ving any Name to bid their Attention.
So my Bad Authors must be left to my Heirs and Assigns; as your Good
Memoirs!

On second Thoughts, I shall (in spite of your Directions) keep two of the
Photos: returning you only the hateful dark one. That is, I shall keep
the twain, unless you desire me to return you one of them. Anyhow, do
write to me before you go quite away, and believe me always yours

E. F.G.

XIV.

WOODBRIDGE: _Novr._ 18/73.

DEAR MRS. KEMBLE,

I should have written to you before, but that I was waiting for some
account, for better or worse, of our friend Donne; who has been seriously
ill this Fortnight and more. I don't know what his original Ailment was,
unless a Cold; but the Effect has been to leave him so weak, that even
now the Doctor fears for any Relapse which he might not be strong enough
to bear. He had been for a Visit to friends in the West of England: and
became ill directly he returned to London. You may think it odd I don't
know what was his Illness; but Mowbray, who has told me all I know, did
not tell me that: and so I did not ask, as I could do no good by knowing.
Perhaps it is simply a Decay, or Collapse, of Body, or Nerves--or even
Mind:--a Catastrophe which I never thought unlikely with Donne, who has
toiled and suffered so much, for others rather than for himself; and
keeping all his Suffering to himself. He wrote me a letter about himself
a week ago; cheerful, and telling me of Books he read: so as no one would
guess he was so ill; but a Letter from Mowbray by the same Post told me
he was still in a precarious Condition. I had wished to tell you that he
was better, if not well: but I may wait some time for that: and so I will
write now:--with the Promise that I will write again directly there is
anything else to tell.

Here my Reader comes to give me an Instalment of Tichborne: so I shall
shut up, perhaps till To-morrow.

The Lord Chief Justice and Co. have just decided to adjourn the Trial for
ten Days, till Witnesses arrive from your side of the Atlantic. My
Reader has just adjourned to some Cake and Porter--I tell him not to
hurry--while I go on with this Letter. To tell you that, I might almost
have well adjourned writing 'sine die' (can you construe?), for I don't
think I have more to tell you now. Only that I am reading--Crabbe! And
I want you to tell me if he is read on that side of the Atlantic from
which we are expecting Tichborne Witnesses.

(Re