“The first thing I’ll do,” he said, “is to hand over $800 of it to the missus and let her go to Europe, like she’s always wanted to do. I told her I’d fix her one day! I guess she won’t nag me any more!”
I recall the crowd present at the sale of the collection of that great editor of Keats, J. Buxton Forman, in 1920. Students, collectors, poets, seers, bookmen were there. Suddenly the auctioneer announced that the next item was a love letter of Keats to Fanny Brawne. Whereupon my friend Kit Morley was inspired and wrote this exquisite sonnet, which he dedicated to me:—
IN AN AUCTION ROOM
Letter of John Keats to Fanny Brawne,
Anderson Galleries, March 15, 1920
To Dr. A. S. W. Rosenbach
“How about this lot?” said the auctioneer;
“One hundred, may I say, just for a start?”
Between the plum-red curtains, drawn apart,
A written sheet was held.... And strange to hear—
(Dealer, would I were steadfast as thou art),
The cold quick bids. (Against you in the rear!)