But I think it has been a little jobbish. There is a clause providing
the new patentees may redeem. I desired that the circumstance should be
noted, that we were only exercising our own judgment, leaving the future
trustees to exercise theirs. I rather insisted that there should be some
saving clause of this kind, even for the sake of our honour. But I could
not prevail upon my colleagues to put such a saving clause on the
minutes, though they agreed to the possibility of the new patentees
redeeming on behalf of the public. I do not think we have done right.

I called on Mr. Cadell, whose reports of the _Magnum_ might fill up the
dreams of Alnaschar should he sleep as long as the seven sleepers. The
rest was labour and letters till bed-time.

_June_ 3.--The ugly symptoms still continue. Dr. Ross does not make much
of it, and I think he is apt to look grave.[330] I wrote in the morning.
Dr. Macintosh Mackay came to breakfast, and brought a Gaelic book, which
he has published--the Poetry of Rob Donn--some of which seems pretty as
he explained it. Court kept me till near two, and then home comes I.
Afternoon and evening was spent as usual. In the evening Dr. Ross
ordered me to be cupped, an operation which I only knew from its being
practised by that eminent medical practitioner the barber of Bagdad. It
is not painful; and, I think, resembles a giant twisting about your
flesh between his finger and thumb.

_June_ 4.--I was obliged to absent myself from the Court on Dr. Ross's
positive instance; and, what is worse, I was compelled to send an
apology to Hopetoun House, where I expected to see Madame Caradori, who
was to sing Jock of Hazeldean. I wrote the song for Sophia; and I find
my friends here still prefer her to the foreign syren.

"However, Madame Caradori,
To miss you I am very sorry,
I should have taken it for glory
To have heard you sing my Border story."

I worked at the _Tales of my Grandfather_, but leisurely.

_June_ 5.--Cadell came to dine with me _tete-a-tete,_ for the girls are
gone to Hopetoun House. We had ample matter to converse upon, for his
horn was full of good news. While we were at dinner we had letters from
London and Ireland, which decided him to raise the impression of
_Waverley_ to 15,000. This, with 10,000 on the number line which Ireland
is willing to take, will make L18,000 a year of divisible profit. This
leads to a further speculation, as I said, of great importance.