Page:The Life of William Morris.djvu/677

268 "By the way I expect my press will be at work in about a month. "Yours affectionately, ""

On the 11th of February he writes to Ellis:

"This is the state of things. The punches all cut, and matrices all struck: I had a little lot of type cast to see if any alterations were required, and set up a page of the 4to as there was not enough for the folio; I had the g recut because it seemed to me too black. I then ordered five cwt. of the type, which I am told is enough, and am expecting to have it towards the end of this week or beginning of next. As soon as I get it I will set up a trial page of the G.L.

"Then paper—the trial lot turned out not quite right, not sized quite hard enough, though I think better than any modern paper I have come across. He is going to size it harder. But it is only a little lot (9 reams), therefore I intend printing a little edition of the Glittering Plain on it. Moreover we had better not be too cock-sure about the paper, we might find it desirable to make a bigger sheet. In any case however we might set up a section or so of the G.L. and let the type be till we had got the paper right. I was not going to send you a specimen of the type till we could set up a page of the G.L. But I can sympathize with my pardner's anxiety; and accordingly send him a page of the G.P., of course full of defects, but on the paper and with the types. I don't know what you will think of it; but I think it precious good. Crane when he saw it beside Jenson thought it more Gothic-looking: this is a fact, and a cheerful one to me."

The first sheet of "The Story of the Glittering