[22 Paradise Rd., Northampton, Mass.]

T. S.Eliot
EmilyHale
TS
The Criterion
16 November 1937
E.

How stupid of me. I meant to enclose this with my letter, and now I have missed the last post; so this will be another boat. ICaetani, Marguerite (née Chapin)saga of unsettled debts;a8 have been rather miserable about this. I do so dislike making myself disagreeable, that when I do, I am either so mild that nobody knows I meant anything, or else so violent that it is quite out of proportion to the cause. I did not get any answer to this. So I shall wait and then ring up Jones and Evans. And it is true that I had no opportunity to speak – I saw her for a few minutes and then Lelia came in, and I couldn’t discuss this sort of thing before Lelia. What do you think?

T.

[EnclosedOld Possum’s Book of Practical Cats'Old Deuteronomy';e2: LetterOld Possum’s Book of Practical Catsindividual poems sent to EH;a4 to Marguerite Caetani dated 13 November 1937, regarding her outstanding debt to the booksellers Jones & Evans – and ‘Old Deuteronomy’]

Caetani, Marguerite (née Chapin), described for EH, potential guardian for VHE, and TSE's 1933 Paris trip, saga of unsettled debts, pedigree, and EH's trip to Rome, lacks definite nationality, and TSE's abortive Italian mission,

4.MargueriteCaetani, Marguerite (née Chapin) Caetani, née Chapin (1880–1963) – Princesse di Bassiano – literary patron and editor: see Biographical Register. LéliaCaetani, Lélia Caetani (1913–77), sole daughter, was to marry Hubert Howard (1908–87), a scion of the English Catholic House of Howard, who worked to preserve the Caetani heritage at Rome and at the castle of Sermoneta.

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, conceived as money-spinner, written as jeu d'esprit, individual poems sent to EH, early fragment of 'Rumpuscat', as outlined to GCF, and 'the Heaviside layer', TSE despairs of finishing, provisionally Mr Eliot's Book of Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats and Other Birds & Beasts, as advertised by GCF, delayed by Milton and Byron essays, written to relieve political gloom, written in tours de force, written occasionally, and Children's Hour, TSE asked to recite, TSE at leisure to write, Hodgson promises to illustrate, Hodgson as 'the Man in White Spats', to appear autumn 1939, TSE to design cover, published, read in the Roberts household, sent to EH, reception, selling strongly, being reprinted, published in America, EH receives, the illustrations, the original Cat Morgan, read to the Roberts children, 'Bustopher Jones: The St. James's Street Cat', 'Gus: The Theatre Cat', 'Marching Song of the Pollicle Dogs', 'Old Deuteronomy', 'Song of the Jellicles', 'The Naming of Cats', 'The Old Gumbie Cat', 'The Practical Cat', 'The Rum Tum Tugger',