第14部分(第3/6頁)

　difficult　to　get　rid　of　people　when　you　once　have　given　them　too　much　pleasure—　that　is　a　fact；　and　we　will　not　stop　for　the　moral　of　it。　What　I　was　going　to　say—after　a　little　natural　hesitation—is；　that　if　ever　you　emerge　without　inconvenient　effort　from　your　‘passive　state'；　and　will　tell　me　of　such　faults　as　rise　to　the　surface　and　strike　you　as　important　in　my　poems；　（for　of　course；　I　do　not　think　of　troubling　you　with　criticism　in　detail）　you　will　confer　a　lasting　obligation　on　me；　and　on　which　I　shall　value　so　much；　that　I　covet　it　at　a　distance。

I　do　not　pretend　to　any　extraordinary　meekness　under　criticism　and　it　is　possible　enough　that　I　might　not　be　altogether　obedient　to　yours。　But　with　my　high　respect　for　your　power　in　your　Art　and　for　your　experience　as　an　artist；　it　would　be　quite　impossible　for　me　to　hear　a　general　observation　of　yours　on　what　appear　to　you　my　master�faults　without　being　the　better　for　it　hereafter　in　some　way；　I　ask　for　only　a　sentence　or　two　of　general　observation—and　I　do　not　ask　even　for　that；　so　as　to　tease　you—but　in　the　humble　low　voice；　which　is　so　excellent　a　thing　in　women—particularly　when　they　go　a　begging！

The　most　frequent　general　criticism　I　receive；　is；　I　think；　upon　the　style；—“if　I　would　but　change　my　style！”　But　that　is　an　objection　（isn't　it？）　to　the　writer　bodily？　Buffon　says；　and　every　sincere　writer　must　feel；　that　“Le　style　c'est　l'homme”；a　fact；　however；　scarcely　calculated　to　lessen　the　objection　with　c