as other work
of some more or less mechanical kind, and the manufacture of 'leader
notes' was the least part of Murray's industry. At the end of two years
there was 'the prospect of a very fair salary.' But there was 'night-
work and everlasting hurry.' 'The interviewing of a half-bred
Town-Councillor on the subject of gas and paving' did not exhilarate
Murray. Again, he had to compile a column of Literary News, from the
_Athenaeum_, the _Academy_, and so on, 'with comments and enlargements
where possible.' This might have been made extremely amusing, it sounds
like a delightful task,--the making of comments on 'Mr. --- has finished
a sonnet:' 'Mr. ---'s poems are in their fiftieth thousand:' 'Miss ---
has gone on a tour of health to the banks of the Yang-tse-kiang:' 'Mrs.
--- is engaged on a novel about the Pilchard Fishery.' One could make
comments (if permitted) on these topics for love, and they might not be
unpopular. But perhaps Murray was shackled a little by human respect, or
the prejudices of his editor. At all events he calls it 'not very
inspiring employment.' The bare idea, I confess, inspirits me extremely.

But the literary _follet_, who delights in mild mischief, did not haunt
Murray. He found an opportunity to write on the Canongate Churchyard,
where Fergusson lies, under the monument erected by Burns to the boy of
genius whom he called his master. Of course the part of the article
which dealt with Fergusson, himself a poet of the Scarlet Gown, was cut
out. The Scotch do not care to hear about Fergusson, in spite of their
'myriad mutchkined enthusiasm' for his more illustrious imitator and
successor, Burns.

At this time Edinburgh was honouring itself, and Mr. Parnell, by
conferring its citizenship on that patriot. Murray was actually told off
'to stand at a given point of the line on which the hero marched,' and to
write some lines of 'picturesque description.' This kind of thing could
not go on. It was at Nelson's Monument that he stood: his enthusiasm was
more for Nelson than for Mr. Parnell; and he caught a severe cold on this
noble occasion. Murray's opinions clashed with those of the _Scottish
Leader_, and he withdrew from its service.

Just a week passed between the Parnellian triumph and Murray's retreat
from daily journalism. 'On a newspaper one must have no opinions except
those which are favourable to the sale of the paper and the filling of
its advertisement columns.' That