New-York tribune., 1905-11-19


figure Of the period mentioned by Jane WHY
dined with her at Thackerays house. There
| was just then a fashion for wearing a plaft Of
hair across the head, and Miss Bronte a tinid
little woman with firm mouth, did not possess
a large enough quantity Of hair to enable her
to form plait, therefore very Obvi-
GUS crown of brown silk" The wearer of the
crown was i'll at and the entertainment
was n dismal failure. Poor Thackeray doing
| his best to make things "go." addressed his
chief guest the way down to dinner as
| Currer Bell. She tossed her head Jane remem-
bers, and said "she believed there were books
| being published by a person named Currer
| Bell but the person he was talking to
was Miss BrontG-and she saw connection
between the two"
! Both Brookfeld and his wife have much to
| say of the Carlyles and the philosopher gener-
| ally fares well at their hands We hear him
Laughing like Volcano piling his friends
plate with mutton with genial homeIy hos
pitality which was touching" The young cer-
gyman's first sight of him was in 1871 and he
describes the Scotchman thus in a letter to
Jane: Complexion very coarse-and gen.
eral appearance solid in thick shoes AS
tall as 1 about-and certainly less ungainIy
"a hearty laughter with discooured teeth-very
broad Scotch-talks not unlike his writing
unrcserved- unaffected of course-a leetIe shy
and awkward-but very Ikable.' In after
years they often met at the house Of Carlyles
patroness, Lady Ashburton. to whom BrOokfeld
once said that she the only person in
the world who dared put a ring through the
nose of the philosopher. The little nose Of
Carlyle's Jeanie dsdained a ring, and it is evi-
dent that she was difficult guest There was
grievous trouble when during a Christmas party
at the Grange a silk dress was bestowed upon
her from the Christmas tree. Perhaps it
a rather tactless gift; at any rate "she vowed
she being insulted, and Lady Ashburton at
last was forced to seek her in her room and
assure her with tears in her eyes she had not
meant to offend" Mrs. Carlyle. as seen by Jane
Brookfeld, had a figure slight. neat and erect:
her eyes and teeth were good her expression
animated. She used ''to remain in her own room
during the early part of the day. while her hus-
band took his walks accompanied by his ad-
mirers':
When she did appear she was always especially
and conceded a certain prominence amongst
the many other visitors OF more or less distinction
Iyle's instinct always to take the lead. At
u scattered ssnearIs and JiaTnn5ds When
interest to all around her In conversation. clever
and amusing as she often was Mrs. Carlyle had
traordinary length With her Scotch accent and
her perseverance in finishing off detail. those
perhaps also to have their own turn in the con
versatiOn.
What must be much condensed version Of
one of Mrs. CarIyIe's stories concerns a Scotch
who once inserted in his prayer and
especially we would ask Thy blessing upon a
noble and ancient family recently settled in
our midst (said family being present in church,
and to prevent the possibility of mistake. al
usion is here made to the Right Honorable the
Earl of Hopetowr."
Tennyson often appears in these chronicles.
sometimes in a comicaI phase, as thus:
NIr Moxon said Alfred one day while travelling
aid him, 'NIOXOn, you have made me very un-
lappy by something you said to me at LucerDe. =
he unfortunate speech having been why. Tenny-
On. you will be bald SPEEDING before long
Poor Alfred bToOded over this till on his return
o England he put himself under a Mrs Parker (or
Ome such name) who rubS his head and pulls out
lead hairs hour visit and ten Sht1ngS an hour,
besides cosmetics ad Hbitum- Your fathers HAIR
would briSte up the idea of the Queens pension
,eing spent in such manner. but really his hair
such integral part of his appearance 1t would
e great pity if he should lose it.
Mrs Brookfed describes the Iong-haired Lau-
cate as being very shy. especially with
trangers. A charming friend of hers who ad-
nred his poetry and wished to make his ac-
uaintance found him most unrespOnsive at 4
}rookfieId dinner Later in the evening, how
YER" says Jane. when Alfred had realized
at this lady was an intimate friend Of ours.
nd that we particularly wished that he should -
N Lye himself apreea bIa her he with good