iculty that I constructed the whole with immense
pains, and have so woven it up and blended it together, that I cannot
yet so separate the parts as to tell the story of David's married life
with Dora, and the story of Mr. Peggotty's search for his niece, within
the time. This is my object. If I could possibly bring it to bear, it
would make a very attractive reading, with, a strong interest in it, and
a certain completeness.

This is exactly the state of the case. I don't mind confiding to you,
that I never can approach the book with perfect composure (it had such
perfect possession of me when I wrote it), and that I no sooner begin to
try to get it into this form, than I begin to read it all, and to feel
that I cannot disturb it. I have not been unmindful of the agreement we
made at parting, and I have sat staring at the backs of my books for an
inspiration. This project is the only one that I have constantly
reverted to, and yet I have made no progress in it!

Faithfully yours always.

[Sidenote: Monsieur Regnier.]

TAVISTOCK HOUSE, LONDON, _Saturday Evening, Feb. 3rd, 1855._

MY DEAR REGNIER,

I am coming to Paris for a week, with my friend Collins--son of the
English painter who painted our green lanes and our cottage children so
beautifully. Do not tell this to Le Vieux. Unless I have the ill fortune
to stumble against him in the street I shall not make my arrival known
to him.

I purpose leaving here on Sunday, the 11th, but I shall stay that night
at Boulogne to see two of my little boys who are at school there. We
shall come to Paris on Monday, the 12th, arriving there in the evening.

Now, _mon cher_, do you think you can, without inconvenience, engage me
for a week an apartment--cheerful, light, and wholesome--containing a
comfortable _salon et deux chambres a coucher_. I do not care whether it
is an hotel or not, but the reason why I do not write for an apartment
to the Hotel Brighton is, that there they expect one to dine at home (I
mean in the apartment) generally; whereas, as we are coming to Paris
expressly to be always looking about us, we want to dine wherever we
like every day. Consequently, what we want to find is a good apartment,
where we can have our breakfast but where we shall never dine.

Can you engage such accommodation for me? If you can, I shall feel very
much obliged to you. If the apartment should happen to contain a little