New-York tribune., 1906-04-21
LITERARY FOLK.
Stories of Nineteenth Century
London.

IN THE SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES Impres-
SONS OF Literary People and Others. BY Laura
lam trisweI Rmo. PIP. SS1. Herbert Il.
Turner d Co.
James Hahn Friswell a young English
engraver who. having many literary enthusi-
asms and knack at inditing agreeable prose.
turned essayist and novelist. A series of essays
on the formation of character had under the
title of "The Gentle Life" remarkable vogue
and gave the author considerable reputation.
He made many friends among writer's. actors
and artists. and his young daughter, who was
named after Thackerays Laura Bell, naturally
saw many interesting people and acquired var-
Gus interesting memories. These she has set
forth In this volume in more or less lively
vein. Here is Charles Dickens. for example.
glorious in bright green waistcoat, a vivid
scarlet tie pale lavender trousers and flower
garden Of a nosegay In his buttonhole. Who so
proud as the young worshipper of Little Nell
when the famous novelist smiling upon her. told
her she was not unlike Little Nell herself! An
other glimpse of the shows him with tear
filled eyes responding to the cheers of his friends
at the dinner given to him just before ne sailed
for this country Tennyson. met by chance on a
summer morning in a London street. made no
pleasant impression upon the girl: THE gentle
man would have been tall but his shoulders
seemed somewhat bent; his hair was long, so
was his beard; he an ugly Inverness cape
and large slouch hat he looked like a bandit
in melodrama, and 1 thought him some poor
actor who had out in some Of the stage
properties" Considering the fact here recorded,
that the poet said Laura reminded him Of the
Goddess Of the Morn" this description might
have been softened
Swinburne at thirty steps into these pages as
nervous. preoccupied little man. with a pale,
intellectual face crowned by a quantity of au-
burn hair He talked OF Coleridge, eloquently
with enthusiasm that proved that he loved his
art and was carried away by it," We are asked
to look at him again on literary OCCASION talk
ing and Laughing very much" with group of
aesthetic ladies Of the sort so often drawn in the
7O's by Du Maurier:
They were admirers of the Pre-R -RaphaeIite school.
and were devoted to Rossetti, Burne-Jones and
William Morris. They dressed in limp and dowdy
be all the better for good wash turned up their
eyes and gushed when they talked. and did their
bird s-nest fashion This was in state Of great
an and Vff them m ed and foW m to vh fhs
away three rows Of velvet dotted with jet or steel
eccentric in dress was thought mark of genius.
and these young ladies' being admirers of the ,Ros
setti and Burne-JOnes types of beauty, were pale
and willowy in the extreme.
The author has something to say also of the
two chief satirzers of these so-called
aesthetics" The poet of the Bah Ballads" she
found to be decidedly not plain-'rnore like cav
alryman than a writer of ballads" of Du Maui
rier she gives pathetic picture in the days when
the artist sat alone, nearly blind, and sadly
waiting for the final curtain to fall before those
tired eyes.
Mrs. Norton the author remembers as beau
tiful and charming old lady with bright dark
eyes sparkling under a of white hair One
anecdote which the old lady told TO the friends
sitting beside her was of her sons
She had three. and one day she was talking to
Woa S Sae to as e er eh oWn when vs they s up & hs
how great a thing il TO grow up honest,
little lecture by giving instances of some Of M the
great men who had fought for the good of mankind
finished she asked;
49,. Now; boys, what would you like to be?" and
| they cried with voice:
'treeDooters, mamma, freebooterS!
Another old lady of that period was the sharp
tongued. erratic wife of Bulwer Lytton. She
lived in a pretty little house which she called
Tarturus, and in many letters to Hahn Friswell
| signed herself "Rosna Lytton (alas!D." One of
these letters contains an anecdote which is less
! TO be believed than to be wondered at as one of
Lady Lytton's fantastic imaginngs:
Times are changed with Dizzy since his debut.
when l could not get any one Except old Lady
c9rk-who was celebrated for her human menag-
| whom pleased TO let me bring him to any salon
ridiculous dress, for he had got himself up as an
| astounding fac-simile of his young duke-green
velvet incomprehensibles white blond ruffles. and
black silk stockings with broad scarlet ribs! When
| he sent me his Young Duke to read in MS. l
| told him he could not dress him in that way.
What" said he. in the only paroxysm of innocent
/ good faith he ever had in his life, don't young
! seen" l asked D'OTsay day what he'd take TO
dress like Dizzy. Leave of my senses!' his
| reply.
| Concerning aCtors-Irving, Toole and less noted
| persona ages-there are some pleasant if unim-
| rortant "reminiscences in this volume. Here is
a story of Toole and Lionel Brough in the period
when they were playing two old men in 'Dearer
| Than Life:
One fine day Toole and Brough determined to
have their PORTRAITS taken as the porter and Uncle
Ben dressed in their costumes-Toole in ragged,
| wear. and an old piece of sackng over his shoul-
| ders, with Glass, with care" IL, and Brough in
! a wOrkhouse suit, his face made up To look sOdden
| with drink-they set out for the photographers.
! to Regent street Toole proposed that they should
call OF the large houses there This they did.
| knocking q resOunGmS double knock \ smart
| footman threw open the door. and gazed in super
| cilioUs anazement at them.
! rs your master home?" asked Toole quickly.
/ No, he's not!" said the man, about 10 bang The
| door.
! Tell him that his brothers. the porter and the
pauper. called. and We'll come back later in the
! afternoon.
! The footman was too much asonlshed to do more
| than stare the old men turned away and
| went slowly down the steps into the street
THE WORST WRITER.
| Lord Bowen asked me suddenly, in a
i If