“Sir,—I fear you will think
me officious in what I am about to say to you; but I hope, and indeed expect,
that you will not think me impertinent; because you will perceive that I can
have but one motive for the step I am taking. You are, of course, aware that
publishers, before they finally arrange for the publication of any considerable
work, are in the habit of consulting some ‘literary friend’ in
whose judgment they think they can confide, as to the character, &c., of
the work in question. In pursuance of this practice, Mr. Colburn has placed in my hands the MS. of
your novel entitled ‘The Gentleman in
Black,’ mentioning to me that it is yours, simply because he
supposed that, as I am in the habit of reading all that you write,
| HORACE SMITH. | 219 |
“I have accordingly perused the work with great care; and I now, after much hesitation, and with unfeigned diffidence and embarrassment, venture to address you, instead of Mr. Colburn, on the subject.
“You will readily believe that I have had some difficulty in making up my mind to do this at all. But I assure you that the mode in which I am to do it is still more perplexing to me. As, however, the shortest mode will doubtless be the one least unpleasant to you, I shall at once adopt that. In a word, then—is your own opinion as to the merits of the MS. I have just read entirely settled? Of course, I mean so far as a writer can feel that he is able to judge of his own work. And if your opinion about it is settled, have you fully made up your mind to give this work to the world?
“As I am not in a position to obtain replies to these
questions, I must go on to say—if you have not fully determined on the
publication of the ‘Gentleman in Black,’
let me entreat you to reconsider of it, and to place
| 220 | HORACE SMITH. |
“I could willingly stop here, but as I have voluntarily ‘tied myself to the stake,’ it would be cowardice not to ‘fight the course.’ I will therefore add, that if, instead of being a stranger to you personally, I were such a friend as I have just fancied, I should earnestly entreat you not to publish the work at all.
“Probably if I were saying this
to you instead of writing it, your first question (if you chose to listen to me
at all on the subject) would be—‘Why?’ And the reply to it would
puzzle me not a little. But as it is, I find the reply still more difficult;
for to go into any detailed remarks on your work,
without being able to judge whether or not you are likely to have perused this
letter even thus far, without throwing it into the fire, would be an impertinence. I must, therefore, content myself with
saying, gene-
| HORACE SMITH. | 221 |
“Perhaps, as I have been tempted to say thus much, I ought to proceed into something like detail, in order to bear out the general opinion I am expressing. But (to say nothing of my fear that I have already said too much) I not only expect, but earnestly hope, that my opinion—the value of which, whatever it may be, you cannot possibly know—will have no further influence on you than to induce you to reconsider the matter yourself, and to procure the opinion of some other person on whom you can depend.
“And now, Sir, I really feel myself called upon to
apologise for addressing the above observations to you, and to suggest—I had
almost said to invent—excuses for so doing. But perhaps the real reason for
doing a thing is always, between honest men, the best after all, both for giver
and receiver. The truth,
| 222 | HORACE SMITH. |
| HORACE SMITH. | 223 |
“In order that what I have now said may not place or leave you in any uncertainty as to your position with Mr. Colburn in this matter, I think it necessary to add that I have not taken this step without letting him know that I intended, or rather that I desired, to do so; for if he had expressed any objection to my offering you the advice I have now ventured to give, I should have felt myself bound not to offer it—for reasons which will be obvious to you.
“It may be proper for me to add further, that, in case
you should still determine on publishing this novel, nothing that I either have
said or need say to Mr. Colburn
respecting it will be calculated to interfere with any arrangements that you
may wish to make with him—my general opinion of the work being that, even
without your name, it is likely to meet with a fair share of success, and that
| 224 | HORACE SMITH. |
“In conclusion, let me say, that if my name would give any additional weight to the opinion I have expressed above, I should feel no hesitation in subscribing it; but it would not. I should therefore only be taking a still further liberty in subscribing it.
