Williston graphic., 1903-07-16


MRS MARY COOPER.
,(Charning Old Lady Who Is the Original
Of Dickens Little Dorritt.')
"Little Dorrit" now sleeps on at South
gate is one Charles Dickens slept on
there.
A few years later the Mittons were
living in Johnson street, Clarendon
square, and house directly opposite
was occupied BY the Dickens family.
There began the acquaintance with
My Charles" as the old lady calls the
novelist. Mrs. Cooper's brother was 2
school fellow of Dickens, and would as
sist him in his literary work by COR
recting manuscripts. as in later years
he assisted him in law matters. Be-
tween Mary Ann and Charles the clos
est friendship-almost ripening into
something more-sprang up, and the
old lady is never tired of telling their
adventures and misadventures in the
heyday of youth-how they would call
at a little place in the Hampstead road,
where Cecil Rhodes grandfather, "a
grumpy old man." would serve them
with milk; how after church he would
take her for walk to New St. Pan
cras church, for the special purpose
of staring ut and taking off the POM
pous beadle who used to strut about
its precincts-Dickens initiating his
walk and bearing, to the delight of
others, but to the great indignation of
this prototype of Bundle; how Dick
ems was out walking when he met .
procession of school girls from a Sc
date boarding school, headed by par
ticularly prim and severe principal,
and how, seeing an old apple woman,
Dickens bought up her stock and slyly
slipped two apples into the hands of
each girl and stood by when the horri-
fed principal discovered her "very Sc
lect" establishment munching apples
in the street. ......-.
Once when staying at Mrs. Cooper's
home at Sunbury, Charles went out,
and borrowing some old clothes, dis
guised himself as farm laborer in
search of work, and so clever was his
makeup that he completely deceived
the shrewd farmer, who, not having
work for him, was prevailed upon to
allow him place and some straw in
one of his barns, where he might pass
the night.
Dickens had habit of giving nick
names to his friends and relatives, as
he had way of giving literary names
to his sons; his name for Miss Milton
was Little Dorrit. "Why did he give
you this name?' asked, and the old
lady said: II really cannot say. 1t
seemed to come; at any rate, only
recollect that somehow 1 was always
'Dorrit' with Charles,
"And how did you come to get into
the Marshalsea, and be famous ever
afterwards?"
"Well, I can't exactly say, but as
have told you, Charles and I were, /
think may say, very fond of one an
other, and one day at home he told us !:
The next book write shall put you
in it, and shall call it little Dorrit.' -
Thus his next work was Damed.'
Now, in her ninetieth year, Mrs. Coop
er is lively and quick, although she has
had some serious accidents in the
course of her long life. Once she was
thrown from her horse and dragged
for ;three-quarters Of mile. She has
suffered, too, from rheuma tism, and is
rather deaf. Mrs. Cooper has been q
widow for over 20 years, and now lives
alone-in little room crammed with
flowers and fancies, and a chimney cor
ner which is perfect gallery of por-
traits, with notable one, of course,
of my Charles" Over the mantelpiece
is one of those curious old samplers"
which our grandmothers used so labo-
riously to produce, made by "Mary Ann
Milton, aged nine, February, 1922
London Black and White.