A sort of notion of locating a story at Market Stoneborough had made us look up the Mays and find out what they are doing now.

Blanche and Hector are just married, and Aubrey, having proved too delicate for Eton, is Ethel’s faithful pupil still, and Flora’s house is very well managed, but so stupid, and Mary is married to a clergyman.

I have changed the cart accident into ... continue reading

My dear Miss Smith,

I enclose your cheque. I am very sorry to have kept you waiting so long, but Mr Mozley has not paid me yet, and as I sent him an appeal the other day to see if I could not get our pay raised, I was waiting for his answer though even if it were to raise our terms it would hardly be for this year that is past. I feel very cross ... continue reading

My dear Miss Smith

Many thanks for the first sight of my dear friends the Franklyns how attractive Bell’s pretty paper makes them. I will take care they go safely tomorrow on their long voyage, but I am afraid it is quite too late for a notice of them in the forthcoming Packet I take shame to myself for not have remembered that Mutterchen was neuter in the time of the M S and now ... continue reading

I find most people grumble at Leonard’s not being hung, but I mean to make much more of him.

Sir,

I am obliged for your letter of the 9th. The MS of the Clever Woman of the Family is not sufficiently forward for the calculations for printing to be made yet. I have however a tale called 'the Trial' which has been coming out in the Monthly Packet, where it will be completed in the early spring when I should wish to bring it out, but it ought to be uniform with the 'Daisy Chain' ... continue reading

Sir,

I am sorry you had so much trouble about the Trial. I was only waiting to send it to you till I heard whether you thought it worth while to look at it so long before hand. I now send it by this post. There are six more chapters not yet in type of about the length of these, but I hope that the last of them will appear on the 1st of March or ... continue reading

Dear Madam,

We shall have much pleasure in taking the stock of your books under our charge and publishing them for you on commission. When we have had a little experience of them and how they sell now, we shall be better able to advise and suggest something definite with regard to cheap editions or the like.

The Trial we calculate could be got into 2 nice crown 8vo volumes selling at 12/-. We will give £200 ... continue reading

Dear Sir,

My brother will call on you on Wednesday morning, the 2nd, unless he should hear from you to the contrary. His address is J.B. Yonge Esq

9 Montague Place

Bryanston Square.

I have just heard that there are 50 copies of the Lances of Lynwood ordered, and that there are none in stock.

I think a new edition should be put in hand at once, it is a childs book, with designs by Mrs Blackburn ... continue reading

Dear Sir,

I found the other day that Messrs Longman’s delay in transferring my books to you was rendering it difficult for the retail booksellers to procure them - I therefore wrote to them a day or two ago to urge on the completion of the arrangements and I hope you may soon be able to let me know that this has been done.

How soon do you think it would be advisable to begin printing the ... continue reading

Dear Madam,

I have got all your books now from Messrs Longmans & have been distributing the enclosed circular through the booksellers all over the country, so there ought now to be no uncertainty or difficulty on the part of any bookseller getting your books. But it may be a little time before all chance of misunderstanding ceases. We are advertising your books together as widely & well as we can.

I think it would be as ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan

Herewith I send enough of the Trial for the printer to proceed with at once. I have erased all the redundancies I could find, and I hope it may thus become less cumbrous - Unless there is some difficulty I suppose there is no need of sending me proofs. Mr Parker wrote to me himself to recommend Phelps who printed the History of Christian Names and as there were a good many letters ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan

Besides what I sent on Monday and the 63 pp I am sending by this days post, there are 380 pp of the Trial in type in the Monthly Packet, and in MS what I should think would make about 45 or 50 more.

I am writing to Mrs Blackburn about her drawings

Yours faithfully C. M. Yonge

Dear Mr Macmillan,

I enclose what Mrs Blackburn says in answer to my question about the drawings for the Little Duke - Will you tell me what you think of the matter? I suppose she might improve some of the faces, but I think it is quite open to you to find some other designer. I shall send tomorrow another parcel of the Trial

Yours faithfully C.M. Yonge

Dear Mr Macmillan

I am not certain whether it was mentioned that sheets of the Trial were to be sent to Messrs Williams and Norgate to be forwarded to M. Tauchnitz. He has just written to me to ask for them which makes me mention it.

I send the chapters of The Trial, all but the three last, which shall follow in a week or fortnight.

Yours faithfully C. M. Yonge

My dear Miss Yonge I suppose you would like to have the 'Trial' stereotyped. This can be done now at nearly the same cost as the Composition would be hereafter. For readjusting the page and having stereotype plate cast the expense would be £68. I do not know how you have arranged the matter on former occasions. But I suppose that you would probably prefer to purchase the plates and have them as your own property.

The ... continue reading

My dear Mr Macmillan, I suppose the Trial ought to be stereotyped that it may stand on the same footing with the other books. In all the former cases I have been at the whole expense of printing, paper, binding &c, and have thus had all the profits, except the commission on the sales - I think the arrangement with regard to the Trial was that I was to receive £200 for 2,000 copies; I conclude ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, I sent the drawing by the train yesterday. It was very dull of me not to have seen that it was a drawing. Our only other criticism is that a touch or two might make the little Duke’s limbs more child like.

As a matter of fact I believe the Normans did not wear beards, but I only found this out long after the book was out, so book and beard must both stand ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, I should be much obliged if you would send a copy of the Trial to M. Guizot’s daughter

Madame de Witt Val Richer Lisieux Calvados France

as she wishes to translate the book. I believe I sent before the list of copies that I should like to have sent out. I hope the book will appear soon now

Yours faithfully C.M. Yonge

Dear Miss Yonge We have at length got the Trial ready. I am afraid you will think we have been somewhat dilatory, which indeed has been the case. Our printer has been busy, and it was somewhat hard to keep him moving with due speed. You will I hope be satisfied with the result as regards the look [illegible] and I think it comes out at a favourable time. We sold about 1200 to start with. ... continue reading

Miss Yonge would wish the following presentation copies of the Trial to be sent - if they have not already been sent, - she is not certain whether Messrs Macmillan had her list and should wish to guard against any being sent twice over - Copies to be sent to

Miss Coleridge Heaths Court

Care of JD Coleridge Esq 6 Southwark Crescent

also to -

Sir William Heathcote Bart M P 91 Victoria Street

Mrs Pode 3 Craven Place Westbourne Terrace

Miss [[person:1582]Anne ... continue reading

Dear Miss Yonge I enclose a list of the presentation copies we have sent out. Including those to the Press. I dont know whether there are any other papers that you have been in the habit of having your books sent to. I will send any you suggest gladly.

I am sorry that your parcel went by a route that is inconvenient to you. We will remember again when we have any thing to send.

We will advertise ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan,

There is one more copy of the Trial that I should like to have sent to the Press - i.e., to Events of the Month, Mozley’s, 6 Paternoster Row - it is a sort of school room Athenaeum which I wish to help forward

Thanks for your note. I hope nothing will prevent my meeting Mrs D Macmillan and I shall be glad to talk over your scheme, and see if it comes within ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, We are still constantly reminded by our own condition of the nursery tale of the old woman whose rope -rope would not hang butcher - butcher would not kill ox, &c &c, only unluckily the last link in the chain does not stop at 'I shall not get home tonight', but as long as plasterer will not plaster stairs and stairs can’t be gone up &c, &c, I cannot finish Golden Deeds!

I can ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, I should prefer keeping the Clever Woman uniform with the other tales, as I think a good many people have a set of them, to which they would add it. And I should be scolded by half my friends for coming out in the 3 vol shape!

I am glad the Trial has done well. I see you are advertising a cheap edition. What are to be the terms for it.

I have this morning ... continue reading

Dear Miss Yonge We shall deal with the Clever Woman as we did with the Trial as you wish it. Will it be safe to begin printing it or will you prefer waiting till we are a little further on. If we cannot publish before the end of November it would be better to wait till February.

We will be very glad to have all the copy for the golden Deeds. The little extra will not matter. ... continue reading

My dear Miss Yonge I have given our printer orders to go on with the 'Clever Woman'. I hope you will receive proofs at once & have a rapid supply. It will make some such work as 'The Trial,' as you wish.

I have corresponded with a friend of yours about 'Events of the Month.' I think the idea admirable the want is a crying one. But it should be [illegible] and well carried out. I hardly ... continue reading

My dear Miss Yonge Will you kindly send back the book by Weinhold. It is for Miss Otté who is going to do a history of North Europe. Miss Keary also has been at work on the same region.

I meant to have dropped you a note tell [sic] you why I sent you Duncans book which I stumbled on in an old book-shop, where after an old habit I was prowling about. I thought this will ... continue reading

Miss Yonge would be obliged if Messrs Macmillan would send to

the Revd R Bigg Wither St Thomas’ Home Basingstoke

a copy of each of

The Heir of Redclyffe Heartsease The Daisy Chain The Trial Pillars of the House Scripture Readings with comment Pupils of St John

Dear Mr Macmillan

It is rather difficult to arrange the order of these books. Heartsease was out before the Daisy Chain indeed those four that I numbered first were meant to answer to the four Seasons, and ought to go together

In point of date, the Daisy Chain and the Young Stepmother are the next, but the Daisy Chain Trial and Pillars ought to come together

What is to be done about the lesser historical ones, ... continue reading

Dear Mr Craik

Many thanks for your letter and cheque. I am glad to see your writing again, and that the first dreariness of return has been faced.

I am glad the cheap edition is doing so well, it is capitally got up and bound, and I regret nothing but the Daisy Chain illustrations and those to the Trial. Those to the intermediate edition were much better.

I have had some correspondence about a story of the historical ... continue reading

Dear Sir

I am obliged for your letter, which confirms the view I have had for many years that it is not possible for a person of a different nationality to draw a thorough portrait of one described from within, as it were. You remember that in dealing with foreign scenes, Scott always took a Scotch or English hero - in whose person he saw all the surroundings

In fact I have never had any intimate knowledge ... continue reading

My dear Bishop Your letter is very delightful to me.

Thank you very much for it, and all the pleasure it gives.

The great autograph book is a wonderful study of names. I don’t think any of us have managed to look through it all. I found you (twice) and all the rest of the party including your Mother’s welcome and familiar signature, and Reby’s who I hope is better.

I saw in the Guardian ... continue reading

Dear Madam As far as I can remember the first four tales were Redclyffe Heartsease Hopes and Fears Dynevor Terrace

because I meant them to have some sort of analogy to the four seasons

The Daisy Chain Trial are really connected, and the Pillars of the House came later but picked up on Countess Kate and the Daisy Chain in the course of the story -

Scenes and Characters had been written long before, but was taken up again in [[cmybook:184]Two Sides of ... continue reading