“I received with sincere distress your most melancholy letter. Certainly want of candour with one’s friends is blameable, and procrastination in circumstances of embarrassment is highly unwise. But they bring such a fearful chastisement on the party who commits them that he may justly expect, not the reproaches, but the sympathy and compassion of his friends; at least of all such whose conscience charges them with errors of their own. For my part I feel as little title, as God knows I have wish, to make any reflections on the matter, more than are connected with the most sincere regret on your own account. The sum at which I stand noted in the schedule is of no consequence in the now more favourable condition of my affairs, and the loss to me personally is the less, that I always considered L.200 of the same as belonging to my godson; but he is young, and may not miss the loss when he comes to be fitted out for the voyage of life; we must hope the best. I told your solicitor that I desired he would consider me as a friend of yours, desirous, to take as a creditor the measures which seemed best to forward your interest. It might be inconvenient to me were I called upon to make up such instalments of
* See ante, vol. vi. p. 20. |
| LETTER TO MR TERRY. | 139 |
“As to your views about an engagement at Edinburgh I
doubt much, though an occasional visit would probably succeed. My countrymen,
taken in their general capacity, are not people to have recourse to in adverse
circumstances. John Bull is a better beast
in misfortune. Your objections to an American trip are quite satisfactory,
unless the success of your Solicitor’s measures should in part remove
them, when it may be considered as a pis-aller. As to Walter there can be no difficulty in procuring his admission to
the Edinburgh Academy, and if he could be settled with his grandfather, or
under his eye, as to domestic accommodation, I would willingly take care of his
schooling, and look after him when I am in town. I shall be anxious, indeed,
till I hear that you are once more restored to the unrestrained use of your
talents; for I am sensible how
| 140 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
‘Up and rig a jury foremast, She rights, she rights, boys, we’re offshore.’ |
