March 25.—­Mr. and Mrs. Kerr left us, Mr. Davidoff and Mr. Collyer also.  Mr. Davidoff showed himself a good deal affected.  I hope well of this young nobleman, and trust the result will justify my expectations, but it may be doubted if his happiness be well considered by those who send a young person, destined to spend his life under a despotic government, to receive the ideas and opinions of such a people as we are: 

        “where ignorance is bliss,
    ’Tis folly to be wise."[155]

We drove as far as Yair with Mr. and Mrs. Theobald.  The lady read after dinner—­and read well.

March 26.—­The Theobalds left us, giving me time to work a little.  A walk of two hours diversified my day.  I received Cadell’s scheme for the new edition.  I fear the trustees will think Cadell’s plan expensive in the execution.  Yet he is right; for, to ensure a return of speedy sale, the new edition should be both handsome and cheap.  He proposes size a Royal 12mo, with a capital engraving to each volume from a design by the best artists.  This infers a monstrous expense, but in the present humour of the public ensures the sale.  The price will be 5s. per volume, and the whole set, 32 volumes, from Waverley to Woodstock included, will be L8.

March 27.—­This also was a day of labour, affording only my usual interval of a walk.  Five or six sheets was the result.  We now appropinque an end.  My story has unhappily a divided interest; there are three distinct strands of the rope, and they are not well twisted together.  “Ah, Sirs, a foul fawt,” as Captain Tommy says.

March 28.—­The days have little to distinguish each other, very little.  The morning study, the noontide walk, all monotonous and inclined to be melancholy; God help me!  But I have not had any nervous attack.  Read Tales of an Antiquary,[156] one of the chime of bells which I have some hand in setting a-ringing.  He is really entitled to the name of an antiquary; but he has too much description in proportion to the action.  There is a capital wardrobe of properties, but the performers do not act up to their character.

March 29.—­Finished volume third this morning.  I have let no grass grow beneath my heels this bout.

Mr. Cadell with J. and A. Ballantyne came to dinner.  Mr. and Mrs. George Pringle, new married, dined with us and old Torwoodlee.  Sandy’s music made the evening go sweetly down.

March 30.—­A long discourse with Cadell, canvassing his scheme.  He proposes I should go on immediately with the new novel.  This will furnish a fund from which may be supplied the advances necessary for the new work, which are considerable, and may reach from L4000 to L8000—­the last sum quite improbable—­before it makes returns.  Thus we can face the expenditure necessary to set on foot our great work.  I have written to recommend the plan to John Gibson.  This theme renewed from time to time during the forenoon.  Dr. Clarkson[157] dined with us.  We smoked and had whisky and water after.