ridiculous, or she will die of perfection, and you
of a plethora of absurdity, or ridiculousness _rentre_--struck in, as
the French say.

I forgot to tell you that ---- has declined my terms, but offered me
others, which I have declined. I have still two other managers, with one
of whom I think I may perhaps be able to come to some agreement.

Since writing thus far, I have seen Moxon, who has offered me far more
than I expected for my journal before reading it; begging me to let him
pay me a portion of it at once, and adding that if, upon perusal of the
manuscript, he thinks his profits likely to warrant his giving me more
than the sum now named, he should not consider himself justified in not
doing so by the fact of his having offered me less.

Good-bye, dearest.

Yours ever,
FANNY.

[It is impossible to have been more generous than Mr. Moxon was in
this whole transaction. While talking about the dealings of
booksellers with authors, he said that he always bore in mind the
liberality he had benefited by when, starting in business a poor and
obscure publisher, he had been munificently assisted by Rogers,
whose timely aid had laid the foundation of his prosperity. "As I
was dealt by," he said, "I endeavor to deal by others, and should be
glad to inspire them with the grateful regard towards me which I
shall always retain for him." Rogers surely did himself more
injustice by his tongue than all his enemies put together could have
done him; his acts of kindly generosity were almost as frequent as
his bitter, biting, cruel words.]

BANNISTERS, Saturday, 16th.

Yes, my dear Hal, I do intend to correct my own proofs (I thought my
proofs corrected me)....

I have just returned from a delightful visit of two hours, which our
dear friend Emily contrived for me, to ----, the dentist! Not content
with cheering and soothing my sadder hours with the number and variety
of her medical resources (pills, draughts, doses, potions, lotions,
lozenges, etc.), her ever active and considerate affection hit upon this
agreeable method of relieving my stay at Bannisters of any possible
tedium, and two hours of the darkest, dampest, dreariest winter weather
have thus been charmed away through her tender and ingenious solicitude
for my enjoyment.

M