James Ballantyne, equally with his partner in the collapse of 1826, as told in this chapter, was a ruined man; everything he possessed—including his house, No. 3 Heriot Row, to which he had removed from St. John Street—being surrendered to his creditors. Fortunately for all concerned a trust-deed was drawn up, and he was chosen to manage Paul’s Work for the creditors at a salary of £400 a year. He was assisted by his younger brother, Alexander, and by John Hughes—son of the Mr. Hughes who came with him from Kelso; and these two afterwards became, with James’s son, John Alexander Ballantyne, the active partners in the business. To add to his misfortunes his wife died in 1829, leaving a large family. In 1816, when forty-five years of age, he had married Miss Hogarth, of Berwickshire, sister of George Hogarth, author of “A History of Music.” Their household was a happy one; Mrs. Ballantyne was an amiable woman of simple habits, and the children were pleasant and well-mannered. Her death affected him so much that for some time he was unfit for business, and his health was impaired. He was never the same buoyant, happy man again. Scott writes regarding this event: “I received the melancholy news that James Ballantyne has lost his wife. With his domestic habits the blow is irretrievable. What can he do, poor fellow, at the head of such a family of children! I should not be surprised if he were to give way to despair.” He was not able to appear at the funeral, and this circumstance evoked much sympathy. In the same year we find him residing in Albany Street. Some time after he removed to Hill Street, and here he died on January 17, 1833. Shortly before this event, he had expressed a hope that he might yet be restored to sufficient health, to enable him to place on record all he felt and knew regarding the great and good Sir Walter, who had so recently gone before him. Accordingly, one of the last acts of his busy life, when lying on his deathbed, was to write and send to Lockhart the Memorandum of which the latter made such full use in his “Life of Scott,” and in return for which he thought it not inconsistent with the courtesy of a gentleman to traduce the character of the writer. CHAPTER IX THE AUTHOR AND THE REVISER On the 21st September 1832 Sir Walter Scott died, and four months later James Ballantyne followed him to that bourne “where the petty politics of terrestrial powers no longer inflame men’s minds, and the sound of discord and disagreement is not heard.” The following obituary notice appeared in the _Scotsman_ of January 19, 1833:—