Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-07-31
SIR Waller SCOTS LOVE STORY.
His Fruitless Courtship Of Williamina
Stuart

| HIS FTulCl6SS COuFISuIp Ol w lllldu1ud
Stuart
The true story of Sir Walter Scott's
love for Williamina Stuart, as told in
the July Century by a descendant of
one of his intimates, shows how far
astray Ruskin went when he said that
the romancer had never known the
passion of love. We come now to the
year 1896, the most momentous period
in the history of this sad first love of
a noble mind; and it is also the point
from which may be said to date the
calumnies that have darkened the
memory of beautiful Williamina
Stuart. These were twofold. 1t
has been asserted both in
published statements and by
the easily deceived vox populi, first,
that after having given Walter Scott
| the utmost possible encouragement,
and virtually engaged herself to him,
she then deliberately threw him over
when a more welcome lover appeared;
secondly, that she did this dishonor
able and cruel act from the most I'M
worthy Notwithstanding the worldly
position of the new sutton, heir to the
title and wealth of the baronets of
Pitsligo, was infinitely superior to that
of the young and as yet unknown ad-
vocate. Now, the first Of these cal
umnies is mainly founded on false
Interpretation of letter written by
Williamina to Walter Scott, in an
swer to one from his. After three
years of silent longing and devoted
love, he had at last been unable to re-
sist the temptation to tell her openly
the real nature and depth of his feel
ings toward her, and had written all
that was in his heart for her, without
reserve. They were, as we have seen,
in the habit of corresponding and
therefore a reply to this letter was no
proof of any intention on her part to
allow of change in their relations.
Scott, writing on the subject at the
time to an intimate friend, admits
that she distinctly urged upon him the
prudent line of conduct" which
would leave their intercourse to be
conducted, as before, on simple terms
of friendship, and then he adds
81 read over her epistle about TO-
900 times, and always with new admir-
alton of her generosity and candor.
1t would be very difficult to describe
the mixed feelings her letter oc-
casioned, which, entire nous terminated
in very hearty fit of crying.
Williamina had written with the gen
tleness and sweetness which were her
prevailing characteristics, and proba-
bly, from this fact Scott does seem to
have, unfortunately, derived some
| hopes which had no real foundation,
as it is plain that, although they met
frequently afterward in Edinburg,
there was no change whatever in the
! footing on which they had always
stood, and Scott apparently did not
attempt any further avowal of his
attachment. Just at this time he
brought out his first poem, a splendid
translation Of the wild German ballad
of ''Lenore"; and a friend of his pre-
pared for him a beautifully bound
and ornamented copy to be by him
presented to Miss Stuart The gift
could not be refused from the young
author, and Williamina intimated that
she had appreciated and admired it;
but the matter went no further, and
the fatal climax of his unreturned af-
lection was at hand. In the autumn
of that year Walter Scott went to
stay for few days with Sir John and
Lady Jane Stuart at their country
seat, where he had frequently been re-
ceived before with the friendliness and
hospitality which were natural to
them. 1t was the last visit he ever
paid to them, for their daughter let
him see at once that his hopes were
finally in vain, and that the affection
he so long had tried to win had been
given unreservedly to William Forbes,
who was emphatfcally her first as we'll
as her last love. It is probable, as we
have seen, that Scott, in his anxious
hopefulness, had misinterpreted some
expression in Williamina's written an
swer to his avowal of his love for her;
but, apart from all other proofs that
there never was any engagement be-
tween them, William Forbes was far
too honorable as we'll as too proud
man to have sought her had he known
that any such existed. Scott was his
own intimate friend, and the fact of
his betrothal could not have been con-
cealed.