ulfill. He had undertaken what, in
truth, was impossible. The labor of at once editing the _Miscellany_ and
supplying it with monthly portions of _Oliver_ more than occupied all
the time left him by other labors absolutely necessary. "I no sooner get
myself up," he wrote, "high and dry, to attack _Oliver_ manfully, than
up come the waves of each month's work, and drive me back again into a
sea of manuscript." There was nothing for it but that he should make
further appeal to Mr. Bentley. "I have recently," he wrote to him on the
11th of February, 1838, "been thinking a great deal about _Barnaby
Rudge_. _Grimaldi_ has occupied so much of the short interval I had
between the completion of the _Pickwick_ and the commencement of the new
work, that I see it will be wholly impossible for me to produce it by
the time I had hoped, with justice to myself or profit to you. What I
wish you to consider is this: would it not be far more to your interest,
as well as within the scope of my ability, if _Barnaby Rudge_ began in
the _Miscellany_ immediately on the conclusion of _Oliver Twist_, and
were continued there for the same time, and then published in three
volumes? Take these simple facts into consideration. If the _Miscellany_
is to keep its ground, it _must_ have some continuous tale from me when
_Oliver_ stops. If I sat down to _Barnaby Rudge_, writing a little of it
when I could (and with all my other engagements it would necessarily be
a very long time before I could hope to finish it that way), it would be
clearly impossible for me to begin a new series of papers in the
_Miscellany_. The conduct of three different stories at the same time,
and the production of a large portion of each, every month, would have
been beyond Scott himself. Whereas, having _Barnaby_ for the
_Miscellany_, we could at once supply the gap which the cessation of
_Oliver_ must create, and you would have all the advantage of that
prestige in favor of the work which is certain to enhance the value of
_Oliver Twist_ considerably. Just think of this at your leisure. I am
really anxious to do the best I can for you as well as for myself, and
in this case the pecuniary advantage must be all on your side." This
letter nevertheless, which had also requested an overdue account of the
sales of the _Miscellany_, led to differences which were only adjusted
after six months' wrangling; and I was party to the understanding then
arrived at, by which, among other thin