ia39-40. THE VIRGIN CHEMIA. 243 



Invade the twilight grey, 

 And dawning on to perfect day, 

 Drive grief and care away 

 And the heart's sadness !" 



"I have not heard from Daniel since I wrote to you/' he 

 tells his sister a few days later. " I got letter after letter from 

 him the week before, concerning a chemical lectureship in one 

 of the small London schools, which was offered by its pro- 

 prietors. Daniel would have liked well to get me up beside him, 

 arid made out a fine picture of the advantages of the place. But 

 I saw from the first that it was a shabby affair, both in, respect- 

 ability and pecuniary value, and all my friends here advised me 

 to have nothing to do with it. I suspect, however, I got the 

 credit among the London folks of being knit to Edinburgh by 

 stronger ties than professional esprit. Daniel Macmillan sent 

 me a letter to-day, in which he refers, with evident surprise, to 

 my refusing a London lectureship, and puts the query, if the 

 great attraction here be not a heroine ? Marry ! they will have 

 me entangled in some love scrape or other to give a colour of 

 rationality to their own fancies ; and Daniel, though saying 

 nothing, has, I daresay, had a laugh with his namesake at my 

 sudden conviction of the great advantages of a residence in 

 Edinburgh. Nevertheless, in spite of these sly insinuations, 

 you know and I know, that the ' Virgin Chemia,' as certain of 

 the old alchemists call her, is my only love and object of wor- 

 ship. Her ladyship may be adored in a very quiet way ; a, 

 little expense for glasses is all (and does not every lady need 

 her glasses tumblers, spectacles, mirrors, and so forth ?) Flesli- 

 and-blood ladies need on the part of their adorers lots of wealth 

 and wisdom, and my share of both is so very slender, that I must 

 tarry a long while before I get the right to address them." 



To the lectureship spoken of the following letter chiefly 

 refers : 



" 21st May 1840. 



" MY DEAR DANIEL, I know not what to say to you in return 

 for your great trouble in looking after this vacant place for me, 

 and if thanks were things to be sent between brothers, I should 



