Ever truly yours,
             T. Carlyle

CLXXVII.  Carlyle to Emerson

Chelsea, 4 January, 1870

Dear Emerson,—­A month ago or more I wrote, by the same post, to you and to Norton about those Books for Harvard College; and in late days have been expecting your joint answer.  From Norton yesternight I receive what is here copied for your perusal; it has come round by Florence as you see, and given me real pleasure and instruction.  From you, who are possibly also away from home, I have yet nothing; but expect now soon to have a few words.  There did arrive, one evening lately, your two pretty volumes of Collected Works, a pleasant salutation from you—­which set me upon reading again what I thought I knew well before:—­but the Letter is still to come.

Norton’s hints are such a complete instruction to me that I see my way straight through the business, and might, by Note of “Bequest” and memorandum for the Barings, finish it in half an hour:  nevertheless I will wait for your Letter, and punctually do nothing till your directions too are before me.  Pray write, therefore; all is lying ready here.  Since you heard last, I have got two Catalogues made out, approximately correct; one is to lie here till the Bequest be executed; the other I thought of sending to you against the day?  This is my own invention in regard to the affair since I wrote last.  Approve of it, and you shall have your copy by Book-post at once. “Approximately correct”; absolutely I cannot get it to be.  But I need not doubt the Pious Purpose will be piously and even sacredly fulfilled;—­and your Catalogue will be a kind of evidence that it is.  Adieu, dear Emerson, till your Letter come.

Yours ever,
       Thomas Carlyle

CLXXVIII.  Emerson to Carlyle

Concord, 23 January, 1870*

My Dear Carlyle,—­’T is a sad apology that I have to offer for delays which no apology can retrieve.  I received your first letter with pure joy, but in the midst of extreme inefficiency.  I had suddenly yielded to a proposition of Fields & Co. to manufacture a book for a given day.  The book was planned, and going on passably, when it was found better to divide the matter, and separate, and postpone the purely literary portion (criticism chiefly), and therefore to modify and swell the elected part.  The attempt proved more difficult than I had believed, for I only write by spasms, and these ever more rare,—­and daemons that have no ears.  Meantime the publication day was announced, and the printer at the door.  Then came your letter in the shortening days.  When I drudged to keep my word, invita Minerva.