The record-union., 1897-05-17

known to be a gOurmand and at dinner
he was evidently put out by finding the
sauce with the salmon was not the
one he preferred. He was pleased,
however, with the wing of a chicken,
and said it was the only advantage he
got from being Poet Laureate; that he
generally received the liver-wing of a
chicken. The next morning at break
fast, we had rather plumed ourselves
on having been able to get a dish of
outlets, and were not a little surprised,
when our guest arrived, to see him
whip off the cover of the hot dish, and
to hear the exclamation, Mutton
chops. the staple of every bad inn in
England" However, these were but
minor matters, though not without i'm
portance in the eyes of a young wife
to whom Tennyson had been like one
of the immortalS. He was full of in
terest and full of inquiries about the
East, more particularly about Indian
poetry, and l believe it was then that
| told him there was no rhyme in San
skirt poetry, and ventured to ask him
why there should be in English. He
was not so offended as Samuel Johnson
seems to have been, who would proba-
bly, have answered my question by
You are a great fool, sir; use your own
judgment" while Tennyson gave the
very sensible answer that rhyme as
sisted the memory.
Tennyson was very kind to me, and
took a warm interest in my work, par
ticularly in my NEUROLOGICAL studies. l
we'll remember his being struck by a
m at a nj in nv
parative Mythology" published in 1886,
and his telling me So 1 had said that
the sun in his daily passage across the
sky had ploughed a golden furrow
| through the human brain, whence
sprang in ancient times the first germs
of mythology and afterward the rich
growth of religious thought.
| Il don't know" he said, whether the
smile is quite correct, but I like it. /
| was, of course, very proud that the
great poet should have pondered on
| any sentence of mine, and still more
| that he should have approved of my
theory of seeing in mythology a poeti-
| cal Interpretation of the great pheno-
mena of nature. But it was difficult to
have long discussion with him. He
was fond of uttering short and decisive
| sentences; his yes was yes, indeed,
and his no was no, indeed.
AN AFTER DINNER THAW.
It was generally after dinner when
smoking his pipe and slipping his whis-
ky and water, that Tennyson began to
thaw and to take more active part in
| conversation. People who have not
known him then have hardly known
| him at all. During the day he was
often very silent and absorbed in his
| own thoughts, but in the evening he
took an active part in the conversation
| of his friends. His pipe was almost
| indispensable to him, and 1 remember
one time when / and several friends
were staying at his house the question
| of tobacco turned up. l confessed that
! for years l had been q perfect slave to
| tobacco, so that / could neither read
nor write a line without smoking, but
that at last I had rebelled against this
slavery, and had entirely given up to-
| bacco. Some of his friends taunted
Tennyson that he could never give up
| tobacco. Anybody can do that" he
said, 'if he chooses to do it." When
his friends still continued to doubt and
to tease him, WELL" he said, Il shall
give up smoking from tonight" The
very same evening I was told that he
threw his pipes and his tobacco out of
the window of his bedroom. The next
day he was most charming, though
somewhat self-righteous. The second
day he became moody and captious the
] third day no one knew what to do with