The lady I had allotted to me to take down to dinner yesterday began to speak of that neighbourbood. You know it?' I said; 'I have been there to-day.' 'O yes,' said she, 'I know it very well. I was a child there, in the house they call Gad's Hill Place. My father was the rector, and lived there many years. He has just died, has left it to me, and I want to sell it.' 'So,' says the sub-editor, 'you must buy it. Now or never!" " I did, and hope to pass next summer there, though I may, perhaps, let it afterwards, furnished, from time to time.

All about myself I find, and the little sheet nearly full! But I know, my dear Cerjat, the subject will have its interest for you, so I give it its swing. Mrs. Watson was to have been at the play, but most unfortunately had three children sick of gastric fever, and could not leave them. She was here some three weeks before, looking extremely well in the face, but rather thin. I have not heard of your friend Mr. Percival Skelton, but I much misdoubt an amateur artist's success in this vast place. I hope you detected a remembrance of our happy visit to the Great St. Bernard in a certain number of "Little Dorrit"? Tell Mrs. Cerjat, with my love, that the opinions I have expressed to her on the subject of cows have become matured in my mind by experience and venerable age; and that I denounce the race as humbugs, who have been getting into poetry and all sorts of places without the smallest reason. Haldimand's housekeeper is an awful woman to consider. Pray give him our kindest regards and remembrances, if you ever find him in a mood to take it. "Our " means Mrs. Dickens's, Georgie's, and mine. We often, often talk of our old days at Lausanne, and send loving regards to Mrs. Cerjat and all your house.

Adieu, my dear fellow; ever cordially yours.

CCCXIX. SIR EDWARD BULWER LYTTON

TAVISTOCK HOUSE, Wednesday, January 28, 1857.

MY DEAR BULWER, I thought Wills had told you as to the Guild (for I begged him to) that he can do absolutely nothing until our charter is seven years old. It is the stringent and express prohibition of the Act of Parliament - for which things you members, thank God, are responsible, and not I. When I observed this clause (which was just as we were going

to grant a pension, if we could agree on a good subject), I caused our counsel's opinion to be taken on it, and there is not a doubt about it. I immediately recommended that there should be no expenses that the interest on the capital should that the chambers should be

be all invested as it accrued given up and the clerk discharged and that the Guild should have the use of the "Household Words" office rent free, and the services of Wills on the same terms. All of which was done.

A letter is now copying, to be sent round to all the members, explaining, with the New Year, the whole state of the thing. You will receive this. It appears to me that it looks wholesome enough. But if a strong idiot comes and binds your hands, or mine, or both, for seven years, what is to be done against him?

As to greater matters than this, however, -as to all matters on this teeming Earth, it appears to me that the House of Commons and Parliament altogether is just the dreariest failure and nuisance that has bothered this much-bothered world.

Ever yours.

CCCXX. W. C. MACREADY

TAVISTOCK HOUSE, January 28, 1857. MY DEAREST MACREADY, -Your friend and servant is as calm as Pecksniff, saving for his knitted brows now turning into cordage over "Little Dorrit." The theatre has disappeared, the house is restored to its usual conditions of order, the family are tranquil and domestic, dove-eyed peace is enthroned in this study, fire-eyed radicalism in its master's breast.

I am glad to hear that our poetess is at work again, and shall be very much pleased to have some more contributions from her. Love from all to your dear sister, and to Katie, and to all the house.

We dined yesterday at Frederick Pollock's. I begged an amazing photograph of you, and brought it away. It strikes me as one of the most ludicrous things I ever saw in my life. I think of taking a public-house, and having it copied larger, for the size. You may remember it? Very square and bigthe Saracen's Head with its hair cut, and in modern gear? Staring very hard? As your particular friend, I would not part

with it on any consideration. I will never get such a wooden Ever affectionately.

head again.

CCCXXI. MISS MARY BOYLE

TAVISTOCK HOUSE, February 7, 1857.

MY DEAR MARY, - Half a dozen words on this, my birthday, to thank you for your kind and welcome remembrance, and to assure you that your Joseph is proud of it.

For about ten minutes after his death, on each occasion of that event occurring, Richard Wardour was in a floored condition. And one night, to the great terror of Devonshire, the Arctic Regions, and Newfoundland (all of which localities were afraid to speak to him, as his ghost sat by the kitchen fire in its rags), he very nearly did what he never did, went and fainted off, dead, again. But he always plucked up, on the turn of ten minutes, and became facetious.

Likewise he chipped great pieces out of all his limbs (solely, as I imagine, from moral earnestness and concussion of passion, for I never knew him to hit himself in any way) and terrified Aldersley 1 to that degree, by lunging at him to carry him into the cave, that the said Aldersley always shook like a mould of jelly, and muttered, "By G-, this is an awful thing!”

Ever affectionately.

P. S. I shall never cease to regret Mrs. Watson's not having been there.

to report my love to all.

I send these lines by Mary and Katey,

Your note about the Golden Mary gave me great pleasure; though I don't believe in one part of it; for I honestly believe that your story, as really belonging to the rest of the narrative, had been generally separated from the other stories, and greatly liked. I had not that particular shipwreck that you mention in my mind (indeed I doubt if I know it), and John Steadiman merely came into my head as a stanch sort of name that suited

1 The part played in The Frozen Deep by its author, Mr. Wilkie Collins.

the character.
great service, and has decidedly told upon its circulation.

The number has done "Household Words "

You should have come to the play. I much doubt if anything so complete will ever be seen again. An incredible amount of pains and ingenuity was expended on it, and the result was most remarkable even to me.

When are you going to send something more to "H. W."? Are you lazy?? Low-spirited??? Pining for Paris ???? Ever affectionately.

CCCXXIII. MISS EMILY JOLLY

DEAR MADAM,

GRAVESEND, KENT, 10th April, 1857.

As I am away from London for a few days, your letter has been forwarded to me.

I can honestly encourage and assure you that I believe the depression and want of confidence under which you describe yourself as labouring to have no sufficient foundation.

First as to "Mr. Arle." I have constantly heard it spoken of with great approval, and I think it a book of considerable merit. If I were to tell you that I see no evidence of inexperience in it, that would not be true. I think a little more stir and action to be desired also; but I am surprised by your being despondent about it, for I assure you that I had supposed it (always remembering that it is your first novel) to have met with a very good reception.

I can bring to memory · here, with no means of reference at hand-only two papers of yours that have been unsuccessful at "Household Words." I think the first was called "The Brook." It appeared to me to break down upon a confusion that pervaded it, between a Coroner's Inquest and a Trial. I have a general recollection of the mingling of the two, as to facts and forms that should have been kept apart, in some inextricable manner that was beyond my powers of disentanglement. The second was about a wife's writing a novel and keeping the secret from her husband until it was done. I did not think the incident of sufficient force to justify the length of the narrative. But there is nothing fatal in either of these

mischances.

Mr. Wills told me when I spoke to him of the latter paper that you had it in contemplation to offer a longer story to

"Household Words." If you should do so, I assure you I shall be happy to read it myself, and that I shall have a sincere desire to accept it if possible.

I can give you no better counsel than to look into the life about you, and to strive for what is noblest and true. As to further encouragement, I do not, I can most strongly add, believe that you have any reason to be downhearted.

Very faithfully yours.

CCCXXIV. THE EARL OF CARLISLE

Gravesend, KeNT, Wednesday, April 15, 1857.

MY DEAR LORD Carlisle,

- I am writing by the riverside for a few days, and at the end of last week appeared here with your note of introduction. I was not in the way; but as had come express from London with it, Mrs. Dickens opened it, and gave her (in the limited sense which was of no use to her) an audience. She did not quite seem to know what she wanted of me. But she said she had understood at Stafford House that I had a theatre in which she could read; with a good deal of modesty and diffidence she at last got so far. Now, my little theatre turns my house out of window, costs fifty pounds to put up, and is only two months taken down; therefore, is quite out of the question. This Mrs. Dickens explained, and also my profound inability to do anything for readings which they could not do for themselves. She appeared fully to understand the explanation, and indeed to have anticipated for herself how powerless I must be in such a case.

She described herself as being consumptive, and as being subject to an effusion of blood from the lungs; about the last condition, one would think, poor woman, for the exercise of public elocution as an art.

Between ourselves, I think the whole idea a mistake, and have thought so from its first announcement. It has a fatal appearance of trading upon "Uncle Tom," and am I not a man and a brother? which you may be by all means, and still not have the smallest claim to my attention as a public reader. The town is overread from all the white squares on the draught-board; it has been considerably harried from all the black squares now with the aid of old banjos, and now with the aid of Exeter Hall; and I have a very strong impression