nuary 1875._]

MY DEAR COLVIN,--Thanks for your letter, I too am in such a state of
business that I know not when to find the time to write. Look
here--Seeley does not seem to me to have put that paper of mine in this
month; so I remain unable to pay you; which is a sad pity and must be
forgiven me.

What am I doing? Well I wrote my second _John Knox_, which is not a bad
piece of work for me; begun and finished ready for press in nine days.
Then I have since written a story called _King Matthias's Hunting Horn_,
and I am engaged in finishing another called _The Two Falconers of
Cairnstane_. I find my stories affect me rather more perhaps than is
wholesome. I have only been two hours at work to-day, and yet I have
been crying and am shaking badly, as you can see in my handwriting, and
my back is a bit bad. They give me pleasure though, quite worth all
results. However I shall work no more to-day.

I am to get L1000 when I pass Advocate, it seems; which is good.

O I say, will you kindly tell me all about the bust of Clytie.

* * * * *

Then I had the wisdom to stop and look over Japanese picture books until
lunch time.

Well, tell me all about Clytie, how old is it, who did it, what's it
about, etc. Send it on a sheet that I can forward without indiscretion
to another, as I desire the information for a friend whom I wish to
please.

Now, look here. When I have twelve stories ready--these twelve--

A / I. The Devil on Cramond Sands
l | (needs copying about half).
l |
| II. The Curate of Anstruther's Bottle
S | (needs copying altogether).
c <
o | III. The Two Falconers of Cairnstane
t | (wants a few pages).
c |
h | IV. Strange Adventures of Mr. Nehemiah Solny
. \ (wants reorganisation).

V. King Matthias's Hunting Horn (all ready).

VI. Autolycus at Court (in gremio).

VII. The Family of Love (in gremio).

VIII. The Barrel Organ (all ready).

IX. The Last Sinner (wants copying).

X. Margery Bonthron (wants a few pages).

XI. Martin's Madonna (in gremio).

XII. Life and Death (all ready).

--when I have these twelve ready, should I not do better to try to get a
publisher for them, call them _A Book of Stories_ and put a good
dedicatory letter at the fore end of them. I should get less coin than
by going into magazines perhaps; but I should