“Having been for a few days employed by Sir Walter Scott, when he was finishing his Life of Buonaparte, to copy
papers connected with that work, and to
| 40 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
“When, at Sir Walter’s request, I waited upon him to be informed of the business in which he needed my assistance, after stating it, he asked me if I was an early riser, and added that it would be no great hardship for me, being a young man, to attend him the next morning at six o’clock. I was punctual, and found Sir Walter already busy writing. He appointed my tasks, and again sat down at his own desk. We continued to write during the regular work hours till six o’clock in the evening, without interruption, except to take breakfast and dinner, which were served in the room beside us, so that no time was lost; we rose from our desks when every thing was ready, and resumed our labours when the meals were over. I need not tell you that during these intervals Sir Walter conversed with me as if I had been on a level of perfect equality with himself.
“I had no notion it was possible for any man to
undergo the fatigue of composition for so long a time at once, and Sir Walter acknowledged he did not usually subject
himself to so much exertion, though it seemed to be only the manual part of the
operation that occasioned him any inconvenience. Once or twice he desired me to
relieve him, and dictated while I wrote with as much rapidity as I was able. I
have performed the same service to several other persons, most of whom walked
up and down the apartment while excogitating what was to be committed to
writing; they sometimes stopt too, and, like those who fail in a leap and
return upon their course to take the advantage of another race, endeavoured to
hit upon something additional by peru-
| LETTER FROM MR R. HOGG. | 41 |
