New-York tribune., 1885-02-10
new PUBLICATIONS.
n,cr ,s,. ,x,, HIS REApINaa.

nrcKrNs AND HIS READINGS.
CHARLES DICKENS AS KsEw srliaa ham' and 4%erica
the Reading Tours in Great bp,ta frSwn Ss ayo M.
xiii 466. J. b. Liplincott Go. :,
Mr. Dolby was not only the business aeehu VI
t;aries Dickens In the longest and most impoftaht
of his series of readings but was associated with MS
Gchief" during these remarkable undertakings Oh
terms Of acectonate intimacy He is able 10 'eii US
q great deal which, if not startllngiy mover, d.
MISUNDERSTANDING andhe tells twithmsny unanee'eu
marks of attachment which add to the Interest," VI
the narrative The origin of the nickname, the
cbiefv by> which the novelist was SO often known
among his comrades, Is attributed by MT. Dolby 10
an incident which happened at hotel ID Ohes'cr
during violent snow storms
had been absent about two hours. and on my re-
turn found him sitting on the hearthrug ID Iront a
fhe FIRE with nv Turkish feZ on his head ana y
large colored mnaer round his neck, TO protece mn
fren q strong dranght between the aopl r "nd sin
deuble French window As . on ar had pretty
dow could be properly shut the ooia AH "'" '''
was amused to him in this positions put TIen len
asked him how he felt he replied grutiv, .rdsr LSe
ssados &nss sos tsipR asked H. hss nn.
5o GlS ss. Of lis ooEnS like chief please
him, and from that time always addressed MN nm oy
Shs name which was generally adopted oy ans as. ~
eociates and proclaimed as MS tlto III uiio oo0 Va
Al the Year Round,
rhe railway Journeys during the reading tours
were made as comfortable AS possible by elaborate
arrang ngements for the privacy and refreshments OF
the travellers and although they were unaeueseaiy
n nrincpal cause of the exhaustion and final break
down by which Dickens paid for his success, they
seem TO have been attended by many pieasahV eA-
perienees. On one occasion whea the CONVERSATION
turned upon dancing. at which Dickens was an adep''
the novelist established his proficiency by executing
n sailors hornpipe In the car. while Dolby and Mr.
W. II. Wills wbstled the music, as well az they
could between shouts of laughter. At seuthsea
hear Portsmouth, the three companions found
themselves one day In sort Of elongated "square"
looking so much like set for the comic ousi-
moss of pantomime that Dickens felt an Irresistible
temptation to initiate the clowns
The street being entirely free. from people, nj.
Dickens mounted three steps leading TO 9ne OF tto
green doer and, having given three IaRs on gsr
ment Of the pantalOoh" myself and wills, whoim-
sdas beat H seS Sy Mr. Dickens
with an imaginary policeman after him. The vino, I
which was very high at the time. added 70 the
D sf MT sTer csusns US to forget the staa
ton and eagerly chase the hat to eaten 10 ere the
frolcsome blast drove 1t into the water. Then ana
then only we turned to take Q parting look at inc
ecene of action when, to our disInay, we saw every
doorstep and doorway occupied b. the amused ten
ants OF the houses
During the same day they were walking in Ports
mouth when they turned into Landport Terrace;
The name of the street catching Mr. Diekens's eye,
he suddenly exclaimed BY Jove here Is the place
whore was born y and, aeting on his SUGGESTION
epeculatng as to which of the houses had the rght
TO call itself his cradle, Beyond arecoectlon thst
there was small front garden 60 Tne mo nouse wsarS s
old when his father was removed TO Londnn from
Portsmouth Asthe houses were nearly all alike ana
I'D nnf
helped In our quest by Mr.. Dickens's recollectons
and great the laughter at his humorous conleo
Ut looked so like his father another one must
have been his home because it looked like the birth
place of a man who had deserted it third was
very like the cradle OF puny, weak youngs'er
such as he had been and so on, through the row.
Ola visit to Aberdeen Mr.. Dolby states that al
though the receipts from the reading were large the
audience was the least enthusiastic which the
reader ever faced; "a fact" he adds. switch may
perhaps be accounted for by the remark OF the local
agent when questioned him about the probability
of success: 'Weel, Misther Doalby. I'm no pra-
pared state positively what yewr actiel receats
III be- for ye see sir, amangst ma ain friends there
are yairy few wha ha' iver hard O. Charles
Dickens This man held good social and CON-
nercial position, and was connected with the best
musical societies in Aberdeen"
The particulars of the American tour have been
told in various publications especially In Dickenss
sLetters" but Mr.. Dolby has some interesting de-
tails to add the pleasantest of which relate to the
aaectionate intercourse between the chief " and
his American friends On both sides there seems to
have been cordiality and sincere esteem which can
hardly be overstated While Dickens was TAX
ing his first supper at the Parker House in Boston,
on the day of his arrival from Liverpool, he was
greatly annoyed by persons peeping at him through
the crack between the door and the doOr-post and
he then regretted that he had not kept his old reso
luton of never making second Wit to America.
aThese people have not in the least changed daring
the last FIVE and tweny years." he said. "They are
doing now exactly what they were doing them"
But his impressions soon revised and there is
no doubt that the character of his audiences well
as his personal intmacies profoundly affected him.
The state of his health and the exactng demands of
his tour prevented his accepting private hosptall-
tles but he made or renewed some strong attach
ments Those to which he most frequent references
are made by Mr.. Dolby were with James T. Fields,
James r. Osgood Howard Ticknor, Longfellow,
Holmes, and the other literati of Boston. Horace
Greeley in New-York and Charles Sumner in
Washington. Mr.. Dolby gives lively and good
humored account of his own encounters with ticket
speculatoIs and difficulties with disappointed app-
cants for tickets. We satisfied that his manage
ment always judicIous and fair. but the specu-
lators were too strong for him. and some of the
newspapers were violently unreasonable The
Uord OF this city, denounced him as the pudding
headed Dolby" an exercise of invective which
greatly amused the victim and his chief. Dolby
was afterward known in the Dickens circle as
sthe p. H."
For the last series Of readings in England Dickens
prepared the Of the murder of Nancy by Skies,
IN Oliver Twist" This scene was terrible strain
upon him, and Mr.. Dolby and some of his other OBJ
serving associates were strongly opposed to his
giving it, Before risking it in public he invited a