200 THE EULOGY OF RICHARD JEFFERIES. 



He is also ready to write another book. 

 This time it is to be a series of " short story - 

 sketches of life and character, incident and 

 nature. I want to express the deeper feelings 

 with which observation of life-histories has filled 

 me, and I assure you I have as large a collec- 

 tion of these facts and incidents the natural 

 history of the heart as I have ever written 

 about birds and trees." In short, he proposes 

 to write a series which shall take the place in 

 the magazine of the novel, and says that he 

 has enough material to carry him along until 

 the year 1890, or longer. "Why not let 

 other contributors, besides the novelist, oc- 

 casionally give you a series? For myself, I 

 have given up English novels and taken to 

 the French, which are at least bright, short, 

 dramatic, and amusing." The poor English 

 novelist ! He has to endure a great deal, 

 Whenever an editor is in want of a subject for 

 a leading article, or a critic for something to 

 talk about, he has a fling at the English 

 novelist. The greatest artist and the smallest, 

 most insignificant story-teller ; the master and 

 the apprentice ; the observer of manners and 



