Something unpleasant has just happened to me and, by your testimony, you can exonerate me completely before the world. The situation is as follows. Last summer a man named Bécourt published a book entitled La Création du Monde. He was prosecuted for this work, and although I am totally innocent I find myself included in the proceedings for having sold a copy of it to you. As this is absolutely false, you would infinitely oblige me by enabling me, as soon as possible, to dismiss the accusation that my personal enemies have brought against me and from which they are taking full advantage to harm me. The pretext that they have seized on so eagerly to justify this action is the fact that Bécourt showed me a letter in which you informed him that the first time you sent money to me, you would enclose two dollars for him. As your correspondent, and in order to oblige that man, I believed that I could take it on myself to pay your small debt without authorization

I do not have the translation of Lysias by Auger—I will try to procure it for you—I will write to New York to find out whether the American Brewer & Malster assistant has finally come out. I carefully save all the orders with which you honor me, so as to be able to fill them when I get the chance.