The sun., 1884-10-12

have never met man moro natural
or more charming. lIo never wnstod t.mc In
common PLACES though lively taker. he mover
uttered platitude-and what he had to say he
said as II he msant 1t. On nn occasion which
many OF my readers will call to mind. he once
spoke OF himself as very human: !: he did 80 OF
course In u doprecatory sense. he was tho last
person In the world to afYoct to possess any
other nature than that OF his fellows. Whom
some ono said. How wicked the world ISL hc
answered.: True: aud what Q satisfaction 1t Is
that neither YOU nor I belong to It, But tho
fact H. II was this very humanity that was
his charm. Whatever there WAS of him
was feal. without padding; and whatever WAS
genuine In others had a sympathetic attraction
for HIM" Mr.. Payn proceeds to tell us that
the subject. however. which most interested
Dickens land In less degree this was also tho
case with Thackeray) was the dramntio-nay.
oven tho mslodramatic-sde OF human nature.
He had stories without end taken from the
very raee Of life. OF quite different kind from
those with which he made his readers familiar.
There are. indeed. indications OF this tendency
in his writings. as In the talos interspersed in
'Pickwick.' In the abandoned commencement
OF Humphreys Clock and more markedly In
his Occasional Skotches.' but thoy were much
moro common In his private talk"
In another chapter Mr.. Payn points out that
Dickens was an excellent man OF business.
though In early life he made Creat pecnniury
mistakes by an impatenco OF disposition. n
desire to get things settled and dono with.
which is shared by many mon oslettors to their
great loss. He was painstaking. accurate. and
puDctual to fault; and tho trouble he took
about other peoples affairs. especially In his
own calling Is almost incredible.
The chiefs OF our vocation are always
ready to give n helping hand to their
juniors: but Dickens locked upon 1t ns
an imperative duty so to do. Many a
timc have young woud-be contributors called
upon me. and produced from their breast
pockets. al pass sports to my attention. a letter
OF rejection. torn and frayej. and bearing
tokens OF having been read hundred times.
from the Master. He wrote mo this letter
himself.' thoy would say. as though hore were
but ono he In the world. II was generally
pretty long one. though written at a tiino when
minutes were guineas to him. full OF tho sound
est advice and tsnderest sympathy. Therc
was always announcement in them flor.
OF course. these were not hopeless cases). and
often-whcnever. In fact. there seemed need for
other help besides counsel-some allusion
couched In the most delicate terms to the en-
closed Dickens not only loved his calling.
but had q respect for IL. and did moro than
any man to make 1t respected With the pains
lie took to perfect whatever proceeded from
his own pen overY one who has read his life
must DO conversant; but this minute ut.
tention to even the smallest details hnd its
drawbacks. When an inaccuracy. however
slight. WAS brought home to him. 1t made him
miserable. So conscious was OF this that
mover liked 10 tell him Of a mistake In Dom
bey and Son. which has escaped the notice OF
readers professional and otherwise in every
edition. The Major and Cleopatra sit down to
play DiQur. but what they do pluy-for they pro-
pose to one another-is dcdrii." There IL good
deal more about Dickens in these reminis-
cencos. but We will only reproduce the fact
mentioned by way OF oommont on tho assertion
OF an American writer that Dickens Is no
loDgor to be endured" that moro than four and
. quarter millions OF Volumes Of Dickons's
works have boon sold In England alone since
his doath
Trollopoi is characterized by Mr.. Payn as tho
least literary man OF letters he ever met In
deed" he says. had not known him for tho
large hearted and natural man he was. should
have suspected him OF some sffectation In this
respect. Though he certainly took pleasure in
writing novels. doubt whether lie took any in
reading them: and from his conversation quite
much from his own remarks upon the
subject In his autobiography. should Judge
he had not road dozsn. even OF
Dckenss. In his life. His manners were
rough. and. go TO speak. tumultuous. but
he had q tender heart and a strong sense Of
duty. He has done his literary reputation as
much harm ty the revelation OF his method Of
work as by his material views OF Its result.
He took almost savage pleasure in demolsh
ing the theory OF inspiration which has
caused the world to deny his genius but
although he WAS the last and long way tho
last. Of the great triumvirate OF modern novel
lists tfor Bulwor Is not to be named in tho sarno
breath. and George Eliot stands PEI. SCI. ho
hangs on the line with them" TO a fourth
novelist. Charles Rcado. we find In these recol-
lections the following apprccative reference
although OF him. it appears. the author saw
less than Of his literary brethren. My ac-
ouaintance with him." writes Mr. Payn. did
not begin till. his innrmity OF deafness
had begun to b, q source OF much incun-
vsnlence to him; but il certainly had not
impatient inn or o'nH morose. @ His followed % hand and and
smiling. attentive face are always present in
He exprssscd himself very strongly upon IN mat. mat
tcrs in which his feelings were moved. but they
were always moved in the right direction. and
though when contendiug with all adversary on
paper ho did not uso tho feather end OF his pen
his heart was Us soft AZ q woman's. He was
wth ss e fa a a. y
goes) aro attributed to his craft. and the last
praise OF ono who might well have been oonsid.
cred a riyal-Wikie Collins. i can imagine.
he said. that his wor fai to appeal to soma
people otherwise good Judges. but lie Is a great
artist"
The last time Mr.. Payn saw Charles Reade
the latter was painfully ascending tho stairs
OF the London Library. looking very old and i'll.
! waited for him on tho landing. whore ho no
ticed some books in my hand which WAS err
rying away for professional purpose. llow
hard YOU work. he said; then added with
pathos. So did l at your age His tono and
manner recalled 70 mo those OF another end
greater writer. III is evident that here hir.
Payn n!lndeS to ,pickensl When ! was in
stancing to him Wnltor Scots ultimate in-
ability TO compose when he wished to do so.
and hi, bursting into toars in consequence. hs
the most pathetic incident in the annals OF
literature. For Gods sake don't talk Of it, he
said: it is what we must all come to- But he
never did come to It, nevertheless.
No one surely who ever knew or heard OF
Miss Mart neau would suspect her OF anyi nina.
fast or unfeminine. and We earn to our amaze
ment. from these "reminiscences. thar at one
time under tho advice OF some scientific per
son. she tried tobacco had" said Mr..
Payn. who also. IL seems. taught hor whist and
cribbage. and so far undermined hor princi-
pies. VIII ich were fixed against gam bling. MS to
induce her to play for nny points, tho
privilege OF providing her privately with some
very mi cigars and many and many sum
nor night have VIC sat together for half an hour
or SO IN her porch ut The Knolr smoking"
But OF course she only essayed this remedy in
the hope that 1t might have beneficial effect
upon her hearing Mr., Pawn tslIs us that