
Your letter of 11 Oct. has been with me some little while, during wh. my leisure has been of the scantiest. It is so still, & may make me cut this shorter than I shd. like.
You say: "I suppose you got my postals on sending the books to J.A. Rose." To the best of my recollection I never did get these: I am aware however that as a matter of fact Rose is in possession of your books, but have not seen him since he received them.
I feel ashamed for my
colleagues the English men of the press that the Editor of the Examiner shd. have failed to pay you his just debt, especially after the 2 or 3 times that I raised the question with him, & he once of his own accord with me. He is a man I seldom meet: but I do meet him sometimes, &, whenever this may happen next, I shall (if opportunity allows) remind him of his obligation, & I trust he may yet attend to it.
I posted to the Editor of the Secularist the letter to him wh you enclosed: & herewith I forward his reply. This is all I know of the matter. I know a little of the Editor Mr. Foote himself, & shd. be very
slow to suppose that he was personally in fault. The deep black border of his letter marks the recent death of his wife—a Miss Heimann, daughter of old friends of ours. Within the last 2 or 3 years she had shown mental excitability of a morbid kind: she married Foote 8 or 9 mos. ago I suppose, & recently, say towards end of Septr. , "took an overdose of chloral," or in other words committed suicide. I mention these matters, not as being relevant to your concerns with Foote, but because I know that whatever calls for sympathy finds it in you.
Your statement that Mrs. Gilchrist had undergone a surgical operation distressed us. You spoke of the trouble as just over however, &
we heartily hope that so it is. Please to give her our affectionate regards & greetings.
I did receive Burroughs's new book. Read carefully through , with much pleasure, all that he says about you: the rest of the book I have had to leave unread as yet, in the press of my many occupations.
All prosperity to you & the Gilchrists in the coming year. I am glad to read what you say of Herbert & Beatrice, & fully credit your praises of them.
Always yours, W.M. Rossetti
