New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-16
THREE ENGLISHMEN.
MEMORIES OF LANDOR. THAcKERAf
AND DICKENS.


o,o,a,s u.b Ever writing and rewriting, correc"ns
and DESTROYING he never got further tnan the n'io-
ductory CHAPTER OF a book which ne lntehoeo " w
epoch-making and the final DESTROYER u
stltlon ard theological dogma ....
Iwas IN the shop OF Mr. Empson. noteo aest"oso
IN those days when there came In an oiu ' -.
sturdy vigorous upright, alert. He was dresser 40
brown and his whole style was one OF Ho.i'ea
neylIgsrce His clothes were unbrushed ana shao-
nv. his shirt-front was coarse and piah' HAe
nightshlrt: a frayed aand not overcieah o'"e "eoN
tic carelessy knotted. awry; MS shoes "e.0
,,u ~ humns and bosses like apple pie; ana 'nc
contrast between him and Dr. Brapant' VINO va,
always spruce and trim and well got up anu 80
preserved. was exceedingly striking But the race
heneath the somewhat shapeless hat was one not 10
no nassed unremarked, in crowd. inc Aeeh
eyes; the lofty brow; the thin ciose-sc' ''P'' 49,
the sweetest smile that ever man hau u Oo'
the frat impression Of sternness, ana 10 soi'eii ~
undoubted resolution OF the whole OF the lower 'a"
the look of thought and power that saone III n'
ovas and rested like a written word on MS race
and with all the shabbness of the outward man.
the dignity the superiority the seir-respec' Vi AZ"
bearing and It's wonderful courtesy 10 women an
made him noticeable even to those VINO uiu HUI
know who he was.
When he came in Dr. Brabant presented me 10
him | shall never forget the pleased smile tha'
came round his lips and the half-laughing look IN
his eyes when he said: land who is this Ett.e gri
who is so glad to see an old man? we Hiaao
friends on TIE spot. and soon became MS Daush-
ter He never called me anything else ana ie'er
wrote TO me anything but his dear daughter
and never signed himself even W. s. L.. bat Always
Father: and the friendship that began then con-
tinued without a break to the last day OF his con-
sc!ous life. loved him with my whole neart anu
soul. | was mortally afraid OF his quick temper
which understood and was careful never 10
cross He could not bear opposition, ana young
N
coming to oppose him. whatever he might have
said | was not there to correct him, nor did |
dare Had he said the was shining at MD
night. should have answered. Yes. dear iather
II Is" AS had strong temper OF my own THIS
association with whom | loved. reverenced' ana
had to give way to- was not bad discipline ana
recall now with tender thankfuness the fact that
never for one moment. there the smallest fric-
ton between my dear Father and myself-never
one moment OF GOODNESS, of d!spleasure, Of misun-
derstandlng
used to go End stay with him every year. some
times twice In the year. and | remember certain
things which came Into the ordering OF our lives
as one remembers songs and sunsets and beautiful
places one was his evening reading OF Milton
which vas the same kind OF thing 4 noble voiun-
tary on a magnificent organ. Another was our
daily walk In the park and talks when we
rested on the benches. perhaps near Some children
waom he passonatey loved perhaps near lilac
bush which was OF his favorite flowers He
used TO say he held that year TO be lost when he
could not bury his face In bunch Of "iaylock."
For he had the old-fa.hioned pronunciation. and
said st Jeems." 'laylock" "oblesge," 'srimp.
"cowcumber." golden" and the like
OF our sweet life together. too. were the balls at
tie Assembly Rooms. to which he took me when l
CHANGED 10 be with him In the winter. This dear.
courteous. kind old man. who hated crowds and
had no love for evening amusements AZ any time,
Of hai hiring sedan chairs
for us both. and chaperon1g me as II he had been
nv real father And considering all things-his
own dislnclinat ton for such amusements. and his
habt Of early going to bed-he could have done
nothing more unselhsh. nothing more generous ana
kind.
"pomero." the little sharp-nosed shrll-voIced
Pomeranlan was OF course. a feature in the dear
old Fathers lfe and his alterations between ca
resses and objurgatons were very strange Al one
moment he would have him between his strong but
soft and tendery grippins hands bnryng MS face face
darling" asking him where ne got ms ireteyy
yeler tail from, and was his mother toS
little noisy. troublesome devil for whom one
logical ultimate He vas always losing Pomer9'
and always giving some unprincipled scamp hait-
settled source OF income TO some one SO fre9uehty
he lost and % regularly returned B9t tns
anguish OF his loving and passionate master during
his absence pitiable 70 behold
once when vas staying with him; =, he had "a 2
s% anfT s pa Wls D my rs both
ihsse sen men found Dickens charming. and Foster
and gay and winsome and while treating Mr.
Lander with the respect Of younger man t9r nh
harmless az summer lightning ~,
At the dinner l remember We had some s,t 9, MT
grandfather had laid down over hundred years
ago Some OF the bottles were mere mI d no, n 10
Mount olympus. Dickens had not then bought rly
.lfv hon he
property. we sold Gadshill House to Dickens;
Wiiliam Henry Wills | was sitting mex; TO Mr.
Wills at dinner when ! CHANGED to ten MN that
fore MIN. Charles Dickens had fallen IN love VITA
the place when boy ard also as my amer be,oFe
man We sold +, cheap-fl7oo. and W, asked go
for the ornamental timber TO tns DiG S a ana
traitor who awarded US f1O which was OF the ma
'IiI remember en- George Henry Tewes telling the
difference between Thackcray and Dickens In ne
way OF service to friend Dickens ne SAD wSm nid
take no end OF trouble for YOU. He would spend a
whole day for instance in loSRIg tor tine S mSS
neither time nor fatigue; Thackeray would take
two hours sTuong a9sI" b ana he Woud pu
his hard into his pocket and give you handiul
Know E? Of neither characterise personally but
repeat the Illustration as Mr l.ewes save III
few see or acknowledge when even they do see
it, OF that enforcement OF intellect and character
f,etencies. Thackeray, VINO saw IN" lduitS anu
fraities OF human nature so clearly. was the gen.
hearted most generous. most loving OF men:
Dickens whose whole mind Went 10 almost morbid
tenderness and sympathy was Infinitely less plastic.
less self giving less personally sympathetic Ener-
getic to restlessness he spared himself no trouble.
as has been said. but he a keen man OF business
and n hard bargainer and his will was as resolute
as his pride ndomtable In the latter years OF
his life no one could move him and his nearest and
dearest friends were as unwilling to face as they
were unable to defect the passionate pride which
suffered neither counsel nor rehuke Yet he was as
stanch and LOYAL a friend ever lived; and thanks
10 that strain Of innexlblty. he never knew
shadow of turning-nevor blew hot and cold in
breath. At the same time. he never forgave when
he thought he had been sighted; and he too
proud and self-respecting for nunkeysm He de-
ciined to be lonized. and stuck to his own order.
Thackeray, on the contrary, like Moore loved tho
grace and delicacy and Unborn amenities of what
is called good society" He was no more of snob
than Dickens. no more OF a tuft hunter but he was