.MjA5.NDcyNzA

My dearest John - Your letter came several days since greatly to my pleasure - and I enjoyed it all the more from not having expected such a pleasant one. If you had only written to Romaine as kindly and pleasantly as you did to me you would have spared her much pain. She felt very badly about your letter to her - for she had depended so much on your love and sympathy - which you could have given her - even though at the same time telling her wherein you thought her wrong. I must say - John - it was a disagreeable letter - to her - and I don't think you meant it to be so - but things always seem worse when written than when spoken - there being no kind time to soften that which must be said.