We dined at home; Mr. Davidoff and his tutor kept an engagement with us to dinner notwithstanding the death of the Emperor Alexander.  They went to the play with the womankind; I stayed at home to write.

December 24.—­Wrote Walter and Jane, and gave the former an account of how things had been in the money market, and the loan of L10,000.  Constable has a scheme of publishing the works of the Author of W[averley] in a superior style, at L1, 1s. volume.  He says he will answer for making L20,000 of this, and liberally offered me any share of the profit.  I have no great claim to any, as I have only to contribute the notes, which are light work; yet a few thousands coming in will be a good thing—­besides the P[rinting] Office.  Constable, though valetudinary, and cross with his partner, is certainly as good a pilot in these rough seas as ever man put faith in.  His rally has put me in mind of the old song:—­

    “The tailor raise and shook his duds,
    He gar’d the BILLS flee aff in cluds,
    And they that stayed gat fearfu’ thuds—­
    The tailor proved a man, O."[95]

We are for Abbotsford to-day, with a light heart.

Abbotsford, December 25.—­Arrived here last night at seven.  Our halls are silent compared to last year, but let us be thankful—­when we think how near the chance appeared but a week since that these halls would have been ours no longer. Barbarus has segetes?  Nullum numen abest, si sit prudentia.  There shall be no lack of wisdom.  But come—­il faut cultiver notre jardin.[96] Let us see:  I will write out the “Bonnets of Bonnie Dundee”; I will sketch a preface to La Rochejacquelin for Constable’s Miscellany, and try about a specimen of notes for the W[averley Novels].  Together with letters and by-business, it will be a good day’s work.

    “I make a vow,
    And keep it true.”

I will accept no invitation for dinner, save one to Newton-Don, and Mertoun to-morrow, instead of Christmas Day.  On this day of general devotion I have a particular call for gratitude!!

* * * * *

My God! what poor creatures we are!  After all my fair proposals yesterday, I was seized with a most violent pain in the right kidney and parts adjacent, which, joined to deadly sickness which it brought on, forced me instantly to go to bed and send for Clarkson.[97] He came and inquired, pronouncing the complaint to be gravel augmented by bile.  I was in great agony till about two o’clock, but awoke with the pain gone.  I got up, had a fire in my dressing-closet, and had Dalgleish to shave me—­two trifles, which I only mention, because they are contrary to my hardy and independent personal habits.  But although a man cannot be a hero to his valet, his valet in sickness becomes of great use to him.  I cannot expect that this first will be the last visit of this cruel complaint; but shall we receive good at the hand of God, and not receive evil?