Thewholebottomofthevalleyisfullofvariousstreamspostingbetweenstripsofforestwithabravesoundofwaters。Inoneplacewehadaglimpseofafallsomewayhigherup，andthensparklinginsunlightinthemidstofthegreenvalley。Thenupbyawindingpathscarceaccessibletoahorseforsteepness，totheotherside，andtheopencocoanutgladesoftheplantation。Herewerodefast，didamightysatisfactoryafternoon’sworkattheplantationhouse，andstillfasterback。OnthereturnJackfellwithme，butgotupagain；whenIfelthimrecoveringIgavehimhishead，andheshovedhisfootthroughtherein；Igothimbythebithowever，andallwaswell；hehadmudoverallhisface，buthiskneeswerenotbroken。Wewerescarcehomewhentherainbeganagain；thatwasluck。Itispouringnowintorrents；weareintheheightofthebadseason。LloydleavesalongwiththisletteronachangetoSanFrancisco；hehadmuchneedofit，butIthinkthiswillbracehimup。Iam，asyousee，atowerofstrength。IcanrememberridingnotsofarandnotnearsofastwhenIfirstcametoSamoa，andbeingshatterednextdaywithfatigue；nowIcouldnottellIhavedoneanything；havere-handledmybattleofFangaliiaccordingtoyesterday’sinformation-fourpagesrewritten；andwrittenalreadysomehalf-dozenpagesofletters。
　　Iobservewithdisgustthatwhileofyore，whenIownIwasguilty，youneversparedmeabuse，butnow，whenIamsovirtuous，whereisthepraise？DoadmitthatIhavebecomeanexcellentletter-writer-atleasttoyou，andthatyouringratitudeisimbecile-Yoursever，R。L。S。
　　MYDEARCOLVIN，-Noletteratallfromyou，andthisscratchfromme！Hereisayearthatopensill。Lloydisoffto’thecoast’sick-THECOASTmeansCaliforniaovermostofthePacific-Ihavebeendownallmonthwithinfluenza，andamjustrecovering-Iamoverlaidwithproofs，whichIamjustabouthalffittoattendto。Oneofmyhorsesdiedthismorning，andanotherisnowdyingonthefrontlawn-Lloyd’shorseandFanny’s。Suchismyquarrelwithdestiny。ButI
　　ammendingfamously，comeandgoonthebalcony，haveperfectlygoodnights，andthoughIstillcough，havenooppressionandnohemorrhageandnofever。SoifIcanfindtimeandcouragetoaddnomore，youwillknowmynewsisnotaltogetheroftheworst；ayearortwoago，andwhatastateIshouldhavebeeninnow！Yoursilence，Iown，ratheralarmsme。ButItellmyselfyouhavejustmiscarried；hadyoubeentooilltowrite，someonewouldhavewrittenme。
　　Understand，IsendthisbriefscratchnotbecauseIamunfittowritemore，butbecauseIhave58galleysoftheWRECKER
　　and102oftheBEACHOFFALESAtogetoverhauledsomehoworotherintimeforthemail，andforthreeweeksIhavenottouchedapenwithmyfinger。
　　Thesecondhorseisstillalive，butIstillthinkdying。
　　Thefirstwasburiedthismorning。Myproofsaredone；itwasaroughtwodaysofit，butdone。CONSUMMATUMEST；NA
　　UMA。IbelievetheWRECKERendswell；ifIknowwhatagoodyarnis，thelastfourchaptersmakeagoodyarn-butprettyhorrible。THEBEACHOFFALESAIstillthinkwellof，butitseemsit’simmoralandthere’sato-do，andfinanciallyitmayproveaheavydisappointment。Theplaintiverequestsenttome，tomaketheyoungfolksmarriedproperlybefore’thatnight，’Irefused；youwillseewhatwouldbeleftoftheyarn，hadIconsented。Thisisapoisonbadworldfortheromancer，thisAnglo-Saxonworld；Iusuallygetoutofitbynothavinganywomeninitatall；butwhenIrememberIhadtheTREASUREOFFRANCHARDrefusedasunfitforafamilymagazine，Ifeeldespairweighuponmywrists。
　　AsIknowyouarealwaysinterestedinnovels，Imusttellyouthatanewoneisnowentirelyplanned。ItistobecalledSOPHIASCARLET，andisintwoparts。PartI。TheVanillaPlanter。PartII。TheOverseers。Nochapters，I
　　think；justtwodenseblocksofnarrative，thefirstofwhichispurelysentimental，butthesecondhassomerowsandquarrels，andwindsupwithanexplosion，ifyouplease！I
　　amjustburningtogetatSophia，butIMUSTdothisSamoanjournalism-that’sacursedduty。ThefirstpartofSophia，barthefirsttwentyorthirtypages，writesitself；thesecondismoredifficult，involvingagoodmanycharacters-
　　aboutten，Ithink-whohavetobekeptallmoving，andgivetheeffectofasociety。Ihavethreewomentohandle，outandwell-away！butonlySophiaisinfulltone。Sophiaandtwomen，Windermere，theVanillaPlanter，whodiesattheendofPartI。，andRainsforth，whoonlyappearsinthebeginningofPartII。Thefactis，Iblushtoownit，butSophiaisaREGULARNOVEL；heroineandhero，andfalseaccusation，andlove，andmarriage，andalltherestofit-allplantedinabigSouthSeaplantationrunbyex-Englishofficers-ALA
　　Stewart’splantationinTahiti。Thereisastrongundercurrentoflabourtrade，whichgivesitakindofUncleTomflavour，ABSITOMEN！Thefirststartishard；itishardtoavoidalittletediumhere，butIthinkbybeginningwiththearrivalofthethreeMissScarletshotfromschoolandsocietyinEngland，Imaymanagetoslideintheinformation。
　　TheproblemisexactlyaBalzacone，andIwishIhadhisfist-forIhavealreadyabettermethod-thekinetic，whereashecontinuallyallowedhimselftobeledintothestatic。Butthenhehadthefist，andthemostIcanhopeistogetoutofitwithamodicumofgraceandenergy，butforsurewithoutthestrongimpression，thefull，darkbrush。
　　Threepeoplehavehadit，therealcreator’sbrush:Scott，seemuchofTHEANTIQUARYandTHEHEARTOFMIDLOTHIAN
　　especiallyallroundthetrial，before，during，andafter-
　　Balzac-andThackerayinVANITYFAIR。EverybodyelseeitherpaintsTHIN，orhastostoptopaint，orpaintsexcitedly，sothatyouseetheauthorskippingbeforehiscanvas。HereisalongwayfrompoorSophiaScarlet！
　　ThisdayispublishedSOPHIASCARLET
　　ByROBERTLOUISSTEVENSON。
　　MYDEARCOLVIN，-Thishasbeenabusyishmonthforasickman。First，Faauma-thebronzecandlestick，whomotherwiseIcalledmybutler-boltedfromthebedandbosomofLafaele，theArchangelHercules，prefectofthecattle。
　　Therewasthedeucetopay，andHerculeswasinconsolable，andimmediatelystartedoutafteranewwife，andhashadoneuponavisit，butsaysshehas’noconversation’；andI
　　thinkhewilltakebacktheerringandpossiblyrepentantcandlestick；whomwealldevoutlyprefer，assheisnotonlyhighlydecorative，butgood-natured，andifshedoeslittleworkmakesnorows。Itellthislightly，butitreallywasaheavybusiness；manywereaccusedofcomplicity，andRafaelwasreallyverysorry。Ihadtoholdbedsofjustice-
　　literally-seatedinmybedandsurroundedbylyingSamoansseatedonthefloor；andthereweremanypicturesqueandstillinexplicablepassages。Itishardtoreachthetruthintheseislands。
　　Thenextincidentoverlappedwiththis。S。andFannyfoundthreestrangehorsesinthepaddock:forlongnowtheboyshavebeenforbiddentoleavetheirhorseshereonehourbecauseourgrassisover-grazed。S。cameupwiththenews，andIsawImustnowstrikeablow。’Tothepoundwiththelot，’saidI。Heproposedtakingthethreehimself，butI
　　thoughtthattoodangerousanexperiment，saidIshouldgotoo，andhurriedintomybootssoastoshowdecisiontaken，inthenecessaryinterviews。Theycameofcourse-theinterviews-andIexplainedwhatIwasgoingtodoathugelength，andstucktomyguns。Iamgladtosaythenatives，withtheirusualpurelyspeculativesenseofjusticehighlyapprovedthestepafterreflection。MeanwhileoffwentS。
　　andIwiththethreeCORPORADELICTI；andagoodjobIwent！
　　Once，whenourcircusbegantokick，wethoughtallwasup；
　　butwegotthemdownallsoundinwindandlimb。IjudgedI
　　wasmuchfallenofffrommyElliottforefathers，whomanagedthisclassofbusinesswithneatnessanddespatch。Half-waydownitcameontoraintropicstyle，andIcamebackfrommyoutingdrenchedlikedadrownedman-IwasliterallyblindedasIcamebackamongthesesheetsofwater；andtheconsequencewasIwaslaiddownwithdiarrhoeaandthreateningsofSamoacolicfortheinsideofanotherweek。
　　Ihaveaconfessiontomake。WhenIwassickItriedtogettoworktofinishthatSamoathing，wouldn’tgo；andatlast，inthecolictime，IslidoffintoDAVIDBALFOUR，some50
　　pagesofwhicharedrafted，andlikemewell。ReallyIthinkitisspirited；andthere’saheroinethatuptonowseemstohaveattractions:ABSITOMEN！David，onthewhole，seemsexcellent。Alandoesnotcomeintillthetenthchapter，andIamonlyattheeighth，soIdon’tknowifIcanfindhimagain；butDavidisonhisfeet，anddoingwell，andverymuchinlove，andmixedupwiththeLordAdvocateandtheuntitledLordLovat，andallmannerofgreatfolk。Andthetaleinterfereswithmyeatingandsleeping。Thejoinisbad；Ihavenotthoughttostraintoomuchforcontinuity；sothispartbealive，Ishallbecontent。Butthere’snodoubtDavidseemstohavechangedhisstyle，de’ilha’ehim！AndmuchIcare，ifthetaletravel！
　　Twoincidentsto-daywhichImustnarrate。Afterlunch，itwasrainingpitilessly；weweresittinginmymother’sbedroom，andIwasreadingaloudKinglake’sChargeoftheLightBrigade，andwehadjustbeenallseizedbythehorsesaligningwithLordGeorgePaget，whenafigureappearedontheverandah；alittle，slim，smallfigureofalad，withblondI。E。limedhair，apropitiatorysmile，andanosethataloneofallhisfeaturesgrewpalewithanxiety。’I
　　comeherestop，’wasabouttheoutsideofhisEnglish；andI
　　beganatoncetoguessthathewasarunawaylabourer，andthatthebush-knifeinhishandwasstolen。Itprovedhehadamate，whohadlackedhiscourage，andwashiddendowntheroad；theyhadbothmadeuptheirmindstorunaway，andhad’comeherestop。’Icouldnotturnoutthepoorrogues，oneofwhomshowedmemarksonhisback，intothedrenchingforest；Icouldnotreasonwiththem，fortheyhadnotenoughEnglish，andnotoneofourboysspoketheirtongue；soI
　　badethemfeedandsleephereto-night，andto-morrowImustdowhattheLordshallbidme。
　　Neardinnertime，IwastoldthatafriendofLafaele’shadfoundhumanremainsinmybush。Afterdinner，afigurewasseenskulkingacrosstowardsthewaterfall，whichproducedfromtheverandahashout，inmymoststentoriantones:’OAI