The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1871-09-08
A New AnecdOte Of Dickens.
How the great Novelist COnfrOzsts
One OF His SIanderers.

How the great Novelist COnfrOnts
One OF His SIanderers.
From Fields whispering Gallery, in the
Sept. Atlantic.
Let me commend to the attention
Of my numerous and nameless COR
respondents, who have attempted to
soil the moral character of Dickens,
the following little incident related
to me by himself, during a summer
evening walk among the Kentish
meadows, a few months before he
died. I will try to tell the story, if
possible, as simply and naturally as
he told it to me:
81 chanced to be travelling, some
years ago." he said, Sin q railroad
carriage between Liverpool and Lon
don. Besides myself, there were two
ladies with a gentleman occupying.
the carriage. We happened to be
all strangers to each other, but no.
ticed at once that a clergyman was
of the party. / was occupied with a
ponderous article in the Times, when
the sound of my own name drew my
attention to the fact that a cOnVersa-
ton was going forward among the
three other persons in the carriage
with reference to myself and books.
One of the ladies was perusing
Bleak House, then lately published,
and the clergyman had commenced
a conversation with the ladies by
asking what books they were read
ing. On being told the authors
name, and the title of the book, he
expressed himself greatly grieyed
that any lady in England should be
willing to take up the writing of so
vile a character as Charles Dickens.
Both the ladies showed great surprise
at the low estimate the clergyman
put upon an author whom they had
been accustomed to read, to say the
least, with q certain degree Of pleas
ure. They were evidently much
shocked at what the man said ofthe
immoral tendency Of these books,
which they seemed never before to
have suspected; but when he attack
ed the authors private character,
and told monstrous stories of his
immoralities in every direction, the
volume was shut up, and confined to
the dark pockets of q travelling bag.
l listened in wonder and astOnish-
ment, behind my newspaper, to sto-
ries of myself, which, if they had
been true, would have consigned any
man to prison for life. After my
fictitious biographer had occupied
himself for nearly an hour with the
eloquent recital of my delinquencies
and crimes, very quietly Joined in
the conversation. OF course l began
by modestly doubling some state
ments which I had just heard touch
ING the author of ''Bleak House" and
other unimportant works ola similar
character, The man stared at me,
and evidently considered my appear
ance on the conversational stage an
intrusion and an impertinence.
"YOR seem to speak" said, "frOm
personal knowledge of Mr.. Dickens.
Are you acquainted with him ?"
"He rather eVaded the question,
but, following him up closely, l COM
PEELED him to say that he had been
talking not from his own knowledge
of the author in question but he
said he knew for certainty that eY-
cry statement he made was a true
one. then became more earnest in
nv enquiries for proofs, which he ar
rogantly declined giving. The ladies
! sat by in silence, listening intently
| to what was going forward. An au-
! thor they had been accustomed to
read for amusement had been traduc-
| ed in their hearing, and they were
waiting to learn what 1 had to say
! in refutatiOn of the clergyman's char
ges. was taking up his stories, one
| by one, and stamping them as false
in every particular, when the man
| grew furious, and asked If knew
Dickens personally. l replied, Per
fectly we'll no man knows him bet
ter than 1 do; and all your stories
about him from beginning to end
to these ladies, are unmitigated lies.
The man became livId with rage, anC
asked for my card. You shall have
it, said, and cooliy taking out one,
presented it to him without bowling
We were Just then nearing the sta
ton in London, so that | was spared
a longer interview with my truthful
companion ; but, if l were to live
hundred years, l should not forge
the abiect condition into which tht
narrator of my crimes was instantl!
plunged. His face turned white a
his cravat, and his lips refused to ut
. ter words. He seemed like a Wiltet
vegetable, and as if his legs belonged
/. to somebody else. The ladies be
came aware of the situation at once
, and, bidding them good day, | "step
ped smilingly out of the carriage
Before I could get away from tn
t station, the man had mustered n
= strength sufficient to follow me, an
I his apologies were so nauseous an
craven, that I pitied him from m
2 soul. / left him with this caution
Before you make charges agains
e character of any man again, aboU
u >u you know nothing, aud c
VII VIZ works you are utterly ignoI
WIOs9 | to be a seeker after trutl
ane3 eUoia4 svuGia4 wing as you would eteI
nal perditiOn.