Litchfield enquirer., 1867-03-21
sa11WHOLE NO. ee33e
9woi DICKENS ASIA READER Vi

The Boston Transcript gives it's readers
 3 sne following description of, reading bv
 Ohafles D1cKens, from a private letter to Q
 gentleman in Boston. % 1oE
 .EHotza5L En1oN, ,lEn glana1 1Fab, f2s ig87E l MY DEAR -----:-I have just returned rom the enjoyment of the greatest treat
 ot my hfe--S have heard Charles Dickens
 reaa; hls tones are still rin ging in nv ears.
 tno my eyes are parched with the heat left
 rom onWept tears. l had for several days
 ooAeo forward to the event with oreat
 hopes, uncertain of realization: and now
 'hat It IS over, and I have come horao { nls9en l1 to tell you how harmed l have been
 10 oegln With, the very personal annear.
 1uce Q! the man was all object of the ereat- 7s' curiosity to me, and was somewhat SuIpfased When, with a nervous. hI1rried step, yet easy, self-possessed manner. a sehtieman With graylsh hair and eyes a ueeply.llned face, with beard and morsta- Snss oi gray, appeared upon the rostrum oeioIe me. My heart was in my throat. ot the man that could have accentad tSat pleasure alone as my entertainment .e"' mere was a slight buzz of inattention rom rom the numerous and very fashionable notise; put It would have done you oood haa you seen how, with a look and n 7ono pause, he sllenced and subdued even the n'Su9hIy arlstocrats to whom MT. Dickens IS mot a gentleman He was their lor5 then. lie began with his Christmas star-, o5 9iI pr; MarlG9Ilu luu u' 'dharmingly he passed from the humorous to the serious parts of the story, causing laugh or drawing tear at will, He seemed himself to enjoy the good points, and at times paused to laugh with the most winning of faces at Q good point, or to wipe away tear as he told ot the return of Sophy and her child. Had you heard the expression he threw into the words '' in g cart, 1t would have given new meaning to tho story. -.a,.reE zsrz
 After an internission of ten minutes or so, he returned and read, or rather reclted, 5he. trial from ''Pickwick. His assump- tion of each character was capital, and the whole thing went off with the greatest en- thusiasm. The reading occupied about two hours and a half in all, and l assure YOU that I never passed that length of time so agreeably before Coming down stairs, his dressing room was opened as passed. and I saw "Boz" in his shirt sleeves, at the looking -glass, and was half tempted to rush in and give him an Amer ican hug, with tiger. The private car riaces were so numerous as to extend 1ar above mile on Regent street, and the same on .Piccadilly. It is the most fashionable entertainment in London, and only wish you could have been by my side to have shared my enjoyment. l thought of you
 often through the evening, and my mlnd l went back to the time we read Little
 Dorrit'' alternately in the little front par
 Tor, with an interlude of tears.
 Critically speaking, should say that MT. I Dickens is not an elocutionist. His voice.
 per notes his great meri3 consists th in lAs fhs
 enthusiasm with which he reads-a certain
 facility of expression about the mouth and
 eyes-and of course . thorough knowledge
 of the subject; he does not consult his
 notes at all, but recites from memory. The
 audience was tremendous one, every part
 of the vast hall was filled, and the tollettes
 of the nobility were very fine. Altogether ] neither Morly or myself will soon forget
 this evenings pleasure. could not go to
 bed without sitting down to say to you all 1 felt on seeing and hearing 8 man we both l so much admire. ,..- --.