rom a brother prisoner of mine: released June 4th: pray
read it: you will see his age, offence, and aim in life.

If you can give him a trial, do so. If you see your way to this kind
action, and write to him to come and see you, kindly state in your
letter that it is about a situation. He may think otherwise that it is
about the flogging of A.2.11., a thing that does not interest _you_,
and about which _he_ is a little afraid to talk.

If the result of this long letter will be that you will help this fellow
prisoner of mine to a place in your service, I shall consider my
afternoon better spent than any afternoon for the last two years, and
three weeks.

In any case I have now written to you fully on all things as reported to
me.

I again assure you of my gratitude for your kindness to me during my
imprisonment, and on my release.

And am always

Your sincere friend and admirer

OSCAR WILDE.

_With regard to Lawley_

All soldiers are neat, and smart, and make capital servants. He would be
a good _groom_: he is, I believe, a 3rd Hussars man--he was a quiet,
well-conducted chap in Reading always.

Naturally I replied to this letter at once, saying that he had been
misinformed, that I was not angry and if I could do anything for him I
should be delighted: I did my best, too, for Lawley.

Here is his letter of thanks to me for helping him when he came out of
prison.

Sandwich Hotel,
Dieppe.

MY DEAR FRANK:

Just a line to thank you for your great kindness to me--for the lovely
clothes, and for the generous cheque.

You have been a real good friend to me--and I shall never forget your
kindness: to remember such a debt as mine to you--a debt of kind
fellowship--is a pleasure.

About our tour--later on let us think about it. My friends have been so
kind to me here that I am feeling happy already.

Yours,

OSCAR WILDE.

If you write to me please do so under cover to R.B. Ross, who is here
with me.

In the next letter of his which I have kept Oscar is perfectly friendly
again; he tells me that he is "entirely without money, having received
nothing from his Trustees for months," and asks me for even L5, adding,
"I drift in ridiculous impecuniosity without a sou."

THE MYSTERY OF PERSONALITY

I transcribe here another letter of Oscar to me from the second year
after his release to show his interest in all intellectual things and
for a flash of characteristic humour at the expense of the Pari