My dear friend
I am very sorry to see from your handwriting with what pain you have written me
this kind letter. & how very unwell you must be. – I do hope soon to have
better news of you. – Sciatica is such extreme suffering – though it doesn’t
kill people. I have had Ben quite ill with much the same sort of pain – &
intermittent fever – consequent of this damp weather after nearly 3 years in the
Tropics. – About our
M.S.S.
manuscripts
– you must allow me to consider the notice as beginning at last
Lady day – & the payment as ceasing at Michaelmas – though any accidental books you have
after that, or indeed which at any time you would like me to read – pray do so.
– This year I have not done half enough work for my wages. –
I now see clearly what you want as to the fairy tales. & shall be very glad
to accept your offer. £250 is perfectly
satisfactory for editing and altering. – though if it came to re-writing or
re-translating it would be a different matter. I am ready to set about it at
once. The first thing will be to get the best latest Children’s versions of the well-known fairy tales – Manché’s versions are of little
or no use: & this Mr.
Garnett would likely find out. I write him today about it. Then I
will send you a list of the books I shall want. – We had best print from
them my alterations can be made in the margin or
interleaved. – I shall be at home all summer, & it will be very pleasant
work. –
I return Madame
D’Aubrey – & I don’t think I shall want her again. She has
the original grown-up version of the tales – which will not do. We must keep to
the corrupted infantile one into which during two centuries her tales, Perraults &c – have
subsided. – The other books you sent me – Grimm –
Knightley – &c I retain as they may come in. –
Do not vex yourself about
Our
Year. Let it be set down as “one of our failures” & not “great”
even. These things
will happen. – I have had far too
much pleasure out of my friendship with your household to care much whether our
business transactions were as beneficial as I know you tried to make them: &
my
£100 a year has been extremely useful for
as long as it lasted. I see clearly that your firm ought to keep the solid
learned university line, rather than light literature. – In the first you stand
first & alone – in the second you come into the arena with many – & it
is not worth your while. Love to
your sister –
tell her my friend is better – & they found it was not scarlitina after all
– but I did not know till too late to see
Mrs Macmillan. We had a
great fright for the time being –
Ben is so susceptible of fever in his present weakly state. –
Ever sincerely yours
DMulock
My love to your
wife – what an anxious time she must have. –