y.' But between now and forty he must
live as though he were walking on eggs. For the next two years, no
matter how well he feels, he must live the life of an invalid. He must
be perfectly tranquil, trouble about nothing, have no shocks or
surprises, not even pleasant ones, must not eat too much, talk very
little, and walk no more than can be helped. He must never be crossed,
for anger, going upstairs, and walking are the worst things for
him.... Yet he is very cheerful and has been all along. He is never
frightened."

[Footnote 24: From _The Life of Robert Louis Stevenson_,
by Graham Balfour.]

Driven from Hyeres by the cholera, they sought a temporary refuge at
an enchanting little watering-place near Clermont-Ferrand called
Royat, in whose healing springs Caesar himself had once bathed. The
surroundings, of wooded ravines and cliffs and numberless waterfalls,
were charming, and in the centre of the town stood an ancient
cathedral, whose former use as a fortress was still proclaimed by the
loopholes in its walls and the hooded projections on its towers.

In this romantic place they spent the summer in the company of his
parents, who came to visit them, but the joy of this meeting was
tempered by the failing health and spirits of the father, who was now
only able to keep up a semblance of cheerfulness in the presence of
his son.

At the end of the summer of 1884 they returned to Hyeres, but the
prospect of a permanent recovery there seemed so slight that it was
finally decided to go to England and seek medical advice. On the 1st
of July they reached England, and shortly afterwards went to London to
consult Sir Andrew Clark and other eminent physicians. Mrs. Stevenson
writes from there: "I suppose it comes from being so long a recluse,
but seeing the few people I have seen has quite shattered my nerves,
so that I tremble and can hardly speak. Louis, on the contrary, is
quite calm, and is at this moment, after a hearty meal, resting
quietly in his bed."

Snatching at a half-hearted permission given by some of the doctors to
remain in England, their decision being assisted by the desire to be
near his father, whose health was rapidly failing, they went to
Bournemouth for a trial of its climate and conditions. Nothing
untoward having occurred by the end of January, the elder Stevenson
purchased a house there as a present to his daughter-in-law. Both the
wanderers were filled with inexpres