The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-10-10

amusement of my little daughter. and
by way of providing himself with an ap-
propriate den, had turned huge water
butt upon its side. He was inside this
when we came upon him, and the child
was dancing war dance outside. Our
message being given, he came out OF the
water butt-black absolutely black! He
had to be scrubbed and brushed before
he could be made presentable."
"And about Carlyle?" said the inter
viewer.
81 used often to visit him at Chelsea"
answered the lady. when he was writ
ing his Frederick the Great l saw him
constantly in the attic, which had become
his study, and sometimes l fear l made
him angry when he told me to translate
into German for the benefit of his secre-
tary passages which he had just written
in English. There is one memory of him
which is almost as curious as what
have told you of Thackeray in the water
butt. | went down to Chelsea one day
and Mrs. Carlyle told me that he was in
rather an unhappy temper that day.
He was not in his attic, and she in
structed me to find him. | searched
the whole house and found him no.
where. Finally, in despair, l opened the
front door and heard sort of crackle.
Recognizing it. looked into the area.
Carlyle was sitting on the lowest step
and holding big waterproof. out of which
he was pouring water upon the steps
above him to cool himself"
"And about the others?"
IL wish l could show you book l
once possessed. 1t had in it poems and
drawings by Thackeray, Leech, Dicky
Doyle and host of others. | was in
Paris and sent it to the embassy, so that
Mrs. Norton might write a poem in it.
She did 80 and somehow or other it was
stolen on the way back. was able to
get the best assistance of the secret pc
lice but the book was never recovered.
But have still some interesting posses
sions. Here. for example, is one OF the
cards of invitation issued on the occasion
Of the baptism of the prince imperial.
By the by, was standing at the side OF
the French emperor-then president
on certain Sunday, when every one
knew that he was about to proclaim
himself emperor. The Chasseurs de
Vincennes came riding up to be reviewed
and as they drew near they halted and
saluted him with a cry of 'Vive Temper.
orr When next he spoke had my 'Oui.
sirep ready and was probably the fret
who ever addressed him in that way
Here is something that value greatly"
The subject of the interview produced
three or four slips of notepaper, closely
covered with writing in Italian, and
folded so that it might go into an ordi-
nary waistcoat pocket. 1.-THE great
singer, Mario, was among my dearest
friends, and that is his copy, written by
himself, of his part in my favorite opera
The Huguenots.' He gave it to me one
day when dared to ask for it. Do you
remember the opera? At his entrance
he sings Salute Signori! But once at
Frankfort was in stage box, and he
made change in his part. He looked
toward the box and sang, Salute Sig.
moral Was it not thing to make one
proud?"
"a very pretty attention." said the
interviewer. "And now about the Thack-
cray valentines?'
"Well, that Blanche Amory drawing
was valentine and beneath it was the
figure of very grotesque little man
making the offer of very big heart,
with the inscriptions BE mine, my Ger
aldine.' There was another, too, though
l forget most Of the words. Thackeray
had taken me to see 'Virginius' acted
just before and the valetine poem
opened:
On Valentines day was signing,
And thinking of naught but the scene
When for Rome stern Virginius was signing,
And for thy love, Geraldine.
would cynic have taken the trouble
to be so pleasant to mere girl? And
now / will confide to you another of my
regrets. Thackeray gave me some of
his books, not realizing that in those
days novels such as his we're not regard
ed as proper food for minds 80 young as
mine was. They were taken charge of
by my mother and l never recovered
hem."-Selected.