The record-union., 1891-09-26

most zenith light from the sky. The
glasses are cut in narrow panes, the
sashes are slender and hung on all but
slender hinges, and quaint little cross
section, necessary to the unusual outer
opening at the top, is adapted to both the
purposes of ventilation and antique or
nament.
More curious than all else is pine cup
board standing between the fireplace and
the side wall. It extends from the floor
to the ceiling. In the top are a few close
shelves. Ia the bottom is a cubbyhole,
formerly used as temporary safe. Just
above this are several secret drawers,
their outer edges made in imitation Of
narrow, molding- ribbed paneling. Above
these q complete series of ledger racks,
protected by little falling doors. And
still above are sliding panels concealing
a marvellous nest of pigeonholes. This
was the author Hawthorne's repository
of manuscripts, OF personal correspond
ence, of his quaint, genial and often
grimly satiric English Notes." and of
countless odds and ends of half-created
observations and literary sug
gestions and skeleton plots; all secret,
sacred and priceless to writer as to a
maiden are the sweet, trifiing tokens of a
first romantic love. This rare old cup
board is now a receptacle for Office
sweepings, and an ignoble but useful
coal bin.
Innumerable pictures of Hawthorne in
his changeful moods, as he sat at his desk
beneath the windows of this little office,
come inyoluntarily into the visitors
mind. Whether at work upon many of
the most characteristic personal letters
he ever penned; romping with his chill
dren, who often descended like three up
roarious infant Graces upon him, IN
charge of the bright-faced wife or the un-
lSIn n
Fanny; listening demurely to shipmas-
ters' yarns, or pretending to solemnly
inspect sailors broken heads when his
own was turned away; quarreling in
kindly rivalry of objurgation with his
loyal friend, Bright, over the merits and
dement's of the people, policies and insti-
tutions of their respective countrieS-for
Hawthorne was American to the core
and back again--or still brooding alone
with vagarous fancies; the light from the
strange Old window-top must have played
about his head there with an actual Rem
brandt effect, bright as when the spirit
ual windows of memory open upon the
man Hawthorne, his tender life and his
SURPRISING worth and work.
Hawthorne'S genuine hauntS in Eng
land were few, and he travelled over old
ground with the fondeSt tread. st. Mich
olas churchyard; the rare bakers shop
where such excellent bread and butter
and cheese could be eaten standing; Sand
heys, where he went to visit Bright; old
but a few miles away; South
port and the outlying sand dunes be-
tween it and Blundell-sands, nearer the
city; the ancient Liverpool market, still
Chester, which he revisited fre-
quently; Dingle, "a pleasant domain on
the banks Of the Mersey;" Eastman, but
a few miles distant and recorded by him
as ''the finest old English village'' he had
seen, and particularly the venerable
church of st. Andrews, at Bebbington,
built in 100, We're his most familiar
haunts for the four years Of his Consular
ship in England. OF course in this time
he visited the lake district, Wales, the
Isle of Man, Scotland and London
sparingly. But he seemed to write of
them all as though merely to refresh his
mind when he should finally get a good
ready to write. In all the English
Notes" the really charming bits are
chiefly where he speaks of himself, and
not Of the things he has come to see. The
little hooks near Liverpool, when he
stole away to them alone, or when he had
his family on foot for an outing with
him, are where we find the man at his
happiest and best.
Undoubtedly Hawthorne's chief haunt
in Liverpool was the then and at present
new and old book store, noted among
l.
Young, at II South Castle street Mr..
Young, now very old man, gave me
some interesting recollections of the nov
elist:
My first recollection of Mr.. Haw-
thorne is of a dark-haired, retiring and
most gentlemanly-looking man who
walked into my shop, and without
word to anybody. or from anyone to
him, proceeded to investigate the books.
In little time he took from a shelf an
uncut copy of Don QuiXOte, in two vol
umes, illustrated by Tony Johannot,
asked me the price, paid the money and
requested that the books he sent 10
Mr.. Hawthorne at the American Con-
sulate.'
''Then he began coming almost daily.
after long time growing somewhat ia
miliar. He would inquire much about
books, but usually more for information
than for purchase. The late Henry a.
Bright of Liverpool, a wealthy dilletant
author of The English Flower Garden
and the intimate friend of the late Lord
Orchard Monckton Milnes},
TO whom he introduced Hawthorne, was
his single warm friend and confident in
England. They frequently called to-
gether, and made use of little nook in
the rear of the shop, in which to examine
and discuss books, and this soon came
to be known as Hawthorne Corner
Mr.. Hawthorne gave Bright the COM
plete manuscript of Transformation
{ Marble Faun'. He had it very richly
bound, and it remains in the possession
Of the Bright family here to this day.
''Some little time after its publication
by Smith & Elder, leading London pub
Usher, came TO me and said he understood
that Hawthorne was customer of mine.
He wished me to ascertain if any portion
OF transformation was written in Eng
land, or rather, if the whole OF it was not
written in Italy, in which latter case he
would mercilessly republish it in def
ance of the English copyright, giving as
his reason that Americans pirated the
publications Of his house, and that he
wished to serve anyone of them he could
with the same sauce. | refused the COM
mission abruptly, and shortly after, on
again meeting Hawthorne, / mentioned
the matter TO him. He seemed much
amused and said, Tell him the larger
portions Of the book were written in
Italy, and that portion was written in
England; that they are pretty well
mixed, but that he is welcome TO lind out
which IS which, if he can, and to repub-
hsh those portions which satisfy him.
when the family finally left England,
Mr.. and Mrs. Hawthorne and, | think,
Miss Una Hawthorne, called to shake
hands and say good-by. Hawthorne's
appearance and demeanor very
reminded me of Dr. Martineau,
and Mrs. Hawthorne's sprightliness was
a delightful set-off TO her husbands s ex-
treme diffidence and quietude."
The Hawthorne home at Rock Park is
still a pleasant, ,fower-embowered Eng
lish mansion, but the old Duke street
boarding-house Of good Mrs.
BIodgett-eyer famous in literary history
as the dream Of home by proxy-in
which the Hawthornes longest-lived in
England, is now merged into stuffy
warehouse in an ancient and unsavory
quarter of the I.iNerpool Of to-day.