Notes from the letters of Thomas Moore to his music publisher, James Power (the publication of which were suppressed in London)

He was sealing the envelope when I opened the door. He had stuck it in his coat pocket, saying, "I dashed off a note to Mom. Remind me to send it." The next day when he was gone again, I remembered the letter still in his coat pocket in the closet. I went over and took it out, noticing its Oregon address. What was his mother like? I wondered. I wished I could meet her, that she could know Red and I were married. His family was really my family, too. I decided on the spur of the moment to write to his mother. ii felt that if I told her how much I loved her son, a dialogue would be started that would surely lead to her acceptance of our marriage and an understanding between everyone involved so that we could be the one big happy family I was sure we were intended to be. I wouldn't come right out and tell her we were married in the first letter; I just wanted her to know how much Red and I cared for each other. When I was finished, I dropped both my letter and Red's original one into the mail box on the corner, certain I had done the right thing ...»