25 DECEMBER 1886, Page 13

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR...I

Sin,—In the Spectator of December 18th, the author of "Judith Wynne" charges me with having "boldly imported" from that story to "The Silence of Dean Maitland," the incident of a clergyman denouncing himself from the pulpit. I can only reply that I have never even heard of "Judith Wynne," or any work by C. L. Pirkis. The alleged plagiarism is therefore, at the worst, only a remarkable coincidence, which I regret.—I