GE to Lord Houghton, London, 9 April 1878
Title
GE to Lord Houghton, London, 9 April 1878
Title
GE to Lord Houghton, London, 9 April 1878
Sender
George Eliot
Recipient
Lord Hough
Date(s)
- 1878-04-09
Place
London
Letter Content
GE to Lord Houghton, London, 9 April 1878
Text: T. Wemyss Reid, The Life, Letters, and Friendships of Richard Monckton Milnes, First Lord Houghton, 3d ed., 2 vols., 1891. II, 376.
The Priory, | North Bank, | Regent's Park, | April 9th, 1878.
Dear Lord Houghton,
I had a little chat with Mrs. M[oulton] 39 the morning I met her under your kind auspices, and I think we came to the understanding that I preferred the breach to the observance of such flattering intentions as calls from "Strangers." I have been so constantly declining to accept proposed visits of that kind from American ladies that it would be invidious on my part to make an exception, unless it were warranted by the prospect that I could render some needed service. But Mrs. M[oulton] is so well received and appreciated that I can add nothing to her advantages during her stay in London. Visits from friends and from those who are likely to become friends I am very fond of, but I have a horror of being interviewed and written about, and though I would not impute an intention of that sort to Mrs. M[oulton], my experience in relation to other American ladies has confirmed me in my churlish habits. Pray interpret me charitably, and believe me
Yours very sincerely,
M. E. Lewes.
Text: T. Wemyss Reid, The Life, Letters, and Friendships of Richard Monckton Milnes, First Lord Houghton, 3d ed., 2 vols., 1891. II, 376.
The Priory, | North Bank, | Regent's Park, | April 9th, 1878.
Dear Lord Houghton,
I had a little chat with Mrs. M[oulton] 39 the morning I met her under your kind auspices, and I think we came to the understanding that I preferred the breach to the observance of such flattering intentions as calls from "Strangers." I have been so constantly declining to accept proposed visits of that kind from American ladies that it would be invidious on my part to make an exception, unless it were warranted by the prospect that I could render some needed service. But Mrs. M[oulton] is so well received and appreciated that I can add nothing to her advantages during her stay in London. Visits from friends and from those who are likely to become friends I am very fond of, but I have a horror of being interviewed and written about, and though I would not impute an intention of that sort to Mrs. M[oulton], my experience in relation to other American ladies has confirmed me in my churlish habits. Pray interpret me charitably, and believe me
Yours very sincerely,
M. E. Lewes.
Signature
M. E. Lewes.
Citation
George Eliot, GE to Lord Houghton, London, 9 April 1878, Complete George Eliot Letters(2026), George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://www.georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/92864