TCG Letter #145 / Carpenter Letter #74

Stanley Unwin had sent Tolkien a large cheque^{see Letter from Stanley Unwin to J.R.R. Tolkien • 22 June 1944 (#1342)[1]} as payment of royalties on The Hobbit, and mentions that Rayner is now at Oxford reading English.

Tolkien says that he is "both delighted and grieved", delighted as he will be able to see Rayner again, but also saddened that Rayner has been "swept up" in the current miseries, referring to the climate of war.

Tolkien says that he treated Stanley "badly" by not thanking him for a note about Foyles. he should also have updated him on progress with The Lord of the Rings which he has not touched for a year, but hopes he near the finish and will dedicate time to it. He hopes that Stanley is still interested in the book and notes the cost of typing in Oxford, and the fact that his typewriter was in need of repair. Apparently finding someone to fix it in Oxford is impossible.

He thanks Stanley for the cheque and notes it being very helpful.

In a newly published portion^{Letters, 2023[2]} Tolkien bemoans his not knowing that Rayner had been at Oxford since April. He notes that he started the Naval course in January, 1943 but had given up the directorship after not having a day or night off in two years. He is pleased that Rayner has done well in the “half-course exam”, which he says was a struggle for most Cadets.