Year: 1864

We conv the following admirable tri.


,.,


pute 70 this ia'orbe anu iainenVeo au-
thor from the Atlantic Monthly, for
Jplv II vas vr;t,en hv Dy uolmes
" ""' "-o " " '


HAWTHORNE.


II is with q sad pleasure that the reauers
Of this magazine will see in its pages the
first chapter Of The Dolliver Romance,
the latest record Of Nathaniel Hawthorne
meant for the public eye. The charms Of
his description end the sweet flow Of bis
style will lead ell who open upon il TO read
on to the closing paragraph. With its har-
monious cadences the music Of this quaint,
mystic overture is suddenly hushed, and we
seem to hear instead the tolling of q bell in
the distance. The procession of shadowy
characters which was gathering in our i'm
aginations about the ancient man aud the
little child who coms 80 clearly before our
sight seems to fade away, and in its place a
slow pacing train winds through the village
road and up the wooded hillside until it
stops at little opening among the tall trees
There the bed is made in which he whose
dreams had peopled our common life with
shapes and thoughts Of beauty and wonder
is to take his rest. This is the end Of the
first chapter we have been reading, and Of
that other first chapter in the life of an 1m-
mortal, whose folded pages will be opened,
We trust, in the light Of brighter day.


1t was my fortune to be among the last Of
the friends who looked upon Hawthorne s
living face. Late in.the afternoon OF the
day before he left Boston on his last Journey
! called upon him at the hotel where he was
stayiDg, He had gone ont but a moment
before. Looking along the street, I saw a
figure at some distance in advance which
could only be his,-but how changed from
his former port aud figurel There was no
mistaking the long iron-pray locks. the car
riage of the head, and the general look Of
the natural outlines and movement: bnt
he seemed to have shrunken in ali his di.
mensions, end faltered along with An Nm.
certain, feeble step, as if every movement
were an effort. Joined him, and we walked
together half an hour, during which time I
learned SO much of his state of mind and
body as could be got at without Worrying
him with suggestive ouestions.-my object
being to form an opinion of his conditioh.
as had been requested to do. and rive him
some hints that might be useful TO him on
his Journey.


His aspect, medically considered. was very
unfavorable. There were persisteHt local
symptoms, referred especially to the stom.
ach,-" boring pain. " distension. difficult
digestion, with great wasting of flesh and
strength. He was yery gentle. very willing
to answer questions. yerv d ,cile n sucb
counsel as offered him, but evidently had
no hope of recovering his health. He spoke
as if his work were done, and he should
write no more.


With all his obvious depression. there
was no failing noticeable in his converse
tional powers. There was the same back.
wardness and hesitancy which in his best
days it was hard for him to overcome, SO
that talking with him was almost like love.
making, and his shy, beautiful soul had to
be wooed from IFS bashful prudency like an
unschooled maiden. The calm dependency
with which he spoke about himself confirm
ed the unfavorable opinion suggested by his
look and history.


The journey on which Mr.. Hawthorne
was setting out, when | saw him, was un.
dertaken for the benefit of his health. a
few weeks earlier he had left Boston on
similar errand in company with MIR. William
D. 'Ticknor, who had kindly volunteered to
be his companion in a trip which promised
to be of some extent and duration, and from
which this faithful friend, whose generous
devotion deserves the most grateful remem.
brance, hoped to bring him back restored
or at least made stronger. Death joined
the travellers. but it was not the invalid
whom he selected as his victim. The strong
man taken, and the suffering valetudnaran q
found himself charged with those last du-
ties which he was so soon to need at the
hands of others. The fatigue of mind and
body thus substituted for the recreation
which he greatly needed must have hasten
ed the course of his disease, or at least have
weakened his powers of resistance TO no
small extent.


Once more, however, in ompany with his
old college-friend and classmate, Ex-Presi.
dent Pierce, he made the attempt to recover
his lost health by this second journey. NY
visit to him on the day before his departure
was a somewhat peculiar one, partly oi
friendship, but partly also in compliance
with the request have referred to.


asked only such questions as were like
to afford practical hints as to the way in
which he should manage himself on his
journey. 1t was more important that he
should go away as hopeful as might be than
that u searching examination shsuld point
him to the precise mart diseased condemn