ord,' and that he had had intimation from himself to
that effect," by no means an improbable story considering Hogg's vanity.
Lady Mackintosh also wrote to Mr. Murray: "Did you hear who this _new_
author of 'Waverley' and 'Guy Mannering' is? Mrs. Thomas Scott, as Mr.
Thomas Scott assured Lord Selkirk (who had been in Canada), and his
lordship, like Lord Monboddo, believes it." Murray again wrote to
Blackwood (February 15, 1817): "What is your theory as to the author of
'Harold the Dauntless'? I will believe, till within an inch of my life,
that the author of 'Tales of my Landlord' is Thomas Scott."

Thus matters remained until a few years later, when George IV. was on
his memorable visit to Edinburgh. Walter Scott was one of the heroes of
the occasion, and was the selected cicerone to the King. One day George
IV., in the sudden and abrupt manner which is peculiar to our Royal
Family, asked Scott point-blank: "By the way, Scott, are you the author
of 'Waverley'?" Scott as abruptly answered: "No, Sire!" Having made this
answer (said Mr. Thomas Mitchell, who communicated the information to
Mr. Murray some years later), "it is supposed that he considered it a
matter of honour to keep the secret during the present King's reign. If
the least personal allusion is made to the subject in Sir Walter's
presence, Matthews says that his head gently drops upon his breast, and
that is a signal for the person to desist."

With respect to the first series of the "Tales of my Landlord," so soon
as the 6,000 copies had been disposed of which the author, through
Ballantyne, had covenanted as the maximum number to be published by
Murray and Blackwood, the work reverted to Constable, and was published
uniformly with the other works by the author of "Waverley."

CHAPTER XVIII

ALLIANCE WITH BLACKWOOD--BLACKWOOD'S "EDINBURGH MAGAZINE"--TERMINATION
OF PARTNERSHIP

We have already seen that Mr. Murray had some correspondence with Thomas
Campbell in 1806 respecting the establishment of a monthly magazine;
such an undertaking had long been a favourite scheme of his, and he had
mentioned the subject to many friends at home as well as abroad. When,
therefore, Mr. Blackwood started his magazine, Murray was ready to enter
into his plans, and before long announced to the public that he had
become joint proprietor and publisher of Blackwood's _Edinburgh
Magazine_.

There was nothing very striking in the early numbers of the _Magazine_,
an