The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-02-08


clergyman's wife. and the FIRST Of thu
series OF letters In one to NJ Caxati ask.
ing him to conduct Mr.. Brookfield about
Paris. as he had some time before con.
Quoted tho novelist. This was probably
written In 1888
Eight years later Thackeray had ap.
parently allowed his affection for Mrs
Brookneld to get the better Of his dis
| erection and had spoken with too much
enthusiasm and In too public a manner
Of his regard and had been properly
called to account by the watchful Mr.
Brookfield. So on his way home he
writes the following to- Mr.. Brookfield:
"Under the confessional seal In the
railway . Her innocence. looks. an
gelic sweetness and kindness charm and
rayish me to the highest degree; and
] every now and then In contempiatine
them I burst out into uncouth rapture.
They are not the least dsngerous-it is
| a sort of artistical delight "a spiritual
sensuaiity so as to speakD-other beauti-
full objects in Nature SO affect me. chill
dren. landscapes. harmonies of color,
music. &c. My dear old fellow.
you and God Almighty may know all my
thoughts about your wife; I'm not
| ashamed OF one OF them, since the days
| OF the dear old two penny tart dinner
till now. 'Evins! Hhere Is VIM
| bowels to you. Indeed there has not
been much secret before; and I've al
| ways admired the generous spirit in
which you have witnessed my queer
raptures. II I had envy. or what you
call passion, or a wicked thought
I should have cut you long ago."
Some Views on Immortality.
The next Of the collection In which
Thackeray refers to his affection for Mrs.
Brookfield Is apparently the second sheet
of a continuing letter of the previous
day. 1t is addressed to Mrs. Brookfeld
and was sent from Brighton in Novem-
Der or December. 1s4s. II reads:
80 No. dear lady. We will do better;
we will love each other while We may.
here and afterward: II you go first you
will kneel for me in Heaven and bring
me there; IL I, I swear the best thought
I have Is to remember that i shall have
your love surviving me and with con-
slant tenderness blessing my memory. 1
can't all perish living In your heart. That
in itself Is a sort OF seal and assurance
of Heaven. go Say that die and live
vet in the love of my survivors? Isn't
that a warrant for Immortality almost?
Say that my two dearest friends precede
me and enter into Gods futurity spot
less and angelicai. T feel that have two
advocates in Heaven. and that my love
penetrates there as il were. IL seems to
me that love proves God. BY love i be-
lieve and am saved"
On the first page of this letter is a
small pen and ink sketch OF Mrs. Brook
field in an attitude of prayer.
The Next Letter.
yer late In 1873 and Is in the slant style
in. ~ fha vertical:
How long Is II since I have written to
YOU In my natural handwriting? But
having just completed another very SEN
timental letter to you in the other pen
manship I think best to cancel IL and
tell you simply that I am SO lar on my
road to Paris s's As l get older | will
grow so polite. calm. and elegant in my
behavior that I will never at least offend
YOU by too much abandon Shall / be-
gin and call you Mrs. Brookfield again?
All, no. I have not got to that. dear
lady You shall be my dear lady always
to me. and I will he your afectionate
grandfather"
His Visits Angered Hallam.
Henry Hallam, Mrs. Brookfield's uncle.
apparently did not share the complacen-
cy which Mr. Brookfield so long showed
with regard to Thackeray's visits to Mrs
bTOohlltlOF lhd1htIsy
When II. Hallam spoke as he did to-
night I'm sure he said what has been
upon mis- mind for many months. that he
was angry at my constant visits to you.
But. thank God. I have never concealed
the affection I have for you. Your hus-
hand knows II as well as i do. and l
think I have such a claim to the love OF
both of you as no relationship. however
close, ought to question or supersede-
e
Paris and of the Presidents ball and the
people he met there
And Victor Hugo was there-a queer
heather. Did YOU read of his ordering
his son to fight duel the other day with
the son of another literary man? Young
Hugo wounded his adversary. and l
suppose the father embraced him and
applauded him-and goes to church att
terward as IL he were Christian
Many Of the letters are addressed eth
er to Miss Percy or to Mrs. Elliott, two
sisters. whom Thackeray met at Brigh-
ton when he was writing Vanity Fair.
II Is to them that he writes OF the quar-
rel with Mr. Brool<feld that for a time
separated Thackeray from Mrs. Brook
field and put an end to their correspond
ence.
The affair is at an end and the rup-
ture complete .' . There is nothing more
to be said done "IneTt .hdNc ptch
very high words between me and Mon
sieur in consequence of something l said
to him that was quite unjustifiable
/ am going out Of town and don't know
where"
He writes later Of his efforts TO forget
his trouble in work and OF the quite
Satanic" passages he wrote In conse-
uuence He has had letter from Mrs
Fanshaw inclosing one from Mrs. Brook
field to Mrs. Fanshaw about Thackeray'
and he writes:
Mrs. Fsnshaw sent me letter OF hers
mrs Brookfield'sD about me and at me.
and what do you think l did? ] wrote
back to Mrs. p. to inform her principal
that even this roundabout correspon-
dence oughtn't to be; that her husband.
acting at this moment nobly and gently.
must be nobly and gently used. and I'M
til he authorized a correspondence none
such must be. And now. and now II she
in torment take her a drop of water
with you from another soul In purga- |
tory