Part of _The Hair Trunk_ still exists in MS. It contains some
tolerable fooling, but is chiefly interesting from the fact that the
seat of the proposed Bohemian colony from Cambridge is to be in the
Navigator Islands; showing the direction which had been given to
Stevenson's thoughts by the conversation of the New Zealand official,
Mr. Seed, two years before.
_17 Heriot Row, Edinburgh, May 1877._
... A perfect chorus of repudiation is sounding in my ears; and although
you say nothing, I know you must be repudiating me, all the same. Write
I cannot--there's no good mincing matters, a letter frightens me worse
than the devil; and I am just as unfit for correspondence as if I had
never learned the three R.'s.
Let me give my news quickly before I relapse into my usual idleness. I
have a terror lest I should relapse before I get this finished. Courage,
R. L. S.! On Leslie Stephen's advice, I gave up the idea of a book of
essays. He said he didn't imagine I was rich enough for such an
amusement; and moreover, whatever was worth publication was worth
republication. So the best of those I had already, _An Apology for
Idlers_, is in proof for the Cornhill. I have Villon to do for the same
magazine, but God knows when I'll get it done, for drums, trumpets--I'm
engaged upon--trumpets, drums--a novel! "<sc>The Hair Trunk; or, the Ideal
Commonwealth</sc>." It is a most absurd story of a lot of young Cambridge
fellows who are going to found a new society, with no ideas on the
subject, and nothing but Bohemian tastes in the place of ideas; and who
are--well, I can't explain about the trunk--it would take too long--but
the trunk is the fun of it--everybody steals it; burglary, marine fight,
life on desert island on west coast of Scotland, sloops, etc. The first
scene where they make their grand schemes and get drunk is supposed to
be very funny, by Henley. I really saw him laugh over it until he cried.
Please write to me, although I deserve it so little, and show a
Christian spirit.--Ever your faithful friend,