Dear Sirs: I will take the royalties which you have proposed to pay me on “Prince & Pauper” (as per your letter of July 15 forwarded to me through Mr. Osgood.)

It is very difficult to determine which offer was the best, yours or Routledge’s; consequently it was quite easy for me to make a choice. I mean, things being about equal, I greatly prefer to remain with publishers who suit me so entirely, & whose energy in pushing books has been so amply evidenced.

Mr. Osgood showed me your account of sales on “Tramp” to July 1st, & he said you had given it to Conway for transmission. Conway has forgotten to send it, I suppose. But that is no matter, inasmuch as we have it; if the notes had accompanied the statement, I should feel it best to have Conway killed, on account of the delay; but as they were not then due, he has not committed a capital offense.