“I write to you rather than to the poor Terrys, on the subject of their plans, which appear to me to require reconsideration, as I have not leisure so to modify my expressions as to avoid grating upon feelings which may be sore enough already. But if I advise I must be plain. The plan of a cottage in this neighbourhood is quite visionary. London or its vicinity is the best place for a limited income, because you can get every thing you want without taking a pennyweight more of it than you have occasion for. In the country (with us at least) if you want a basin of milk every day, you must keep a cow—if you want a bunch of straw, you must have a farm. But what is still worse, it seems to me that such a plan would remove Terry out of his natural
* These queries all point to the annotation of The Antiquary. |
| 150 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
“We have had little Walter Terry with us. He is a nice boy. I have got him sent to
the New Academy in Edinburgh, and hope he will do well. Indeed, I have good
hopes as to them all, but the prospect of success must remain, first, with the
restoration of Terry to the power of
thought and labour, a matter which is in God’s
| OCTOBER, 1828. | 151 |
“Our worthy old aunt, Lady Raeburn, is gone, and I am now the eldest living person of my father’s family. My old friend, Sir William Forbes, is extremely ill, dying I fear, and the winter seems to approach with more than usual gloom. We are well here, however, and send love to Lockhart and the babies. I want to see L. much, and hope he may make a run down at Christmas.
“You will take notice, that all the advice I venture to offer to the Terrys is according as matters now stand.* Indeed, I think he is better now, than when struggling against a losing concern, turning worse every day. With health I have little doubt he may do well yet, and without it what can any one do? Poor Rose, he too seems to be very badly, and so end, if I lose him, wit, talent, frolic beyond the bounds of sobriety, all united with an admirable heart and feelings.
“Besides all other objections to Terry’s plan, the poor invalid would be most uncomfortable here. As my guest, it was another thing; but without power to entertain the better sort of folk, and liable from his profession to the prejudices of our middling people, without means too of moving about, he must, while we are not at Abbotsford, be an absolute hermit. Besides, health may be restored so as to let him act again—regimen and quiet living do much in such cases and he should not rashly throw up professional connexions. If they
* Mr Terry died in London on the 22d June, 1829. His widow to whom these Memoirs have owed many of their materials, is now (1837), married to Mr Charles Richardson of Tulse Hill, the author of the well-known Dictionary of the English Language, &c. |
| 152 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
“I have been delighted with your views of coming back to Chiefswood next summer,—but had you not better defer that for another year? Here is plenty of room for you all—plenty of beef and mutton—plenty of books for L., and he should have the little parlour (the monkey-room, as Morritt has christened it) inviolate—and he and I move on easily without interrupting each other. Pray think of all this, and believe that, separated as I am so much from you both and the grandchildren, the more I can see of you all while I have eyes left to see you with, the greater will be my pleasure. I am turning a terrible fixture with rheumatism, and go about little but in the carriage, and round the doors. A change of market-days, but seams will slit, and elbows will out. My general health is excellent.—I am always, dearest, Sophia, your affectionate father,
