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he showed me whenever we met with gratitude。 And the always is
such a little while now！ He is another of the landmarks gone； when
it comes to my own turn to lay my weapons down； I shall do so with
thankfulness and fatigue； and whatever be my destiny afterward； I
shall be glad to lie down with my fathers in honour。 It is human
at least； if not divine。 And these deaths make me think of it with
an ever greater readiness。 Strange that you should be beginning a
new life； when I； who am a little your junior； am thinking of the
end of mine。 But I have had hard lines； I have been so long
waiting for death； I have unwrapped my thoughts from about life so
long； that I have not a filament left to hold by； I have done my
fiddling so long under Vesuvius； that I have almost forgotten to
play； and can only wait for the eruption； and think it long of
coming。 Literally； no man has more wholly outlived life than I。
And still it's good fun。
R。 L。 S。
Letter： TO R。 A。 M。 STEVENSON
＇VAILIMA； SEPTEMBER 1894。＇
DEAR BOB； … You are in error about the Picts。 They were a Gaelic
race； spoke a Celtic tongue； and we have no evidence that I know of
that they were blacker than other Celts。 The Balfours； I take it；
were plainly Celts； their name shows it … the 'cold croft；' it
means； so does their country。 Where the BLACK Scotch come from
nobody knows； but I recognise with you the fact that the whole of
Britain is rapidly and progressively becoming more pigmented；
already in one man's life I can decidedly trace a difference in the
children about a school door。 But colour is not an essential part
of a man or a race。 Take my Polynesians； an Asiatic people
probably from the neighbourhood of the Persian gulf。 They range
through any amount of shades； from the burnt hue of the Low
Archipelago islander； which seems half negro； to the 'bleached'
pretty women of the Marquesas （close by on the map）； who come out
for a festival no darker than an Italian； their colour seems to
vary directly with the degree of exposure to the sun。 And； as with
negroes； the babes are born white； only it should seem a LITTLE
SACK of pigment at the lower part of the spine； which presently
spreads over the whole field。 Very puzzling。 But to return。 The
Picts furnish to…day perhaps a third of the population of Scotland；
say another third for Scots and Britons； and the third for Norse
and Angles is a bad third。 Edinburgh was a Pictish place。 But the
fact is； we don't know their frontiers。 Tell some of your
journalist friends with a good style to popularise old Skene； or
say your prayers； and read him for yourself； he was a Great
Historian； and I was his blessed clerk； and did not know it； and
you will not be in a state of grace about the Picts till you have
studied him。 J。 Horne Stevenson （do you know him？） is working this
up with me； and the fact is … it's not interesting to the public …
but it's interesting； and very interesting； in itself； and just now
very embarrassing … this rural parish supplied Glasgow with such a
quantity of Stevensons in the beginning of last century！ There is
just a link wanting； and we might be able to go back to the
eleventh century； always undistinguished； but clearly traceable。
When I say just a link； I guess I may be taken to mean a dozen。
What a singular thing is this undistinguished perpetuation of a
family throughout the centuries； and the sudden bursting forth of
character and capacity that began with our grandfather！ But as I
go on in life； day by day； I become more of a bewildered child； I
cannot get used to this world； to procreation； to heredity； to
sight； to hearing； the commonest things are a burthen。 The prim
obliterated polite face of life； and the broad； bawdy； and
orgiastic … or maenadic … foundations； form a spectacle to which no
habit reconciles me； and 'I could wish my days to be bound each to
each' by the same open…mouthed wonder。 They ARE anyway； and
whether I wish it or not。
I remember very well your attitude to life； this conventional
surface of it。 You had none of that curiosity for the social stage
directions； the trivial FICELLES of the business； it is simian； but
that is how the wild youth of man is captured； you wouldn't
imitate； hence you kept free … a wild dog； outside the kennel … and
came dam' near starving for your pains。 The key to the business is
of course the belly； difficult as it is to keep that in view in the
zone of three miraculous meals a day in which we were brought up。
Civilisation has become reflex with us； you might think that hunger
was the name of the best sauce； but hunger to the cold solitary
under a bush of a rainy night is the name of something quite
different。 I defend civilisation for the thing it is； for the
thing it has COME to be； the standpoint of a real old Tory。 My
ideal would be the Female Clan。 But how can you turn these
crowding dumb multitudes BACK？ They don't do anything BECAUSE；
they do things； write able articles； stitch shoes； dig； from the
purely simian impulse。 Go and reason with monkeys！
No； I am right about Jean Lillie。 Jean Lillie； our double great…
grandmother； the daughter of David Lillie； sometime Deacon of the
Wrights； married； first； Alan Stevenson； who died May 26； 1774； 'at
Santt Kittes of a fiver；' by whom she had Robert Stevenson； born
8th June 1772； and； second； in May or June 1787； Thomas Smith； a
widower； and already the father of our grandmother。 This
improbable double connection always tends to confuse a student of
the family； Thomas Smith being doubly our great…grandfather。
I looked on the perpetuation of our honoured name with veneration。
My mother collared one of the photos； of course； the other is stuck
up on my wall as the chief of our sept。 Do you know any of the
Gaelic…Celtic sharps？ you might ask what the name means。 It
puzzles me。 I find a M'STEIN and a MACSTEPHANE； and our own great…
grandfather always called himself Steenson； though he wrote it
Stevenson。 There are at least three PLACES called Stevenson …
STEVENSON in Cunningham； STEVENSON in Peebles； and STEVENSON in
Haddington。 And it was not the Celtic trick； I understand； to call
places after people。 I am going to write to Sir Herbert Maxwell
about the name； but you might find some one。
Get the Anglo…Saxon heresy out of your head； they superimposed
their language； they scarce modified the race； only in Berwickshire
and Roxburgh have they very largely affected the place names。 The
Scandinavians did much more to Scotland than the Angles。 The
Saxons didn't come。
Enough of this sham antiquarianism。 Yes； it is in the matter of
the book； of course； that collaboration shows； as for the manner；
it is superficially all mine； in the sense that the last copy is
all in my hand。 Lloyd did not even put pen to paper in the Paris
scenes or the Barbizon scene； it was no good； he wrote and often
rewrote all the rest； I had the best service from him on the
character of Nares。 You see； we had been just meeting the man； and
his memory was full of the man's words and ways。 And Lloyd is an
impressionist； pure and simple。 The great difficulty of
collaboration is that you can't explain what you mean。 I know what
kind of effect I mean a character to give … what kind of TACHE he
is to make； but how am I to tell my collaborator in words？ Hence
it was necessary to say； 'Make him So…and…so'； and this was all
right for Nares and Pinkerton and Loudon Dodd； whom we both knew；
but for Bellairs； for instance … a man with whom I passed ten
minutes fifteen years ago … what was I to say？ and what could Lloyd
do？ I； as a personal artist； can begin a character with only a
haze in my head； but how if I have to translate the haze into words
before I begin？ In our manner of collaborati