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202 April 6th (1890).

—Thanks for your letters; you know I am a bad correspondent.

I heard of last year at Dundee, and they said then he was damaging them much. I saw the carl at Edinburgh more than once; a good speaker (sometimes drunk, however—once notably so at one of my meetings), a plausible dog, an extractor of money in small sums by dint of diplomacy—in short, a statesman lacking the larger opportunities.

Commonweal appears to have discovered the widow's cruse; for it goes on buying and selling, and living on the loss quite triumphantly. The (genuine) sale is a little going up, and I think we shall be able to keep it going through the year. Kitz is by no means a bad sec. in that respect.

Otherwise I can't say that I call the League prospects good. Outside the Hammersmith branch the active (?) members in London mostly consider themselves Anarchists, but don't know anything about Socialism and go about ranting revolution in the streets, which is about as likely to happen in our time as the conversion of Englishmen from stupidity to quickwittedness. A great deal of our trouble comes from Messrs. D and M, who have been rather clever at pulling us to pieces, but could do nothing towards building up even their own humbugging self-seeking party.

Now I must do notes for C'weal. I don't like the job, as I have a new book on hand which amuses me vastly.

October 7th (1890).

—As I was away from Hammersmith when your letter came, I did not see the 'Laird of Logan' till yesterday, for they did not send it on. Thank you very much for thinking of me and sending it. It has a queer old-fashioned look about it which would seem to make it amusing, but I have only had time to look at it.

I have been down at Kelmscott (where Ellen vanished, you know) off and on for some weeks now, but London has