1896-05-06 to Maurice Moore

Autograph letter signed, National Library of Ireland, 330 words

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

92 Victoria Street

Wednesday [6 May 1896]

My dear Maurice

I ought to have written to you of course. I should have done so if I had not had a serious attack of influenza and had to go away for a change. Then I had nothing agreeable to say.

I can do no more with Julian than you can. Seeing that he was going through hard times I wrote to him offering to provide him with 3£ a week until he had improved his circumstances sufficiently. In reply to this letter he wrote threatening me with personal violence; he told me that he had always been able to distinguish himself in that line at school etc. etc. For this extraordinary letter he subsequently wrote a letter of apology, more or less, but I think he meant well when he wrote the second letter. Then hearing I was ill he came to see me; the moment I spoke of business he walked out of the room — he was here about five minutes. What am I to do? tell me and I'll do it...

You have been an angel, you are never anything else; you have as you say taken on yourself all the business; I am very grateful, believe me I am, but all the gratitude in the world would not enable me to cope with Julian. I will write to him today but I fear no good will come of it.

When are you coming to London? If you don't I shall never see you. I have a lovely flat and an excellent servant. I took her without inquiry and with my usual luck happened upon the very best. I am writing my novel with great, great difficulty. I often feel I shall not succeed in writing it at all. But if I do —         

Always affectionately yours

George Moore