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Some Recent Statements and Other Matter Concerning Sir Walter Scott
Some Recent Statements and Other Matter Concerning Sir Walter Scott Author:Russell Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: The large leather wheel-chair, now at Ashiesteel, is undoubtedly an interesting relic of Sir "Walter Scott, as having been a costly present from him to a relatio... more »n who had been sorely stricken; but it is rather difficult to account for the statement which reappears, from time to time, that it had been used by himself. Anyone who has examined the chair, must see that the large wheel-guards would prevent it ever being brought up to a table for writing or any other purpose; while Lockhart's statement that the chair in which he and Laidlaw wheeled Sir Walter about, during the remarkable revival of a few days which followed his last return to Abbotsford, was a bath-chair borrowed from Huntley Burn (the Fergusons') may certainly be taken as trustworthy. (See Life, vol. 7th, chap. 11.) The large leather chair was by this time at Ashiesteel, having been no doubt warehoused in Edinburgh with the Ashiesteel furniture, when the house was empty; and it was undoubtedly sent to Abbotsford, at the time in question, for Sir Walter's use. But even if it had been at all suited for an invalid, it may be a question whether it was at Abbotsford during the time when he was able to be moved about. It is certain that, on the last day he left his room, when he insisted on being wheeled up to his desk, and making an attempt to write, it was not in this chair; for, as said before, it could not have been brought up to the table. And as he had been lying in what seemed a half-dead state in London, it is not likely that anyone could have anticipated his having any use for a wheel-chair. No doubt it was dispatched, as soon as possible, on its being known that he seemed wonderfully better, and was being wheeled about out of doors. Distinct consciousness seemed to return on his recognising the road betwee...« less