I am tardy in answering your letter; but "Hard Times," and an immense
amount of enforced correspondence, are my excuse. To you a sufficient
one, I know.
As I should judge from outward and visible appearances, I have exactly
as much chance of seeing the Russian fleet reviewed by the Czar as I
have of seeing the English fleet reviewed by the Queen.
"Club Law" made me laugh very much when I went over it in the proof
yesterday. It is most capitally done, and not (as I feared it might be)
too directly. It is in the next number but one.
Mrs. ---- has gone stark mad--and stark naked--on the spirit-rapping
imposition. She was found t'other day in the street, clothed only in her
chastity, a pocket-handkerchief and a visiting card. She had been
informed, it appeared, by the spirits, that if she went out in that trim
she would be invisible. She is now in a madhouse, and, I fear,
hopelessly insane. One of the curious manifestations of her disorder is
that she can bear nothing black. There is a terrific business to be
done, even when they are obliged to put coals on her fire.
---- has a thing called a Psycho-grapher, which writes at the dictation
of spirits. It delivered itself, a few nights ago, of this
extraordinarily lucid message: