Grant Allen to W.T. Stead

(February 22, 1895)

The Croft, Hind Head, Haslemere. February 22, 1895.

My dear Stead,

(No, I will not Mr. you, though you Mr. me. Not by me shall our old friendly intercourse be permitted to tail off so.) Yes, we shall be very glad to see you whenever you can look in; and if I am in town, I will call to see you. I am very sorry to learn what you tell me of Grant Richards. I will speak to him quietly of the matter, without saying that you have written to me. It is very kind of you to mention it to me, and I will do my best, for his own sake, to make him change his ways. It would, of course, be a great grief to us if you found yourself unable to keep him. But I hope he will see how foolishly he is acting; and indeed, without having heard anything about it from you, we had felt he often seemed to treat his duties lightly. Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity of remonstrating quietly with him.

In great haste—I am up to my eyes in Woman-who-Did correspondence.

Yours very sincerely,

Grant Allen.