322 LETTERS TO PROFESSOR WALLACE [CHAP. xxvi. 



April i, 1901. 



I know I shall always have your kind sympathy in these 

 unpleasant visitations, and I wish they did not come to 

 intrude so often. But this time I really and truly do hope, 

 unless some luckless draught gets hold of me, that I shall 

 pick up quickly, and not have such dreary stories to tell you. 



Dr. Lipscomb says that it is just having let my health 

 run down that is the reason, and I mean to be very careful. 

 I am up in my room part of the day comfortably, and hope 

 to get downstairs to-morrow. 



I greatly look forward to a good talk by and by over 

 many matters, and I was very sorry that Dr. MacDougall 

 could not come this week, but further on I hope we shall 

 have a chat. You will doubtless (or very likely) have seen 

 flourishes in the papers about a testimonial ! to my unworthy 

 self but to my horror yesterday I had a letter from Mr. 



stating that he was trying to procure a pension for me ; 



and the Member for H and (I understood Lord ) 



would most likely use their influence. 



Just think what could possess him what a to-do there 

 would have been. But I wrote earnestly representing how 

 misappropriate such a grant would be to a person so well 

 off as myself, and it being such a troublesome matter, I got 

 Dr. L. to read my letter. I hope I may have quite stopped 

 his operations (and politely), but assuredly I should feel 

 inexpressibly lowered if I accepted a "pension." 



I have been collecting for " Reminiscences " very fairly 

 well, but I have been afraid to prepare whole papers lest 

 they should not be bright. 



April 2, 1901. 



I must write a line to give, I believe, a soundly good 

 report of myself in reply to your letter, which arrived 4.50 ; 

 it is very good of you to write so kindly. I have been down 

 to-day for about six hours, and I do hope now to steadily 

 regain my strength. 



You will let me have your address, will you not ? And I 

 shall hope to write something more worth reading. 



Mr. has on my urgent representation stopped his 



applications as to a pension. 



P.S. The typewriting seems to me beautiful, and I hope 

 soon to have more work ready. 



April 8, 1901. 



You will know from your own experience the deluges of 

 publications which come what can I do with them ? They 

 might be measured by feet, if not by yards. Some valuable, 

 some ! 



