No more today for

     “I am exhaust
      I can not!”

Your devoted, J.H.E.

Remember I wish for Herkomer.  He will be the right man in the right place.  R.C. is for dear old England, and this is French and Roman Catholic—­and Keltic peasant life.

TO A.E.

January 4, 1883,

* * * * *

Caldecott says his difficulty over my writing is that “the force and finish” of it frightens him.  It is painted already and does not need illustration; and he has lingered over “Jackanapes” from the conviction that he could “never satisfy me"!!  This difficulty is, I hope, now vanquished.  He is hard at work on a full and complete edition of “Jackanapes,” of which he has now begged to take the entire control, will “submit” paper and type, etc. to me, and hopes to please.  “But you are so particular!”

I need hardly say I have written to place everything in his hands.  I am “not such a fool as” to think I can teach him! (though I am insisting upon certain arrangements of types, etc., etc., to give a literary—­not Toy Book—­aspect to the volume).

Andre I know I help.  But then only a man of real talent and mind would accept the help and be willing to be taught.  The last batch of A Soldier’s Children that came had three pages that grated on me.

1.  “They mayn’t have much time for their prayers on active service, and we ought to say them instead.”  The first part of this line is splendidly done by a brush with Zulus among mealies, but the second part (as underlined) was thus.  Nice old church (good idea) and the officer’s wife and children at prayer.  BUT—­the lady was like a shop-girl, in a hat and feathers, tight-fitting jacket with skimpy fur edge (inexpressibly vulgar cheap finery style!), kneeling with a highly-developed figure backwards on to the spectator! and with her eyes up in a theatrical gaze heavenwards.  Little boy sitting on seat, with his hat on.

2.  For “GOD bless the good soldiers like old father and Captain Powder and the men with good conduct medals, and please let the naughty ones be forgiven,”—­he had got some men being released out of prison cells.

3.  For “There are eight verses and eight Alleluias, and we can’t sing very well, but we did our best.

“Only Mary would cry in the verse about ’Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest’!”—­ —­he had got a very poor thing of three children singing.

Now these were all highly-finished drawings.  Quite complete, and I know the man is driven with work (for cheap pay!).  So I hesitated, and worried myself.  At last I took courage and sent them back, having faith in the “thoroughness” which he so eminently works with.

For 1, I sent him a sketch! said the lady must wear a bonnet in church, and her boys must take off their hats!  That she must kneel forwards, be dressed in a deep sealskin with heavy fox edge, and have her eyes down, and the children must kneel imitating her, and I should like an old brass on the wall above them with one of those queer old kneeling families in ruffs.