Yours & Harrison’s have arrived—the former containing your kind greetings & the latter a draft equivalenting £219.1.6—for both of which pray receive my thanks. I have acknowledged to Mr. Harrison by letter of this date in due business form. Prosperity to Chatto!—since he helps the prosperity of others—mainly the humble & deserving, like you & me.

Dod-rot the new book—as John the Baptist would say—it hangs along drearily. I read proof of the middle chapter yesterday—can’t tell how long before it will issue from the press. A big edition has already been sold by subscription in the past 2½ months—so I suppose I am twelve or fifteen thousand dollars better off—or maybe more—though I haven’t got the money yet. Bliss has been instructed to furnish advance sheets to Chatto as fast as possible, & I don’t doubt he does it.

Inglewood is a mighty pretty name; & as we know something of Mrs. Conway’s excellent taste, we are not surprised that you are charmed with the new house—& we shall confidently count on being charmed ourselves when we come to see it.

We received your beautiful book just as we were leaving home, but had no time to do more than glance at it, especially as the children laid hands on it as a sortⒶemendation of right, & walked it off to the nursery. If I enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed your devil-lore I shall know it is a happy success. Mrs. Clemens asks me to thank you heartily for it—poor old lady, she can’t well write her acknowledgments herself, as the doctor confines her pretty strictly to resting—we are here for a fortnight or so to see if we can’t build up her strength again. She came home strong, but broke down under the labor of re-settling the house & receiving calls every afternoon instead of taking the afternoon rest which she has been always accustomed to. We may go home, a fortnight hence, possibly. We spend our summers here—so we hope to be situated to see you here when you come over; but if we ain’t, we shall be, in Hartford, later, & we require in advance that the Conways shall come, if they will do us that pleasure.

Elmira is where the Adam monument is to be erected. The site has been selected, & the enterprise is to be carried out, sure.