s not favourable
to success. It was singularly candid and moderate in tone, and obviously
the work of a thoughtful observer. Probably the only chance of success
for such a periodical would have been to make a scandal by personality
or impropriety. To expect a commercial success from a paper which relied
only upon being well written was chimerical, unless the author could
have afforded to hold out in a financial sense for a much longer period.
The expense gave a sufficient reason for discontinuing it; and it is
now, I fear, to be inferred that the venture was one of the first signs
of a want of intellectual balance.

Meanwhile, it seemed to indicate that James had literary tastes which
would interfere with his devotion to the bar. Some months later (June
1888) his father appointed him to the clerkship of assize on the South
Wales circuit, which had become vacant by the death of Maine's son.

He now took comparatively little interest in his profession and spoke of
taking more exclusively to literature. Clearer symptoms showed
themselves before long of the disease caused by the accident. I have no
wish to dwell upon that painful topic. It is necessary, however, to say
that it gradually became manifest that he was suffering from a terrible
disease. He had painful periods of excitement and depression.
Eccentricities of behaviour caused growing anxiety to his family; and
especially to his father, whose own health was beginning to suffer from
independent causes. I will only say that exquisitely painful as the
position necessarily was to all who loved him, there was something
strangely pathetic in his whole behaviour. It happened that I saw him
very frequently at the time; and I had the best reasons for remarking
that, under all the distressing incidents, the old most lovable nature
remained absolutely unaffected. No one could be a more charming
companion, not only to his contemporaries but to his elders and to
children, for whose amusement he had a special gift. He would reason in
the frankest and most good-humoured way about himself and his own
affairs, and no excitement prevented him for a moment from being
courteous and affectionate.

He resolved at last to settle at Cambridge in his own college in October
1890; resigning his clerkship at the same time. At Cambridge he was
known to everyone, and speedily made himself beloved both in the
University and the town. He spoke at the Union and gave lectures, which
were generall