'MON ABRI,' Monday, May 7.
Dear Mr Klein,—I have thought that at the reading of the contract between Mr Ascherberg and myself, if it were to be immediately followed by the signing, we should not have time completely to understand the clauses. As these doubtless will contain the details regarding the Colonial, American, and foreign rights, it is preferable that we should know in advance what the terms are, and we should be very much obliged to Mr Ascherberg if he would be so kind as to send us on a copy of the contract. We will send it back to him any day that may suit you.—Mille amitiés!
M. GARCIA.
"Three months later the printing was finished, and early in September the proofs began to come to hand. We were both away from London when I received this missive:—
Translation.
Gale House, Lake Road,
Ambleside, Westmoreland,
September 7.
MY DEAR FRIEND,—Are you in town?
I have been working like a little nigger correcting, transposing, suppressing, &c., the proofs. I will send you my first corrected proof, and will you please forward it to Ascherberg for the printers? but I do not wish to do this until I know that you are in town.—Amitiés!
M. GARCIA.
"The question of a preface now came up. The maestro was somewhat averse to providing one, but ultimately he yielded to the desire of the publisher, who was naturally anxious that the 'Hints' should contain everything calculated to arouse attention. He wrote only a few lines, however, and I had to persuade him to add more. He also decided to include a reproduction of the well-known woodcut of himself using the laryngoscope by the light of an oil-lamp, and a couple of laryngoscopic mirrors (half-size), which by some mistake nearly came to being omitted. With the proofs he took infinite pains, and wrote me several notes about them, of which the following deserve quotation:—