R.L.S.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1277, 4 November 1911, Page 9

R.L.S.

An abridged edition of Graham Balfour's "Life of Robert Louis Stevenson" is tho latest volume in the Biographical Edition issued by Scribner's. Of the general character of the life it is unnecessary to speak, but one or two of tho less familiar and yet typical instances of an interesting career may be recalled. It was when he was about thirty that lie made tho social experiment recorded in tho 'Amateur Emigrant" of going through a suburban part of London attired simply in a sleeve-waistcoat. What he discovered is best given in his own words-.— "Tho result was curious. 1 then learned for the first timo, and by the exhaustive proccrs, how much attention ladies are accustomed to bestow on all male creatures of their own station; for, in rny htimbk rig, each one. who went by mo caused a certain shock of surpriso asd a sense of something wanting. In my normal cirenmstaacis, it appeared, every young lady must have paid me some pawing tribute of a glance; and though i iiacl often been unconscious of it when given. I was well aware of its absence when it was withheld. My height seemed to decrease with every women who paaod me, for she passed me Hk." a dog. This is one of my grounds for supposing that what are called tho upper classes may sometimes produce a disagreeable impression in what aro called the lower; and I wish someone would .continue my experiment, and find out exactly at what stago of toilette a man becomes invisible to the well-regu-lated female cyo." The hit that "Treasure Island" made is one of tho most pleasant episodes in literary history, 'fho story that Oladstono got a glimpse of the book at Lord Robbery s house, and spent the next day hunting over London for a second-hand copy, is good enough to be true. One likes to think editor of the cynical "Saturday lieview" of thoso days writim* excit- ?, y $?, Eay tl,ct ,10 """iSht "Treasure Island was tiie best book that had appeared since "Kobinson Crusoe." Andrew Langs comparison w.-u with the enjoyment he derived from "Tom Sawyer" aiid tno "Odyssey." Stevenson's own com-mp-nI ?' J ,, h „'; ; . 5W * C 515 is level-headed, if pointed: This gives one strange thoughts of how very bad the common run cf boohs must be; and generally all the books that the wiseacres think tco bad to print aro the very ones that whig mo praiso and pudding. Die same solf-pos.-ession came (rat, even more emphatically, not long afterward upon a totally different occasion. Attacked with tho most violent and dangerous haemorrhage that ho over experienced, being choked and unable to •sneak he made signs for his wife to give him pencil and paper, whereupon he wrote in a neat awl firm bond: "Don't be frightened; if this is death, it is an easy one." He even took bottle and mcaMirinf-winv' away from her, seeing her alarm. nwti'vred the doso correctly with a steady hand, and returned tho things to her with a reassuring snulo.