Miss Dickens.
Office of "All the Year Round," No. 26, Wellington Street,
Strand, London, W.C.,
Saturday, Sept. 26th, 1868.
My dearest Mamie,
I will add a line to this at the Athenæum, after seeing Plorn off, to tell you how he went away.
Athenæum, Quarter to Six.
I can honestly report that he went away, poor dear fellow, as well as could possibly be expected. He was pale, and had been crying, and (Harry said) had broken down in the railway carriage after leaving Higham station; but only for a short time.
Just before the train started he cried a good deal, but not painfully. (Tell dear Georgy that I bought him his cigars.) These are hard, hard things, but they might have to be done without means or influence, and then they would be far harder. God bless him!
PARLIAMENT. REPLY TO A PROPOSAL MADE THROUGH ALEXANDER RUSSEL, OF "THE SCOTSMAN," THAT HE SHOULD ALLOW HIMSELF TO BE PUT FORWARD AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE REPRESENTATION OF EDINBURGH.
Mr. F. D. Finlay.
Gad's Hill Place, Higham by Rochester, Kent,
Sunday, Oct. 4th, 1868.