him; and I had to remark, "And who
the devil told the Cable?" Alas, no, I fear I shall never dare
to undertake that big Voyage; which has so much of romance and
of reality behind it to me; _zu spat, zu spat._ I do sometimes
talk dreamily of a long Sea-Voyage, and the good the Sea has
often done me,--in times when good was still possible. It may
have been some vague folly of that kind that originated this
rumor; for rumors are like dandelion-seeds; and _the Cable_ I
dare say welcomes them all that have a guinea in their pocket.

Thank you for blocking up that Harvard matter; provided it don't
go into the Newspapers, all is right. Thank you a thousand times
for that thrice-kind potential welcome, and flinging wide open
your doors and your hearts to me at Concord. The gleam of it is
like sunshine in a subterranean place. Ah me, Ah me! May God be
with you all, dear Emerson.

Yours ever,
T. Carlyle

CLXXXVI. Emerson to Carlyle

Concord, 15 October, 1870

My Dear Carlyle,--I am the ignoblest of all men in my perpetual
short-comings to you. There is no example of constancy like
yours, and it always stings my stupor into temporary recovery and
wonderful resolution to accept the noble challenge. But "the
strong hours conquer us," and I am the victim of miscellany,--
miscellany of designs, vast debility, and procrastination.

Already many days before your letter came, Fields sent me a
package from you, which he said he had found a little late,
because they were covered up in a box of printed sheets of other
character, and this treasure was not at first discovered. They
are,--_Life of Sterling; Latter Day Pamphlets; Past and
Present; Heroes;_ 5 Vols. _Cromwell's Letters and Speeches._
Unhappily, Vol. II. of _Cromwell_ is wanting, and there is a
duplicate of Vol. V. instead of it. Now, two days ago came your
letter, and tells me that the good old gods have also inspired
you to send me Chapman's Homer! and that it came--heroes with
heroes--in the same enchanted box. I went to Fields yesterday
and demanded the book. He ignored all,--even to the books he had
already sent me; called Osgood to council, and they agreed that
it must be that all these came in a bog of sheets of Dickens from
Chapman, which was sent to the Stereotypers at Cambridge; and
the box shall be instantly explored. We will see what tomorrow
shall find. As to the duplicates, I will say here, that I have
received two: