第15部分(第5/7 頁)

nd　pounds　in　a　year！　I　gazed　at　him　with　wonder　and　admiration。

I　have　known　very　few　prosperous　men　of　letters；　N…　represents　for　me　the　best　and　brightest　side　of　literary　success。　Say　what　one　will　after　a　lifetime　of　disillusion；　the　author　who　earns　largely　by　honest　and　capable　work　is　among　the　few　enviable　mortals。　Think　of　N…'s　existence。　No　other　man　could　do　what　he　is　doing；　and　he　does　it　with　ease。　Two；　or　at　most　three；　hours'　work　a　day……and　that　by　no　means　every　day……suffices　to　him。　Like　all　who　write；　he　has　his　unfruitful　times；　his　mental　worries；　his　disappointments；　but　these　bear　no　proportion　to　the　hours　of　happy　and　effective　labour。　Every　time　I　see　him　he　looks　in　better　health；　for　of　late　years　he　has　taken　much　more　exercise；　and　he　is　often　travelling。　He　is　happy　in　his　wife　and　children；　the　thought　of　all　the　forts　and　pleasures　he　is　able　to　give　them　must　be　a　constant　joy　to　him；　were　he　to　die；　his　family　is　safe　from　want。　He　has　friends　and　acquaintances　as　many　as　he　desires；　congenial　folk　gather　at　his　table；　he　is　wele　in　pleasant　houses　near　and　far；　his　praise　is　upon　the　lips　of　all　whose　praise　is　worth　having。　With　all　this；　he　has　the　good　sense　to　avoid　manifest　dangers；　he　has　not　abandoned　his　privacy；　and　he　seems　to　be　in　no　danger　of　being　spoilt　by　good　fortune。　His　work　is　more　to　him　than　a　means　of　earning　money；　he　talks　about　a　book　he　has　in　hand　almost　as　freshly　and　keenly　as　in　the　old　days；　when　his　annual　ine　was　barely　a　couple　of　hundred。　I　note；　too；　that　his　leisure　is　not　swamped　with　the　publications　of　the　day；　he　reads　as　many　old　books　as　new；　and　keeps　many　of　his　early　enthusiasms。

He　is　one　of　the　men　I　heartily　like。　That　he　greatly　cares　for　me　I　do　not　suppose；　but　this　h