Page:Tex; a chapter in the life of Alexander Teixeira de Mattos (IA texchapterinlife00mcke).pdf/103



''*pathize. There's no English equivalent save Tony Lumpkin's seriocomic "circumbendibus." But I meant to tell you of my recent discovery that Chesterton uses "detour," sic without an accent or italics. And it's well worth considering. I, for my part, have made up my mind to adopt it in future, by analogy with "depot" and, for that matter, "tour," which is never italicized.''

I also intend to adopt your "judgement"

What a lot one can still write for a penny!

Tex.  In acknowledging one of his translations, I wrote:   Two of my worst faults as a reader are that I always finish a book which I have begun and always begin a book which has been presented to me by the author or translator.

Teixeira comments:

(I always thought highly of your brain till now. I regret to tell you that the only other human being who has ever confessed that vice to me is J. T. Grein's mother Drop that vice. Why, I once "began" to read the Bible!)

With most of your criticisms I agree, ''my letter continued. Teixeira had been reading the