Dear Mr Macmillan, Otterbourn was turned upside down yesterday by a grand wedding, so that I could accomplish nothing but sending off the book without writing.

I am much obliged by your proposal about the Clever Woman, and shall be well satisfied with the terms you propose, - and very glad not to have the stereotyping taken out of the £200. It strikes me that there ought to be another sheet in the first volume; as there ... continue reading

My dear Miss Yonge Your note will do very well in the mean time. If I can remember, tomorrow, I will get you and send you a small formal receipt book which you will be able to sign with little trouble.

I have only got the first chapter in type, the one I sent and you returned. I read it through once to myself and then aloud yesterday. The impression I had at first was somewhat confirmed ... continue reading

My dear Mr Macmillan I can quite enter into what you say of that first chapter’s meagreness. There were things I wanted to keep in reserve, and I do not think one’s mind gets so worked up to the point /at first as after having gone through all the preliminaries and preparation. I wanted to keep Bethlehem by daylight /on the Gleaning of Right for the Anointing of David, and therefore made less of the scenery ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan By no means did I mean the graceful little lamp on Golden Deeds - nor the Dove in the Sunday Book - nor the well in Cawnpore. I meant such a high priest and book as are outside Smith’s Biblical dictionary; or some of the whole pictures of men and women one often sees upon books, - spoiling the whole effect of the real illustration within. It was odd that I asked my ... continue reading

My dear Miss Yonge I have a hurried note from Miss Martin in which she expresses her gratification at the kindly way in which you have written, and says that 'no doubt you have much right reason on your side', and repeats very much what I said yesterday. I am quite sure she will be satisfied with what you feel free to do in the way of abridgement of those early chapters. But I think ... continue reading

Dear Mr Macmillan, I am getting well again, and gone to work again. Clement of Alexandria is the first authority for the robber story, but Eusebius takes it from him. I have a queer old translation of Eusebius, Socrates and Co - from which I really did expand the account, and so I think I had better leave Eusebius, as it looks less as if it all came out of Smith’s dictionary as in fact much ... continue reading