[ Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, poet and anthologist. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('A. T. Quiller-Couch') to unnamed recipient, describing a meeting with the recently-deceased Harold Frederic and 'Miss Lyon' (tried for his manslaughter), and Frank Harris.

An interesting letter regarding a celebrated Victorian scandal. In 1884 Frederic had come to England with his wife and five children as the London correspondent of the New York TImes. He set up a second household with Kate Lyon, with whom he had a further three children. Lyons was a Christian Scientist, and when Frederic suffered a stroke in 1898, she tried to cure him by faith healing. At the instigation of Mrs Frederic, Lyon was tried for manslaughter, but was acquitted. 4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly-aged. He begins by stating that he will 'value highly' the trouble his recipient has taken in answering him. He continues: 'No, it was not Mr. Frank Harris's article which made me ask the question. To confess the truth I have avoided the Saturday of late, & did not see what he said. Having no personal acquaintance at all with Mr. Harris, & judging him only - & perhaps quite wrongly - by such writings of his as have fallen in my way, I do not think I shd. often agree with him.' Turning to Frederic, he states that he only met him once. 'He came down to Fowey & sent me his card. I went at once to see him, & he spent a Sunday afternoon in my garden here. He explained to me very frankly, in private, that Miss Lyon was not his wife, & though I saw her here, I was not introduced & have never exchanged a word with her.' He cannot recall whether Frederic told him anything more of his domestic affairs, but is under the impression that he was 'moderately willing to, but that I did not want to hear. He was very kind afterwards in sending me some books which he though[t] might be useful to me'. He ends by stating that he is enclosing a cheque for a guinea, which he calls 'feeble', promising to send more after Christmas, 'if the subscriptions languish'.