The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-09-17
NUMBER 20.
A Story of Charles Dickens.

"I chanced to be travelling some years
ago." he said, "in railroad carriage be.
tween Liverpool and London. Besides
myself there were two ladies and gen
tleman occupying the carriage. We
happened to be all strangers to each
other, but | noticed at once that a
clergyman was of the party. l was oc-
cupied with ponderous article in the
Times, when the sound Of my own name
drew my attention to the fact that con.
versation was going forward among the
three other persons in the carriage with
reference to myself and my books One
of the ladies was perusing Bleak House,
then lately published, and the clergy
man had commenced n conversation
with the ladies by asking what book
they were reading. On being told the
authors name and the title of the book,
he expressed himself greatly grieved that
any lady in England should be willing
to take up the writings of so vile char
acter as Charles Dickens. Both the
ladies showed great surprise ut the low
estimate the clergyman put upon an
author whom they had been accustomed
to read, to say the least, with a certain
degree of pleasure. They were evidently
much shocked ut what the man said of
the immoral tendency of these books,
which they seem never before to have
suspected; but when he attacked the
authors private character, and told
monstrous stories of his immoralilies in
every direction, the volume was shut up
and consigned to the dark pockets of a
traveling-bag.
al listened in wonder and astonish-
ment, behind my newspaper, to stories
about myself, which, if they had been
true, would have consigned any man to
prison for life. After my fictitious BIZ
ographer had occupied himself for nearly
an hour with the eloquent recital of my
delinquencies and crimes, very quietly
Joined in the conversation. OF course /
began by modestly doubling some state
ments which l had just heard touching
the author of Bleak House, and other
unimportant works of similar charac-
ter. The man stared at me, and evil
IDENTIFY considered my appearance on the
conversational stage an intrusion and an
impertinence.
"' You 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 compelled
him to say that he had been talking, not
from his own knowledge Of the author
in question, but he said he knew for a
certainty that every statement he had
made was a true one. l then became
more earnest in my inquiries after proofs,
which he arrogantly declined giving.
1.-THE ladies sat by in silence, listening
intently to what was going forward. An
author they had been accustomed to
read for amusement had been traduced
for the first time in their hearing, and
they were waiting to learn what / had
to say in refutatiOn of the clergyman's
charges. was taking up his vile stories
one by one, and stamping them as false
in every particular, when the man asked
me if knew Dickens personally.
{" replied, Perfectly well no man
knows him better than / do, and all
your stories about him, from beginning
to end, to these ladies, are unmitigated
lies
"The man became livid with rage.
and asked for my card.
you shall have it, / said coolly,
anu taklnS out one, pIeseHtcu ~ W
him, without bowling.
owe were just then nearing the station
in London, so that was spared a longer
interview with my truthful companion;
but, if were to live a hundred years,
should not forget the abject condition
into which the narrator of my crimes
was instantly plunged. His face turned
white as his cravat, and his lips refused
to utter words. He seemed like wilted
vegetable, and as if his lips belonged to
somebody else. The ladies became aware
of the situation at once, and, bidding
them 'good-day,' stepped smilingly out
of the carriage. Before could get away
from the station the man had mustered
up strength sufficient to follow me, and
his apologies were so nauseous and craven
that pitied him from my soul. l left
him with the caution: Before you make
charges against the character Of any man
again, about whom you know nothing,
and of whose works you are so utterly
ignorant, study to be seeker after
Truth, and avoid lying as you would
eternal perdition.'