Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

314 WILLIAM BLACKWOOD.
more on a subject so distressing. But till a fortnight or rather
more, one hour's rest of mind or body has been rare to me. Mrs
W.'s life was long in imminent danger, and her health is yet
precarious. As for my own, I have suffered a great deal more
than any one knows. But for the present no more. Two weeks
ago I was beginning to get easy again, and began to do some-
thing ;
but John, my boy, was suddenly taken dangerously ill,
and fainted so often that the medical men did not know what
to make of it. If this, and more than this by far, does not
excuse a man for being incapacitated for writing, what in God's
name does ?
As to my friendship, you have it as before ; but I have not
read a book or written a word, except lately three or four
letters, since I came here. God only knows all I have suffered,
and if you have been angry your anger has been misplaced.
Many of these notes are marked, being without
date, with that of their reception by the publisher,
written with an exasperated pencil, in all the elo-
quence of a protest and appeal to heaven and earth,
like the following: ''Received at 10 o'clock at nighty
Dec. 9." The day of publication was the 20th in
those days, and the Professor had not yet put pen to
paper :
—
Tell Eobert to call on me to-morrow on his way to the shop,
and let me see exactly how things are.
Everything has conspired to make me useless; but I think
things have been as bad before, and I shall furnish the articles
manfully yet. The Homer (when done) may go in anywhere,
and thus no time be lost.
This very night am I obliged to go out, else my daughter
Margaret must stay at home from a party : I forgot it. Curse
me if I do not get them done right, in spite of all the demons
in Dulness' halls.
We fear that Blackwood, though very soft-hearted
towards the maidens and their merry-makings, having