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the care with which this has been written。 … Believe me to be； very
sincerely yours；
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON。
Letter： TO MRS。 A。 BAKER
DECEMBER 1893。
DEAR MADAM； … There is no trouble； and I wish I could help instead。
As it is； I fear I am only going to put you to trouble and
vexation。 This Braille writing is a kind of consecration； and I
would like if I could to have your copy perfect。 The two volumes
are to be published as Vols。 I。 and II。 of THE ADVENTURES OF DAVID
BALFOUR。 1st； KIDNAPPED； 2nd； CATRIONA。 I am just sending home a
corrected KIDNAPPED for this purpose to Messrs。 Cassell； and in
order that I may if possible be in time； I send it to you first of
all。 Please； as soon as you have noted the changes； forward the
same to Cassell and Co。； La Belle Sauvage Yard； Ludgate Hill。
I am writing to them by this mail to send you CATRIONA。
You say； dear madam； you are good enough to say； it is 'a keen
pleasure' to you to bring my book within the reach of the blind。
Conceive then what it is to me！ and believe me； sincerely yours；
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON。
I was a barren tree before；
I blew a quenched coal；
I could not； on their midnight shore；
The lonely blind console。
A moment； lend your hand； I bring
My sheaf for you to bind；
And you can teach my words to sing
In the darkness of the blind。
R。 L。 S。
Letter： TO HENRY JAMES
APIA； DECEMBER 1893。
MY DEAR HENRY JAMES； … The mail has come upon me like an armed man
three days earlier than was expected； and the Lord help me！ It is
impossible I should answer anybody the way they should be。 Your
jubilation over CATRIONA did me good； and still more the subtlety
and truth of your remark on the starving of the visual sense in
that book。 'Tis true； and unless I make the greater effort … and
am； as a step to that； convinced of its necessity … it will be more
true I fear in the future。 I HEAR people talking； and I FEEL them
acting； and that seems to me to be fiction。 My two aims may be
described as …
1ST。 War to the adjective。
2ND。 Death to the optic nerve。
Admitted we live in an age of the optic nerve in literature。 For
how many centuries did literature get along without a sign of it？
However； I'll consider your letter。
How exquisite is your character of the critic in ESSAYS IN LONDON！
I doubt if you have done any single thing so satisfying as a piece
of style and of insight。 … Yours ever；
R。 L。 S。
Letter： TO CHARLES BAXTER
1ST JANUARY '94。
MY DEAR CHARLES； … I am delighted with your idea； and first； I will
here give an amended plan and afterwards give you a note of some of
the difficulties。
＇Plan of the Edinburgh edition … 14 vols。＇
。 。 。 It may be a question whether my TIMES letters might not be
appended to the 'Footnote' with a note of the dates of discharge of
Cedercrantz and Pilsach。
I am particularly pleased with this idea of yours； because I am
come to a dead stop。 I never can remember how bad I have been
before； but at any rate I am bad enough just now； I mean as to
literature； in health I am well and strong。 I take it I shall be
six months before I'm heard of again； and this time I could put in
to some advantage in revising the text and （if it were thought
desirable） writing prefaces。 I do not know how many of them might
be thought desirable。 I have written a paper on TREASURE ISLAND；
which is to appear shortly。 MASTER OF BALLANTRAE … I have one
drafted。 THE WRECKER is quite sufficiently done already with the
last chapter； but I suppose an historic introduction to DAVID
BALFOUR is quite unavoidable。 PRINCE OTTO I don't think I could
say anything about； and BLACK ARROW don't want to。 But it is
probable I could say something to the volume of TRAVELS。 In the
verse business I can do just what I like better than anything else；
and extend UNDERWOODS with a lot of unpublished stuff。 APROPOS； if
I were to get printed off a very few poems which are somewhat too
intimate for the public； could you get them run up in some luxuous
manner； so that fools might be induced to buy them in just a
sufficient quantity to pay expenses and the thing remain still in a
manner private？ We could supply photographs of the illustrations …
and the poems are of Vailima and the family … I should much like to
get this done as a surprise for Fanny。
R。 L。 S。
Letter： TO H。 B。 BAILDON
VAILIMA； JANUARY 15TH； 1894。
MY DEAR BAILDON； … Last mail brought your book and its Dedication。
'Frederick Street and the gardens； and the short…lived Jack o'
Lantern；' are again with me … and the note of the east wind； and
Froebel's voice； and the smell of soup in Thomson's stair。 Truly；
you had no need to put yourself under the protection of any other
saint； were that saint our Tamate himself！ Yourself were enough；
and yourself coming with so rich a sheaf。
For what is this that you say about the Muses？ They have certainly
never better inspired you than in 'Jael and Sisera；' and 'Herodias
and John the Baptist；' good stout poems； fiery and sound。 ''Tis
but a mask and behind it chuckles the God of the Garden；' I shall
never forget。 By the by； an error of the press； page 49； line 4；
'No infant's lesson are the ways of God。' THE is dropped。
And this reminds me you have a bad habit which is to be comminated
in my theory of letters。 Same page； two lines lower： 'But the
vulture's track' is surely as fine to the ear as 'But vulture's
track；' and this latter version has a dreadful baldness。 The
reader goes on with a sense of impoverishment； of unnecessary
sacrifice； he has been robbed by footpads； and goes scouting for
his lost article！ Again； in the second Epode； these fine verses
would surely sound much finer if they began； 'As a hardy climber
who has set his heart；' than with the jejune 'As hardy climber。' I
do not know why you permit yourself this license with grammar； you
show； in so many pages； that you are superior to the paltry sense
of rhythm which usually dictates it … as though some poetaster had
been suffered to correct the poet's text。 By the way； I confess to
a heartfelt weakness for AURICULAS。 … Believe me the very grateful
and characteristic pick…thank； but still sincere and affectionate；
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON。
Letter： TO W。 H。 LOW。
VAILIMA； JANUARY 15th； 1894。
MY DEAR LOW； … 。 。 。 Pray you； stoop your proud head； and sell
yourself to some Jew magazine； and make the visit out。 I assure
you； this is the spot for a sculptor or painter。 This； and no
other … I don't say to stay there； but to come once and get the
living colour into them。 I am used to it； I do not notice it；
rather prefer my grey； freezing recollections of Scotland； but
there it is； and every morning is a thing to give thanks for； and
every night another … bar when it rains； of course。
About THE WRECKER … rather late days； and I still suspect I had
somehow offended you； however； all's well that ends well； and I am
glad I am forgiven … did you not fail to appreciate the attitude of
Dodd？ He was a fizzle and a stick； he knew it； he knew nothing
else； and there is an undercurrent of bitterness in him。 And then
the problem that Pinkerton laid down： why the artist can DO
NOTHING ELSE？ is one that continually exercises myself。 He cannot：
granted。 But Scott could。 And Montaigne。 And Julius Caesar。 And
many more。 And why can't R。 L。 S。？ Does it not amaze you？ It
does me。 I think of the Renaissance fellows； and their all…round
human sufficiency； and compare it with the ineffable smallness of
the field in which we labour and in which we do so little。 I think
DAVID BALFOUR a nice little book； and very artistic； and just