New-York tribune., 1872-12-10


nasal 70 nut this clause in force stung Mr. Dickens
IN the ouich. 81 am so irritated" he wrote in one
of his letters TO Mr. Forster rubbed in the ten
derest part of my eyelids by what told You yester-
day. that a wrong kind of fire Is burning
in nv head and l don't think
can write.7 In the heat Of the moment,
he almost felt that he was q ruined man, ana
decided to retrieve his shattered fortunes by
residence abroad. lie thus announces his intention
70 Mr. Forster. " | shall let the house If can; IL
not leave ir to be let. i shall take all the family
and two servants-three at most-to some place
which / know beforehand to be cheap ana III
delightful climate, in Normandy or Brittany, toWllch
I shall 20 over first. and where shall rent some
house for six or eight months. during tlat uhe'
shall walk through Switzerland cross the Alps travel
through France and italy, take Kate perhaps to
Rome and Venice, but not elsewhere; and in short
see everything that is to be seen. SHAH write
nv descriptions to you from time to time, exactly as
did in America; and you viii ibe able to judge
whether or not q new and attractive book may
not be made on such ground. At the same
time l shall be able to turn over the story
have in my mind, and which / have a strong
notion might be published with great advan-
tage first IN ParS-but that's another matter TO DC
talked over And of course have not yet settled
either whether any book about the traVei,
or this should be the first AN very WELL
YOU say, if you had money enough well
but If can see my way to what would be neces-
sary without binding myself in any form TO
anything; without paying interest or giving any
security but!one Of my Eagle five thousand pounds;
YOU would give up that objection. And stand com
mitted to no bookseller, printer, money-lender'
banker OF patron whatever; and decidedly
strengthen my position with my readers instead OF
/ IL Iron nv ~ | otherwise
il not so and is not the way before ME plainly this
infer that in reality you do yourself think that
! what first thought of is not the way have told
Won nv scheme very badly rs l said | would. see
! its great points, against many prepossessions the
! other way-as leaving England, home, frlends,
| everything am fond Of-but 1T seems to me, at Il
critical time the step to set me right blessing on
| Mr. Mariotti my Italian master, and his pupil! III
vou have any breath left, tellTopping how you are
In reply to the expostuatons of Mr. Forster on the
subject he wrote in a manner which lays bare tue
secret workings of his mind at critical moment
"Icxpccted you to he startled. II startled my
SELF when first got t1s project Ol IoIeign @ ii'o W
my head months ago, now muel noe SV lo .ti " @ Ui
whom it comes fresh numbering only hours! sun am
exnebses abroad would not be more than half my
peuses here; the influence Of change ana natuie upon
zryif' i'm n hundred points immeasuraby the best OF
my stories. That feel my power now more than ever
ever had Tlt EHo,, If have health could sustain
myi place in The minds OF thn6ng men, thougi @ @ aaIy
writer's startet up tomorrow. But how many IeaNets
DO not think! How many take II upon trst rom
deathI How coldiy dd this very book 20 for months,
until 1t forced itself up IN peoples opinion, "i1hOuI
ForseTs or for forty thousand people who know write
because can't help IT, should have no need 70 ieive
the scene But this very book me that If can
leave II for time, had better do so, and must do So
Apart from mat again feel that longer fess & 5s
because you have been used 10 see me IOI elg. eaIs
possible 70 20 on working the bral 20 tat extent or
ever Tie very spirit OF the thing IN doing IT, Leaves
must be preiaGical the mind renewed and so
seldom let alone What would poor scott have given to
stead OF creeping there dHyeIet III ms mSeIaDle ,
decay! SAID myself in ny note 70 you-ant1GGipathS
COME out with, first. The travelbook 20 be done at
| 20 very Ear tc pay charges, whenever published"
Ills annovances were greatly smoothed over as
soon as he set heartily to work. His temperament
gave its own color to everything, cheerful or sad
and hls present outlook was disturbed by imaginary
fears. HIS labors had certainly enriched others
more than himself and while his mode OF living was
adapted to his supposed means, the first suspicion
| that these might be inadequate made change nee
essary 1t was the tuming-point OF his career and,
with his upright nature, there was only one course
TO be pursued.
Nor did the prodigious success Of the Christmas
Carol" upon its first appearance prove an omen of
altogether cheerful aspect. "'Such night
as l have passed. he wrote to Mr.. FOrs-
ter'on Saturday morning. the 10th of February. l
really believed / should never get mp again.
until 1 had passed through all the horrors OF
! a fever. found the "CaTOl' accounts awaiting me-
and they were the cause of it. The first six thou
sand copies show profit of c290 And the last four
will yield as much more had set my heart and soul
/ ,,pon q Thous9ud clear What q wonderful thing it
! is that such a great success should occasion
me such intOlerable anxiety and disappointment
! My years bills, unpaid terrific, that all the
energy and determination can possibly exert Will
/ be required to clear me before 1 go abroad which,
if next June come and find me alive, shall do
Good Heaven, if l had only taken heart year ago !
Do come sOon as am very anxious to talk with your
We can send round to Mac after you arrive, and tell
| him to ioin us at Hampstead or elsewhere | was 50
utterly knocked down last night, that l came up
| to the contemplation of all these things quite
! bold this morning. If l can let the house
for this season, l will be Off to some seaside
place as soon as n tenant offers i am not afraid,
| if L reduce my expenses; but if l do not l
shall be ruined past all mortal hope Of redemption"
! His departure for the Continent took place i'll the
| Summer of 1874. An amusing incident occurred
upon his arrival at BouOgne. . His first experience
/ in foreign tongue he made Immediately on land
/ ing when he had gone to the bank for money, and
after delivering with most laborious distlnctness
rather long address in French to the clerk behind
| the counter was disconnected by that function
arys cool inquiry in the natve-bom LOmbaTd-strcot
manner. How would you like to take 1t. sirP lie
took IT, as everybody must in five-franc pieces and
most nconvenient coinage he found 1t; for he re-
ou1ed so much that he had to il in couple of
Ill saoks and was alwayg turning hot about sud-