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Saturday, February 21, 1891

Saturday, February 21, 1891

7:50 P.M. W. continues his improvement. Shows it in face and talk. My stay brief. Expressed his liking for the Dutch piece "as it shows up in the paper." Said, "I have had a letter from Bucke—but it contains nothing particular, unless about the election: all is excitement about that." I had written Stoddart today about returning me the lists and ordered some copies sent Bucke. W. "satisfied." Would he have manuscript of book ready for me tomorrow? "Can't you let it go till Monday morning?" Yes. I proposed that he send it up to the house by Warren, but he said, "I would rather have you come for it," explaining that "the fewer hands it went through, the better," etc. And then, "I shall give you all the poems at once—about 40 manuscript pages. I have a notion, to read them in the type all at once, to get an average, entire impression, one glance." Referred to someone who prints W. "a guzzling whiskey-drinker"—laughing—"that is mild, compared with other things, words, I have met." Had wrapped up a jelly cake in newspaper—tied. "Are you going home from here? Take it to your mother—give it to her—it is from me, my love goes with it," etc. As to Chadwick's unfavorable comparison of Paine to Leslie Stephen, "What does Stephen amount to?" I asked, "Will he be remembered even to be damned a hundred years hence?" W.: "That is just my question, but you have Chadwick—he can't answer you—that is enough." Spoke of Poet-Lore as not having "much meat this issue." Was "very much struck" with what Symonds had said about his "decrepitude" in one of the Johnston letters.

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