The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-09-11
rBAcxEshY,s LECTURES.
Ana How Me Came TO the Unitea states.
ny HIS MRS. rrTcHrE.

One day jackson drove the blue fy UP to the
door. and my father. looking rather smart.
with n packet OF papers In his hand. AMI my
grandmother. who had come ovcr from Paris.
and my sister and l all got in. and We drove
away. u nervous company. to Wtllis's Rooms
to hear the first Of the lectures upon tho
English Humorists." Ny father was. Of
course. very nervous. but MS we drove along
he made little Jokes to reassuro us all: then
together we mounted tho ~carpeted staircase
leading to tho long empty room. and after n
time he left US. l l!ava no very pleasant rccol-
lection Of that particular half h9ur Of my life.
/ remember the unotcupied chairs. and peo-
PIE comin.. in rather subducd. as II into
u church. Many Of the windows were
opcn. tho sky looked very blue over tho roof
tons. our hearts were thumping. the carriages
outside came driving up. with distant rum
bling sounds. growing louder and louder. and
/ remember wondering at tho time whether I
should mind very much II the day of judg-
put IN end to this terrible ordeal. which dos
perate imagination was u real consolation to
ne at the moment. It is II happiness to real.
cr's HELM when all our emotion and sympathy
was. | fear. only a hindrance. Icanrot help
ords concerning my fathers lectures. although
1t may laTe already been Quoted Gy others:
lures on the English .Essayists. and no asked
mo to como and hear him. and told me he was
So nervous about it. that he was afraid he
Ii was to lecture at wmis's Rooms. in tho
before the time for his beginning, l found him
standing like u %forlorn. disconsolnte giant in
ths mT, nrd { of the room gazing about him:
fright. ! spoke some words Of encourage;
ment TO MN. anu was gong away. but he held
i"nv "A"" me- ,,fs" si B"t.' said said 'I T. Erha os; cray.
you mustn't stand here. Your audience are
the middle of the chairs and benches. which
wee n.sinninE To- be occupied. into the retir.
WIN both. On he said, il i soal'a only aniIIs'. get
a at last as1' look %"Hk' at rs 1WHi"s his i. i%s:'n 9sta To- T. A az,
in the next room on tho reading desk. Well.
f1lI !. II you don't like'o go in and get it;
the position OF my. reading. table. which had
been close to the door of the retiring room.
without attracting, the attention Of the au-
dienre. with which tho room. was already
readings seated at a worry low table but my
and had had = reqdins desk placed on the plat.
almost aIoye my head. Though rather dis,
SGHs"rtei; l was determined not 20 go back
clutch at the hook. when every leaf of it tthcy
were not fastened, to:ctherl came tiuttering
what | did. but | think | must have gone near
iy On all fo"rs in ny agony to rather 1rtho
held them out in ,dismay to poor TIack"rny.
l haye done" Ny dear soul. said he. YOU
coild1it have done better for me. [ have Just
IL quarter of an hour to wait here. and it will
take me about that to lase this; again. and it's
And SO. while my father was paging the
manuscript and our hearts wero beating. the
people kort coming in more and more quickly
and liiiinE up the places in front of u@. Behind
Us. I'LL round us, settling down. unfas,eniug
their wraps, holding TO each other. was
gazing at a lady who had taken of her bonnet
and sat In II little Quaker cap Just in front OF
me. when suddenly there stood my father fac
expected. His Voice sounded strained and
odd i9r an instant, and / didn't recognize
Of the eighteenth century. it is of the men
rather than Of their works. SO tho stranE"
softenrI and !ecreGed am! became his own.
and at the same time u, he stood there | re-
allied that he looked rust like himself: there
my vagIs youthful srinnings, and chokinGs.
come don't remember taking In one word
after the first sentence; but sat staring and
tpkinr breath. and rr"iizins somehow that
proud and harry look q light and
her beautiful gray "ve- ali shining. when the
people applhuded and the lecture was all over
lady in tn. Quaker can tied her bonnet On
ugain. and somebody said she was the Duchess
o. sutherland. End III" people were, ali taking
and rrnwdin: NJ and shaking hands with tho
lecturer. Then ca mo the happy drive home.
jackson made the horse Gaiiop and my father
laughed aud made roal jokes without any
effort. and we laughed and enjoyed every Jolt
and turning on the way home this time.
These lectures gradually hccame IL part
Of orr pNIry-Nny i,h. INST nS nnph pa thn
books aud the articles my father used to write.
and the littlr printers boys waiting and swing
tutes and provincial agencies used to invite
him to the north aud to the south. lie came
urhs or ut friends houses. at Mrs. proctor's.
aud elsewhere; once. he read mt home. ut the
%rel"GG,, thimk' Ct his weli-iovHd Mrs. EIii2,
home. 70 this day | can ENJOY that glorious
summers day We first silent at Oxford among
the gardens and the gables. and where. with
our host. st. John Thackeray. We stood in the
street outside watching tho backs Of the audi
One year after my father told IL that he was
going lway-he was going to America to give
had finished the hook upon which he was en-
Esged, and W" We're to spend thu winter in
my, ra,rimony." he said. AM. make som" pro.
vision for your mother and for you, and you
must 20 to my mothers and spend the winter
while | am away. and consider yourselves mt
college in n fashion. and learn French and u
little IL usic to play mo 20 sleep OF an evening
when l come home" Alas we neither
OF us could over make enough music to
send him. to sleep. though | hnye often sent
him ont of the room. My hair used to stand on
end, my fingers used 10 turn 10 stone when !
tried to play to him.: even tho things ! liked
best scanned to 90 Off tho rails in some gen
eral CATASTROPHE.
America was further away then than ii Is
now, when q thousand Columhus"~ or 'olutnhi
Whatever the plural may tic cross the ocean
week by week with II parting nod am. u return
ticket. That whole summer o! lSDi seemed
darkcnad by tho coming separation. 1t
was II long and burning summer: even the
shadows seemed burned up. and 50 Were he
gardens Mt tho hack Of the houses, and the
brown turf ana the av"nues of .krnsinGton
Gardens. those gardens whore that strange
mist which is not quito fog nor quite real. nor
even II fancy. but which has always sromed to
me to be the very spirit of London itsrli. comes
rising alon. the straight and formal distances.
Ny father was hard at work iini.hinG u book
which some people still say is the best Of all
his books. People read it then. when i came
out, and read t.still md re-rend IL. lie used
to write in his study with the, vino shading the
two windows. and We used to 81" our les
sons. or sit sewing and, reading in tho
front room with tho bow window TO
the street; and ono day. ms we wtre
there with our governcss. my father came in.
L., .,nv 1,-..k l.t 81 Al , Ent-