ave a terror lest I should relapse before I get this finished. Courage,
R. L. S.! On Leslie Stephen's advice, I gave up the idea of a book of
essays. He said he didn't imagine I was rich enough for such an
amusement; and moreover, whatever was worth publication was worth
republication. So the best of those I had already, _An Apology for
Idlers_, is in proof for the Cornhill. I have Villon to do for the same
magazine, but God knows when I'll get it done, for drums, trumpets--I'm
engaged upon--trumpets, drums--a novel! "<sc>The Hair Trunk; or, the Ideal
Commonwealth</sc>." It is a most absurd story of a lot of young Cambridge
fellows who are going to found a new society, with no ideas on the
subject, and nothing but Bohemian tastes in the place of ideas; and who
are--well, I can't explain about the trunk--it would take too long--but
the trunk is the fun of it--everybody steals it; burglary, marine fight,
life on desert island on west coast of Scotland, sloops, etc. The first
scene where they make their grand schemes and get drunk is supposed to
be very funny, by Henley. I really saw him laugh over it until he cried.

Please write to me, although I deserve it so little, and show a
Christian spirit.--Ever your faithful friend,

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.

TO SIDNEY COLVIN

[_Edinburgh, August 1877._]

MY DEAR COLVIN,--I'm to be whipped away to-morrow to Penzance, where at
the post-office a letter will find me glad and grateful. I am well, but
somewhat tired out with overwork. I have only been home a fortnight this
morning, and I have already written to the tune of forty-five Cornhill
pages and upwards. The most of it was only very laborious re-casting and
re-modelling, it is true; but it took it out of me famously, all the
same.

Temple Bar appears to like my _Villon_, so I may count on another market
there in the future, I hope. At least, I am going to put it to the proof
at once, and send another story, _The Sire de Maletroit's Mousetrap_: a
true novel, in the old sense; all unities preserved moreover, if that's
anything, and I believe with some little merits; not so _clever_ perhaps
as the last, but sounder and more natural.

My _Villon_ is out this month; I should so much like to know what you
think of it. Stephen has written to me a propos of _Idlers_, that
something more in that vein would be agreeable to his views. From
Stephen I count that a devil of a lot.

I am honestly so tired this mornin