“He had been led to make this protestation from my having remarked to him the singularly general feeling of goodwill and sympathy towards him which every one was anxious to testify upon the present occasion.  The sentiments of resignation and of cheerful acquiescence in the dispensation of the Almighty which he expressed were those of a Christian thankful for the blessings left, and willing, without ostentation, to do his best.  It was really beautiful to see the workings of a strong and upright mind under the first lash of adversity calmly reposing upon the consolation afforded by his own integrity and manful purposes.  ‘Lately,’ he said, ’you saw me under the apprehension of the decay of my mental faculties, and I confess that I was under mortal fear when I found myself writing one word for another, and misspelling every word, but that wore off, and was perhaps occasioned by the effects of the medicine I had been taking, but have I not reason to be thankful that that misfortune did not assail me?—­Ay! few have more reason to feel grateful to the Disposer of all events than I have.’”—­Mr. Skene’s Reminiscences.

[135] “The energy with which Sir Walter had set about turning his resources, both present and past, to immediate account, with a view to prove to his creditors, with as little delay as possible, that all that could depend upon himself should be put in operation to retrieve his affairs, made him often reluctant to quit his study however much he found himself exhausted.  However, the employment served to occupy his mind, and prevent its brooding over the misfortune which had befallen him, and joined to the natural contentedness of his disposition prevented any approach of despondency.  ’Here is an old effort of mine to compose a melo-drama’ (showing me one day a bundle of papers which he had found in his repositories).  ’This trifle would have been long ago destroyed had it not been for our poor friend Kinnedder, who arrested my hand as he thought it not bad, and for his sake it was kept.  I have just read it over, and, do you know, with some satisfaction.  Faith, I have known many worse things make their way very well in the world, so, God willing, it shall e’en see the light, if it can do aught in the hour of need to help the hand that fashioned it.’  Upon asking the name of this production, he said, ’I suspect I must change it, having already forestalled it by the Fortunes of Nigel.  I had called it the Fortunes of Devorgoil, but we must not begin to double up in that way, for if you leave anything hanging loose, you may be sure that some malicious devil will tug at it.  I think I shall call it The Doom of Devorgoil.  It will make a volume of itself, and I do not see why it should not come out by particular desire as a fourth volume to Woodstock.  They have some sort of connection, and it would not be a difficult matter to bind the connection a little closer.  As the market goes, I have no doubt of