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nsurpassable。

All through the book there are points which I have noted for the highest praise; the three white fingers on Ustane’s hair; the dream about the skeletons; the meeting of the Living and the Dead; the Statue of Truth — these are only a few of the really marvellous things that the book contains。 I was a great admirer and; as you know; a warm weler of “King Solomon’s Mines;” but I confess that exceedingly picturesque and ingenious book did not prepare me for “She”; and I do not know what to say; of hope or fear; about any future book of adventure of yours。 I don’t know what is to be imagined beyond the death of Ayesha。

Accept again my thanks for the gift of your book; which I put among my treasures; and now the expression of my sincere and cordial admiration。

Yours most truly;

Edmund Gosse。

P。S。 — May I say; without impertinence; I think the style strikes me as a vast improvement upon that of “K。S。M。”?

To turn to something humorous — I find the following in the handwriting of the late Rev。 W。 J。 Loftie; headed “SHE” in large letters。

Are you acquainted with the story of the lady who wrote poetry? She had begun an epic —

“Man was made innocent and good; but he” —

when a visitor called。 She left the paper on the table: the visitor came in; waited a little and departed。 When she returned she found the couplet pleted:

“Man was made innocent and good; but he —

Would doubtless have continued so — but SHE!”

Well; “She” came out and was a great success。 On March 15th Charles Longman wrote to me in Egypt:

I am glad to tell you that “She” keeps on selling capitally。 We have printed 25;000 already; and have ordered another 5000; and I do not think we shall have many left when the printers deliver them。 。 。 。 Last week we sold over 1000 copies!

This was a large number as books sold in those days; when people were not accustomed to buying novels in one volume; having been in the habit of borrowing them from the library in three。 Moreover; from that day to this the sale of “She” has never ceased; whilst in America it was pirated by the hundred thousand。

All the reviews of it were not good; indeed some of them attacked it strongly。 Others; were enthusiastic。 The Times (a review in The Times then; before the days of Literary Supplements; if good; was very valuable) spoke extremely well of it。 The Times reviewer; however; criticises the Greek upon the sherd。 Had he known that it was the work of Dr。 Holden; one of the best Greek scholars of the day; he might have preferred to leave it unquestioned。 Here is the doctor’s letter on the subject; written from the Athenaeum in March 1886。

Dear Haggard; — Your task is not quite so big as one of the labours of Hercules; but by no means easy without further data。 Do you want the Greek to be such as to deceive the learned world into thinking that it is no forgery; but a genuine bit of antiquity? If so; the style will have to be taken into account: it won’t do to imitate Herodotus; though it is just the bit suitable for his style; because of the date B。C。 200。

Anyhow; I am just going down to Harrow to examine the Sixth Form for Scholarships; and shall be fully occupied there for a fortnight。 I hope therefore you are not in any particular hurry: if so; I must return you your MS。; which I cannot do justice to without some further consideration of the subject。

Yours sincerely;

H。 A。 Holden。

That my old master did consider it very thoroughly I know for a fact。 I remember his telling me that he would have liked to be able to give six months to study before he ventured on this particular piece of Greek。 I said that with all his great learning this was surely unnecessary。

“My dear boy;” he answered; “I have been soaking myself in the classics for over forty years; and I am just beginning to learn how little I know about them!”

In the same way the black…letter; mediaeval Latin inscription and the old English translation thereof; etc。; were the work of my late friend; Dr。 Raven; who was a very great authority on monkish Latin and mediaeval English。

Twenty years later; the time that I had always meant to elapse; I wrote a sequel under the title of “Ayesha; or The Return of She。” Of course; although successful in a way; it was more or less pooh…poohed and neglected on the principle that sequels must always be of no worth。

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