Autograph letter signed with initials : [London], to Richard Hengist Horne, 1844 January 8.

Commenting on the writing of Bulwer and expressing her anger over a confidence she feels he betrayed to Mr. Reade; saying "I have known depreciators of Bulwer, - a friend of ours being one. He is called 'false' & 'unhealthy', by a certain school of critics & readers, - - in whose eyes, all intensity wears the aspect of extravagance;" expressing her anger with him over her suspicion that he broke a confidence concerning her comments to him on criticism she received from Mr. Reade; saying "You are the o̲n̲l̲y̲ p̲e̲r̲s̲o̲n̲ to whom I ever spoke or hinted one word in reference to the supposed opinion of me. Certainly another person did cause me to infer, or more than infer, Mr. Reade's repudiation of particular poetesses, of whom I was understood to be, - 'quorum magna pars fui: but not even to that person, did I answer by a longer commentary than a smile, the idea suggested to me. If I wrote as I did to you . . . it was wrong of me perhaps, . . but it was 'written' in absolute confidence, - & with the faith that you w'dnt expose all my nonsense to the third person immediately concerned. Perhaps after all, this was expecting more of you than I had sense enough to do for myself, - but you will be just enough to testify that I never c̲o̲m̲p̲l̲a̲i̲n̲e̲d̲ (as I had no reason) of any opinion attributed by conjecture or otherwise, to Mr. Reade or others, on the subject of my writings. There is plenty of fault in them, as nobody knows better than myself, - and even if there were no fault, - I sh'd be the last in the world to complain of a free opinion in its full expression, because I was the object of its condemnation. If I mentioned it at all to you, it was incidentally . . & I n̲e̲v̲e̲r̲ h̲a̲v̲e̲ mentioned it to another - - never - not even to Miss Mitford...Et tu Brute! - - to go & betray me before the ides of March! It was written, you see that we sh'd quarrel a little about Mr. Reade - who certainly 'knows more than he should do' by questionable means - - albeit not a witch. Perhaps you made a portable packet of my letters, & sent them to amuse his leisure withal - or 'read them into the air', with intention. Which w'd account for the 'caustic touches' by return of post. Oh, Mr. Horne - Mr. Horne;" telling him that she will hope to reassure Mr. Reade "...that I never considered myself in the slightest degree aggrieved by any opinion of his, of whatever nature I might have supposed that opinion to be."