The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-09-09

with those keen eyes of his upon the moving
throng OF rascaldom in London, at Rome, on
the Partisan boulevards and everywhere-and
| the penetrating glance had photographed the
| figures upon his brain-their inward being as
well as their outward show-after which to re-
produce them in his books was, so to saw q
| mere mechanical process.
Mr. Thackeray spoke of himself and his writ
ings with entire candor and unreserve, of which
| / shall give an instance before concluding this
brief SKETCH and his opinions upon other writ
ers were equally frank and outspoken. The
| elder Dumas, the author of ''Monte CriSto'
| and the ''Mousquetaire" stories, seemed to be
/ an especial favorite with him.
| dumas is charming!' he exclaimed. "Ev-
| erything he writes interests me. / have been
| reading his Memories / have read fourteen
| of the small volumes all that are published,
and they are delightful. Dumas is wonder
| full man-wonderful. He is better than Wal
| ter Scott"
"You refer, suppose tohis historical novels,
| the 'Mousquetaires' and the rest?"
''Yes. | came near writing book on the
| same subject and taking M. dArtagnan for
my hero, as Dumas has done in his 'Trois Nous
| quetaires D'Artagnan was real character
| Of the age of Louis XIV, and wrote his own
| Memories L remember picking up a dingy
| little copy of them on an old bookstall in Lon-
| don, price sixpence, and intended to make
something of it. But Dumas got ahead of me
he snaps up everything. He is wonderful"
81 am glad you like him, as he was always a
great fayorite of my own" said: "hs verve
is untlagglng."
"Yes; his good spirits seem never to change.
He amuses you and keeps you in good humor,
which is not the effect produced on me by
many writers. Some books please me and en-
liven me- and others depress me. never could
read Don QuiXote' with pleasure. The book
makes me sad.
Further allusion to the Knight of La Man.
| cha indicated that the source OF this sadness
| was profound sympathy with the crazed gem
| tleman-a commiseration so deep for his troub-
| les and chimeras of the brain that the wit and
| farcical humor of Sancho were insufficient, in
| his opinion to relieve the shadows OF the pic
ture. -
Pasaing from these literary discussions, Mr..
Thackeray spoke of his tour in America, and said
how much gratified he was by his reception.
Richmond was an attractive place to MIN, he
declared-he had been received with the utmost
kindness and attention-and he had always
looked upon the Virginians as resembling more
closely his own people in England than the
Americans of other States. They seemed
''more homely,' think was his phrase-whlch
I recall from the curious employment of the
word ''homely" in the sense of "homelike."
"Your American travels will, no doubt give
you the material for volume ON this country,
1 said.
'Yes; have seen great DEAL" was his re-
''WeI, don't think you will abuse us, Mr..
Thackeray.
II shall not write anything upon America"
he said; "my secretary maybe is quite capa-
ble And as to abusing you, if do, I'M
The sentence terminated in manner rather
more emphatic than would have suited the at
| mosphere of a drawing-room; and 1T was plain
| ly to be seen that Thackeray had thoroughly
made up his mind not to follow in the loot
steps of Mr.. Dickens, and critieise his enter
tainers-''throw their plates at their heads as
Scott said when he declined accepting an 1nv1-
tation to dine with the old Count Barras near
Paris, of whom he declared he would probably
have some harsh things to say in his Life OF
Napoleon. Mr.. Thackeray mad the instinct
that one would think would control all persons
of good feeling and good breeding, and never
wrote a line that / am aware OF which any cit
izen of the country, North or South, would
have wished unwtitten.
Further conversation upon Virginia, the
character OF the country, people, etc., led Mr..
Thackeray to speak of what was then mere lit
erary Intention, the composition OF 'Ihe VIZ
ginians' which was not written. think or at
least, did not appear, until two or three years
afterward.
II shall write q novel with the scene lald
here,'' he said
'1n America? am very glad, and I hope
you will be able to do so soon
"No, L shall not write it for about two
years."
"Two years?"
eyes 1t will take me at least two years to
collect my materials and become acquainted
with the subject. l can't write upon subject
know nothing Of. | am obliged to read up
upon it and get my IDEAS"
'Your work will be noyel?'
''Yes, and relating to your state. shall
give it the title Of THE Two Virginians'"
title which, as the reader knows, was after
wards changed for the shorter and simpler
"The Virginians'
As 1 expressed natural pleasure at the
prospect of having novel from the author OF
''Esmond,' Mr.. Thackeray spoke more partic-
larly of his design, thereby exhibiting, L
| thought, and think still, a remarkable instance
| of the simplicity, directness and absence OF
| secretiveness in his character. was nearly
| an entire stranger, but he spoke without re-
serve of his intended book, telling me his
whole idea.
Il shall lay the scene in Virginia during the
Revolution he said. "TheTe will be two
brothers, who will be prominent characters
one will take the English side in the war and
the other the American; and they will both be
in love with the same girl"
''That will be an excellent plot" l said, and
your novel will be full-blooded historical
one.'
at will deal with the history of the time
''You;will have a striking denoument'--
ga denoument?"
yorktown"
Having said so 1 became suddenly aware
that had committed something closely reSem-
bling q social faux pas, inasmuch as had
quietly recommended to an English gentleman
to take the surrender of CORVALLIS as the cli-
max of his drama.
II really must beg your pardon, Mr. Thack-
| eray" said with some embarrassment.
''Beg my pardon?" he said, turning his head
| and looking at me with good deal of surprise
''For my ill-breeding."
His expression of surprise was more pro-
| nounced than before at these words, and he
| evidently did not understand my meaning in
| the least
II mean," 1 said, ''that L quite forgot the
fact that 1 was talking with an English gentle
| man Yorktown was the scene OF Lord Corn
wallis's surrender, and might not be an agreea-
BILE denoument."
'Ah'' he said smiling at is nothing. L
accept Yorktown"
'I know you admire Washington.
eyes, indeed. He was one of the greatest
men that ever lived"
My host had evidently no susceptibilities to
wound in reference to these old historical mat
ters, so l said smiling:
Everybody respects and loves Washington
| now; but is it not singular how the result
changes our point of view? The English view
| in '7G was that Washington was rebel and II
| you had caught him you would probably have
hanged him."
| To this Mr.. Thackeray replied in tone OF
| great earnestness:- =,
'We had better have lost North America"