June 11.—­I was kept at Court by a hearing till near three.  Then sat to Mr. Graham for an hour and a half.  When I came home, behold a letter from Mr. Murray, very handsomely yielding up the fourth share of Marmion, which he possessed.[338] Afterwards we went to the theatre, where St. Ronan’s Well was capitally acted by Murray and the Bailie,—­the part of Clara Mowbray being heavy for want of Mrs. Siddons.  Poor old Mrs. Renaud, once the celebrated Mrs. Powell, took leave of the stage.  As I was going to bed at twelve at night, in came R.P.Gillies like a tobacco cask.  I shook him off with some difficulty, pleading my having been lately ill, but he is to call to-morrow morning.

June 12.—­Gillies made his appearance.  I told him frankly I thought he conducted his affairs too irregularly for any one to assist him, and I could not in charity advise any one to encourage subscriptions, but that I should subscribe myself, so I made over to him about L50, which the Foreign Review owes me, and I will grow hard-hearted and do no more.  I was not long in the Court, but I had to look at the controversy about the descent of the Douglas family, then I went to Cadell and found him still cock-a-hoop.  He has raised the edition to 17,000, a monstrous number, yet he thinks it will clear the 20,000, but we must be quiet in case people jalouse the failure of the plates.  I called on Lady J.S.[339] When I came home I was sleepy and over-walked.  By the way, I sat till Graham finished my picture.[340] I fell fast asleep before dinner, and slept for an hour.  After dinner I wrote to Walter, Charles, Lockhart, and John Murray, and took a screed of my novel; so concluded the evening idly enough.

June 13.—­We hear of Sophia’s motions.  She is to set sail by steam-boat on the 16th, Tuesday, and Charles is to make a run down with her.  But, alas! my poor Johnnie is, I fear, come to lay his bones in his native land.  Sophia can no longer disguise it from herself, that as his strength weakens the disease increases.  The poor child is so much bent on coming to see Abbotsford and grandpapa, that it would be cruel not to comply with his wish—­and if affliction comes, we will bear it best together.

    “Not more the schoolboy who expires
    Far from his native home desires
    To see some friend’s familiar face,
    Or meet a parent’s last embrace.”

It must be all as God wills it.  Perhaps his native air may be of service.

More news from Cadell.  He deems it necessary to carry up the edition to 20,000.

[Abbotsford.]—­This day was fixed for a start to Abbotsford, where we arrived about six o’clock, evening.  To my thinking, I never saw a prettier place; and even the trees and flowers seemed to say to me, We are your own again.  But I must not let imagination jade me thus.  It would be to make disappointment doubly bitter:  and, God knows, I have in my child’s family matter enough to check any exuberant joy.