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portion of my critics during many years have mentioned in the course of their reviews of various works from my pen that the one under consideration is not another “She;” or words to that effect。 As though a man’s brain could harbour a host of “Shes”! Such literary polygamy is not possible。 Only one love of this kind is given to him。
The second letter that I  a friend who I am glad to say still lives; Mr。 Edmund Gosse; the distinguished author and man of letters。16
16 Now Sir Edmund Gosse; C。B。
29 Delamere Terrace: January 8; 1887。
My dear Mr。 Rider Haggard; — I feel constrained to write again to you about “She” before the impression the book has made upon my mind in any degree wears off。 In construction I think you have been successful to a very marvellous degree。 The quality of the invention increases as you go on; and the latest chapters are the best。 Indeed it does not appear to me that I have ever been thrilled and terrified by any literature as I have by pp。 271…306 of “She。” It is simply unsurpassable。
All through the book there are points which I have noted for the highest praise; the three white fingers on Ustane’s hair; the dream about the skeletons; the meeting of the Living and the Dead; the Statue of Truth — these are only a few of the really marvellous things that the book contains。 I was a great admirer and; as you know; a warm weler of “King Solomon’s Mines;” but I confess that exceedingly picturesque and ingenious book did not prepare me for “She”; and I do not know what to say; of hope or fear; about any future book of adventure of yours。 I don’t know what is to be imagined beyond the death of Ayesha。
Accept again my thanks for the gift of your book; which I put among my treasures; and now the expression of my sincere and cordial admiration。
Yours most truly;
Edmund Gosse。
P。S。 — May I say; without impertinence; I think the style strikes me as a vast improvement upon that of “K。S。M。”?
To turn to something humorous — I find the following in the handwriting of the late Rev。 W。 J。 Loftie; headed “SHE” in large letters。
Are you acquainted with the story of the lady who wrote poetry? She had begun an epic —
“Man was made innocent and good; but he” —
when a visitor called。 She left the paper on the table: the visitor came in; waited a little and departed。 When she returned she found the couplet pleted:
“Man was made innocent and good; but he —
Would doubtless have continued so — but SHE!”
Well; “She” came out and was a great success。 On March 15th Charles Longman wrote to me in Egypt:
I am glad to tell you that “She” keeps on selling capitally。 We have printed 25;000 already; and have ordered another 5000; and I do not think we shall have many left when the printers deliver them。 。 。 。 Last week we sold over 1000 copies!
This was a large number as books sold in those days; when people were not accustomed to buying novels in one volume; having been in the habit of borrowing them from the library in three。 Moreover; from that day to this the sale of “She” has never ceased; whilst in America it was pirated by the hundred thousand。
All the reviews of it were not good; indeed some of them attacked it strongly。 Others; were enthusiastic。 The Times (a review in The Times then; before the days of Literary Supplements; if good; was very valuable) spoke extremely well of it。 The Times reviewer; however; criticises the Greek upon the sherd。 Had he known that it was the work of Dr。 Holden; one of the best Greek scholars of the day; he might have preferred to leave it unquestioned。 Here is the doctor’s letter on the subject; written from the Athenaeum in March 1886。
Dear Haggard; — Your task is not quite so big as one of the labours of Hercules; but by no means easy without further data。 Do you want the Greek to be such as to deceive the learned world into thinking that it is no forgery; but a genuine bit of antiquity? If so; the style will have to be taken into account: it won’t do to imitate Herodotus; though it is just the bit suitable for his style; because of the date B。C。 200。
Anyhow; I am just going down to Harrow to examine the Sixth Form for Scholarships; and shall be fully occupied there for a fortnight。 I hope therefore you are not in any particular hurry: if so; I must return you your MS。; which I cannot do justice to without some further consideration of the subject。
Yours sincerely;
H。 A。 Holden。
That my old master did consider it very thoroughly I know for a fact。 I remember his telling me that he would have liked to be able to give six months to study before he ventured on this particular piece of Greek。 I said that with all his great learning this was surely unnecessary。
“My dear boy;” he answered; “I have been soaking myself in the classics for over forty years; and I am just beginning to learn how little I know about them!”
In the same way the black…letter; mediaeval Latin inscription and the old English translation thereof; etc。; were the work of my late friend; Dr。 Raven; who was a very great authority on monkish Latin and mediaeval English。
Twenty years later; the time that I had always meant to elapse; I wrote a sequel under the title of “Ayesha; or The Return of She。” Of course; although successful in a way; it was more or less pooh…poohed and neglected on the principle that sequels must always be of no worth。
Of the scores of letters which I received about “She” from correspondents personally unknown to me; the following is perhaps one of the most curious。 It is written from the Electric…Technical Factory of Messrs。 Ganz and Co。; Budapest。
Dear Sir; — In explanation of the following lines please to learn that during the course of the last few weeks; we; whose signatures you will find adjoined; have had the pleasure of reading your celebrated novel; “She。”
Despite our various tastes; characters and nationalities we have; one and all; taken a most lively interest in your story。
It appears that each of us found in it a something which appealed to his sympathies; to one the ethnographical and topographical descriptions may have given satisfaction; to another the frequently occurring remembrances of athletic sports; in a third; perhaps; sweet memories of bygone classical studies have been awakened。
The last time we dined in pany it was decided that we should proffer to you; in humble acknowledgment of our respect and thanks; our united most hearty good wishes for your happiness; contentment and general well…being; with the hope that you may be spared to enrich your fellow…creatures and ing generations with the fair products of your fertile mind。
We beg you; dear sir; to believe us;
Yours faithfully;
A。 Damek; Crawford; C。 Horstek;
German; Scotchman; Englishman;
S。 Jordan; E。 Poesetzlin; L。 Stark;
Frenchman; Swiss; Hungarian;
Electrical Engineers。
This; I think; was a very satisfactory letter for an author to receive。
Chapter 11 EGYPT
Leave for Egypt — Reincarnation — Boulak Museum — Excavations — Removal of mummies — Nofertari — Adventure in tomb — Mr。 Brownrigg’s danger on Pyramid — Cyprus — Article on “Fiction” — “Jess” — Home by long sea — “Cleopatra” — “Colonel Quaritch; V。C。” — Press attacks — Publishing arrangements — Lang’s advice — “Cleopatra” dedicated to H。 R。 H。‘s mother — Her death — Savile Club — Thomas Hardy — H。 R。 H。 weary of writing novels — Lang’s encouragement — Allan Quatermain and Umslopogaas — Winston Churchill’s approval — Letters from W。 E。 Henley — “Maiwa’s Revenge” — “Beatrice” — Collaboration with Lang in “The World’s Desire” — Letters from Lang — “The Song of the Bow。”
After “She” had been fairly launched; and the proofs of “Jess” passed for press; I started; in January 1887; on a journey to Egypt。 From a boy ancient Egypt had fascinated me; and I had read everything concerning it on which I could lay hands。 Now I was possessed by a great desire to see it for myself; and to write a romance on the subject of “Cleopatra;” a sufficiently ambitious project。
A friend of mine who is a mystic of the first water amused me very much not long ago by forwarding to me a list of my previous incarnations; or rather of three of them; which had been revealed to him in some mysterious way。 Two of these were Egyptian; one as a noble in the time of Pepi II who lived somewhere about 4000 B。C。; and the second as one of the minor Pharaohs。 In the third; according to him; I was a Norseman of the seventh century; who was one of the first to sail to the Nile; whence he returned but to die in sight of his old home。 After that; saith the prophet; I slumbered for twelve hundred years until my present life。
I cannot say that I have been converted to my friend’s perfectly sincere beliefs; since the reincarnation business seems to me to be quite insusceptible of proof。 If it could be proved; how much more interesting it would make our lives。 But that; I think; will never happen; even if it be true that we return again to these glimpses of the moon; which; like everything else; is possible。
Still it is a fact that some men have a strong affinity for certain lands and periods of history; which; of course; may be explained by the circumstance that their direct ancestors

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