_BY THE SAME AUTHOR_
ELEUSINIA
THE ANATOMY OF TOBACCO
THE CHRONICLE OF CLEMENDY
THE GREAT GOD PAN
THE THREE IMPOSTORS
HIEROGLYPHICS
DR STIGGINS
THE HOUSE OF SOULS
THE HILL OF DREAMS
THE BOWMEN
THE GREAT RETURN
THE TERROR
WAR AND THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
THE SECRET GLORY
FAR OFF THINGS
THINGS NEAR AND FAR
THE SHINING PYRAMID
STRANGE ROADS
DOG AND DUCK
Precious Balms
By Arthur Machen
_Let the righteous smite me friendly and reprove me, but let not
their precious balms break my head._—Ps. cxli
London: Spurr & Swift
123 Pall Mall, S.W.1 1924
_Printed in Great Britain
by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_
MELINA PLACE
LONDON
_May 1, 1924_
_My dear Spurr_,
_I am grieved, indeed, to hear your news about “Precious Balms.” You
say that during your recent visit to America, you were made acquainted
with some very serious misconceptions as to a phrase in the “Precious
Balms” prospectus. This document stated that for a certain period I was
“languishing in the cells of Carmelite House, serving a term of eleven
years’ ‘hard’ for a series of obscure crimes.” And now you tell me that
in the United States, this small piece of jocularity has been taken in
the most serious way. People were anxious to be informed as to the exact
nature of the crimes aforesaid, and confused Carmelite House with such
establishments as The Tombs, Sing Sing, Pentonville and Wandsworth._
_I am extremely sorry. I had no intention of hurting anybody’s feelings.
I hope you will present my sincere regrets and apologies—in the proper
quarters._
_Yours sincerely_,
_ARTHUR MACHEN_
_Harry Spurr, Esq. Messrs Spurr & Swift Pall Mall, London_