It is more
vexing to be misunderstood than to be misrepresented; and he
misunderstands me. I cannot be easy whilst a person goes to rest
night after night attributing to me intentions I never had.'
'He doesn't know your name, or anything about you. And he has
doubtless forgotten there is such a book in existence by this
time.'
'I myself should certainly like him to be put right upon one or
two matters,' said the vicar, who had hitherto been silent. 'You
see, critics go on writing, and are never corrected or argued
with, and therefore are never improved.'
'Papa,' said Elfride brightening, 'write to him!'
'I would as soon write to him as look at him, for the matter of
that,' said Mr. Swancourt.
'Do! And say, the young person who wrote the book did not adopt a
masculine pseudonym in vanity or conceit, but because she was
afraid it would be thought presumptuous to publish her name, and
that she did not mean the story for such as he, but as a sweetener
of history for young people, who might thereby acquire a taste for
what went on in their own country hundreds of years ago, and be
tempted to dive deeper into the subject. Oh, there is so much to
explain; I wish I might write myself!'
'Now, Elfie, I'll tell you what we will do,' answered Mr.
Swancourt, tickled with a sort of bucolic humour at the idea of
criticizing the critic. 'You shall write a clear account of what
he is wrong in, and I will copy it and send it as mine.
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