Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-08-01
STORIES OF DICKENS.
His Opinion of George EIIiott's Sex
First Reading OF "Pickwick."

1t was at this time that Dickens
commenced the public reading of his
works, and they became Immediately
very popular as well as profitable. 1
availed myself of his offer of tickets OF
admission TO Hanover Square Rooms,
and heard him read the trial from
.'Pickwick' and from some other
novel, the name of which l forgot. 1t
seems bold thing for me TO say, but
1 felt very strongly that the author had
totally misconceived the character of
one OF his own creations. In reading
the humorous repartees and quaint
sayings of Sam Weller, Dickens low
cred his voice to the tones of one who
was rather ashamed of what he was
saying, and afraid of being reproved
for the freedom OF his utterances.
failed in being able to reconcile
myself to such rendering of character
that, of all others, seemed to me to
call for an exactly opposite treatment.
Sam is self-possessed, quick and never
falling in his illustrations and rejoin-
ders, even TO the point of impudence.
When / determined to tell the great
author that he bad mistaken his own
work, L knew l should be treading on
dangerous ground. But on the Occa-
sion of a sitting, when my victim was
more than ever good-natured, unbur-
dened my mind, giving reasons for my
objections. Dickens listened, smiled
family and said not a word. A few
days after this my friend Elmore asked
my opinion of the reading, telling me
he was going to hear them, and l
franly warned him that he would be
disappointed with the character of Sam
fa hrnnnht a
call from Elmore, who roundly abused
me for giving him an utterly false ac-
count of the Weller episode.
Why" he said, 'the sayings came
from Dickens like pistol shots; there
was no .sneaking' of speaking, as
you described it, "Can it be possi-
BILE" thought i, ''that this man, who
as it is told of the great Duke of Well
ington. never took anybody's opinion
but his own, has adapted from my sug-
gestion a rendering OF one of the chill
dren of his brain diametrIcally oP-
posed to his own conception Gf it?''
AT the next sitting all was explained,
for, on my telling Dickens what Elmore
had said, with twinkle in his eye
which those who knew him must SO
well remember, he replied:
~ altered it little-made It
smarter"
"You can't think how proud I feel, -
said /, land surprised, too; for, from
my knowledge of you, and from what
l have heard from other people, you
are about the last man to take advice
| about anything, least of all about the
way of reading your own books"
"On the contrary" was the reply,
whenever l am wrong L am always
| obliged to any one who will tell nae of
it; but up to the present 1 have never
been wrong"
With Dickens permission l used to
read the early sheets OF the new novel
as they lay upon his desk. On one of
| the few occasions on which 1 got to
work before him. L saw upon the table
paper parcel with letter on the top
of it. From the shape l guessed that
it contained books, as the event proved.
Presently Dickens came in and read
the letter, saying:
"Here you are againl This is the
kind of thing L am subject to; people
send me their books, and, what is
| more, they require me to read them;
and. what is almost as bad, demand my
opinion OF them. Read that"
| obeyed, and read what appeared to
me very well written appeal to the
great master in the art, of which the
writer was a very humble disciple,
ETC., begging for his perusal of the
| accompanying work, and his judgment
upon 1t, and so on. The work was
"Adam Bede," and the writer's name
was George Eliot. Dickens took up
one of the volumes, looked into it. and
said: ''Seems clever-a good style;
suppose | must read it.'
And read it he did that very day, for
the next morning he said:
That's very good book, indeed,
10y George Eliot. But, unless l am
mistaken, q. Eliot is a woman"