New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-13
! I
ANECDOTES OF TIE MAN AND OF HIS RE-
LATIONs WITH HIS FRIENDS, WITH THE
PUBLIC. WITH HIS PUBLISHERS AND
WITH TIE PRINCE OF WALES

WITH TIE PRINCE OF WALES
London. October %.
Tho anecdotes of Tennyson OF which this letter
will ho made nm are all so far as ] know
,,.r,,,h,,shod I, "a easy to say they were new
,,,hn, first written out some weeks ago less easy
% hc suro NOW that rome of them has got INTO
prnt: but will. az any rate, use none tha' nav
coon string them together without trylng w
classify them. or to moralizc on them overmuch'
,mor, rho mon whom Tennyson knew best ana
liked best was Lord lloughton, the Mines unu wv,
DicLv Mines Of some of the letters. and OF all
his early life IIoughton. with all MS wor'ui"'''
had = real affection for his friends. ana per-
hors for none more than for the frotbcr-po'' VINO
go comnlrtely outshone him that the tl'ie vi
brotber-poet seems misplaced, il not iudicFo"'
pr, did not Sir Edwin Arnold claim Matthe"
Arnold os n namcsake and brother? llouRh'on
moreovcr liked chaG. and liked TO amnse hlh'se'i
., HE friends expense Tennyson, perhaps, ditno'
lte il hut defended himself in his own way '"''
odJlv assorted pair on a certain evening no" many
,c,rs ago were dining together at the nous" oi l"
common friend and lIoughton Gtook hiiiSe'' ~
his f,vorite amusement. lie sat directly oppoS,''
Tennvson and the moment either oil thcm sPoNo
n the other everybody else became silent ie"-
nvson. said IIoughton in his easy way i"i "o
Enplshman was ever lighter in hand. nave gov
n,,,rhor - vour earliest unpublished poems In
vour own handwriting. and soon as YOU ar"
dead shall print them Tennyson stared gri'ny
NJ his tormentor and, after . pause which iiAcI
o,.ervho1v.s attention. answered: lou beast
I, was said half humorously. half aneri'y. Dnt II
siIcnccd uoughton as If it had been blow
If the threat Lad any serious meaning In H. iate
ordained that il should never be fullIile| Hou6"
ton born in the same annns mrablIlS OF loo''
which nroduccd Tennyson and Mr.. Gladstone AMI
our dear Oliver Wendell IIolmca, died seven years
before his friend Nor ncci any one imagine
IIonchton capable of n disoyal ac;. lie was not
Little A. Tcnnyson aici for society h WAS
SOMETIMES 10 bc met In houses which interested
linn. and one oi thcse WIS the Duchess OF lea
ford's. in Eaton Square, now the DowaIer
Duchess Ii was at a party there one e'cl'h|
tLa, he saw a certain great lady, OF whorl he nag
head but whom he diU not know. lie desrec
10 I've introduced 10 her, or. pcrhaps-ior MS w'Ns
were sometimes rcgal--dc,ircG that she might !"
presented 70 him. In Whichever way " was WIG
ceremony was transacted. and TennNs'n'S rcohu
remark was this question: ph Lazy - w
7 L,o.. Lard $50 The person about whom
he thus inquired was a Peer WHO, though YOUNG
Ind won much distinction ia public life. and was
WILDLY knoyn in prlvatc Ills wife. as II hap
ncred was devoted 10 him and jealous Of any
word which sounded lice disparagement OF MS
po-iion or Indifference 10 his rrnown. She looked
Tcnnvson in the face an answered, with perfect
composure OF manner ain sure Lord len
rvson, ! can't say. ! never heard him mention
,our name in my If. For moment the poet
was st gcered by this s'raigh: HIT from mo
shoulder, but hc had the good sense ana good
ternpcr 10 TAX, il well. He liked TO lie met on
even tcims. and liked Il man. OF woman. either.
WHO would face hiin il bis most arrogant moods
They became friends and parted friends. with the
expression Of "A wish on Icnnysons part tha' the
husband would come and Sc him which rather
think he never dill.
Tennysons dislike 10 intrusions upon his soil
tnde showed ITSELF at times IN al entire disregard
o. conycntiondli,ics He allowed himself 10
indulge In what. In anybody else, would be called
downright rudcn.~e. one of his ncighbor>, with
whom he was on good terms, once asked leave
10 bring 10 Allworih \ lady who was visiting
nina lady we'll known in society, as her hus-
band Is well known II world much wider than
society She had il was carefully explained, n
great desire, ~ see the poet, for whose writings
her admiration was graz. 1cnnysor as'cn'ed
with amiabity. teln1 his friend 10 bring her Ia
luncheon on a day named in th" following week.
When they arrived the poe, had forgotten all
about it, AMI by il-luc;. was in ore of his
solitary moods Tie lady was introduced. the
poet bowed. Luncheon was announced. and they
went in : she sa, next her host. who uttered not
q word durin. the meal AT the end Of which he
rose and retired in silence u his own room. She
left the house, - which she had made this pill
gr-magc in spirit OF hope and of reverence. not
l.. q Ia.
poets voice
II would b" mistake, however, 10 suppose
tina; Aldw jrth or Fr"shwattr was hcrmi''-
cav, or that hospitality was unknown 70 the
poet. There were certain friends whom he liked
10 have with him: sometimes old sometimes new.
II wa, one Of IN" latter who paid him "A visit, ~
great humble. of years ago, at kind OF crisis in
hi poetic life whcr Tho Cup hal been, or
was about 10 be- produced at the I.yccum Theatre.
Dinner over, the butler, having filled this guest \
glass. placed tile dccantrr Of prt before his
master. The talk was on "A subject which deeply
interested Tcnnyson none other, | imagine than
the production OF this same play from which the
poet fondly and vainy hoped his fame 40 a
dramatic writer 10 TAX" It's rie,.
A. he talked he drank, ard not noticing his
friends empty glass filed his own till the
decante. was drained Then he said THAT
was very good bottle Of port, don't You think
Shah we lave anothcr9" And, the guest ascent
ing the butler Lrougi, in a second dccantcr which
went through Just the same experience a. the
first: Mr.. having one glass from the butler,
and Tcnnyson, entirely cngrosscd in talk as before
consuming all the rest Early next morning hi.
guest awolc to find Tcnnys standing by hi
bed and regarding him with sort Of friendly
sOriindc