Autograph letter signed : Ipswich, to an unidentified recipient, 1871 February 28.

Replying to his letter and defending himself against criticism he received from Mrs. Scarisbrick over a concert reading of "Hamlet" in Liverpool; and "cheerfully" agreeing "...to the discontinuance of our acquaintance. There is such a total absence of all consideration for me in the communication received from you that no other position would be possible;" saying he is happy to hear that Mrs. Scarisbrick defended him "...from blame & abuse" which both you & she knew was utterly undeserved. I learn it however for the first time from you. As regards my letter, it was not intended to taunt her. It was simply a defence of myself from unmerited remarks, when I knew, & you knew, how entirely in a simple, friendly, way I had acted. I make no boast and never intended such a thing - of 'favours'. I simply found myself attacked & abused for what I felt was not understood (or misunderstood) & therefore & for that reason only, I went into facts & figures;" challenging assertions made against him in a letter enclosed in the one to which he is replying; adding, in a lengthy postscript, "I cannot help adding that I deeply regret my old, and as I believed sincere friend, could allow you to forward to me such a letter as you have disgraced yourself by enclosing. It is the production of a man who not only spells incorrectly, but writes ungrammatically. What does he mean by such bad English, and still worse taste as this? 'As to his coming two years to Liverpool solely to serve you, is pretentious bosh...That he should address such a letter to Mrs. Scarisbrick is no concern of mine...Whatever this fellow may have the impudence to write, in order as he supposes to irritate me, I know both you and your wife are as well aware as I am that my two visits to Liverpool were undertaken from a purely friendly purpose of being of service to you both. I possess her letters warmly expressing this feeling...I can only hope that both you & your wife in a calmer moment, & under the influence of better feelings may see reason to regret going out of your way wantonly & grossly to insult a man, already galled by a sense of injustice, against which he strove to defend himself. And so I take my leave of you & of this miserable affair."