Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

A BAD JOKE. 287
courts, and consequent exposure to all the jibes of the
Press. Never was a more complete amende made in
words, and Christopher was not spared by his stern
apologist. Wilson himself put the best face upon it,
and added a note.
Our friend [he said] has evidently taken a very serious view
of what was not, nor was ever meant to be, anything but a joke.
We take it, not very many of our readers are so far behindhand
as to be in any danger of misunderstanding matters of this
kind. Above all, we are very sure the kind and merry spirit
of Mr Martin is far above being moved, in the way our cor-
respondent seems to suspect, by anything in the shape of a
joke, even if it were a bad one.
It is somewhat difficult to understand the nature
of such a joke. And how Wilson, even at the very-
height of reckless utterance, could have indulged in
jesting of the kind, nobody has ever been able to ex-
plain. We can but give him the advantage of Lock-
hart's generous description, " one of the best-hearted
men ever God put breath into," and forgive him for its
sake. What better testimonial could a friend give ?
And it is without suspicion, as said to a third party,
and mingled with both blame and regret.
There was, however, a great deal of trouble even
after this, and I have no doubt the publisher's pocket
again suffered ; but it is to be hoped that in the end
the "kind and merry spirit of Mr Martin" was
satisfied. The eulogy which he had received in the
pages of ' Maga ' was certainly much more extensive
and important than the offence.
In returning to the ordinary course of affairs after
this exciting episode, we may place here a proof that,
after all, notwithstanding the periodical risks to which