The times., 1899-01-15
Thc Thnckcrnx Series.

The latest volumes OF the biogra phiC3l
| edition of Thackeray's works are The
| Newcomes" (VIID and The Christmas
Books of Mr.. NJ. A. Titmarsh'' OX), Illus
trated by Richard Doyle and the author.
| The introduction TO the former of these
| two books is especially fascinating for il
| gives some glimpses of Thackeray's boy
| ish years at home and at school There
| is a great temptation to quote this bit of
| biography entire, for it IS almost TOO
precious to dissect. The picture of the
home in Hampshire. with its Cranford-like
daintiness and quaint mistress, graceful
| with the stately grace of the old school,
is thoroughly charming. Mrs. Richie
| writes:
| The old aunt with whom my grandmother had
| lived child. and to whose my father
| also had been sent from India. still living
| at Farcham, in Hampshire, when my sister
! and |, children of fourth generation succeed
! ed TO all the old traditiunsto the little white
beds in the upper rooms, to the gooseberry bushes
| and raspberries in the garden that stretched to
| the river bank; we, too, made Cowslip balls in
| the meadows chow often had heard Of them
| before we came to FarehamD We, too, had pat
| tens TO wear when the rain swept along the vii
| lage streets. and willow plates of cur own. and
| cherry pie on Sundays. We were in cheerful
| of the old aunt, but very fond Of her. We called
| her Aunt Becher, but her other name | do be-
| lieVe was Miss Martha lloneyman. She very
! strict ard outspoken, but very kind. She used to
net little silk purses to give us, with half sover
| eignS shining through the mcshes. and she would
| send charming letters in her delicate hand
writing Her old house stood in the village, with
| high roof. and a garden full of flowers: it
| as fragrant within without can remember
| the great blue china pot of potI,ourri standing
in the corner OF the shallow carved staircase. mp
| and down which my father had run little
| hOV the beginning of the
| My grandmother has often told me that in her
| youth the mother of the family called the
eldest daughter ANYTHING but Miss Becher;'' as
for the little granddaughter they invariably
Miss Harriet and Miss Nancy"
| Miss Bechcr, her mother called her, was,
when knew her, nearly forty years after little
dgnificd old lady. in haxcn front, With apple
cheeks and blue shawl, holding out her well
coming in turn TO the various generations
as they into them.
Two or three of Thackeray's boyish let
ters are quoted. one written at the age of
six, another year later, and third dur
ing his school days in Hampshire.
In the second part of this introduction
there is a bit of Thackeray's notebook
and a reminiscence of the birth of The
Newcomes." 1t is rare thing to be al
| lowed to catch glimpse such as this of
the actual creation of one of the worlds
classics:
came between my fathers first and second Journey
to America. He began the preface at Baden
the Tth OF July 1853 he finished his book Paris
on the 2sth of June, 1855. and in the autumn OF
that year he returned TO America. The story had
been in his mind for a long time. While still
writing 'Esnond'' he speaks of novel
"opening with something like Fareham and the
old people there and of "a hero who will be
born in India, and have half brother and sister"
And there is also the description TO be read OF
the little wood near to Berne, in switzerland. into
which he strayed day, and where, as he tells
US the story was actually revealed to him"
Some moments have their special characteristics,
and | can still remember that day. and the look
OF the fields in which we were walking, and the
silence Of the hour, and the faint, sultry, summer
mountains with the open wood at the foot OF the
sloping stubbe. Ny father had been silent and
preoccupied when first started and was walk
ing thoughtfully apart We waited till he came
back 10 us. saying he now saw his way quite
clearly and he cheerful and in good spirits as
we returned to the inn. | have a notebook OF his
for 1853, in which there memoranda OF
that time. We We're travelling in Switzerland and
Germany. We had come TO Baden first of all,
where he records various extensions and drives,
and notes the books he is reading, as well as the
people he meets:
9TH July, Is53-Began preface Of .Newcomes.'
Wrote introduction N Walk to old Schloss with
the children. Read Don Quixote,'
Some of Thackeray's comments on the
Colonel are also quoted-the people in his
books were always real TO MN.
He told Miss Hennel that he did not like "dear-
est Laura and that he made his women without
character, or else so bad. because that was as he
knew them. / told that next morning, when
they asked him whether he had had a good night,
he answered, How could | with Colonel New
come making fool OF himself as he has
dOne?'
MIS-. Bray-But why did YOU let him?
Thsckeray-oh, it was in him to do it. He
must.
The next volume of the series-the Tit
marsh stories-has an introduction cram
med with pictures and sketches from
Thackeray's pen, and full of "reminiscences
of his friendship with Edward Fitzgerald.
There are bits of verse which the two
friends wrote 10 each other, sketches made
on the back of playbills, and letters full of
affection, wit and fun. Mrs. Richie her.
self says:
All through our childish days the dear and i'm
pressionable friend. generous and helpful in
time Of trouble, used 10 appear and disappear,
Just benevolent supernatural being might be
expected to do, whose laws were somewhat differ
cnt from ours, and for whom commonplace and
dull routine scarcely existed Once twice he
came to stay in Young Street. and once in Onslow
Square. but at very long intervals, and for very
short time. And indeed know that he pre-
'crred the fresh air and the fields to the wilder
ness OF monkeys in London
stanza of one OF the poems written by
| Fitzgerald to Thackeray may be worth
| quoting. The concluding verse is as fol-
| lows:
We may both get so old that our senses expire
And leave US doze half alive by the fire;
Age may chill the warm heart which think so
divine,
But what warmth ii has, Willy, shall ever he
thine,
Till Death finds us waiting him patiently stir,
Willy looking at inc, aud looking at Will
There is description OF a children's
party which derives absorbing interest
| from the fact that it was for this party that
the pictures of the Rose and the Ring
were drawn; and it was from the pictures
that the story was written. The children
wanted some Twelfth Night characters,
and begged ThacEeray to draw them. He
drew the King, the Queen. Prince Gigio
the Prime Minister, Madame Gruffanuff
After the children were gone the little
painted figures remained lying on a table
and as he came up and looked at them, he
placed them in order and made a story to
fit them. and so THE Rose and the Ring
was born. The tale was finished during an
illness OF the little daughters of the family
tNew York: Harper K Bros. sl.75 per
yolume.)
Quotation Books.
wit and Wisdom from Many Minds" Is
a two-volume collection of quotations from
great writers, both in verse and prose,
arrappaI according tn tbnr