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第46部分（第2页）

After　“Cleopatra”　was　finished　I　undertook　various　things。　One　was　a　tale　called　“Nesta　Amor；”　which　was　never　published；　although　I　finished　it。　Indeed　I　agree　with　Lang　that　it　was　not　worth　publishing　in　its　existing　form；　though　it　might　have　been；　perhaps；　if　rewritten；　which　I　have　never　found　time　to　do。　Another　was　a　romance　of　Helen；　to　be　written　jointly　with　Lang；　which；　after　many　vicissitudes　and　adventures；　ultimately　materialised　as　“The　World’s　Desire。”　Also　I　conceived　the　idea　of　writing　a　saga；　but　determined　that　before　I　attempted　this；　I　would　visit　Iceland　and　study　the　local　colouring　on　the　spot。

I　remember　that　I　was　a　good　deal　sneered　at　for　my　habit　of　actually　investigating　the　countries　where　the　events　had　happened　about　which　I　intended　to　write。　Literature；　I　was　told；　should　be　independent　of　such　base　actualities。　I　do　not　at　all　agree　with　those　critics。　If　a　man　wishes　to　produce　a　really　good　romance　dealing　with　some　past　epoch；　the　best　thing　he　can　do　is　to　see　the　land　in　which　the　folk　lived　of　whom　he　means　to　tell；　and；　as　it　were；　to　soak　himself　in　the　surroundings　that　were　their　surroundings。　So　he　may　hope　to　catch　some　of　the　atmosphere　which　doubtless　they　took　from　their　native　earth　and　skies。　Then；　if　he　possesses　any；　imagination　may　do　the　rest。　Who　could　write　a　saga　who　had　not　visited　Iceland；　or　an　Egyptian　novel　who　did　not　know　Egypt　—　I　mean　one　worth　reading？

Also　I　wrote　a　very　successful　little　African　story　called　“Maiwa’s　Revenge”　and　my　novel　“Beatrice；”　which　I　think　one　of　the　best　bits　of　work　I　ever　did。　Here　is　Charles　Longman　on　“Beatrice；”　no　doubt　after　he　had　read　the　MS。　His　letters　are　dated　August　2　and　August　4；　1888。

I　was　very　much　interested　in　“Beatrice。”　It　is　of　course　a　terrible　tragedy　—　unrelieved　in　its　gloom　which　increases　from　start　to　finish。　Still　there　is　no　denying　its　power　。　。　。　。

From　the　letter　of　August　4th：

I　think；　too；　that　“Beatrice”　is　your　best　piece　of　purely　modern；　nieenth　century　work。　I　believe　I　like　you　best　among　the　caves　of　old　Kor；　or　looking　back　over　King　Solomon’s　great　road　to　the　old　civilisations　dead　two　thousand　years　ago。　But　it　is　a　great　thing　to　have　several　strings　and　not　always　harp　on　the　same。　And　there　is　the　same　feeling　in　all　your　books　—　that　of　a　power　or　Fate　or　whatever　it　is　behind　man　controlling　his　actions　and　driving　him　blindly　forward。　All　ages　have　felt　it　and　have　tried　to　explain　it　in　their　own　way。　But　what　the　facts　may　be　—　we　may　know　some　day。　。　。　。

We　are　thinking　of　beginning　to　set　the　type　of　“Quaritch；　V。C。”　on　Sept。　1st。　You　will　give　us　your　finally　corrected　sheets；　I　suppose。　We　have　sold　20；000　copies　of　“Maiwa”　on　day　of　publication。

But　of　“Beatrice”　more　later；　let　us　return　to　“The　World’s　Desire；”　“The　Song　of　the　Bow”　as　it　was　called　at　first。

Roughly　the　history　of　this　tale；　which　I　like　as　well　as　any　with　which　I　have　had　to　do；　is　that　Lang　and　I　discussed　it。　Then　I　wrote　a　part　of　it；　which　part　he　altered　or　rewrote。　Next　in　his　casual　manner　he　lost　the　whole　MS。　for　a　year　or　so；　then　it　was　unexpectedly　found；　and　encouraged　thereby　I　went　on　and　wrote　the　rest。

The　MS。　in　its　final　form　I　have；　bound　up；　and　with　it　a　very　interesting　preface　or　rather　postscript　by　Lang　which　was　never　published；　eight　sheets　long；　also　notes　of　his　as　to　the　scheme　of　the　story　and　the　originals　of　his　verses；　some　of　which　I　drafted　in　prose。　The　MS。　contains　fifty…three　sheets　at　the　beginning　written　or　re…written　by　Lang；　and　about　130　sheets　in　my　writing；　together　with　various　addenda。　The　best　history　of　the　thing　is　to　extracted　from　Lang’s　letters；　from　which　I　make　some　quotations。

The　first　of　these　that　I　can　find　is　dated　from　an　hotel　in　Paris　on　March　8th；　probably　1888。

It　occurs　to　me　that　you　had　better　read　the　Helen　of　Euripides　in　a　prose　crib。　There’s　a　bad　one。　I　have　forgotten　the　play；　all　but　half　a　dozen　lines；　but　it　is　about　Helen　in　Egypt　and　may　suggest　something。　The　name　“The　Wanderer”　is　already　taken　by　one　of　Lord　Lytton’s　poems。　I　had　thought　of　“A　Priestess　of　Isis。”

The　next　is　from　Florence　on　March　25th：

Just　had　your　letter　on　the　Jews。　Do　you　think　it　worth　while；　if　it　won’t　run　easily？　You　have　so　much　on　hand；　and　I　am　afraid　you　will　tire　out　your　invention。　The　idea　of　Odysseus　and　Helen　is　a　good　one；　but　don’t　thrash　a　willing　and　perhaps　weary　Pegasus。

Then　es　one　from　Marloes　Road　—　he　is　back　again　in　England　now　—　without　the　slightest　indication　of　a　date。

Odysseus　calls　himself　Eperitus；　as　a　by…name；　in　Od。　24。　Or　Laertiades。

Helen　should　be　a　priestess　in　Egypt；　say　of　Pasht。

You　won’t　want　much　help　from　me。　All　the　local　colour　is　in　the　Odyssey。

After　this　I　believe　that　I　worked　away　at　the　story；　of　which　I　did　a　good　deal；　and　sent　it　to　Lang；　who　promptly　lost　it　so　pletely　and　for　so　long　a　time　that；　not　having　the　heart　to　remence　the　book；　the　idea　of　writing　it　was　abandoned。　It　appears　that　he　thrust　the　MS。　into　a　folio　volume；　which　was　replaced　among　his　numerous　books；　where　it　might　have　remained　for　generations　had　he　not　chanced　to　need　to　consult　that　particular　work　again。

I’ve　found　your　lost　MS。！　I　don’t　think　it　is　a　likely　thing；　style　too　Egyptian　and　all　too　unfamiliar　to　B。P。

Then　under　date　of　October　11th：

I　only　had　time　for　a　glance　at　the　lost　MS。　Now　I　have　read　it。　There　are　jolly　things　in　it　—　the　chess；　and　the　incantation；　and　the　ship；　but　I　fear　it　is　too　remote　for　this　people。　It　isn’t　my　idea　how　to　do　it　（not　that　that　matters）；　for　I’d　have　begun　with　Odysseus　in　a　plague…stricken　Ithaca　and　have　got　on　to　Egypt。　And　I’ve　had　written　in　modern　English。　However；　as　it　stands；　I　don’t　care　quite　for　the　way　the　Wanderer　is　introduced。　He　es　rather　perfunctorily　and　abruptly　on　the　scene　to　my　feeling。　It　is　a　subject　that　wants　such　a　lot　of　thinking　out。　It　would　be　jolly　if　one　had　more　time　in　this　world　of　ours。　Also；　if　the　public　had；　for　after　“Cleopatra”　they　would　not　rise　at　Egyptological　romance　for　a　long　time。　I　can’t　help　regretting　my　veteran　Odysseus　—　I　don’t　think　he　would　have　been　too　“grey…eyed。”　If　we　really　collaborated；　as　we　proposed　originally；　I’d　begin　with　him；　bring　him　in　your　way　to　Egypt；　introduce　him　to　the　old　cove　who’d　tell　him　about　Hatasu　（as　in　yours）　and　then　let　things　evolve；　but　keep　all　the　English　modern；　except　in　highly…wrought　passages；　incantations；　etc。　I　dare　say　it　would　make　a　funny　mixture。

Just　fancy　a　total　stranger　writing　to　ask　me　for　Matthew　Arnold’s　autograph。　Wot　next！

Oct。　17th。　Having　nothing　to　do　this　afternoon　I　did　a　lot　of　Ulysses。　I　brought　him　home　from　the　people　who　never　saw　salt　in　a　boat　of　Dreams；　and　I　made　him　find　nobody　alive　in　Ithaca；　a　pyre　of　ashes　in　the　front　garden　and　a　charred　bone　with　Penelope’s　bracelet　on　it！　But　the　b