as with
protruded arms under fright, I would agree: as it is I must keep to my
old opinion, and I daresay you will say that I am an obstinate old
blockhead.--My dear Wallace, yours very sincerely,

CH. DARWIN.

The book has sold wonderfully; 9,000 copies have now been printed.

* * * * *

_The Dell, Grays, Essex. Wednesday morning, [November, 1873]._

Dear Darwin,--Yours just received. Pray act exactly as if nothing had
been said to me on the subject. I do not particularly _wish_ for the
work,[98] as, besides being as you say, tedious work, it involves a
considerable amount of responsibility. Still, I am prepared to do any
literary work of the kind, as I told Bates some time ago, and that is
the reason he wrote to me about it. I certainly think, however, that it
would be in many ways more satisfactory to you if your son did it, and I
therefore hope he may undertake it.

Should he, however, for any reasons, be unable, I am at your service as
a _dernier ressort_.

In case my meaning is not quite clear, I will _not do it_ unless your
son has the offer and declines it.--Believe me, dear Darwin, yours very
faithfully,

ALFRED B. WALLACE.

* * * * *

_The Dell, Grays, Essex. November 18, 1873._

Dear Darwin,--I quite understand what you require, and would undertake
to do it to the best of my ability. Of course in such work I should not
think of offering criticisms of matter.

I do not think I could form any idea of how long it would take by seeing
the MSS., as it would all depend upon the amount of revision and
working-in required. I have helped Sir C. Lyell with his last three or
four editions in a somewhat similar though different way, and for him I
have kept an account simply of the hours I was employed in any way for
him, and he paid me 5/- an hour; but (of course this is confidential) I
do not think this quite enough for the class of work. I should propose
for your work 7/- an hour as a fair remuneration, and I would put down
each day the hours I worked at it.

No doubt you will get it done for very much less by any literary man
accustomed to regular literary work and nothing else, and perhaps better
done, so do not in the least scruple in saying you decide on employing
the gentleman you had in view if you prefer it.

If you send it to me could you let me have _all_ your MSS. copied out,
as it adds considerably to the time required if there