THE LONGMAN LETTERS. 195 



as to various points ; that he has been occupied 

 with the various kinds of game, and so on. 

 He also mentions with complacency pardon- 

 able and even praiseworthy that he has re- 

 ceived a proposal to write two books from a 

 leading Edinburgh firm. Nothing apparently 

 came of this proposal. It is, however, notice- 

 able, and to young writers it should be very 

 encouraging, that no sooner did his first really 

 good book appear the "Gamekeeper at 

 Home " than his genius was at once recog- 

 nised, and the best publishers began inviting 

 him to write for them. He then offers a novel 

 always a novel ! which Messrs. Longmans' 

 reader does not advise the house to accept. 

 What was that novel ? Perhaps one of those 

 which had already been refused by one pub- 

 lisher, if not by more. Pending the writing 

 and completion of the book on Shooting, he 

 submits another proposal. He says : 



" To carry out this volume I must partly lay 

 aside some MSS. which I had previously begun, 

 and before writing it I should like to hear your 

 opinion on the subject. The provisional title 



132 



