THE LONGMAN LETTERS. 211 



dition of the country ' After London/ and 

 then to set my heroes to work, and fight, and 

 travel in it." 



This book was brought out, as stated above, 

 by Cassell and Co. in 1886. The idea is 

 indeed truly original. Had it been more ot 

 a novel, with an end, as well as a beginning, 

 it would have proved more successful. 



" You tell me," Jefferies continues, x " that I 

 write too much. To me it seems as if I wrote 

 nothing, more especially since my illness; for 

 this is the third year I have been so weakened. 

 To me, I say, it seems as if I wrote nothing, 

 for my mind teems with ideas, and my diffi- 

 culty is to know what to do with them. I 

 not only sketch out the general plan of a book 

 almost instantaneously, but I can see every 

 little detail of it from the first page to the last. 

 The mere writing the handwriting is the 

 only trouble; it is very wearying. At this 

 moment I have several volumes quite complete 

 in my mind. Scarce a day goes by but I put 

 down a fresh thought. I have twelve note- 

 books crammed full of ideas, plots, sketches of 

 papers, and so on." 



142 



