was abashed
at himself.--Yours most sincerely,

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.

TO SIDNEY COLVIN

[_New York, end of September 1887._]

MY DEAR S. C.,--Your delightful letter has just come, and finds me in a
New York hotel, waiting the arrival of a sculptor (St. Gaudens) who is
making a medallion of yours truly and who is (to boot) one of the
handsomest and nicest fellows I have seen. I caught a cold on the Banks;
fog is not for me; nearly died of interviewers and visitors, during
twenty-four hours in New York; cut for Newport with Lloyd and Valentine,
a journey like fairyland for the most engaging beauties, one little
rocky and pine-shaded cove after another, each with a house and a boat
at anchor, so that I left my heart in each and marvelled why American
authors had been so unjust to their country; caught another cold on the
train; arrived at Newport to go to bed and to grow worse, and to stay in
bed until I left again; the Fairchilds proving during this time
kindness itself; Mr. Fairchild simply one of the most engaging men in
the world, and one of the children, Blair, _aet._ ten, a great joy and
amusement in his solemn adoring attitude to the author of _Treasure
Island_.

Here I was interrupted by the arrival of my sculptor.--I withdraw
calling him handsome; he is not quite that, his eyes are too near
together; he is only remarkable looking, and like an Italian
cinque-cento medallion; I have begged him to make a medallion of himself
and give me a copy. I will not take up the sentence in which I was
wandering so long, but begin fresh. I was ten or twelve days at Newport;
then came back convalescent to New York. Fanny and Lloyd are off to the
Adirondacks to see if that will suit; and the rest of us leave Monday
(this is Saturday) to follow them up. I hope we may manage to stay there
all winter. I have a splendid appetite and have on the whole recovered
well after a mighty sharp attack. I am now on a salary of L500 a year
for twelve articles in Scribner's Magazine on what I like; it is more
than L500, but I cannot calculate more precisely. You have no idea how
much is made of me here; I was offered L2000 for a weekly article--eh
heh! how is that? but I refused that lucrative job. The success of
_Underwoods_ is gratifying. You see, the verses are sane; that is their
strong point, and it seems it is strong enough to carry them.

A thousand thanks for your grand letter.--Ever yours,

R. L. S.