I hope I shall hear from you to-morrow; but I entreat of you to write me in course of post, as I wish to hear from you before I leave this [for London], which I intend to do on this day se'nnight by the smack." At length the principal part of the manuscript of the novel was in the press, and, as both the author and the printer were in sore straits for money, they became importunate on Blackwood and Murray for payment on account.

They had taken Ballantyne's "wretched stock" of books, as Blackwood styled them, and Lockhart, in his "Life of Scott," infers that Murray had consented to anticipate the period of his payments.

At all events, he finds in a letter of Scott's, written in August, these words to John Ballantyne: "Dear John,--I have the pleasure to enclose Murray's acceptances.

I earnestly recommend you to push, realising as much as you can.
"Consider weel, gude mon, We hae but borrowed gear, The horse that I ride on, It is John Murray's mear." Scott was at this time sorely pressed for ready money.

He was buying one piece of land after another, usually at exorbitant prices, and having already increased the estate of Abbotsford from 150 to nearly 1,000 acres, he was in communication with Mr.Edward Blore as to the erection of a dwelling adjacent to the cottage, at a point facing the Tweed.