Wrong Gem

Charles Champlin erred when he wrote that Charles MacArthur said “I wish they were diamonds” when he offered peanuts to renowned actress Helen Hayes (“Helen Hayes Isn’t Ready to Rust,” May 13). In her 1965 memoir “A Gift of Joy,” Hayes told how her future husband, during their first meeting, “poured several peanuts out of the bag into my hand. Then he smiled and said, ‘I wish they were emeralds.’ ”

In the same paragraph Miss Hayes noted that the oft-repeated proffer of love had a new twist when, years later, the successful playwright brought her a bag of emeralds from India, saying, “I wish they were peanuts.”

ROBERT ADAMS

Long Beach