which Lockhart ascribes to him-as, "Gude keep us a'"" the like o' that!"-" eh, sirs! eh, sirs!" But he admitted that while he held the pen he was at times so deeply interested in the scene or in the development of the plot, that he could not help exclaiming, "Get on, Mr. Scott, get on!" on which the novelist would reply, smiling, "Softly, Willie; you know I have to make the story," or some good-humoured remark of a similar purport. It was quite true, he said, that when dictating some of the animated scenes and dialogues in "Ivanhoe," Scott would rise from his seat and act the scene with every suitable accompaniment of tone, gesture, and manner. Both the military and dramatic spirit were strong in himtoo strong even for the cramp and calomel! The postscript to a short business letter from Edinburgh, June 14, 1819, refers to this business of dictation. "Put your fingers in order and buy yourself pens! I won't stand to the expense of your quills, so pluck the goose 'a God's name!" And it was plucked on this occasion to record the sorrows of the "Bride of Lammermoor."

In April, 1820, Sir Walter's eldest daughter was married. "Mr. Lockhart," he writes, "is the husband of her choice. He is a man of excellent talents, master of his pen and of his pencil, handsome in person and well-mannered, though wanting that ease which the usage de monde alone can give. I like him very much; for having no son who promises to take a literary turn, it is of importance to me, both in point of comfort and otherwise, to have some such intimate friend and relation whose pursuits and habits are similar to my own. So that, upon the whole, I trust I have gained a son instead of losing a daughter."

Early next year, Scott was in London, and on February 16th took place the unfortunate duel in which John Scott, editor of the London Magazine, fell. The antagonist of John Scott was Mr. Christie, a barrister, the friend of Lockhart. "I have had much to plague me here," writes Sir Walter, "besides the death of John Scott, who departed last night; so much for being slow to take the field!" And in another letter he recurs to the subject: "The death of my unlucky namesake, John Scott, you will have heard of. The poor man fought a most unnecessary duel to regain his lost character, and so lost his life into the bargain." The loss of life was chiefly owing to the blundering of John Scott's second in the duel, who permitted a

second fire to take place after Mr. Christie had discharged his pistol down the field.

All went on smoothly and gaily at Abbotsford, the presiding genius throwing off his stores of fiction with scarcely diminished ease or success, until the commercial crisis of 1825-26. Every year had added to the beauty of the poet's domain, and to the richness of his various collections and library. The first note, however, of the alarm and confusion in the money market suspended all, and occasioned intense anxiety to Sir Walter. I add two letters as supplementing Lockhart's narrative :

[December, 1825.]

"MY DEAR WILLIAM,-The money market in London is in a tremendous state, so much so that, whatever good reason I have, and I have the best, for knowing that Constable and his allies, Hurst and Robinson, are in perfect force, yet I hold it wise and necessary to prepare myself for making good my engagements, which might come back on me suddenly, or by taking up those which I hold good security for. For this purpose I have resolved to exercise my reserved faculty to burthen Abbotsford with Soool. or 10,000. I can easily get the money, and having no other debts and these well secured, I hold it better to put money in my purse' and be a debtor on my land for a year or two, till the credit of the public is restored. I may not want the money, in which case I will buy into the funds, and make some cash by it. But I think it would be most necessary, and even improper not to be fully prepared.

"What I want of you is to give me a copy of the rental of Abbotsford, as it now stands, mentioning the actual rents of ground let, and the probable rents of those in my hand. You gave me one last year, but I would rather have the actual rents, and as such business is express I would have you send it immediately, and keep it all as much within as you think fair and prudent. Your letter need only contain the rental, and you may write your remarks separately. I have not the slightest idea of losing a penny, but the distrust is so great in London that the best houses refuse the best bills of the best tradesmen, and as I have retained such a sum in view of protecting my literary commerce, I think it better to make use of it, and keep my own mind easy, than to carry about bills to unwilling banks, and beg for funds which I can use of my own. I have more than 10,000l. to receive before Midsummer, but then I might be put to vexation before that, which I am determined to prevent.

"By all I can learn, this is just such an embarrassment as may

arise when pickpockets cry Fire!' in a crowd, and honest men get trampled to death. Thank God, I can clear myself of the melee, and am not afraid of the slightest injury. If the money horizon does not clear up in a month or two I will abridge my farming, &c. I cannot find there is any real cause for this; but an imaginary one will do equal mischief. I need not say this is confidential.-Yours truly,

"16 December, Edinburgh."

"WALTER SCOTT."

"The confusion of 1814 is a joke to this. I have no debts of my On the contrary, 3000l. and more lying out on interest, &c. It is a little hard that, making about 7000l. a year, and working hard for it, I should have this botheration. But it arises out of the nature of the same connection which gives, and has given me, a fortune, and therefore I am not entitled to grumble."

(To be concluded in our next.)

YOURS, VERY SINCERELY.

RHEN charming little oblong billets are brought to us, with just a taint of perfume clinging to them, and pretty hexagonal waxen seals, we are happy enough

to find, inside, the pleasant fact recorded that the fair writers are sincerely ours. When letters of sterner form are opened by us, the envelopes of which are stained by sturdy and vigorous caligraphy, and are of all hues and smoothness and opacity, (from our old schoolfellow's cream "adhesive" to the unglossed and commercial "blue"), we are still greeted with the same assurance, and are requested to believe our correspondents ours and always very sincere. We find a little variety to this, of course. We come across the folks who prefer using adjectives to adverbs, and declaring themselves respectful, or faithful, or obedient, or true; and we come across the folks, of the sex commonly more impulsive and prononcée, who pledge themselves (to our entire satisfaction) to be ours in affection or even in love; but, with this small diversity, the gamut— the sol-fa-of signature is done, and though it may be enough, it certainly is no feast. A certain James Howel who "flourished" in the reigns of Charles the First and Second, and who moaned out the intermediate Commonwealth in prison, would have thought it intolerably meagre and one ideaed. Indeed, he would have turned his Welsh nose up as high as his own Plinlimmon, if he had been tied to any such a liliputian tether. In a quantity of his published letters, "Domestic and Forren, written upon Emergent Occasion," it is quite reproachful to find in what a number of "subscriptions" he riots. He had them so to speak-pale-pink, rose, red, crimson, flame, fire. He signed himself "Yours inviolably;" "Yours, ever to love and serve you;" "Yours whole;" "Yours intirely;" "Yours in no vulgar Way of Friendship;" "Yours to dispose of;" "Yours verily and invariably;" "Yours most humble and enchain'd;" "Yours to the Alter;" "Yours really ;" and-sometimes, in a fever of devotionthree times over, like a colonial advertisement, "Yours! Yours !' Yours!" If his mood changed, he became "Your J. H.," simply and confidingly; "Your entire Friend;" "Your respectful Son and Servitor;" (that was to Ben Jonson): "Your Son and Contiguous