and the Revolution is still to seek。 But perhaps it is at hand。 At any rate Lady Florence strove manfully for her cause in those early days； if in the circumstances “manfully” is the right word to use。
I find a letter dealing with “Beatrice” from Cordy Jeaffreson； from which I quote an extract：
。 。 。 It is a fine； stirring； effective story； but with all its power and dexterity it is not the book which will determine your eventual place in the annals of literature。 You will write that book some ten years hence； when I shall be resting under the violets； and when you are enjoying the fullness of your triumph； you will perhaps give me a kindly thought and say； “The old man was right。” In a line； it is no small thing to have thrown off “Beatrice；” but you will do something much greater when “you’ve e to forty year。” The story strengthens my confidence in you； though it falls short of all I hoped for you。 This is not damning with faint praise。
Ever yours；
J。 C。 J。
Alas！ that wondrous work of fiction which Cordy Jeaffreson anticipated never was and never will be written by me。 Be it good or be it bad； the best that I can do in the lines of romance and novel…writing is to be found among the first dozen or so of the books that I wrote； say between “King Solomon’s Mines” and “Montezuma’s Daughter。” Also I would add this。 A man’s mind does not always remain the same。 People are apt to say of any individual writer that he has gone off； whereas the truth may be merely that he has changed； and that his abilities are showing themselves in another form。 Now； as it happens in my own case； in the year 1891 I received a great shock； also subsequently for a long period my health was bad。 Although from necessity I went on with the writing of stories； and