1887-10-30 to William Archer

Autograph letter signed, British Library, 622 words

[Edited for paragraph breaks, capitalization, spelling and punctuation.]

Fresh Combe Lodge, Beeding, Sussex

Sunday night [30 October 1887]

My dear Archer

I have been wanting to write to you for weeks past but until this evening I have not found a leisure hour. I have been moving and am now living on the South Downs on the very scene of the sad viciousness mere accident. I am living with a friend who has started a rabbit warren on an extensive scale. The house is very pretty and comfortable although not yet completely furnished but we are in a sad way for transport of any kind. We have not got a stable and as we are four miles from a railway station and three from a high road you can readily imagine that all is not plain sailing at Fresh Combe Lodge. These inconveniences will soon be remedied and later on I hope you will be able to pay me a visit. I do not know if you care for shooting but if you do so much the better for there is nice cover here and we have a good many rabbits.

And now about what you wrote to me. I thought you had written the Pall Mall Gazette criticism of A Mere Accident because I could not fix it on anybody; not a very sensible reason for jumping to the conclusion that you had written it: it certainly contained sentences I could scarcely believe you had written.

I did not understand what was meant when I was told that my descriptions, my landscape style was not that of George Borrow or Bunyan. Chatter of that kind is riling for the public thinks it means something whereas the remark would apply equally well to every writer of the present day, from Ruskin to Rider Haggard.

I was very pleased indeed to hear that you thought there were some good things in the book, for good writer or bad writer I am at least not a literary strumpet. I love my art and I do the best I can irrespective of the opinions of publishers and booksellers. I know A Mere Accident was not liked much, I was disappointed for I thought it was a good book; but your letter cheered me up, you are one of the few for whom I write.

Norman I have not heard of for a long time, I heard something about his going round the world interviewing people for the Pall Mall.

I must see you one of these days. I should like above all things to have a talk with you about different things so when I come up to town I hope you will be able to dine with me or if you can’t manage dinner you might lunch.

I see you have an article in the Nineteenth Century for October. I should like to see it because I enjoy your criticism and because I have little to read here. If not too much trouble you might post it to me.

I have done an article for the Fortnightly on Turgueneff which I hope you will see. I saw your article on 'Major and Minor,' I am surely right in attributing this article to you, and I thank you very much for your mention of my name. It was very kind of you

Hoping I shall see you when I am next in London, you will come and dine with me if you can? Believe me

Yours very sincerely

George Moore

PS as you surmise I wrote none of Dr. Philips — I invented the story and it was written under my direction, that was all.