1835-6.

a continuation of some chapters of light papers in the style LONDON: of his street-sketches would be considered of use to the new journal; and secondly, if so, whether they would not think it fair and reasonable that, taking his share of the ordinary reporting business of the Chronicle besides, he should receive something for the papers beyond his ordinary salary as a reporter? The request was thought Salary fair, he began the sketches, and his salary was raised from five to seven guineas a week.

raised.

Black.

They went on, with undiminished spirit and freshness, throughout the year; and much as they were talked of outside as well as in the world of newspapers, nothing in connection with them delighted the writer half so much as the hearty praise of his own editor. Mr. Black Mr. John is one of the men who have passed without recognition out of a world their labours largely benefited, but with those who knew him no man was so popular, as well for his broad kindly humour, as for his honest great-hearted enjoyment of whatever was excellent in others. Dickens to the last remembered, that it was most of all the cordial help of this good old mirth-loving man, which had started him joyfully on his career of letters. It was John Black that flung the slipper after me, he would often say. 'Dear Black's timely help. 'old Black! my first hearty out-and-out appreciator,' is an expression in one of his letters written to me in the year he died,

First series

CHAPTER V.

FIRST BOOK AND ORIGIN OF PICKWICK.

1836.

LONDON: THE opening of 1836 found him collecting into two 1836. volumes the first series of Sketches by Boz, of which he had of Sketches. sold the copyright for a conditional payment of (I think) a hundred and fifty pounds to a young publisher named Macrone, whose acquaintance he had made through Mr. Ainsworth a few weeks before.* At this time also,

Fancypiece by

Mr. Willis:

a poor English

author.

* To this date belongs a visit paid him at Furnival's-inn in Mr. Macrone's company, by the notorious Mr. N. P. Willis, who calls him 'a young paragraphist for the Morning Chronicle,' and thus sketches his residence and himself. In the most crowded part of Holborn, within a door or two of the 'Bull-and-mouth inn, we pulled up at the entrance of a large building used 'for lawyers' chambers. I followed by a long flight of stairs to an upper storey, and was ushered into an uncarpeted and bleak-looking room, with a 'deal table, two or three chairs and a few books, a small boy and Mr. Dickens, 'for the contents. I was only struck at first with one thing (and I made a memorandum of it that evening as the strongest instance I had seen of 'English obsequiousness to employers), the degree to which the poor author was overpowered with the honour of his publisher's visit! I remember saying to myself, as I sat down on a ricketty chair, "My good fellow, if you "were in America with that fine face and your ready quill, you would have ""no need to be condescended to by a publisher." Dickens was dressed very 'much as he has since described Dick Swiveller, minus the swell look. His 'hair was cropped close to his head, his clothes scant, though jauntily cut,

' and after changing a ragged office-coat for a shabby blue, he stood by the I door, collarless and buttoned up, the very personification, I thought, of a