, 1870-12-18
WILLIAM MAKEPEACE :THACK,
u !: ERAY. ,t.,',r4
The mnn az Letters and tho mnu o.

r, GhAf. :, 49,. .'F
The r1nn a1 Letters and the man OF
Hoctesy.
In the January number of the Atlantic
Monthly there IL the first article Of b sadea
entitled "Our Whispering dausrJ,"' In
which Ar, James T. Fields proposes to To
late hts reoollcctions OF distinguished literary
men with whom he has lived on terms of in
timate ft.ondship- This first arsicleis dsvoted
TO tho author Of" Vanity Fais," and from it
xe mako sono e1tracts, .giving fresh and In
tereeting anecdotes Of the great novelist:
FIRST ACQUAINTANCE WITH 111AcKExNY. -
1tis now nearly twenty years Rinee I frat
ssw him and came to know him protsy famil-
tarly in London. WAS very much In earnest
to have biz come to Americ. and resl bis
ect'es Of lectures cn Tho English Humarista
OF tho Eighteenth CentutT," and when I
talked the matter over with some oS his
friends At the uttlo Garrick Club, thsy
I'll said he never could DO induced to
dition. Next morning, after this tux ai the
Gas1ick: tho elderly dsmael Of all wotk an
nonEced to me, "a vas taking breakfast II
my lodgings, that Mr. Sackyille had called to
Gee me-, md was then waiting below. Very
soon l heard heavy tread On tho stairs, and
enter = tall, white-haired' stranger, who held
out bis hand. bowed profoundly, and With
most comieh expression announced lin, +elt
as Ar. Sackville. Recognizing at onee The face
from published portraits, I knew that my yis.
ttor was none other than Thackeray himself,
VINO. having heard the servant give the wrong
name, determined to xssume it on this occs-
elon. For yea1a atterward. when he would
drop IN unexpectedly, both at homo and
abroad, he delighted to cali himself Mf. S.ck-
vile, until certain MlesiAn wsiter Vt the
fremont House addressed him as Nr. Thick
anTy, when he adopted that n.ms in prefer.
ence to the other.
IHAcKEaA1s LITERARY HABITS.
had the opportunity, both Ia England and
Amo.ica, for observing the literary habits OF
Ihaekesay, and It always seemed to ms that
be did his work with comparative esse.
but WIS eomevhat influenced by custom OF
i 'procrasttnation. Nearly MI his stories we're
Wilton II monthly inat1lmonta for maga-
zlnes, with tho press 1t his heala. He told
me that when he begun = novel he rarely
kneT how many people were to dgurc in It,
and, 10 uss bis own words, he waa always very
shaky about their mural conduct He said
mat sometimes, especially Il he had beam
good h1rnor next morning, he was inclined to
make his characters SillanonAly wicked but II
he rose serene with an unclouded brain, there
was no end 10 ths lovely actions he was willing
70 make hia men and women perform. When
Nc hsa ,asn %f1nen y. passage that pleased him
N+1 N@<&4+A
hat and rushing forth to find an acquaintance
to whom he might Instantly re1d his suceeas-
fnl composition. Gilbert Wakefield. unive1-
sally acknowledged to have bean the best
Greek echolsr Of bis time, ea,d he would have
turned out much better one II he bad begun
earlier to study that language; but, unfoTto-
nateiy, be did not begin til be WIS Is years
OF age. Thsckeray. In quoting to me this ssy-
ing Of Wakefield, remarked: my Engnsh
would ha!e becn very much better il I had
read Fielding before wna TO-" This obss17-
| alton vas valuable HAT, on the part OF
Thackcray, Us to whom ho conaidarod bis mag
| ter In art.
James Hsnnay pzid Thackeray 4 beautiful
compliment when he satd: 'sIf ha Ind hid
his choice, he would rather hare been famous
| as an artist than as = w1iter but il Vas dea-
| tined that hc should paint in colors which viii
never crack and never need restoration =
Ihackeray's characters are, indeed, not 10
much inventions "a e1istences, and we kpoH
'tptiIDate enemiea.r
OF his boeks like beat, gave you The old
answer 10 similar question: "The lsst one
read." II could poesess only one OF his
works, I think I should choose "Henry Ed
mond:" TO my thinking, it is marvel
T. hteratnre, md ~, ! h.ve read 1t oftenes
the reason Of my partiality lies somewhat in
little Incident will relate to ron. One day,
10 the winter Of 1852, met ThAekerag stur.
dily plowing bis way down Beacon street
With cory Of Henry Edmond" (the Eng
lish edition, than Just Issued, } under his arm.
yosumes and began 70 shout in great CLEO.
When came up to him, ho cried out, 'sHsre
III tho very beet can do. and am G carrying it
to Prescott as reward Of merit TOR hasing
given me my first dinner in America. stand
BY this book, and am willing to leave It, when
go. fB nv ckFC."
As be wrote from mouth to mouth. ard
liked to put OF the inovitA51e chsptese till the
last momsnt, he Was often in great tribulation.
happened to bo one Of large company
ner At Greenwich one summer afternoon, scv-
e1al yea1B ago. We were all to so down from
London. assemble In particular room in the
hotel, where be Was to Mces US at 6 O'Clock,
sharp. Accordingly We took steamer aud gath
ert1 ourselves together IN the reception Foou,
our host had not fulfilled his part Of tho
compact. His bur]y figure waa get wanting
smonK the company assembled: As tho guest.
were nearly ali strangers to each other, and Al
profound silence fell upon tbs room, and we
an11oua1y looked out Of tho HindoHa. hopipe
every moment that Thscker3y would arrive
This untoKard state Of things wont on for one
hour, still no Thackeray and no dinner.
Engfiah rctleanco would not allow RnY rc
| mark an TO the ahsence Of our hoat. Every
body felt serious and ! great gloom fell upo1
} the assembled palty. Still no Tha:keray- Th,
,, lAudlord, the butler, and tha ws,tera Tushei
in and ..ut OF the room, shrieGng for the mas
It was confidently whispered by lat gentle
! man, With hungry look, that the dinner va
spoiled twenty minutes ago, when We hard
merry shout in tho entry and 'Thackcrl
, bounced into the room: He had not change
: upon bis f5Scrr. Clapping bis hands IN
q titouettipg bri=kly On ons log. he cried on
"Thtnk Heayen the last sheet Of The vi
ginizns has gone to the printer" He mad
no apology for his late appearance, INTRODUCES
ard begged US al to DO seated as quickly
poesitAe. His exquisite delight at comrleita
| lis book twept xW1y every other fe3linS. nj
We all shared his pieasure, albeit the dlnn
wns overtime throughout,
THAcKEnAT Al rrDtIc SPEAKER.
Tho most finished and elegant Of all lecsu
e,n, ThackeIay often msda very poor y
peartnce when he attempted to make g
speech 10 a public Asecm.ly. He almo
always broke down after tho hFst two or thr
aentenees. He prepared wha. be intended
say with great e1actucss, aud his favorite d
lusion WIS that he Was abont to astoat
everybody with remarkable eHott- It ney
disturbed him that he commonly made
woful failure when he attempted epeoe
making, but he aat down with such cool BeEe
I II
Re w,sl,ed to ray, that his audience could Il
help Joining In and smiling with him when
came to a Htlud-siil1. Once he asked me
travel with him from London to MAnchese,
to hsar great speech be v.s going tom.
tion In that city. All tho wav down he v
diseoursiDg Of certain effects he intended
produce on tho Manchester dons By his q
quent appeals to their pockets. THIS pass
Was to have great Influence with the RI
Ill. nSuitI- -.
en-. He said that although Dickens and R
= Eer and Sir James Stephens, Ill clrqu,
speakers, wero to rreoedo him, he Intend
TO beat each Of them on this special oecas
He insisted that should bo seated diree
in front Of him, 80 that should nave Tie /
was most brilliant one: tickets had beer
demand At unheard-of prices several we
ssf1re ,bsn sh9 oasgg.s day ID; hs, shs
,ear to the public, was filed BY an anlie
the The three speeches Which came before Ths
and cray waB called upon were admirably suitet
den the occasion and most e1oquent1y spoken.
John Potter, who preaided, then rose,
X. after ct me- complimentary anGsions 70
tcs- tho crowd, who welcomed him with 1ine
rlaudits. As he rose, he gave me half-N
frcm under hia spectacles, - X to say: =.
by a for it !; the Others hAyo done well, but
1850 show 'em grace beyond the reach Of I
to zrt." He began In clear md charming n
d In Fer, and waa absolutely perfect for t!
y 10 minutes. In the middle Of most easnest
eyH- ELABORATE sentence. no suddenly etoppe1.E .Ea
efes look of comic dctpair 1t The ceiling, cram
rall- 10th hands inlo his trouscrs' pockets, and
told 1iberatelr sat down. Everybody seemed
understand that It was ono Of Th.ckeray' =
the finished epeechts, and there were no aigu
girl surprise or diseontent among his Audls
cx- Ne eonInneo 10 Ell on INC flAuofm an
that fectly comFostu manner; and whom the n
Okla ms Was over he sAid 10 nc, Without sig
s to dlscamntnIe, MY eoy. you haVe my