227 - HUGO (Victor).

HUGO (Victor). Letter from the author. “Victor Hugo,” Hauteville House (Guernsey), November 17, 1862, “personal,” 2 pp., in-8 on blue paper, to Mr. (Léon or Gaston) Bérardi, editor of the Brussels daily L’Indépendance belge: "Dear Mr. Bérardi, I am sending you, in galley proofs—and (if the word were not a bit ambitious) as a scoop—a piece that may not be without interest and which, I believe, could appear in your paper without causing any harm to L’Indépendance belge. It is a social matter, but not a political one. You are one of the leading advocates of progress, and you may find it useful to lend your support to every effort I make regarding the greatest of issues [?]. If you think so, and if you publish this, it would be important to do so as soon as possible, because of the imminent debate, which may already have begun [...] Reading this has stirred my emotions anew; I didn’t need that [...] There is now a closer bond between us, and [...] I am truly a friend to you [...]” (Some wear due to the ink.)