178 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CHAP. VIII 



I have been swallowing oceans of disgust lately. All 

 sorts of squabbles, some made by my own folly and others 

 by the malice of other people, and no great sea and sky 

 to go out under, and be alone and forget it all. 



You may have seen my name advertised by Eeeve * as 

 about to write a memoir of poor Forbes, to be prefixed to 

 a collection of his essays. I found that to be a mere 

 bookseller's dodge on Reeve's part, and when I made the 

 discovery, of course we had a battle-royal, and I have 

 now wholly withdrawn from it. 



I find, however, that one's kind and generous friends 

 imagine it was an electioneering manoeuvre on my part 

 for Edinburgh. Imagine how satisfactory. I forget 

 whether I told you that I had been asked to stand for 

 Edinburgh and have done so. Whether I shall be 

 appointed or not I do not know. So far as my own 

 wishes go, I am in a curiously balanced state of mind 

 about it. Many things make it a desirable post, but I 

 dread leaving London and its freedom its Bedouin sort 

 of life for Edinburgh and no whistling on Sundays. 

 Besides, if I go there, I shall have to give up all my 

 coast-survey plans, and all their pleasant concomitants. 



Apropos of Edinburgh I feel much like the Irish hod- 

 man who betted his fellow he could not carry him up to 

 the top of a house in his hod. The man did it, but Pat 

 turning round as he was set down on the roof, said, 

 " Ye've done it, sure enough, but, bedad, I'd great hopes 

 ye'd let me fall about three rounds from the top." 

 Bedad, I'm nearly at the top of the Scotch ladder, but 

 I've hopes. 



It is finally settled that the chair will not be divided. 

 I told them frankly I would not go if it were. 



Has Highly sent your books yet? Ever yours 

 faithfully, T. H. HDXLET. 



1 Henry Reeve, 1813-1895, editor of the Edinburgh Review 

 from 1855 to his death. He translated De Tocqueville, and wrote 

 or edited several works on art, letters, and biography. 



