LONDON: 1838-9.

than this, while that eccentric lady was imparting her confidences to Miss Knag, that Sydney Smith confessed himself vanquished by a humour against which his own had long striven to hold Sydney Smith vanquished. Out. "Nickleby is very good," he wrote to Sir George Phillips after the sixth number. "I stood "out against Mr. Dickens as long as I could, but "he has conquered me." *

BROADSTAIRS: 1839.

C. D.

to J. F.

The close of the story was written at Broadstairs, from which (he had taken a house "two "doors from the Albion-hotel, where we had that "merry night two years ago") he wrote to me on the 9th September 1839. "I am hard at it, but "these windings-up wind slowly, and I shall think "I have done great things if I have entirely "finished by the 20th. Chapman and Hall came "down yesterday with Browne's sketches, and "dined here. They imparted their intentions as "to a Nicklebeian fête which will make you laugh "heartily—so I reserve them till you come. It "has been blowing great guns for the last three "days, and last night (I wish you could have seen "it!) there was such a sea! I staggered down to

* Moore in his Diary (April 1837) describes Sydney crying down Dickens at a dinner in the Row, "and evidently "without having given him a fair trial."

BROAD

STAIRS: 1839.

"the pier, and, creeping under the lee of a large "boat which was high and dry, watched it break"ing for nearly an hour. Of course I came back "wet through." On the afternoon of Wednesday the 18th he wrote again. "I shall not finish "entirely before Friday, sending Hicks the last "twenty pages of manuscript by the night coach. "I have had pretty stiff work as you may sup"pose, and I have taken great pains. The dis"covery is made, Ralph is dead, the loves have "come all right, Tim Linkinwater has proposed, "and I have now only to break up Dotheboys "and the book together. I am very anxious that "you should see this conclusion before it leaves Close of the "my hands, and I plainly see therefore that I "must come to town myself on Saturday if I "would not endanger the appearance of the "number. So I have written to Hicks to send "proofs to your chambers as soon as he can that "evening; and if you don't object I will dine with "you any time after five, and we will devote the "night to a careful reading. I have not written "to Macready, for they have not yet sent me the "title page of dedication, which is merely "To "W. C. Macready, Esq., the following pages are “inscribed, as a slight token of admiration and ""regard, by his friend the Author.' Meanwhile

book.

BROADSTAIRS: 1839.

A proposed

...

"will you let him know that I have fixed the "Nickleby dinner for Saturday the 5th of October. celebration. "Place, the Albion in Aldersgate-street. Time, "six for half-past exactly I shall be more "glad than I can tell you to see you again, and "I look forward to Saturday, and the evenings "that are to follow it, with most joyful anticipa"tion. I have had a good notion for Barnaby, "of which more anon."

The shadow from the old quarter, we see, the unwritten Barnaby tale, intrudes itself still; though hardly, as of old, making other pleasanter anticipations less joyful. Such indeed at this time was his buoyancy of spirit that it cost him little, com-' pared with the suffering it gave him at all subsequent similar times, to separate from the people Parting from who for twenty months had been a part of him-' self. The increased success they had achieved left no present room but for gladness and wellwon pride; and so, to welcome them into the immortal family of the English novel, and open' cheerily to their author "fresh woods and pastures The Nickleby "new," we had the dinner-celebration. But there'

creatures of his fancy.

dinner.

is small need now to speak, of what has left, to one of the few survivors, only the sadness of remembering that all who made the happiness of it are passed away. There was Talfourd, facile and

1839.

and Maclise.

Wilkie.

fluent of kindliest speech, with whom we were in LONDON: constant and cordial intercourse, and to whom, Talfourd grateful for his copyright exertions in the house of commons, he had dedicated Pickwick: there was Maclise, dear and familiar friend to us both, whose lately painted portrait of Dickens hung in the room: * and there was the painter of the Rent-day, who made a speech as good as his Sir David pictures, rich in colour and quaint with homely allusion, all about the reality of Dickens's genius, and how there had been nothing like him issuing his novels part by part since Richardson issued his novels volume by volume, and how in both cases people talked about the characters as if they were next-door neighbours or friends; and as many letters were written to the author of

* This portrait was given to Dickens by his publishers, for whom it was painted with a view to an engraving for Nickleby, which however was poorly executed, and of a size too small to do the original any kind of justice. In some sort to help the reader's fancy to a complete impression, Maclise having caught as happily the figure as the face, a The painting skilful outline of the painting has been executed (see title by Maclise. page). "As a likeness," said Mr. Thackeray of the work, and no higher praise could be given to it, "it is perfectly "amazing. A looking-glass could not render a better fac"simile. We have here the real identical man Dickens, the "inward as well as the outward of him,"

LONDON: Nickleby to implore him not to kill poor Smike, 1839. as had been sent by young ladies to the author

of Clarissa to "save Lovelace's soul alive." These

and others are gone. Of those who survive only three arise to my memory-Macready, who spoke his sense of the honour done him by the dedication in English as good as his delivery of it, Mr. Edward Chapman, and Mr. Thomas Beard.