The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-03-13
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
A Visit to the Daughter of the
Famous Captain.
HOW SHE PLANS HER STORIES.
Napoleon the Great Died in Her ather's
Arms-Reminiscences of the
Great Sea Romancer.

LONDON, March Especial Correspond
ence. There are few names in the
lighter paths of English literature that
are hailed with more genuine pleasure, or
that more readily meet with the approba-
ton of large portion of the reading
English public. than that of Marryat.
The author of "Midshipman Easy" Poor
Jack" "Masterman Ready" and many
other books whose titles are household
words, has ever been popular among our
sea-roving and adventure-loving country
men. 1t was therefore with genuine
pleasure that / recently found myself in
the company of the daughter of the cele-
brated novelist, Captain Marryat. As l
entered the little room in the far wilds
OF West kensington, where, in the COM
pany of her actor son and her daughter,
and her splendid bulldogs, Miss Florence
Marryat Is now living, l was astonished
to find myself greeted by woman whose
youthful appearance gave fiat denial to
her assertion that she was the daughter of
contemporary of Lord Nelson himself.
But so it is; tall, strongly made, with
curly hair and a laughing. jovial manner,
and an occasional breezy raciness of e1-
preston which forcibly recalled some of
her fathers most amusing characters.
Miss Florence Marryatt stands confessedly
link with the long dead, delightful
romantic past.
'fou write yourself great deal, do you
not? l asked, by way of opening our
conversation, and the reply astonished
me. "Oh, yes, ffty-eIght novels, not in
Guiding many .huntGeds of articles and
newspaper reviews in twenty years. My
books are really quite a diary of my own
personal experiences in India and else
where. Nowadays, however, they are
chiefly society novels, and I am going in
strongly for dissecting, character, think
it is so much more interesting. Lady
noveliSts have immensely increased since
L began writing. | was four years editor
OF London Society. | wrote four snoyels
last year. and / acted on four every night
for ten months. | never write unless |
can do so on the spur of the moment.
No, l never read the criticisms of my
novels. My son and daughter are both
going in for writing"
"Do you find much difficulty in plans
ming out your stories, Miss Marryat?''
No. not as rule; thoughts come very
swiftly and easily to me. / sometimes
have many plots in my head. They are
like skeleton houses with all the scaffold-
ing about them, waiting to be completed
They are plots not filled up, with no color,
no realization. Soon they demand to be
carried out, the house must be built
Sometimes l have been talking to per-
son. An idea, a plot. enters my head
"Oh, my dear Mrs. Smith," l will say,
you must excuse me few minutes while
l jot down this lovely idea that has just
come to me-"
Have you regular hours for work." I
asked
We'll. that depends. I can't write to
order. If l have my plot well conceived
and | am thoroughly in the mood, the diff
tcu!ty then is to stop. But cannot write
TO order, as Trollope could, nor could 1
ever dream of writing to another persons
plot. Ny story may be very poor thing
dare say 1t is, but at all events it is mine
own. L have q wide circle of readers in
America, and many admirers One girl