in the necessary interviews. They came of course - the
interviews - and I explained what I was going to do at huge
length, and stuck to my guns. I am glad to say the natives,
with their usual (purely speculative) sense of justice highly
approved the step after reflection. Meanwhile off went S.
and I with the three CORPORA DELICTI; and a good job I went!
Once, when our circus began to kick, we thought all was up;
but we got them down all sound in wind and limb. I judged I
was much fallen off from my Elliott forefathers, who managed
this class of business with neatness and despatch. Half-way
down it came on to rain tropic style, and I came back from my
outing drenched liked a drowned man - I was literally blinded
as I came back among these sheets of water; and the
consequence was I was laid down with diarrhoea and
threatenings of Samoa colic for the inside of another week.

I have a confession to make. When I was sick I tried to get
to work to finish that Samoa thing, wouldn't go; and at last,
in the colic time, I slid off into DAVID BALFOUR, some 50
pages of which are drafted, and like me well. Really I think
it is spirited; and there's a heroine that (up to now) seems
to have attractions: ABSIT OMEN! David, on the whole, seems
excellent. Alan does not come in till the tenth chapter, and
I am only at the eighth, so I don't know if I can find him
again; but David is on his feet, and doing well, and very
much in love, and mixed up with the Lord Advocate and the
(untitled) Lord Lovat, and all manner of great folk. And the
tale interferes with my eating and sleeping. The join is
bad; I have not thought to strain too much for continuity; so
this part be alive, I shall be content. But there's no doubt