From John Lane: 'I am sorry that you are disappointed at results so far, but if I have asked you, as you say, to "walk by faith" you must at least admit that I have kept you company in an ungrudging spirit. I don't think you are quite fair when you say "I can't quite see why you do not realise more on the sales than the account represents" and "the length of time it appears to take for the sales to return anything according to your accounts"… I know all the fresh work you put into them takes time & money from a busy man like yourself, but I want you to realise that I have put - quite of my own desire, of course, - a good deal of money into these books and that if I as a commercial man calculate upon getting a return worth waiting for it is not unreasonable to ask you for faith in my business abilities.'
Dated at The Bodley Head, Vigo St.