Frances Power Cobbe--pea-jacket, brass buttons, and all.

On the 10th November, 1879, Miss Savage, having been ill, wrote to
Butler:

I have been dipping into the books of Moses, being sometimes at a
loss for something to read while shut up in my apartment. You
know that I have never read the Bible much, consequently there is
generally something of a novelty that I hit on. As you do know
your Bible well, perhaps you can tell me what became of Aaron.
The account given of his end in Numbers XX is extremely ambiguous
and unsatisfactory. Evidently he did not come by his death
fairly, but whether he was murdered secretly for the furtherance
of some private ends, or publicly in a State sacrifice, I can't
make out. I myself rather incline to the former opinion, but I
should like to know what the experts say about it. A very nice,
exciting little tale might be made out of it in the style of the
police stories in All the Year Round called "The Mystery of Mount
Hor or What became of Aaron?" Don't forget to write to me.

Butler's people had been suggesting that he should try to earn money
by writing in magazines, and Miss Savage was falling in with the
idea and offering a practical suggestion. I do not find that he had
anything to tell her about the death of Aaron. On 23rd March, 1880,
she wrote:

Dear Mr. Butler: Read the subjoined poem of Wordsworth and let
me know what you understand its meaning to be. Of course I have
my opinion, which I think of communicating to the Wordsworth
Society. You can belong to that Society for the small sum of 2/6
per annum. I think of joining because it is cheap.

"The subjoined poem" was the one beginning: "She dwelt among the
untrodden ways," and Butler made this note on the letter:

To the foregoing letter I answered that I concluded Miss Savage
meant to imply that Wordsworth had murdered Lucy in order to
escape a prosecution for breach of promise.

Miss Savage to Butler.

2nd April, 1880: My dear Mr. Butler: I don't think you see all
that I do in the poem, and I am afraid that the suggestion of a
DARK SECRET in the poet's life is not so very obvious after all.
I was hoping you would propose to devote yourself for a few
months to reading the Excursion, his letters, &c., with a view to
following up the clue, and I am disappointed though, to say the
truth, the idea of a _crime_ had not flashed upon me when I wrote
to you. How well the works of _great_ men repay attenti