Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

gifford's criticism. 76
If our conjecture is true, it must be concluded that
the thing most strongly and justly resented by Scott
was the interposition of Gifford. Nothing could be
more natural than that he should fling forth fire and
flame at the thought that the chief critic of one of the
literary coteries of the time had thus secretly sat upon
him, in a private committee behind his back, and had
it in his power to shake his head in solemn doubt as
to the prowess and success of the author of ' Waverley.'
It was a thought full of exasperation to a man
little used to criticism in any form. But whether
Lockhart was mistaken as to the note he quotes, or
whether that first sharp volley of expletives was but
a first explosion on the moment, followed by the other,
we have no means of knowing. No one but Murray
could have known the exact facts, and even by him
they would seem to have been forgotten or imper-
fectly apprehended. " I remember nothing but that
one of the proudest days of my life was that on
which I published the first 'Tales of my Landlord,'
and a vague notion that I owed the dropping of my
connection with the great novelist to some trashy
disputes between Blackwood and the Ballantynes,"
is the only explanation given by Mr Murray as re-
ported by Lockhart, which was scarcely a correct
statement. "If he had been at all consulted
about it (which I much doubt)," says Lockhart.
But it could scarcely be forgotten that the little
incident about Mr Gifibrd was one of the causes,
at least, of Scott's resentment. The latter part of
the story is set forth very distinctly in the letters
now discovered ; and it is interesting to trace this
episode to its end.