On the advice of the Lord Advocate it had been agreed that Stevenson
should present himself for admission as a student at one of the
London Inns of Court and should come to town after the middle of
October to be examined for that purpose. The following two letters
refer to this purpose and to the formalities required for effecting
it:--
_[Edinburgh, Oct. 15, 1873], Wednesday._
MY DEAR COLVIN,--Of course I knew as well as you that I was merely
running before an illness; but I thought I should be in time to escape.
However I was knocked over on Monday night with a bad sore throat,
fever, rheumatism, and a threatening of pleurisy, which last is, I
think, gone. I still hope to be able to get away early next week, though
I am not very clear as to how I shall manage the journey. If I don't get
away on Wednesday at latest, I lose my excuse for going at all, and I do
wish to escape a little while.
I shall see about the form when I get home, which I hope will be
to-morrow (I was taken ill in a friend's house and have not yet been
moved).
How could a broken-down engineer expect to make anything of _Roads_.
Requiescant. When we get well (and if we get well), we shall do
something better.--Yours sincerely,