They nearly met! In April 1887 RLS wrote to his friend W E Henley asking him to contact Eustace Balfour, a fellow member of the Savile Club in London, asking for RLS to be put in touch with his elder brother Arthur. He wanted a 30 minute private meeting. RLS was incensed by Balfour's treatment of the Irish. He naively believed that if he could meet Arthur, RLS could change his mind.

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Arthur James Balfour had extensive estates at Whittinghame in East Lothian. He was obsessed with golf, and would regularly stay in North Berwick for lengthy periods.

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Had they met the conversation might well have gone like this.....