THE LONGMAN LETTERS. 199 



He presently forwards a specimen chapter 

 for the Shooting- Book. That was in Sep- 

 tember, 1878. In October he formally ac- 

 cepted the business arrangements offered by 

 the firm, undertook the work, and signed the 

 agreement. There follows here a gap of three 

 years. When the letters are resumed, JefFeries 

 is living at West Brighton (December, 1882). 

 He offers to contribute to the new Longman's 

 Magazine, and proposes an article consisting 

 of three short sketches. (l) The Acorn- 

 gatherer; (2) The Legend of a Gateway ; and 

 (3) A Roman Brook. This article, in fact, 

 appeared under the title of " Bits of Oak Bark." 



He presently speaks of his long illness, which 

 has kept him out of the world. " I see," he says, 

 "that you havegot outthe Shooting-Book under 

 the title of ' The Dead Shot.' ' This, however, 

 was a reprint of an old book. Mr. Longman's 

 idea of a complete manual for shooting has 

 since been carried out in " The Badminton 

 Library." "No wonder; I could not expect 

 anyone to be more patient than you were. 

 But even now I hope some day to send in 

 a manuscript." 



