Arabel talks of going to see you; but if you are sensible to this intense and most overcoming heat, you will pardon her staying away for the present.

We have heard to-day that Annie proposes to publish her Miscellany by subscription; and although I know it to be the only way, compatible with publication at all, to avoid a pecuniary loss, yet the custom is so entirely abandoned except in the case of persons of a lower condition of life than your daughter, that I am sorry to think of the observations it may excite.  The whole scheme has appeared to me from the beginning most foolish, and if you knew what I know of the state and fortune of our ephemeral literature, you would use what influence you have with her to induce her to condemn her ‘contributions’ to the adorning of a private annual rather than the purpose in unhappy question.  I wish I dared to appeal through my true love for her to her own good sense once more.

My very dear friend’s affectionate and grateful
E.B.B.

If you do read any of the papers, let me know, I beseech you, your full and free opinion of them.

To H.S.  Boyd June 22, 1842.

My very dear Friend,—­I thank you gratefully for your two notes, with their united kindness and candour—­the latter still rarer than the former, if less ‘sweet upon the tongue.’  Sir William Alexander’s tragedy (that is the right name, I think, Sir William Alexander, Earl of Stirling) you will not find mentioned among my dramatic notices, because I was much pressed for room, and had to treat the whole subject as briefly as possible, striking off, like the Roman, only the heads of the flowers, and I did not, besides, receive your injunction until my third paper on the dramatists was finished and in the press.  When you read it you will find some notice of that tragedy by Marlowe, the first knowledge of which I owe to you, my dear Mr. Boyd, as how much besides?  And then comes the fourth paper, and I tremble to anticipate the possible—­nay, the very probable—­scolding I may have from you, upon my various heresies as to Dryden and Pope and Queen Anne’s versificators.  In the meantime you have breathing time, for Mr. Dilke, although very gracious and courteous to my offence of extending the two papers he asked for into four,[65] yet could find no room in the ‘Athenaeum’ last week for me, and only hopes for it this week.  And after this week comes the British Association business, which always fills every column for a month, so that a further delay is possible enough.  ‘It will increase,’ says Mr. Dilke, ’the zest of the reader,’ whereas I say (at least think) that it will help him quite to forget me.  I explain all this lest you should blame me for neglect to yourself in not sending the papers.  I am so pleased that you like at least the second article.  That is encouragement to me.

Flushie did not seem to think the harp alive when it was taken out of the window and laid close to him.  He examined it particularly, and is a philosophical dog.  But I am sure that at first and while it was playing he thought so.