The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-29

other way, and my friends, as their friends
never cared for anything else And, now that
there are no children TO whom TO leave any memory
and tho friends drop day by day, what is the repu-
tauon Of a circulating library to me7"
There il nothing in these volumes so worthy
of sympathetic attention as the glimpses OF Mrs.
ELEPHANTS self immolating life which obtain
able from the fragments Of an autobiography.
In the letters. however. which are appended. will
DO found many anecdocal illusions to contem-
poraty men and women Of letters For example
when Mrs Oliphant was preparing life OF Ed
ward Irving she bearded the lion in his den. and
went to see Thomas Carlyle in his house in Chcync
Row. Chelsea. "He received me Il suppose
must have had an introduction from his brotheO
with the perfect courtesy and kindness which
always found in him, telling me, | remember
that he could tell me little himself. but that the
wife could tell me great deal IL saw her
forget whether he took any steps TO acquaint
with the wife, for remember that left Chcyne
Row with a futter OF disappointment. feeling
that, although had seen the great man. which
was no small matter. was not much the wiser
remember his tall thin, stopping figure between
the two rooms Of the library on the ground floor
in the pleasant shadow of the books and subdued
light and quiet in the place which seemed TO supply
a very appropriate atmosphere. I did not even
know and certainly never should have learned
from any look or tone OF his, that had run tho
risk Of being devoured alive by thus intrudng
on him. But. though was futtered by the pride
of having seen him. and that people might s ay
II pous parle, grand mere felt that my hopes
were ended. and that this was to be all" Mrs.
Oliphhnt was mistaken however. A day or
two afterward. she was told that lady, whose car
rage was at the door. begged her TO go out and
speak TO her Mrs Carlyle II went, wondering,
and found. In a homcly little brougham, a lady
with bright eyes and very hollow checks. who told
me she had to be out in the open air for certain
hours every day. and asked me TO come and drive
with her, that we might talk about Irving. whom
her husband had told her | wanted to hear about
She must have been over sixty at this time but
she was one OF those women whom ono never
thinks OF calling old her hair was black without
gray hair in il (mine at half the age already
quite gray her features and her aspec. very keen.
perhaps q little alarming" Mrs Oliphant goes
TO tell us that what warmed her heart To Mrs
Carlyle was that "she was in many things like
my mother; not outwardly, for my mother was
a fair. radiant woman with beautiful mplcxion
and Mrs. Carlyle was very dark. with a darkness
which was. however, more her meagrencss and
the wearing OF her eager spirit than from nature
or, at least. so thought but in her wonderful
talk, the power Of narration which never heard
equailed except in my mother, the flashes OF keen
wit and sarcasm, occasionally even little sharp
ness, and always the modifying sense OF humor
under all. She told me that day. while We drove
round and round the park, the story OF her child
hood and OF her tutor, the big, young Annandale
student who set her UP on table and taught her
Latin. she six years old and he twenty cperhaps
the prettest little fairy that ever was born. her
own husband said TO me describing this Same
childhood in his deep, broken hearted voice the
orst tim. 7 ear b;r, o,,or ,ho so, uo,o, rt.,,
mo. "nAo 90" nm, aI'e' sho was gone ,e'
Htuo as nad ieit win my mothers Stories
that I, myself, remembered the little girl seated on
the tab,e n he On bis Love, ron..,;no b.r .tn
vi. "oo y" W In nc 20, 'open",'s no' Lou"
verbs TO young Edward irving and all the won
derful life and hope that were about them-the
.h;,dh,,d ord ~. ,nu,h nd .sni,.,;on
'"iunoou anu 'Ho you'" anu a'p''"uoh he'e,
to be measured We logged along with the old
going At hi, b,h;,u,l iog and ,rs nigh, b.,.
so,ne a, MS nap''ua, n ;os, anu VIC n,,sh. nave
of us cared-she had so much to saw, and was
90 e,per IN hear"
'' 60. !" c 10 ,,..,,
in Paris in 1865 and whose book she translated.
feet in .cren, and idiom 81 don, Tcmembn, puv
mistake Of his except the amusing and fla tier
ing one with which he expressed his surprise
when we hrst met 7" ma me not so respectable
as he had supposed dare say il was a mistake
made on pu pose fo. to be sure was still younr
- 'o', '" v, 80 '' "u' Gun youis
and perhaps IN the sui lingering eAalhtion
Of my sorrow and the tears that were never far
Oft from nv evcs Iook.d youreer than 7 ,.o
%" 'Ion my eseS io,Nea Younger man l was
IL was 'heh 1900 ana must nave hcen thirty
seven and had gray hair" Mrs, oliphant goes
nm IN s,v TINT Mo,ts,en,h.rt bimsolf "v,s 7
A.. AZ W soy u'a, 'oh'a'e ,'n' n'ns'''' "as'
think one OF the most interesting men | ever