Among various articles written during the early summer for the Academy were one on Philip Marston, and one on Maeterlinck; and in the July number of the Forum was an appreciation of Thomas Hardy—to whom he had made a flying visit in March.
In acknowledgment he received the following note from the novelist:
Max Gate, Dorchester,
July, 1892.
My dear Sharp,
It did give me a great deal of pleasure to read the article in the Forum, and what particularly struck me was your power of grasping the characteristics of this district and people in a few hours visit, during which, so far as I could see, you were not observing anything. I wish the execution of the novels better justified the generous view you take.
Yours sincerely,
Thomas Hardy.
Our delightful plans for the autumn were not carried out; for, during a visit to the art critic, J. Stanley Little, at Rudgwick, Sussex, my husband saw a little cottage which attracted him and we decided to take it as a pied-à-terre. Pending negotiations we stayed with Mr. and Mrs. Caird at Northbrook, Micheldever, where W. S. began to plan out the scheme of a new quarterly Review that was “to be the expression of a keen pagan delight in nature.” I quote from his Diary:
“June 2nd, 1892. In early forenoon, after some pleasant dawdling, began to write the Italian story, “The Rape of the Sabines,” which I shall print in the first instance in my projected White Review as by James Marazion. After tea wrote about a page or so more of story. Then went a walk up to One-Tree-Hill. Saw several hares. The Cuckoo was calling till after 9 o’clock. Noticed that the large white moths fluttered a long time in one spot above the corn. Wild pigeons go to roost sooner than rooks, apparently. Got back about 9.30, and then finished “The Rape of the Sabines” (about 4,500 words).