[Drak [London, around 18 September 1873] 

Dear Citizen! 

On Monday* I found the letter from you which Miss Carroll 
had left at my house.”? That day and Tuesday I was so much 
engaged on French refugee and International business that I 
could not attend even to the most pressing portion of my own 
affairs, nor find time to reply to the numerous letters found here 
on my return to town. Otherwise I should at once have written to 
you that I could not take the chair for her next Sunday. 

On Tuesday as I was just on the point of going out on business 
which admitted of no delay and must be settled before 1 o’clock 
that day, Miss Carroll called again. It was half past twelve and I 
had above a mile to walk to the place. If a dozen of my oldest 
friends had arrived from the other end of the world, I could not 
have seen them at that moment where I had not five minutes to 
spare. I must have treated them as I treated Miss Carroll. 

On telling her as politely as I could my momentous situation, 
she merely asked me categorically whether yes or no, I would take 
the chair for her; I regretted I could not, as I had an engagement 
for that evening, and again expressed my sorrow for having to 
leave her so abruptly; upon which she at once interrupted me, 
leaving me not even the time to ask her when and where I could 
have another interview with her, by saying that she was quite used 
to that sort of thing on the part of the London Internationals, and 
walked out of the house. 

I felt sorry for her, attributing her behaviour to the exaggerated 
touchiness often brought on by misfortune. Unfortunately, the 
would-be insulting letter she wrote to me since, leaves me no room 
to doubts as to what is hidden behind all this virtuous indigna- 
tion. 

As to taking the chair on Sunday I was compelled to decline the 
honour. 

a 15 September 

1) because, as stated, I had a previous engagement; 

2) because, contrary to your expectation, I do not recollect 
having heard Miss Carroll’s name once before, nor could I get any 
further information from one or two others I asked.* And I 
cannot be expected to take the chair for parties of whom I know 
nothing or next to nothing. 

3) I never took the chair at a public meeting of Englishmen and 
do not intend doing so. When I once took the chair for you, that 
was at the meeting of a German private society of which I was a 
member. 

At all events this little incident” will not have been without its 
use, if you will see from it the impropriety of proposing people 
for chairmen using their names without having previously 
obtained their consent. 

Yours fraternally