LETTERS FROM 1866 TO 1872. 75 



" After all," he says, with wisdom beyond 

 his years, " books are dead ; they should not 

 be our whole study. Too much study is 

 selfish." 



Unfortunately the letters of the year 1869 

 have not been preserved ; but we may very 

 well understand that the lad spent that year 

 in much the same way as the year before and 

 the year after. That is to say, he wrote for 

 his country paper ; he reported ; he collected 

 local news ; and he devoted his spare time to 

 the writing of stories which were never to see 

 the light, or, more unhappy still, to perish at 

 their birth. 



In the autumn of the year 1870 the letters 

 begin again. He has now got money enough 

 to give himself a holiday. He is at Hastings, 

 and he is going across the water to Ostend. 

 It is in September. The Prince Imperial of 

 France is in the place, and Jefferies hopes to 

 see him. There is a postscript with a charac- 

 teristic touch : " I do not forget A . Her 



large and beautiful eyes have haunted me ever 

 since our visit to Worthing. Eemember me 

 to her, but please do it privately ; let no one 



