,,in ,,bohemia ,,with ,,du ,,maurier ,,the ,,first ,,of ,a ,,series ,,of ,,reminiscences ,,by ,,felix ,,moscheles ,,with #fc ,,original ,,drawings ,,by ,g4 ,,du ,,maurier ,,illustrating ,,the ,,artist',s ,,life ,,in ,,the ,,fifties ,,london ,t4 ,,fisher ,,unwin 99 99 99 99 99 ,the few introductory words to this volume were written1 and the last proofs posted1 shortly before the fatal news overtook me in lovely ,venice4 ,my world1 resplendent with sunshine1 was suddenly lost in darkness4 ,the most lovable of men1 whose presence alone sufficed to make life worth living to all those near and dear to him1 was gone from amongst us4 ,his hand was no longer to hold those pens--the finely-pointed one that drew1 the freely-flowing one that wrote4 ,his well-earned rest was not to be enjoyed on earth4 ,now that all is changed1 the joyous note of these pages jars upon me4 ,how differently would ,i attune the story of our student days1 were ,i to write it to-day in loving memory of my friend6 ,but as it stands1 so it must go forth4 ,the book1 cordially endorsed by him1 is printed and all but issued2 he would not let me recall it1 ,i know4 ,he himself1 in his kindly1 simple way1 had enjoyed my resuscitation of our early recollections1 and had here and there lent a helpful hand even to the correcting of the proofs4 ,to write of him and of his qualities of heart and mind as ,i would now venture to record them1 ,i must wait till the heavier clouds have cleared away and left the picture1 ,i would draw once more to stand out brightly in the background of ,time4 ,,felix ,,moscheles4 ,october1 #ahif4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,in ,,bohemia ,,with ,,du ,,maurier ,,preface4 ,you'll see that ,i've used up all your ,mesmerism and a trifle more in my new book1 said du ,maurier to me1 some time before he published his ,trilby2 and that remark started us talking of the good old times in ,antwerp1 and overhauling the numerous drawings and sketches in which he so vividly depicted the incidents of our ,bohemian days4 ,it seemed to me that some of those drawings should be published1 if only to show how my now so popular friend commenced his artistic career4 ,in order that they should not go forth without explanation1 ,i wrote the following pages4 ,the ,bohemia ,i have sought to coerce into book shape1 is not the wild country1 peopled by the delightfully unconventional savages1 so often described1 but a little cultivated corner of the land1 as ,i found it in ,antwerp1 a mere background to the incidents ,i had to relate4 ,such as it is1 it may perhaps serve here and there to point to the original soil from which were eventually to spring some of the figures so familiar to us to-day4 ,to me it was a source of enjoyment to evoke these memories1 and if ,i publish them1 it is because ,i strongly feel that pleasures shared are pleasures doubled4 ,sociably inclined as ,i always was1 ,i am truly glad to have the opportunity of giving a hearty welcome to those who may care to join my friend and myself in our ramblings and our tumblings4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,contents4 ,,part ,i4 #ag ,,part ,,ii4 #fi 99 99 99 99 99 ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations4 ,,for ,,ever ,,and ,a ,,day ,frontispiece ,,the ,,atelier ,,gleyre #ah ,,my ,,blouse #bj 7,from an oil-sketch by ,matthew ,maris47 ,,peggy ,,and ,,du ,,maurier ,,at ,,the ,,railway ,,station ,,in ,,malines #bg ,,from ,,du ,,maurier',s ,,painting #cj ,,moscheles ,,et ,,moi ,,si ,,nous ,,avions ,t ,,du ,,beau ,,sexe #cb ,,si ,,nous ,,avions ,t ,,beaux #cb ,,moscheles ,,et ,,moi ,,si ,,nous ,n',,avions ,,pas ,t ,,artistes #cc ,,si ,,nous ,,avions ,t ,,chevaux #cc ,f4 ,s',,il ,,tait ,,cheval #cc ,,si ,,nous ,,avions ,t ,,militaires #cd ,,ce ,,sacr ,v,,sicatoire #ce ,,isabel ,,du ,,maurier #ce ,,moscheles1 ,,or ,,mephistopheles8--,,which #dj ,,inspiration ,,papillotique #db ,,du ,,maurier ,,improvising #dc ,,how ,,rag ,,tries ,,to ,d,,sillusioner ,,carry ,,on ,,bobtail1 ,,and ,,bobtail ,,tries ,,to ,,ditto ,,ditto ,,on ,,rag #dd ,,the ,,ingenious ,,use ,,which ,,rag ,,makes ,,of ,,bobtail',s ,,pliable ,,hat #df ,,beshrew ,,thee1 ,,noble ,,sir ,,ragge6 ,,let ,,us ,,to ,,the ,,fair ,,tobacconiste #di ,,salut ,,la ,,gente ,,et ,,accorte ,,pucelle #ej ,a ,,mesmeric ,s,,ance ,,in ,,mrs4 ,l4',s ,,back ,,parlour #eg ,,the ,,midnight ,,presence ,,of ,,the ,,uncanny #fj ,,felix ,,looks ,,very ,,seedy ,,after ,,his ,,birthday #fd ,,rachel ,,and ,,friends ,,celebrate ,,bobtail',s ,,birthday #fe ,,rag #gb ,,bobtail #gb ,,what ,,the ,,deuce ,,am ,i ,,to ,,do ,,with ,,this ,,confounded ,,rope8 ,,hang ,,myself1 ,i ,,wonder4 #gf ,,coffee ,,and ,,brassin ,,in ,,bobtail',s ,,rooms #hj ,,clara ,,moscheles #hc ,,herr ,,rag ,,schickt ,,zu ,,fr,,ulein ,,moscheles ,,sein ,,empfehlung ,,und ,,ihren ,,bruder4 #hg ,,cher ,,lix #hh ,,an ,,indiscreet ,,fellow ,,looking ,,over ,,my ---- #hi ,,du ,,maurier ,,at ,,work ,,again #ij ,,claudius ,,felix ,,et ,,publius ,,busso1 ,,cum ,,centurione ,,guidorum1 ,,audientes ,,juvenes ,,conservatorioni #ia ,,double-,,bedded ,,room ,,in ,,brussels #ic ,,the ,,height ,,of ,,enjoyment #ie ,,ye ,,celebrated ,,rag ,,treateth ,,himself ,,to ,a ,,private ,,performance ,,of ,,ye ,,padre ,,furioso ,e ,,figlia ,,infelice #ig ,,at ,,the ,,hofrath',s ,,door #ii ,i ,,say1 ,,governor1 ,,mind ,,you ,,don',t ,,gash ,,his ,,throat ,,as ,,you ,,did ,,that ,,poor ,,old ,,spaniard',s #ajj ,,mr ,,kennedy1 ,,who ,,is ,,quite ,,blind1 ,,discreetly ,,informs ,,the ,,professor ,,that ,,captain ,,marius ,,blueblast ,,is ,,na ,,but ,a ,,sinfu' ,,blackguard #aja ,,meeting ,,in ,d,,sseldorf #ajc ,,scene ,,from ,,macpherson',s ,,ossian #ajf ,,portrait ,,of ,,picciola #aae ,,on ,,their ,,honeymoon #aaf ,also ,illustration on pages #cg1 #hh1 #ih1 #ajb1 #ajh1 #aji1 #aaj1 #aab1 #aad1 #aai1 #abc1 #ace1 #add1 #ade4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i4 ,,tumblings ,,with ,,du ,,maurier ,,and ,,friends4 ,i well remember my first meeting with du ,maurier in the class-rooms of the famous ,antwerp ,academy4 ,i was painting and blagueing1 as one paints and blagues in the storm and stress period of one's artistic development4 ,it had been my good fortune to commence my studies in ,paris2 it was there1 in the atelier ,gleyre1 ,i had cultivated1 ,i think ,i may say1 very successfully1 the essentially ,french art of chaffing1 known by the name of ,la blague parisienne1 and ,i now was able to give my less lively ,flemish friends and fellow-students the full benefit of my experience4 ,many pleasant recollections bound me to ,paris2 so1 when ,i heard one day that a ,nouveau had arrived1 straight from my old atelier ,gleyre1 ,i was not a little impatient to make his acquaintance4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,atelier ,,gleyre4 ,the new-comer was du ,maurier4 ,i sought him out1 and1 taking it for granted that he was a ,frenchman1 ,i addressed him in ,french2 we were soon engaged in lively conversation1 asking and answering questions about the comrades in ,paris1 and sorting the threads that associated us both with the same place4 ,did you know 'un nomm ,pointer'8 he asked1 exquisitely ,frenchy-fying the name for my benefit4 ,i mentally translated this into equally exquisite ,english1 my version naturally being3 ,a man called ,poynter4 ,later on an ,american came up1 with whom ,i exchanged a few words in his and my native tongue4 ,what the ,d4 are you--,english8 broke in du ,maurier4 ,and what the ,d4 are you8 ,i rejoined4 ,i forget whether ,d4 stood for ,dickens or for the other one2 probably it was the latter4 ,at any rate1 whether more or less emphatic in our utterances1 we then and there made friends on a sound international basis4 ,it seemed to me that at this our first meeting du ,maurier took me in at a glance--the eager1 hungry glance of the caricaturist4 ,he seemed struck with my appearance1 as well he might be4 ,i wore a workman's blouse that had gradually taken its colour from its surroundings4 ,to protect myself from the indiscretions of my comrades ,i had painted various warnings on my back1 as1 for instance1 ,bill stickers beware1 ,it is forbidden to shoot rubbish here1 and the like4 ,my very black hair1 ever inclined to run riot1 was encircled by a craftily conceived band of crochet-work1 such as only a fond mother's hand could devise1 and ,i was doubtless colouring some meerschaum of eccentric design4 ,my fellow-student1 the now famous ,matthew ,maris1 immortalised that blouse and that piece of crochet-work in the admirable oil-sketch here reproduced4 ,illustration3 ,,my ,,blouse4 7,from an oil-sketch by ,matthew ,maris47 ,it has always been a source of legitimate pride to me to think that ,i should have been the tool selected by ,providence to sharpen du ,maurier's pencil2 there must have been something in my ,verfluchte ,physiognomie1 as a very handsome young ,german1 whom ,i used to chaff unmercifully1 called it1 to reveal to du ,maurier hidden possibilities and to awaken in him those dormant capacities which had betrayed themselves in the eager glance above named4 ,this was1 ,i believe1 in #aheg2 not feeling over sure as regards that date1 ,i refer to a bundle of du ,maurier's letters before me1 but they offer me no assistance2 there is but one dated1 and that one merely headed3 ,dusseldorf1 #aith ,cent4 ,well1 in #aheg1 then1 let us take it1 the ,antwerp ,academy was under the direction of ,de ,keyser1 that most urbane of men and painters4 ,van ,lerius1 well known to many ,american and ,english lovers of art1 her ,majesty included1 was professor of the ,painting ,class1 and amongst the students there were many who rapidly made themselves a name1 as ,tadema1 ,m4 ,maris1 ,neuhuys1 ,heyermans1 and the armless artist1 whose foot-painted copies after the ,masters at the ,antwerp ,gallery are well known to every tourist4 ,the teaching was of a sound1 practical nature1 strongly imbued with the tendencies of the colourist school4 ,antwerp ever sought to uphold the traditions of a great ,past2 in the atelier ,gleyre you might have studied form and learnt to fill it with colour1 but here you would be taught to manipulate colour1 and to limit it by form4 ,a peculiar kind of artistic kicks and cuffs were administered to the student by ,van ,lerius as he went his rounds4 ,that is a charming bit of colour you have painted in that forehead1 he said to me on one occasion--so delicate and refined4 ,do it again1 he added1 as he took up my palette knife and scraped off the delicate bit4 ,ah1 you see1 savez vous1 you can't do it again2 you got it by fluke1 some stray tints off your palette1 savez vous1 and1 taking the biggest brush ,i had1 he swept over that palette and produced enough of the desired tints to have covered a dozen foreheads4 ,the comrade without arms was a most assiduous worker2 it was amusing to watch his mittened feet step out of their shoes and at the shortest notice proceed to do duty as hands2 his nimble toes would screw and unscrew the tops of the colour tubes or handle the brush as steadily as the best and deftest of fingers could have done4 ,very much unlike any of us1 he was most punctilious in the care he bestowed on his paint box1 as also on his personal appearance4 ,maris1 ,neuhuys1 ,heyermans1 and one or two others equally gifted1 but whose thread of life was soon to be cut short1 were painting splendid studies1 some of which ,i was fortunate enough to rescue from destruction and have happily preserved4 ,quite worthy to be placed next to these are ,van-der-something's studies4 ,that 7or something like that7 was the name of a wiry1 active little man who in those days painted in a garret2 there everything was disarranged chaotically1 mostly on the floor1 for there was no furniture that ,i can recollect beyond a stool1 an easel1 and a fine old looking-glass4 ,he had a house1 though1 and a wife1 in marked contrast with his appearance and the garret4 ,the house was not badly appointed1 and she was lavishly endowed with an exuberance of charms and graces characteristic of a ,rubens model4 ,a fellow-student of mine was their lodger1 a handsome young ,german1 brimful of talent1 but sadly deficient in health4 ,he had always held most rigid principles on questions of morality1 but unfortunately they failed one day in their application1 owing to the less settled views entertained by ,madame ,van-der-something on such subjects4 ,she certainly gave him much affection on the one hand1 but on the other she so audaciously appropriated those of his goods and chattels that could be turned into money1 that the police had to intervene1 and she eventually found herself before a judge and jury4 ,there1 however1 she managed so well to cast all responsibility on her husband1 who1 to this day1 ,i believe was quite innocent1 that--cherchez la femme--she got off1 and he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment4 ,now if ,van ,ostade or ,teniers had risen to prosecute him for forging their signatures1 and he had been found guilty and condemned to severe punishment1 it would have served him right4 ,he was a perfect gem of a forger4 ,he picked up a stock of those dirty old pictures painted on worm-eaten panels that used to abound in the sale-rooms of ,antwerp4 ,on these he would paint what might be called replicas with variations1 cribbing left and right from old mildewed prints that were scattered all about the floor4 ,he would scrape and scumble1 brighten and deaden with oils and varnishes2 he would dodge and manipulate till his picture1 after a given time spent in a damp cellar1 would emerge as a genuine old master4 ,i once asked a dealer whom ,i knew to be a regular customer of his1 at what price he sold one of those productions4 ,i really can't say1 he answered2 ,i only do wholesale business4 ,i buy for exportation to ,england and ,america4 ,if any of my friends here or over there possess some work of ,van-der-something's1 ,i sincerely congratulate them1 for the little man was a genius in his way4 ,of my friend the ,german ,i have only to say that1 poor fellow1 he spent but a short life of pleasure and of pain4 ,what became of his ,circe ,i never sought to know4 ,it was a clear case of ,ne cherchez pas la femme6 ,the first friend ,i made on my arrival in ,antwerp was ,jean ,heyermans 7detto il ,pegghi71 and a very useful one he proved himself1 for he at once took me in hand1 helped me to find home and hearth1 and generally gave me the correct tip1 so valuable to the stranger4 ,he lost no time in teaching me some of those full-flavoured ,flemish idioms which from the first enabled me to emphasise my meaning when ,i wished to express it in unmistakable language4 ,he himself was a remarkable linguist1 speaking ,english1 ,french1 and ,german fluently1 in addition to his native language1 ,dutch2 so he soon chummed with du ,maurier and me in several languages1 and became one of our set4 ,he was always ready to follow us in our digressions from the conventional course1 and we felt that many of our best international jokes would have been lost had it not been for his comprehension and appreciation4 ,his father1 too1 was a kind friend to us1 inviting us to his house to hear ,music and talk ,art1 to ply knives and forks1 and to empty glasses of various dimensions4 ,that gentleman's corpulence had reached a degree which clearly showed that he must have lost sight of his knees some years back1 but he was none the less strong and active4 ,there were two daughters1 one pathetically blind1 the other sympathetically musical4 ,how our friend came by the name of ,peggy none of us know1 but he figures as such in many of du ,maurier's drawings4 ,if ,peggy1 he says1 in a letter from ,malines1 doesn't come on ,sunday1 may the vengeance of the gods overtake him6 ,tell him so4 ,i'll meet him at the train4 ,and then he sketches the meeting and greeting of the two1 and the railway guard starting his train with the old-fashioned horn-signal on the ,g4,e4,c4 then in use4 ,my friend ,jean soon started on his career as a regular exhibitor in ,belgium and ,holland1 besides which he developed a remarkable taste and talent for teaching4 ,illustration3 ,,peggy ,,and ,,du ,,maurier ,,at ,,the ,,railway ,,station ,,in ,,malines4 ,what would you advise about ,pen's studies8 said ,robert ,browning one afternoon as we sat in my little studio1 talking about his son's talents and prospects4 7,this was a few years after my final return to ,england47 ,send him to ,antwerp1 ,i said1 to ,heyermans2 he is the best man ,i know of to start him4 ,pen went1 and soon made surprising progress1 painting a picture after little more than a twelve-month that at once found an eager purchaser4 ,the poet took great pride in his son's success1 and lost no opportunity of speaking in the most grateful and appreciative terms of the teacher4 ,millais and ,tadema endorsed his praise1 and ,heyermans' reputation was established4 ,a few years ago he migrated to ,london1 where he continues his work1 pluckily upholding the traditions of the ,past1 whilst readily encouraging the wholesome aspirations of a rising generation4 ,another man destined to find a permanent home in ,england was ,alma ,tadema4 ,he was not much in the ,painting ,class in my time1 but had previously been hard at work there4 ,i mostly saw him in the room adjoining it1 and he always seemed to me exclusively interested in the study of costume and history4 ,the incident that led to his leaving the academy rather abruptly is characteristic4 ,an uncle of his having given him a commission for a picture1 ,tadema applied to de ,keyser for authorisation to make the necessary break in his studies4 ,the ,director accorded him three weeks1 but1 as ,tadema put it when lately recalling the circumstance1 ,i couldn't paint a picture in three weeks then1 and ,i cannot now4 ,i little thought that from his studies of costume and history1 the comrade of my ,antwerp days would evolve a long and uninterrupted series of masterpieces1 resuscitating the ,past and presenting it with the erudition of the ,student and the genius of the ,artist4 ,nor did anything foreshadow that my genial ,dutch friend1 to whom the ,english language was a dead letter1 was destined in a not too distant ,future to become a shining light of ,england's ,royal ,academy4 ,du ,maurier was soon installed in the ,painting ,class1 and made a vigorous start4 ,of the things he painted1 ,i particularly recollect a life-size1 three-quarter group of an old woman and a boy--a pen-and-ink drawing of which is in my father's album--that showed talent enough and to spare1 but his artistic aspirations were soon to meet with a serious check4 ,his eyesight suddenly gave him trouble1 and before long put a stop to his studies at atelier or academy4 ,he was not to become a painter1 as he had fondly hoped1 but as we now know1 he was to work out his destiny in another direction4 ,with the simplest of means he was to delineate character1 and everyday drops of ink1 when filtered through his pen1 were to emerge in quaint or graceful shapes1 wit1 satire1 and sentiment taking their turns to prompt and guide that pen4 ,illustration3 ,from du ,maurier's painting4 ,in those days we called all that caricaturing1 and caricature he certainly did2 mainly me and himself4 ,from the first he imagined he saw a marked contrast between us4 ,his nose was supposed to be turned up1 and mine down1 whereas really neither his nor mine much deviated from the ordinary run of noses2 my lower lip certainly does project1 but his does not particularly recede1 and so on4 ,but the imaginary contrast inspired him in the earliest days of our acquaintance1 and started him on the warpath of pen-and-inking4 ,he drew us in all conceivable and in some inconceivable situations4 ,moscheles and ,i1 he says on one page1 had we not been artists1 or had we been artistically beautiful2 then again1 if we were of the fair sex1 or soldiers1 or1 by way of showing our versatility1 if we were horses4 ,in that page he seems to have focussed the essence of our characteristics1 whilst appearing only to delineate our human and equine possibilities4 ,poor ,f41 one of our ,german friends1 fares badly1 a donkey's head portraying him s'il tait cheval4 ,illustration3 ,,moscheles ,,et ,,moi ,,si ,,nous ,,avions ,t ,,du ,,beau ,,sexe4 ,illustration3 ,,si ,,nous ,,avions ,t ,,beaux4 ,in consequence of the growing trouble with his eyes1 du ,maurier left ,antwerp for ,malines1 to place himself under the care of an eminent oculist who resided within easy reach of that city4 ,that blessed blister--ce sacr vsicatoire1 as he calls it1 is one of the doctor's remedies4 ,illustration3 ,,moscheles ,,et ,,moi ,,si ,,nous ,n',,avions ,,pas ,t ,,artistes4 ,illustration3 ,,si ,,nous ,,avions ,t ,,chevaux4 ,illustration3 ,f4 ,s',,il ,,etait ,,cheval4 ,the sketch shows how it is being applied by a devoted ,sister of ,mercy4 ,illustration3 ,,si ,,nous ,,avions ,t ,,militaires4 ,in those days railway travelling was not as rapid as it is now1 but one could get from ,antwerp to ,malines in about an hour1 a circumstance which ,i frequently turned to account4 ,du ,maurier's mother had come to live with him1 his sister joining them for a short time1 and the home in quiet old ,malines soon became a sort of haven of rest4 ,i spent many a happy day and night there1 on which occasions ,i am bound to say that the piano1 requisitioned by me for some special purposes of musical caricature1 detracted somewhat from the restfulness of the haven4 ,however that may have been1 such intrusion was never resented2 my ,swedish prima donna1 or my qualifications as a basso profondo1 or a brass-bandsman1 were always treated with the greatest indulgence by the ladies1 and my high soprano flourished and positively reached unknown altitudes under the beneficent sunshine of their applause4 7,for all that ,i never attempted ,chopin's ,impromptu47 ,illustration3 ,,ce ,,sacr ,,vesicatoire4 ,illustration3 ,,isabel ,,du ,,maurier4 ,then du ,maurier would sing the ,french romance or the ,english song1 or he would dire la chansonnette1 and what with his sympathetic tenor and his intuitive knowledge of music1 he seemed to be able to express more than many who had had the advantage of a musical training4 ,a few old letters of his remind me that we were audacious enough to write verses and music1 he doing the former1 ,i the latter4 ,here's something ,i particularly want you to do1 he writes4 ,take strong coffee1 inspire yourself1 think of your ',ideal1' and compose some very pretty music to the enclosed words1 with which ,rag's ideal flame has inspired ,rag--surtout1 let it be as good as possible1 with accompaniment l'avenant4 ,an alteration in the music of each stanza would render the gradation of energy expressed in the words1 ',je compte sur toi4' 7,how du ,maurier came by the name of ,rag ,i must tell later on47 ,then follow the words3-- ,,chanson4 ,d'apres un barde ,britannique4#a ,les sources vont la rivire ,et la rivire l'ocan2 ,les monts embrassent la lumire1 ,le vent du ciel se mle au vent2 ,contre le flot1 le flot se presse2 ,rien ne vit seul--tout semble1 ici1 ,se fondre en la commune ivresse4444 ,et pourquoi pas nous deux aussi8 ,vois le soleil treint la terre1 ,qui rougit d'aise son coucher-- ,la lune treint les flots1 qu'claire ,son rayon doux comme un baiser2 ,les moindres fleurs ont des tendresses ,pour leurs pareilles d'ici-bas ,que valent toutes ces caresses ,si tu ne me caresses pas8#b ,footnote #a3 ,see ,shelley's ,love's ,philosophy4 ,footnote #b3 ,pour bien apprcier la valeur artistique de cette romance1 il faut l'entendre chanter par ,rag en tenant les yeux fixes sur le profit de ,bobtail4 ,two slight sketches of ,l'auteur de profil and ,le compositeur de face head the page4 ,illustration ,soon afterwards he sends me another poetical effusion and writes3 ,,dear ,,bobtail1--,i send you the ,serenade composed 'tant bien que mal' last night1 not 'entre la poire et le fromage1' but between the tea and the pears4 ,i am afraid you will not find it as dramatic as you wished2 but ,i don't feel it otherwise1 and as ,mahomet can't write words to the mountain's music1 the mountain must try and adapt its music to the verses of ,mahomet4 ,s,r,,nade ,,apr,s ,,la ,,sieste4 ,berthe aux grands yeux d'azur1 ouvre done ta paupire1 ,chasse les rves d'or de ton lger sommeil-- ,ils sont l1 nos amis2 cde a notre prire ,le trne prpar n'attend que ton rveil2 ,le soleil a cess de rgner sur la terre1 ,viens rgner sur la fte et sois notre soleil4 ,rponds nos accords par tes accents plus doux ,au jardin des amours1 viens viens avec nous4 ,au jardin des amours ta place est rserve1 ,parmi des feux de joie et des lilas en fleurs4 ,viens rveiller en nous de nouvelles ardeurs-- ,descends avec la nuit1 ainsi que la rose-- ,tant que l'astre d'argent sourit la valle1 ,toi1 bel astre d'amour1 viens sourire nos coeurs6 ,rponds nos accords par tes accents plus doux1 ,au jardin des amours1 ,berthe1 viens avec nous4 ,viens avec ta couronne1 et viens avec ta lyre1 ,tes chants pour nos amis1 tes doux regards pour moi6 ,dj j'entends les jeux de la foule en moi ,sur des gazons fleuris 444 oh le joyeux dlire6 ,si tu ne descends pas1 helas6 on pourra dire3 ',berthe aux grands yeux d'azur1 on a chant sans toi6' ,rponds nos accords par tes accents plus doux1 ,berthe aux grands yeux d'azur1 viens viens avec nous6 ,you see ,i have indulged in poetic license2 for instance1 the first tenor says he hears the folks doing the light fantastic toe4 ,one might suppose they danced in sabots--mere poetic license1 and besides1 a first tenor ought to have very good ears4444 ,so now1 my lad1 inspire yourself4 ,what the result of his appeal to my inspiration may have been1 ,i do not remember1 but ,i find this is what he writes on the subject-- ,,carissimo1--,in vain have ,i taxed ,rag's inventive powers to alter the last stanza2 we must e'en stick to ',ce baiser-la4' ,the lines ,i have underlined mean that ,i don't quite approve the part of the music that comes just there1 as in the musical phrase you have set to it ,i fancy there is a want of tenderness4 ,all the rest is stunning2 the more ,i hums it the more ,i likes it1 but ,i can't exactly come your accompaniment4 ,illustration3 ,moscheles1 or ,mephistopheles8 which ,no wonder1 for my accompaniments were usually rather indefinite quantities1 subject to the mood of the moment4 ,moscheles or ,mephistopheles1 which8 he asks1 as he depicts me at the piano1 perhaps evolving some such accompaniment from the depths of untrained inner consciousness4 ,eureka he might have put under that other sketch1 where his own hands have at last found some long-sought harmony or chord on the piano4 ,another drawing there is of a somewhat later period which he calls ,inspiration papillotique4 ,again ,i am at the piano1 my eyes raised to the ,she in papillottes1 who floats as a vision in the clouds1 issuing from my ever-puffing cigar1 whilst at my feet is stretched the meditative form of my friend1 and under them is crushed some work of our immortal colleague ,beethoven4 ,illustration3 ,,inspiration ,,papillotique4 ,illustration3 ,,du ,,maurier ,,improvising4 ,and who was ,she thus to inspire us8 ,on the supposition that most people are1 like myself1 interested in the ,shes that can inspire1 ,i may permit myself to say something about the attractive young lady who was able to lead us by easy stages from the vague inspiration papillotique to an admiration which might be said to culminate in flirtation4 ,i don't remember either of us ever trying to cut the other out1 as the accompanying sketch seems to imply1 where ,rag and ,bobtail fight a duel for ,carry1 using their noses as double-barrelled pistols4 ,shows the way in which ,rag tries to dsillusioer ,carry on ,bobtail1 and in which ,bobtail tries to ditto ditto on ,rag ,carry being on this side of the rivals is not represented4 ,illustration3 ,,how ,,rag ,,tries ,,to ,d,,sillusioner ,,carry ,,on ,,bobtail1 ,,and ,,bobtail ,,tries ,,to ,,ditto ,,ditto ,,on ,,rag4 ,the truth of the matter is that we shared fraternally in the enjoyment of her good graces1 he having the pull of me the greater part of the week1 and only suspending operations in my favour when ,i came to ,malines on a ,saturday to ,monday visit4 ,these occasions were productive of a great number of drawings and sketches1 illustrating our little adventures1 and all plainly showing that the incidents recorded occurred to us at that pleasant time of life1 when bright illusions and buoyant spirits lead the way1 and when sorrow itself has more of the rose colour than many a rose of a later day4 ,malines was1 and perhaps is still1 a dull1 deserted city1 at best up to the date of last century1 beating the record for dry-as-dustiness and growing dear little blades of grass between its cobble stones4 ,it boasts of a great many churches and of a very great many more priests4 7,vide3 ,the ingenious use which ,rag makes of ,bobtail's pliable hat47 ,in addition to these attractions1 there was1 however1 a factor of paramount interest to us4 ,then and there1 just as now and elsewhere1 there were pretty girls about1 and ,i need not say that1 as both of us were studying art and devoting our best energies to the cult of the beautiful1 we considered it our duty to take special notice of these pretty girls wherever we came across them4 ,it is probably the conscientious performance of his duty in that direction which enabled du ,maurier to evolve those ever-attractive and sympathetic types of female beauty we are all so familiar with4 ,nor would it have been becoming in me1 who had everything to learn1 to lag behind1 or to show less ardour in the pursuit of my studies4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,ingenious ,,use ,,which ,,rag ,,makes ,,of ,,bobtail',s ,,pliable ,,hat4 ,thus1 whilst du ,maurier's facile pen was throwing off black and white sketches of ,miss ,carry1 it was reserved for me to paint her portrait in oils4 ,her real name was ,octavie1 not ,carry2 that appellation we had most unceremoniously and unpoetically derived from ,cigar4 ,all else about her we invested1 if not with ceremony with a full amount of poetry4 ,and certainly there was a subtle quality in ,carry1 well worthy of appreciation1 a faculty of charming and being charmed1 of giving and taking1 of free and easiness1 coupled with ladylike reserve4 ,she seemed to be born with the intuitive knowledge that there was only one life worth living1 that of the ,bohemian1 and to be at the same time well protected by a pretty reluctance to admit as much4 ,in fact1 to give a correct idea of her ,i need but say her soul was steeped in the very essence of ,trilbyism4 ,having got to ,carry's soul1 it may not be inappropriate to say something also about her looks2 but to describe good looks is1 as we all know1 deliberately to court failure2 far better request every man to conjure up his own type of beauty and he will be sure to be interested in the picture he evolves4 ,that man will be nearest the truth whose young lady has a rich crop of brown curly hair1 very blue inquisitive eyes1 and a figure of peculiar elasticity4 ,octavie ,l41 dite ,carry1 was the daughter of an organist who had held a good position at one of the principal churches of ,malines4 ,when he died he left but a small inheritance to his widow2 with what she could realise1 she purchased the goodwill of a small tobacconist's store and set up in business4 ,neither the mother nor the daughter had much previous knowledge of the concern they had started1 and they were consequently not very discriminating in the selection of their brands2 but what was lacking in connoisseurship was fully made up for by ,mrs4 ,l4's obliging manners and by ,octavie's blue eyes4 ,these had been steadily gaining in expression since she first opened them about seventeen years back4 ,customers soon came in1 and for a time the little business was as flourishing as anything could well be in ,malines4 ,the average citizen of so ecclesiastically conservative1 and hereditarily stationary a city could hardly be expected to encourage a new venture of the kind4 ,still even there there were some young men about town1 a sort of jeunesse dor1 not of #ah-;carat gold perhaps1 but a jeunesse quite equal to the pleasant task of buzzing around the fair tobacconist4 ,mrs4 ,l4 did her share of chaperoning2 du ,maurier and ,i supplied the rest1 and watched over her with chivalrous1 if not quite disinterested devotion4 ,we differed in every respect from the type of the young man of the period above mentioned2 so naturally we were bright stars in ,carry's firmament2 she looked upon us as superior beings1 and1 granting her points of comparison1 not without cause2 du ,maurier could draw and ,i could paint2 he could sing and ,i could mesmerise1 and couldn't we just both talk beautifully6 ,we neither of us encourage hero-worship now1 but then we were bons princes1 and graciously accepted ,carry's homage as due to our superior merits4 ,illustration3 ,,beshrew ,,thee1 ,,noble ,,sir ,,ragge6 ,,let ,,us ,,to ,,the ,,fair ,,tobacconiste6 ,there are two drawings illustrative of that chivalrous devotion of ours4 ,we are galloping along on our noble steeds1 richly attired1 as true knights and good should be when they go to pay homage to beauty4 ,beshrew thee1 noble ,sir ,ragge6 let us to the fair tobacconiste6 ,illustration3 ,,salut ,,la ,,gente ,,et ,,accorte ,,pucelle6 ,aye6 ,gentle ,sir ,bobtaile6 ,by my halidome1 she's passing fair4 ,the second drawing shows our ,salut la ,gente et accorte pucelle6 and the winning smile with which ,carry would receive us4 ,mesmerism1 or1 as the fashion of to-day calls it1 ,hypnotism1 formed so frequent a topic of conversation and speculation between du ,maurier and myself1 that it takes a very prominent place in my recollections4 ,in ,paris ,i had had opportunities of attending some most interesting sances1 in consequence of which ,i soon proceeded to investigate the mesmeric phenomena on my own account4 ,now ,i have not touched the fluid for some thirty years2 ,i swore off because it was taking too much out of me2 but ,i look back with pleasure on my earlier experiments1 successes ,i may say1 for ,i was fortunate enough to come across several exceptional subjects4 ,du ,maurier was particularly interested in one of these1 ,virginie ,marsaudon1 and had a way of putting puzzling questions concerning her faculties and my mesmeric influence4 ,virginie was a femme de mnage of the true ,parisian type1 a devoted elderly creature1 a sort of cross between a charwoman and a housekeeper4 ,i was not yet eighteen when ,i first went to ,paris1 to study under my cousin1 the eminent painter1 ,henri ,lehmann4 ,at his studio ,i found ,virginie installed as the presiding genius of the establishment1 using in turn broom or tub1 needle1 grill or frying-pan as the occasion might require2 the wide range of her powers ,i further extended by making a truly remarkable mesmeric subject of her4 ,my dbut in ,paris was that of the somewhat bewildered foreigner1 speaking but very indifferent ,french1 and she had from the first done what she could to make me feel at home in the strange city1 treating me with truly motherly care and devotion4 ,how completely she took possession of me1 is shown by a passage in a letter she wrote when ,i was ill in ,leipsic1 where ,i had gone on a visit to my parents4 ,after expressing her anxiety and her regret at not being there to nurse me1 she emphatically says3--,je rends ,madame1 votre mre1 responsable de votre sant 7,i make ,madame1 your mother1 responsible for your health74 ,it needed but little to lead her on from a state of docile and genial dependence to one of unconscious mesmeric subjection1 and so1 a few passes shaping her course1 ,i willed her across the boundary line that separates us from the unknown1 a line which1 thanks to science1 is daily being extended4 ,madame veuve ,marsaudon was herself an incorrigible disbeliever in the phenomena of mesmerism1 but as a subject her faculties were such as to surprise and convert many a scoffer4 ,at the sances1 to which ,i invited my friends and a few scientific outsiders1 ,i always courted the fullest investigation1 taking it as the first duty of the mesmerist to show cause why he should not be put down as a charlatan4 ,so we had tests and counter-tests1 evidence and counter-evidence2 there were doctors to feel the pulse and to scrutinise the rigidity of the muscles1 experts to propound scientific ifs and buts1 and wiseacres generally to put spokes in the wheel of progress1 as is their playful way1 wherever they find that wheel in motion4 ,it was doubly satisfactory1 then1 that the good faith of subject and mesmerist could be conclusively proved4 ,one of these sances led to a rather amusing incident4 ,one night ,i was awakened from first slumbers by a sharp ring at my bell1 and when1 after some parleying1 ,i opened the door1 ,i found myself confronted by two individuals4 ,one ,i recognised as an inquirer who had been brought to my rooms some time previously2 the other was a lad ,i had not seen before4 ,the inquirer1 ,i ascertained1 having carefully watched my modus operandi on the occasion of his visit1 had next tried experiments of his own4 ,in this instance he had succeeded in mesmerising a lad1 but had found it impossible to recall him to his normal condition4 ,so1 securing him by a leather strap fastened round his waist1 he led him through the streets of ,paris to my rooms4 ,there we both tried our powers upon him1 the result being very unsatisfactory4 ,the youth1 feeling himself freed from one operator and not subjected by the other1 refused allegiance to either1 and1 being of a pugnacious temperament1 he squared up and commenced striking out at both of us4 ,it was not without considerable difficulty that ,i re-mesmerised him completely1 and then1 having previously prepared his mind to account naturally for his presence in my rooms1 ,i succeeded in awakening him1 and all ended happily4 ,the inquirer was duly grateful1 the youth went home strapless and none the worse for the adventure1 and ,i proceeded to do some very sound sleeping on my own account4 ,i would say more of my sances and all the recollections they evoke1 were ,i not impatient to get back to du ,maurier and to ,malines4 ,once on the experiences of those days1 ,i have much to relate--pros and cons1 if you please1 for that subtle magnetic fluid1 which1 without physical contact1 one human being can transmit to another1 is a ticklish one to handle4 ,i cannot pack my pen1 though1 and take train of thought to the ,belgian city without mentioning my friend ,allong1 the well-known ,french artist1 then a fellow-student of mine at the ,ecole des ,beaux ,arts4 ,a chance contact of our knees as we sat closely packed with some sixty other students put me on the track of a new subject1 perhaps the most interesting one it was ever my good fortune to come across4 ,but of him another time4 ,using the privilege of a mesmerist1 ,i elect to will the reader--that is1 if natural slumber has not ere this put him beyond my control--across the frontier1 into the back parlour of ,mrs4 ,l4's tobacco store4 ,there ,i am operating on a boy--such a stupid little ,flemish boy that no amount of fluid could ever make him clever4 ,how ,i came to treat him to passes ,i don't remember2 probably ,i used him as an object-lesson to amuse ,carry4 ,all ,i recollect is that ,i gave him a key to hold1 and made him believe that it was red-hot and burnt his fingers1 or that it was a piece of pudding to be eaten presently1 thereby making him howl and grin alternately4 ,in the middle of our sance ,carry is called away by a customer1 one of the swells of ,malines much addicted to a poetical expression of his admiration for the fair sex in general and for ,carry in particular4 ,greatly to our edification1 she was pleased to improve the occasion by leading him on1 within our hearing1 to make what is commonly called a fool of himself4 ,the pleasant incident is recorded in the accompanying sketch4 ,but mesmerism meant more than incidental amusement or even scientific experiment to us in those ,antwerp and ,malines days4 ,when one stands on the threshold of a world of mysteries one cannot but long to bridge over the chasm that separates one from the gods1 the fairies1 or the fiends4 ,to be sure1 we should have been glad if we could have got light1 more light thrown on our steps1 but1 failing that1 we tried to find our way as best we could in the mist4 ,we loved that never-attainable ,will-o'-the-,wisp1 ,truth1 for its own dear ,bohemian sake2 so1 guided by ,fancy and ,fantasy1 we made frequent inroads into the boundless land where unknown forces pick up our poor dear little conception of the ,impossible1 and use it as the starting-point of never-to-be-exhausted possibilities4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,mesmeric ,s,,ance ,,in ,,mrs4 ,l4',s ,,back ,,parlour4 ,such a land was particularly well suited to the state of our outward-bound minds and our excelsior appetites4 ,it was on one or the other of these excursions1 ,i feel confident1 that du ,maurier was inoculated with the germs that were eventually to develop into ,trilbyism and ,svengalism4 ,no wonder1 then1 if in more than one of his letters and sketches the future delineator of those characters embodies bold dreams and fancies1 or if on one occasion he depicts himself1 with fixed gaze and hair erect1 sitting bolt upright on my hospitable sofa1 thrilled and overawed by the midnight presence of the uncanny1 which ,i had evoked for his benefit4 ,yes1 governor1 it's all very well to ask a nervous fellow to ,antwerp and amuse him and make him ever so jolly and comfortable--,but why1 when the bleak ,november wind sobs against the lattice and disturbs the dead ashes in the grate1 when everything is damned queer and dark1 and that sort of thing1 you know--why should you make nervous fellows' flesh creep by talk about mesmerism1 and dead fellows coming to see live fellows before dying1 and the ,lord knows what else8 ,why1 ,gad6 it's horrid6 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,midnight ,,presence ,,of ,,the ,,uncanny4 ,my rooms in ,antwerp were the scene of many a festive gathering4 ,we always spoke of them in the plural2 it sounded better1 but in reality there was only one room with two small alcoves4 ,studies and sketches covered the walls or littered the floor1 and the genial figure of a skeleton1 in very perfect condition1 stood in the corner by the piano4 ,at first it came with a view to instructing me in the ,science of ,anatomy1 but soon1 putting aside any didactic pretensions1 my bony professor became quite a companion and friend2 it was thus natural that on those occasions when guests had been convened to my rooms1 he would take a leading part1 generally appearing gracefully draped and appropriately illuminated1 and thus forming a fitting background to the gay proceedings of the evening4 ,we had music1 recitation1 and acting1 mostly of an improvised1 homemade character4 ,the sounds thereof were not confined1 however1 to the narrow limits of home1 but spread far beyond it1 a fact which the neighbours1 ,i am sure1 would have been at any time ready most emphatically to attest4 ,in justice to myself ,i may say that ,i was primarily answerable for the magnitude of the sound waves1 but ,i am bound to add that my example was followed and even improved upon by the more lung-gifted of my companions4 ,amongst the milder forms of entertainment was my impersonation of ,rachel4 ,that grand actress ,i had often seen in ,paris1 and had1 more than once1 shivered in my shoes as she annihilated the ,tyrant1 pouring forth the vials of her wrath and indignation in the classical language of ,racine and ,corneille4 ,with those accents still ringing in my ears ,i came to ,antwerp1 and there1 when surrounded by sympathetic friends1 the spirit would sometimes move me1 and ,i would feel--excuse the conceit of youth--as if ,i too could have been a great female ,tragedian1 had ,fate not otherwise disposed of me4 ,in such moments ,i would seize the blade of the paper-knife1 and use the blood of the beet-root1 drape myself in the classical folds of the bed-sheet1 and go for the ,tyrant1 hissing fearful hexameters of scorn and vituperation into his ears1 and usually winding up with a pose so magnificently triumphant that it would bring down any house which was not of the most solid construction4 ,another time the cushion yonder would be my child--the orthodox long-lost one--,it is6--,it is not6--,it is6--,let me clasp it to my other cushion6 ,toi mon fils chri4 ,ange de mon enfer1 douleur de mes loisirs6 ,illustration3 ,,felix ,,looks ,,very ,,seedy ,,after ,,his ,,birthday4 ,the celebration of one of my birthdays was an event rescued from oblivion by du ,maurier's pencil4 ,he illustrates our lively doings on that day and my appearance the next morning4 ,felix's mamma1 he says1 had worked a very pretty cap for ,felix1 and ,felix had it on the morning after his birthday1 and ,felix found that though the cap was very pretty1 it made him look very seedy4 ,illustration3 ,,rachel ,,and ,,friends ,,celebrate ,,bobtail',s ,,birthday4 ,in the other drawing he gives striking likenesses of the friends assembled to celebrate the festive occasion4 ,they had come together in the evening1 much in the same spirit that had led them under my windows in the morning1 with a brass band and an enormous bouquet of cabbages1 carrots1 and cauliflowers4 ,there1 on the left1 is ,van ,lerius with his hands in his pockets1 next to him du ,maurier2 then ,heyermans1 ,bource1 and all the other chums1 and1 though last not least1 the proud bearer of the steaming punch-bowl4 ,what a set of jolly good fellows6 ,it is quite a pleasure to pore over the sketch and contemplate du ,maurier's phiz1 expressing his unbounded capacity of enjoyment4 ,i can see him taking points that fell flat with the other fellows4 ,quite a pleasure1 too1 to think of ,huysmans' big nose and ,van ,lerius' bald head1 of the tall and the short1 of spindle shanks and chubby face4 ,where are they all now8 ,some thirty-five years have elapsed1 and the whirligig of time has been revolving with unfailing regularity1 dropping us here and there1 as caprice dictated1 some to stand1 some to fall4 ,what has become of the threads of friendship1 picked up at the studio or the caf1 perhaps whilst puzzling over the chess-board1 or when harmonising in four-part song8 ,golden threads2 some destined to be spun out and to become solidly intertwined2 others to be hopelessly entangled or cruelly snapped asunder by the inexorable ,fates4 ,where shall ,i find them now1 those friends and boon companions of my ,bohemian days8 ,here1 there1 and everywhere--perhaps nowhere6 ,some ,i see trotting briskly along the high-road of life1 others dragging wearily through its tangled bypaths4 ,yet again others resting under a big1 cold stone that bears an inscription and a couple of dates1 fixed just above their heads4 ,,ii4 ,i well remember a certain barrire that protected the level crossing just outside the ,malines ,station4 ,it was but an ordinary piece of hinged timber1 but we1 that is1 du ,maurier and ,i1 can never forget it2 for1 as we stood by its side we vowed that come what might1 we would never travel along that line and past the old gate without recalling that summer evening and re-thinking the thoughts of our early days4 ,it was also there1 one evening1 that we adopted our never-to-be-forgotten aliases--,rag and ,bobtail4 ,we had chanced upon a chum of ours named ,sprenk lounging across that old barrire1 and some fortuitous circumstance having revealed the fact that his initials were ,t4,a4,g41 we forthwith dubbed him ,tag4 ,out of that very naturally grew the further development3 ,rag1 ,tag1 and ,bobtail4 ,t4,a4,g4 was an ,englishman1 strong and hearty and considerably taller than either of us4 ,that alone would have sufficed to secure him the friendship of du ,maurier1 who ever worshipped at the shrine of physical greatness4 ,he loved to look up to the man of six-foot-something1 or to sit in the shadow of the woman of commanding presence1 his appreciation of size culminating in the love of ,chang1 that dog of dogs1 whom we have all learnt to admire1 as we followed his career through the volumes of the immortal ,weekly1 presided over by ,toby and his master4 ,i somehow associate ,tag with whisky and water2 not that he took it much or often1 but he gave one the impression that whatever others might do when amongst the benighted foreigner1 he1 for one1 would not let a good old ,english custom drop into disuse4 ,looking at ,tag one intuitively felt that his father before him had taken his moderate glass of ,w4 and ,w41 and that1 if he married and had sons1 they would do likewise4 ,i do not think that he was particularly fond of art or artists1 unless inasmuch as they were brother ,bohemians4 ,he was engaged1 or1 at least1 he was generally just about to be engaged1 in some business1 and whilst waiting for the opportune moment to commence operations1 he would settle down to an expectant present4 ,the golden opportunity he was looking for was plainly visible on his horizon1 but it had a way of remaining stationary1 and as it was contrary to ,tag's nature to move unless under great pressure1 the two never met4 ,in the meanwhile ,tag was one of our trio of chums2 he was a good deal with us when we were out and about1 bent on storming the world1 or climbing ,parnassus2 we did the climbing1 he the looking on1 the parts thus being distributed to our mutual satisfaction4 ,he was always pleasantly acquiescent1 and had the rare gift of making himself useless agreeably2 a common bond of interest we had in the ,colorado claro and oscuro1 whether the fair or dark1 applied to the friendly weed or the still more friendly fair sex4 ,he describes himself pretty correctly in a letter he wrote to us from ,paris1 when he says3-- ,since my arrival here my notes of what ,i have to do represent what ,i have not done1 and if it be true that the infernal regions are paved with good intentions1 ,i shall be received on my arrival by a deputation of souls to thank me for my contribution to the pavement4 ,illustration3 ,,rag4 ,illustration3 ,,bobtail4 ,there are sketches in which ,tag's eloquence is confined to one exclamation1 ,matilda6 ,but whether that name was coupled with present felicity or future hopes ,i do not recollect4 ,but du ,maurier's lines describe him and our chumship much better than any words of mine could do4 ,he says3-- ,to ,,bobtail4 ,oh1 fortunatos nimium1 sua si bona norint ,all lazy beggars like me-- ,in the sunshine of ,april1 the ,april of life1 ,you and ,i and our ,tag make three2 ,and few will deny that for such close chums ,a queer set of fellows are we4 ,for ,i walk slowly1 and you walk fast1 ,and ,tag lies down 7not to fall72 ,you think of the ,present1 ,i think of the ,past1 ,and ,tag thinks of nothing at all4 ,yet who shall be lucky1 and who shall be rich8 ,whether both1 neither1 one1 or all three2 ,is a mystery which1 ,dame ,fortune1 the witch1 ,tells neither ,tag1 ,bobtail1 or me6 7,,rag74 ,the portraits of ,rag and ,bobtail head the page4 ,a space was left for ,tag's1 but never filled4 ,apropos of plans and prospects on ,tag's distant horizon1 ,i find a passage in one of his letters1 dated ,november1 #aheg1 which is well worth recording4 ,i quote it to give myself and my fellow ,europeans an opportunity of rejoicing that ,tag's scheme belonged to those that were not to be realised4 ,it runs thus3-- ,as du ,maurier's eye1 though better1 will1 most probably1 not allow him to resume his profession as a painter1 we have determined to try our fortune together in ,australia1 and mean to start from here early in ,february4 ,he hopes to obtain employment by drawing sketches1 caricatures1 c41 for the ,melbourne ,punch1 and other illustrated papers4 ,you know how eminently suited he is for that kind of work1 and we hear that an artist of talent of that description is much wanted out there1 and would be sure to do exceedingly well4 ,i1 of course1 do not intend to start in that line1 but hope to be able to support myself for the first few years1 after which ,i shall establish myself in business on my own account1 and ,i trust1 with luck1 ,i may return home in the course of from ten to fifteen years1 if not with immense riches1 at all events with enough to enable me to pass the remainder of my 'old age' in peace and comfort4 ,illustration3 ,,what ,,the ,,deuce ,,am ,i ,,to ,,do ,,with ,,this ,,confounded ,,rope8 ,,hang ,,myself1 ,i ,,wonder4 ,did ,tag ever go1 ,i wonder8 ,did he come back1 and has he perhaps been enjoying his old age somewhere over here for the last thirty years8--,i wish you would say what has become of you1 my dear ,tag4 ,i'm sure we should be chums again1 if you're anything like the dear old stick-in-the-mud of former days6 ,don't you recollect that sketch of ,rag's8 ,i had nearly forgotten to mention it1 the one with the three ropes of life4 ,i am climbing ahead with fiendish energy4 ,rag follows1 steadily ascending1 weighted as he is with a treasure1 a box marked ,mrs4 ,rag1 with care1 and your noble form is squatting on the floor1 a glass of the best blend at your feet1 and a cigar you are enjoying from which rises the legend that makes you say1 ,what the deuce am ,i to do with this confounded rope8 ,hang myself1 ,i wonder8 ,nonsense1 to be sure2 but do come and tell me what you have done with the rope1 or say where ,i can find you still squatting4 ,that music of a certain spontaneous kind1 the music within us which we were ever longing to bring to the surface1 was a bond of union between du ,maurier and myself1 ,i have already mentioned2 but that bond was to be greatly strengthened by the music that great musicians on more than one occasion lavished on us4 ,first came ,louis ,brassin1 the pianist4 ,he had studied under ,moscheles at the ,conservatorio of ,leipsic1 the city of ,bach and ,mendelssohn fame2 and there1 from the days of his boyhood1 he had belonged to the little circle of intimates who frequently gathered around the master at his house4 ,when1 a few years later1 he came to ,belgium on a concert tour1 he and ,i found no difficulty in taking up the old friendship contracted in my father's house1 just where we had left it4 ,the boy had become the man1 the student had developed into the artist and thorough musician4 ,he was the boonest of boon companions1 and his jokes were so broad that they often reminded one1 in their crudeness and their rudeness1 of certain passages in ,mozart's early letters4 ,to say that he spoke ,french with a ,german accent la ,svengali would be putting it very mildly2 ,teutonic gutturals would most unceremoniously invade the sister language2 d's and t's1 b's and p's would ever change places1 as they are made to do in some parts of the ,fatherland4 ,with all that1 he rejoiced in a delightful fluency of speech1 conveying quaint and original thought4 ,there was something decidedly interesting about ,brassin's looks1 but his figure gave one the impression of having been very carelessly put together2 when he walked his head went back on his shoulders1 and his hat went back on his head2 his long arms dangled1 pendulum-like1 by his sides1 while his lanky legs1 dragging along anyhow1 were ever lagging behind one another4 ,but when he opened the piano and put hands and feet to keys and pedal1 he was not the same individual4 ,he would turn on nerve and muscle-power1 and would hurl avalanches of music and torrents of notes at his audience till he1 in his turn1 was overwhelmed with thunders of applause4 ,and those were the days1 we must remember1 when but few men could play at a greater rate than twenty to twenty-five miles an hour2 when grand pianos were not yet ironclad and armour-plated1 or had learnt proudly to display the maker's name on their broadside when they went forth to do battle on the concert field4 ,illustration3 ,,coffee ,,and ,,brassin ,,in ,,bobtail',s ,,rooms4 ,brassin used to draw inane caricatures of himself1 which he would present to us with a triumphant laugh of immoderate calibre4 ,i have preserved some of these1 but decidedly prefer du ,maurier's rendering of our common friend4 ,in the accompanying drawing he shows him at the piano1 entertaining us on ,a rainy day4 ,ah6 ,felix1 amico mio1 he says1 may thy room be always as jolly1 thy coffee be ever so sweet1 as on that happy morning6 ,may ,brassin's fingers be ever as brilliant and inspired6 ,may ,tag be ever as lazy1 and with equal satisfaction to himself1 and may ,i never be blinder6 ,amen4 ,that sketch admirably pourtrays the lankiness and flabbiness of ,brassin's figure1 contrasting as it did with the strength of the wrist and the grip of the fingers4 ,he was certainly a fine subject for du ,maurier1 whom ,i always looked upon as a sort of vivisector of music and musicians1 of their methods and their moods4 ,a brilliant career awaited ,louis ,brassin1 but it was to be suddenly and unexpectedly cut off4 ,he died some ten years ago at the age of forty-four4 ,in #aheh my father came on a visit to ,antwerp with my mother and my youngest sister1 ,clara4 ,wherever my father took up his abode1 even temporarily1 a grand piano would in the natural course of events gravitate towards him1 and a select circle of art lovers would soon be grouped around it4 ,amongst the friends in the ,antwerp circle were--,van ,lerius1 ,tadema1 ,baron ,leys1 ,heyermans1 and ,bource4 ,my sister at that time was a bright and happy creature1 not long out of her teens1 full of hopes--alas6 never to be realised1 and of talents never to be matured4 ,the large dark eyes--they seemed the gift of her godmother1 the famous ,malibran--reflected the artist's soul1 and a grand soprano voice spoke its powerful language4 ,du ,maurier and she were soon on a brother and sisterly footing1 and they ever remained so4 ,illustration3 ,,clara ,,moscheles4 ,of the pleasant evenings we of the circle spent together ,i recall one in particular4 ,my sister had been singing one song after another2 my father was engaged in an animated conversation with ,stefani1 the pianist1 on the relative merits of ,mendelssohn and ,schumann4 ,du ,maurier and ,i had been sitting at the farther end of the room1 talking of his eyes4 ,at that time one doctor held out hopes2 another1 a great authority1 had considered it his painful duty not to conceal the truth from his patient1 and had1 with much unction and the necessary complement of professional phraseology1 prepared him for the worst4 ,the sight of one eye had gone1 that of the other would follow4 ,those were anxious days1 both for him and for his friends2 but1 whatever he felt1 he could talk about his trouble with perfect equanimity1 and ,i often wondered how quietly he took it1 and how cheerfully he would tell me that he was fearfully depressed4 ,that evening ,i had been putting the chances of a speedy recovery before him1 and making predictions based1 ,i am bound to admit1 on nothing more substantial than my ardent hopes4 ,but du ,maurier was too much of a philosopher to be satisfied with such encouragement as ,i could give1 and said3 ,no1 ,i had better face the enemy and be prepared for the worst4 ,if it comes1 you see1 my dear fellow1 there is ,nature's law of compensation1 and ,i firmly believe that one cannot lose one faculty without being compensated by some great gain elsewhere4 ,i suppose one gets to see more inside as things grow darker outside4 ,if one can't paint1 one must do something else--write perhaps2 that is1 as long as one can1 and then1 if the steam accumulates1 and one wants a safety valve to let it off1 dictate4 ,happily1 to this day he writes1 and need not have recourse to dictation4 ,when we joined our friends we found ,van ,lerius and ,heyermans had been pressed into the service1 and were making sketches for my sister's album4 ,du ,maurier took up a pencil1 and1 with a few characteristic touches1 drew that sister's eyes4 ,quand je les vois1 he wrote underneath1 j'oublie les miens4 7,reflexion d'un futur aveugle47 ,when ,i see them ,i forget my own4 7,reflections of a man going blind47 ,soon the main business of the evening was resumed4 ,was it ,beethoven's sonata for piano and violin1 or a mighty improvisation on classical themes that came first8 ,i do not recollect2 but ,i remember that du ,maurier's rendering of ,balfe's ,when other lips and other hearts1 with my scratch accompaniment1 was warmly greeted by all lips and hearts present4 ,when these pleasant evenings had come to an end1 the friendly intercourse was not allowed to drop1 and so a number of sketches by her new friends found their way into ,miss ,clara's album4 ,in the following winter1 when ,i left on a short visit to ,leipsic1 he sent her a few lines through me4 ,i quote from his letter because the wording is peculiar1 and illustrates his capacity for expressing himself in a language that he had to evolve from his inner consciousness3-- ,herr ,rag schickt zu ,frulein ,moscheles sein empfehlung und ihren bruder2 es wird hflicht gebeten das sie wird die sach reciprokiren1 und in fnftzen dgen ihr empfehlung und seinen freund zuruck schicken4 ,for the benefit of those whose inner consciousness is not in touch with the above1 ,i give the ,english version3-- ,mr4 ,rag sends his greeting and her brother to ,miss ,moscheles1 and kindly requests her to reciprocate the proceeding in a fortnight by returning her greeting and his friend4 ,illustration3 ,,herr ,,rag ,,schickt ,,zu ,,fr,,ulein ,,moscheles ,,sein ,,empfehlung ,,und ,,ihren ,,bruder4 ,illustration3 ,,lix4 ,when ,i think how easily and spontaneously such sketches dropped from his pen1 ,i am reminded of a passage in one of ,mendelssohn's letters to my mother2 he sends her the ,mailied and says3 ,this morning a song came to me4 ,i really must write it down for you4 ,so1 too1 from the first the pen-and-ink compositions came to du ,maurier4 ,his talent manifested itself not only in a desire to illustrate this or that incident or adventure1 but also in his inexhaustible capacity for making something out of nothing1 and as the nothing was never lacking1 he might well say3 ,dear ,bobtail1 ,i will never write without sending my compliments to thine album4 ,his rendering of ,cher ,lix1 for instance1 takes the shape of a graceful monogram1 or diplogram1 or whatever ,i ought to call a combination of our two profiles and my name4 ,illustration ,he starts a short missive with a sketch of himself seated in his trunk1 pipe in mouth1 and says3 ,dear ,bobtail1 ,i write to you out of sheer idleness1 so as to have an excuse not to pack up for the next half-hour4 ,or he draws himself looking over my shoulder whilst ,i am writing to my sister and puts the supposed context of my letter3-- ,illustration3 ,,an ,,indiscreet ,,fellow ,,looking ,,over ,,my ---- ,bobtail writes 7in ,german of course73 ,i won't write any more1 for there's an indiscreet fellow looking over my ---- ,rag4 ,it's not true1 ,i swear4 7,for ,miss ,clara47 ,illustration3 ,,du ,,maurier ,,at ,,work ,,again4 ,another time he wants me to send him some brushes and various other painting materials he enumerates3 ,oh1 and a little thing like this for oil to do the thing cheesy4 ,he depicts himself quite elated2 his eyes seemed so much better that he had once more resumed work in the studio of his friend ,goyers4 ,gruss from maternal and self1 he ends2 ganz hertzlich2 come soon1 or write soon1 or do something soon1 hang it4--,thy ,,rag1 jusqu' la mort4 ,illustration3 ,,claudius ,,felix ,,et ,,publius ,,busso1 ,,cum ,,centurione ,,guidorum1 ,,audientes ,,juvenes ,,conservatorioni4 ,monsieur ,staps1 ,sous-,chef of the ,guides1 the best military band in ,brussels1 was a friend of ours4 ,he had invited us to one of the famous ,concerts du ,conservatoire1 a treat in anticipation of which du ,maurier at once takes to the pen1 and shows us in classical garments and dignified attitudes listening to the young men of the ,conservatorio4 ,sketch represents1 he says ,claudius ,felix et ,publius ,busso1 cum centurione ,guidorum1 audientes juvenes ,conservatorioni1 ,a4,d4 ,,cclviii4 ,the ,busso derived from his full name--,george ,louis ,palmella ,busson du ,maurier4 ,in striking contrast with the last drawing is the next4 ,here we are decidedly anything but conventional in our attire1 as he depicts us in ,double-bedded room1 ,brussels4 ,time #aa a4m4 7train starts #aa4bj74 ,bobtail's face being rather smutty1 he washes it1 and ,rag's boots being rather tight1 he puts them on at leisure1 during which process he has time to smoke three pipes4 ,bobtail4 ,bub-bub-bub-bub 444 whew 444 pouf6444 ,rag4 ,how many8 ,illustration ,a favourite theme of his was his supposed inability to shine on occasions when ,i had introduced him to friends of mine1 and was particularly anxious to show him off to advantage1 and then1 again1 the unrelenting fate that would swiftly overtake him if he ventured to put himself forward4 ,i need not say that the inability and the discomfiture existed only in his imagination1 for in all circles he was ever appreciated and admired4 ,but he would have it otherwise1 and pourtrays us side by side with the legend-- ,illustration3 ,the height of enjoyment4 ,rag thinking of his eyes1 in a pair of tight boots1 with ,bobtail whispering3 ',say something clever1 you stupid muff6' ,another drawing shows what happened when for once in a way he presumed to accept the homages of the fair4 ,one fine morninge1 earlie1 at ye ,caf de la ,plage1 ,blankenberghe1 ye celebrated ,rag1 deeming himself alone1 treateth himself to a private performance of ye ,padre furioso e figlia infelice1 in imitatione of his illustrious friende1 ,felix ,bobtailo4 ,presentlie a voice exclaimeth behind him1 ',monsieur1 permettez moi de vous fliciter1' and a ladie politelie maketh him complimente on his talente4 ,rag replieth that she must not be surprised thereat1 as hys life has been spent among ye great musicians1 and that therefore he can scarcelie helpe being a consummate musician himselfe4 ,shortly after as he lighteth hys cigarre at ye barre1 he enquireth bumptiously1 ',who might that good ladie be8' ',she is the prima-donna of the ,munich ,opera1 ,monsieur4' ,whereupon ye soul of ye humiliated ,rag sinketh into hys bootes1 and he retireth for ever under a perpetual extinguisher4 ,ye hero of ye above unfortunate adventure presenteth hys compliments to ,miss ,clara ,moscheles1 and beggeth she will deigne to accepte ye sketche in acknowledgment of ye last box of 'acidulated lemon-flavoured droppes' entrusted to her brother's care 7need he remark that they have not yet reached their destination74 ,miss ,clara is invited to observe how cunninglie ye profile of ,rag is made to imitate that of her talented brother4 ,illustration3 ,,ye ,,celebrated ,,rag ,,treateth ,,himself ,,to ,a ,,private ,,performance ,,of ,,ye ,,padre ,,furioso ,e ,,figlia ,,infelice4 ,du ,maurier's stay in ,blankenberghe was but short4 ,he soon went to ,dsseldorf to put himself under the treatment of a famous oculist1 ,hofrath de ,leeuwe1 who resided not far from there at ,grfrath4 ,he wrote1 in high spirits3 ,spent yesterday in ,grfrath2 jolly place1 lots of beauties1 plenty of singing and sketching and that sort of thing1 you know4 ,long walks in beautiful valleys1 most delightful4 ,the fact is1 ,i'm so beastly merry since ,i've been here that ,i don't think ,i'm quite sane1 and altogether only want your periodical visits and permission to have my fling on ,saturday nights to be in heaven4 ,doctor says he'll do me good2 have to go to ,grfrath once a week4 a me bote joliment4 ,good-bye1 my old4 ,thine ever ,illustration ,he had met some old acquaintances and fraternised with some ,english and ,american artists1 had got into the swim of ,grfrath society1 such as it was1 and was soon placed on a pedestal1 whilst sundry beauties sat at his feet and1 to the best of my belief1 sighed4 ,they all want me to make etchings of the little can-cans and lick-spittlings going on here4 ,splendid study2 shall think about it4 ,carry novel1 of course1 adjourned sine die2 haven't got time just now--you know what a fellow ,i am4 ,just got her letter2 very nave and amusing--but don't tell her so1 or else she will pose for that and spoil it4 ,here is a little drawing for you4 ,do all honour to it1 since it has met with a little ovation here4 ,illustration3 ,,at ,,the ,,hofrath',s ,,door4 ,,she4 ,,really ,i ,,don',t ,,see ,,the ,,slightest ,,mote ,,in ,,your ,,eyes4 ,,he4 ,,no1 ,,but ,i ,,can ,,see ,,the ,,beams ,,in ,,yours4 ,he calls it a new adaptation from the ,new ,testament4 ,he and a charming she sit waiting their turn at the ,hofrath's door4 ,he is looking into her eyes and she into his4 ,really ,i don't see the slightest mote in your eyes1 says she4 ,no1 but ,i can see the beams in yours1 he replies4 ,illustration3 ,i ,,say1 ,,governor1 ,,mind ,,you ,,don',t ,,gash ,,his ,,throat ,,as ,,you ,,did ,,that ,,poor ,,old ,,spaniard',s6 ,did du ,maurier ever attempt to shave anybody1 ,i wonder8 ,according to one of the sketches he sent me from ,dsseldorf he did1 and was so engaged on a blind man ,kennedy1 when a ,captain ,marius comes on the scene and says1 in discreet whisper and with much concern1 ,i say1 governor1 mind you don't gash his throat as you did that poor old ,spaniard's6 7,out loud7 ,how d'ye do1 ,kennedy8 ,the same ,mr4 ,kennedy figures once more1 when1 unaware of the presence of the captain1 he discreetly informs the professor that ,captain ,marius ,blueblast is na' but a sinfu' blackguard4 ,illustration3 ,,mr4 ,,kennedy1 ,,who ,,is ,,quite ,,blind1 ,,discreetly ,,informs ,,the ,,professor ,,that ,,captain ,,marius ,,blueblast ,,is ,,na ,,but ,a ,,sinfu' ,,blackguard4 ,illustration ,a portrait he drew of the doctor was a great success4 ,i have done the old cock's portrait stunningly1 he says2 nine crosses of the ,legion of ,honour1 c4 ,not a sou into my pocket2 all for poor-box4 ,fancy a fellow like me making presents to the poor-box 7vide sketch76 ,but as the portrait will be very much spilt about 7rpandu71 ,i may fish a stray order or two4 ,i have followed your advice for a whole week and done a magnificent ,framboisy4 ,shall not attempt to go on until you are here to give me another stirring-up4 ,am going to ,antwerp next week 7always am74 ,shall you be moving too8 ,journey together--great fun4 ,take care of my purse and passport1 and see my trunks are locked4 ,illustration3 ,,meeting ,,in ,d,,sseldorf4 ,,we ,,sat ,,into ,,the ,,small ,,hours ,,of ,,the ,,morning1 ,,talking ,,of ,,the ,,past1 ,,present1 ,,and ,,future4 ,illustration3 ,,scene ,,from ,,macpherson',s ,,ossian3-- ,dark was the sun6 ,heavy the clouds on the cliffs of ,oithona--when the fair-headed son of the ,maurialva crossed his claymore with the stern dark-browed ,bobthailva and swore friendship on the names of ,carry and ,damask4 ,i was moving1 and as du ,maurier kept on being about to go to ,antwerp1 ,i went to pay him a flying visit at ,dsseldorf on my way to ,paris4 ,we sat into the small hours of the morning 7as he depicts us71 talking of the past1 present1 and future1 a long-necked ,rhine-wine bottle and two green glasses beside us1 our hopes and aspirations rising with the cloud that curled from my ever-glowing cigar4 ,we talked till his fertile imagination took us across the sea1 and ,ragmar of the ,maurialva and ,bobthailva1 the son of ,moscheles1 swore eternal amity on their native heath4 ,damask was another beauty whom we appreciated1 perhaps all the more because we knew she was dying of consumption4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in ,paris ,i was probably absorbed in some work ,i had in hand and must have neglected du ,maurier1 for he writes urging me to answer by return of post and give an account of myself4 ,he had been visited1 he says1 by an alarming nightmare1 which he forthwith sketches for my benefit4 ,carry1 the ,circe1 had captured the lion4 ,the noble beast--that was me--had succumbed to the wiles of the enchantress1 and submitted tamely to being combed and brushed and to having his claws clipped by her hand4 ,like birds of a feather1 so do lions of a name1 flock together4 ,and so another noble beast--that was he--is seen approaching1 presumably to claim his share of the combing and clipping and of whatever other favours may be forthcoming4 ,illustration ,illustration ,another time when1 ,i suppose1 ,i was again letting him wait for an answer1 he writes from ,dsseldorf3 ,,dear ,,bobtail1--,est-ce que tu te donnes le genre de m'oublier par hazard8 ,i have been expecting a letter from you every day1 running thus3 ',,dear ,,rag1--,come to ,paris immediately1 to illustrate thirty-six periodical papers which ,i have got for you4 ,in haste1 ,bobtail4' ,my old pal1 ,tom ,armstrong1 is here1 working hard2 eyes the same as ever4 ,write soon and tell all about that portrait4 ,dsseldorf rencontre was jolly4 ,the letter is headed by a drawing representing me soaring heavenwards1 whilst he1 chained to the spot1 is philosophically consulting the cards on his prospects of release4 ,illustration ,then comes a postscript3 ,going in for this sort of thing4 ,illustration ,will you come old fellow and be ,illustration ,i suppose ,i answered saying that ,i only put off writing till ,i had mustered the full complement of periodicals4 ,if ,i was in a prophetic mood ,i may have added that it was all right1 and that very shortly thirty-six editors would be clamouring for his work1 and perhaps thirty-six ,states hallooing for him to come over immediately4 ,hoping to be punch'd at an early date1 ,i probably remained his1 c41 c4 ,the early date came1 for1 before his final return to ,england1 we met once more in ,antwerp and ,malines4 ,and that takes me back to ,carry4 ,she was changed to her advantage1 so1 at least1 the world of ,malines thought4 ,we were not quite so sure that the change would prove altogether to her advantage4 ,she had been quite pretty enough before1 and we thought she could well have done without developing further physical attractions4 ,she had always known how to use her eyes1 not unfrequently shedding their beneficent light on two persons at the same time1 and we considered that that number should not be exceeded4 ,but now their activity seemed daily increasing1 and it was not without concern that we noticed in her a certain restlessness and a growing tendency to discuss with the serpent questions relating to the acquisition of prohibited apples4 ,after a while1 and perhaps in consequence of the good advice we gave her1 she sobered down and surprised us by her docility2 but at best her moods were uncertain and she puzzled us much4 ,illustration ,now1 ,bobtail1 said ,rag1 as we walked along the sober old streets of ,malines1 discussing the state of ,carry's mind and heart4 7,he has omitted the streets1 but has put us into our very best medival suit47 ,now1 ,bobtail1 what do you think8 ,is she in love8 ,and if so1 with whom8 ,she may be1 or she may be not1 said ,bobtail1 with oracular discretion2 but1 if she is1 it can only be with one of us4 ,she would not waste her sentiment on a native whilst we were within reach4 ,but which of us is it8 asked ,rag1 somewhat alarmed4 ,i know not2 but ,i hope neither1 answered the oracle thus appealed to2 but the state of her mind1 ,i believe1 is this3 ,if she were to marry you1 she would fall in love with me2 and if she were to marry me1 she would fall in love with you4 ,this dictum must have impressed du ,maurier1 for it started him on a series of drawings1 with accompanying text in illustration of it4 ,there were to be two volumes4 ,the first1 in which ,i figure as the husband1 was rapidly produced2 the second1 in which he was to be the husband1 never saw the light of day4 ,it was shelved sine die1 a proceeding ,i always thought particularly unfair1 as he never gave me a chance of being loved4 ,i am compensated1 however1 by the possession of the first volume of the ,noces de ,picciola1 or ,cari-catures1 as they are called4 ,on the title-page ,bobtail is made to say3-- ,illustration ,if ,carry were to marry one of us1 ,i'd give thee any odds she would be safe1 ,o ,rag1 to love the other-- 7,shakespere4 ,two ,swells of ,antwerp47 ,varium et mutabile semper femina1 he adds1 and his story illustrates the truth of the poet's words4 ,his points will be so much better understood later on1 when some of the problems connected with our matrimonial laws have been solved1 that it would be a pity to publish them prematurely4 ,suffice it to show how ,flix and ,georges produced the portrait of ,picciola4 ,flix put all his talent and ,georges all his good will into it1 for1 once completed1 ,picciola was to select a husband from the two suitors4 ,after much cogitation she decides for ,flix1 whilst offering her friendship to ,georges1 who seems but moderately satisfied with this arrangement2 and then1 when husband and wife leave for distant countries1 ,georges1 who cannot bear the thought of being parted from his dear ,picciola1 enters the service of the young couple and accompanies them on their honeymoon4 ,this mythical journey gives the author opportunities for the subtle psychological analysis of a young lady's heart1 strongly inclined to revolt against some of the conventions laid down by ,society for its regulation4 ,illustration3 ,,portrait ,,of ,,picciola4 ,we had fondly hoped we might escort and protect her on the thorny path of life1 as pertinently shown in the drawing1#c where we are all three going along1 our arms and hands fraternally intertwined and linked together in perfect symmetry1 as if therewith to tie the knot of friendship and make it fast for ever and a day4 ,footnote #c3 ,see ,frontispiece4 ,illustration3 ,,on ,,their ,,honeymoon4 ,but it was not to be4 ,a big wave intervened to separate us1 and swept away all traces of the road before us4 ,poor ,carry6 ,yes1 she had a story4 ,sad4 ,bright4 ,then sad again4 ,first she gave to ,amor what was ,amor's1 and then to ,hymen what was ,hymen's4 ,she tasted of the apple her friend the serpent had told her so much about4 ,then--la femme une chute est rare comme le ,niagara--and there are more apples than one in the ,garden of ,eden--she tried another2 such a bad one unfortunately4 ,it was a wonder it didn't poison her1 body and soul1 but it didn't4 ,there was a moment when the ,angel with the flaming sword threatened to cast her adrift1 and it would have fared badly with her had not a helping hand come to save her4 ,but sound as she was at the core1 and true1 she rallied and rose again to new life and unhoped-for happiness4 ,it was a young doctor who came to the rescue2 a mere boy he seemed to look at2 but a man he was in deed and word4 ,he worked hard and walked fast2 he defied convention and challenged fate4 ,with a stout heart he laboured to raise ,carry to the level of his affections1 and with a strong hand he tightened his hold upon her4 ,he loved her passionately1 devotedly1 and she1 clinging to him as to the instrument of her salvation1 gradually regained her better self1 and1 slowly but surely1 learnt to find in her own heart the greatest of treasures that woman can bestow upon man4 ,but he was a ,southerner of the ,french meridional type1 excitable and impulsive1 and1 so1 alas6 he was jealous of ,carry's northern friends and snapped the thread asunder that bound her to them4 ,we only knew1 and that we learnt in a roundabout way1 that she was the happiest little wife in ,paris4 ,once1 and only once1 she wrote to us1 to tell us how complete was her happiness4 ,a crowning glory had come2 a little glory to nurse and fondle1 to cry over--tears of joy2 to smile to--the prettiest1 foolishest of mother's smiles2 to pray for and to worship from the bottom of her little blossoming soul4 ,it was not till three years later that ,i was in ,paris and succeeded in picking up the thread of ,carry's story4 ,hale and hearty1 overflowing with health and happiness1 the young doctor had gone to his work at the hospital4 ,he came home blood-poisoned1 to die in his wife's arms4 ,it was a case of self-sacrifice in the cause of science1 of heroic devotion to a fellow-creature4 ,and the young widow was left alone again1 with none to weep over 7tears of anguish this time7 but the little glory1 who1 poor thing1 could only wonder1 but not soothe4 ,what can have become of ,carry once more cast adrift in ,paris to fight the battle of life in this hard ever love-making world8 ,we never knew4 ,back to ,england4 ,the time had come when-- ,who was to be lucky and who to be rich1 ,who'd get to the top of the tree2 ,was a mystery which ,dame ,fortune1 the witch1 ,was to tell du ,maurier and me4 ,illustration ,what with the boxing-gloves and one thing and another1 he had been getting ,english again by degrees4 ,in a drawing he shows us how he is going through the process arm-in-arm with his old friend1 ,tom ,armstrong1 now the ,art-,director of that very ,english institution1 the ,south ,kensington ,museum4 ,armstrong and ,t4,r4 ,lamont1 the man who to this day bears such a striking resemblance to our friend the ,laird1 had presented du ,maurier with a complete edition of ,edgar ,allan ,poe's works4 ,his appreciation of that author is expressed in a letter which he addressed to ,armstrong1 and it needs not much reading between the lines to gather what was the literary diet best suited to his taste4 ,it is amusing1 too1 to notice the little shadows cast here and there by coming events4 7,billy ,barlow was1 ,i really don't know why1 for the time being1 synonymous with ,george du ,maurier47 ,gulielmus ,barlow1 ,thomasino ,armstrong1 ,whom we hope is 'gaillardement' getting along ,and salubrious1 ave6 ,you'll wonder1 ,i ween1 ,at ,barlow's turning topsy-tur--poet ,i mean4 ,i take odds you'll exclaim1 'twixt a grunt and a stare1 ',gottferdummi' the beggar's gone mad1 ,i declare1 ,and his wits must have followed his 'peeper'--not so2 ,he will give you the wherefore1 will ,william ,barlow-- ,viz3 he's so seedy and blue1 he's so deucedly triste1 ,he's so d----d out of sorts1 he's so d----d out of tune1 ,that for mere consolation he cannot resist ,the temptation of holding with ,tommy commune4 ,then that he should be bothered alone1 isn't fair1 ,so he'll just bother you a bit1 pour se distraire1 ,this will partly account for the milk--then the fact is ,that some heavy swell says that it's deuced good practice1 ,and then it's a natural consequence1 too1 ,of the classical culture he's just been put through4 ,i'll explain3 ,t'other day the maternal did say1 ',you are sadly deficient in reading1 ,bill2 nay ,do not wrinkle your forehead and turn up your nose 7,that elegant feature of ,william ,barlow's67 ,you've read ,thackeray1 ,dickens1 ,i know2 but it's fit ,you should study the classical authors a bit4 ,heaven knows when your sight will be valid again1 ,you may throw down the pencil and take up the pen1 ,and you cannot have too many strings to your bow4' --',a-a-amen6' says young ,william to ,mrs4 ,barlow4 ,so we're treated 7our feelings we needn't define7 ,to a beastly slow book called the ',fall and ,decline' ,by a fellow called ,gibbon1 be d----d to him2 then ,comes the ',esprit des lois et des moeurs1' from the pen ,of a chap hight ,voltaire--un pdant--qui je crois ,ne se fichait pas mal et des moeurs et des lois4 ,after which just to vary the pleasures1 ,rousseau ,by ,emile--no3 ,emile by ,rousseau8 ,gad6 ,i know ,that which ever it be it's infernally slow1 ,and ,i'm glad ,billy's neither ,emile nor ,rousseau-- ,such my fate is to listen to1 longing to slope-- ,then come horrid long epics of ,dryden and ,pope1 ,which ,i mentally swear a big oath ,i'll confine ,to the tombs of the ,capulets1 every line-- ,not but what the old beggars may do in their way1 ,gad6 ,uncommonly fine soporifics are they2 ,but they seem after ,tennyson1 ,shelley1 and ,poe ,just a trifle too ,rosy for ,billy ,barlow-- ,oh1 dear ,raggedy1 oh6 ,ulalume and none for ,william ,barlow4 ,erst1 they're short4 ,then they breathe in their mystical tone ,an essence1 a spirit1 a draught which alone ,can content ,billy's lust1 for the weird and unknown 7,billy's out of his depth7 they've an undefined sense ,of the infinite 'mersed in their sorrow intense 7,billy's sinking6 ,a rope6 ,some one quick6 ,damn it6 hence ,that mystical feeling so sweetly profound ,which weaves round the senses a spell 7,billy's drowned7 7,here run for the drags of the ,royal ,humane67 ,a mystical feeling1 half rapture1 half pain1 ,such as moves in sweet melodies1 such as entrances ,in ,chopin's ',etudes1' and in ,schubert's ',romances4' ,ah6 ,chopin's ',impromptu'6 ,schubert's ',serenade'6 ,have you ever heard these pretty decently played8 ,if you haven't1 old fellow1 ,i'll merely observe ,that a treat most delicious you have in reserve4 ,lord6 ,how ,billy's soul grazes in diggins of clover1 ,while ,stefani rapidly fingers them over1 ,feelingly1 fervidly fingers them over4 ,illusion that enervates6 ,feverish dream ,of excitement magnetic1 inspired1 supreme1 ,or despairing dejection1 alternate1 extreme6 ,gad6 ,these opium-benumbing performances seem1 ,in their sad wild unresting irregular flow ,just expressly concocted for ,william ,barlow4 ,oh6 dear ,raggedy1 oh6 ,why1 they ravish the heart1 sir1 of ,billy ,barlow4 ,du ,maurier's stay on the ,continent had come to a close some time before mine1 and to that circumstance ,i owe several letters in which he speaks of his first experiences in ,london4 ,he revelled in the metamorphosis he was going through1 and illustrated the past and the present for my better comprehension4 ,there on one side of the ,channel he shows the dejected old lion of ,malines gnawing his tobaccoless clay pipe1 and then on the other the noble beast stalking along jauntily with tail erect and havannah alight4 ,he wrote in high spirits3-- ,illustration ,,dear ,,bobtail1--,i need not tell you how very jolly it was to get your letter and to hear good news of you4 ,my reason for not writing was that ,i intended to make my position before giving of my news to anybody4 ,i was just funky and blue about it at first1 but fortunately ,i was twigged almost immediately1 and1 barring my blessed idleness1 am getting on splendaciously just now4 ,lots of my things have been out4 ,i'm going in for becoming a swell4 ,how strange to think of such a change4 ,i'm leading the merriest of lives1 and only hope it will last4 ,living with ,henley1 ,no4 #he1 ,newman ,street2 very jolly and comfortable4 ,chumming with all the old ,paris fellows again1 all of them going ahead4 ,there's ,whistler is already one of the great celebrities here--,poynter getting on4 ,this is a very jolly little village1 and ,i wish you were over here4 ,they do make such a fuss with an agreeable fellow like you or me1 for instance4 ,but ,i suppose ,paris is just as jolly in its way4 ,my ideas of ,paris are all ,bohme1 quartier latin1 c41 et si c'tait recommencer1 ma foi je crois que je dirais 'zut4' ,this is a hurried and absurd letter to write to an old pal like you1 but ,i hardly ever have time for a line--out late every night and make use of what little daylight there is in ,newman ,street to draw4 ',s'il faisait au moins clair de ,lune pendant le jour dans ce sacr pays4' ,i daresay ,i shall treat myself to a trip over to ,paris as soon as the weather is jollier4 ,i intend to go abroad this summer to do some etchings 'qui seront aux pommes4' ,is there any chance whatever of your coming over here before8 ,you mustn't form your opinion of my performances by what you may happen to see1 as half of what ,i do is spoiled by bad engraving 7that's why ,i intend to etch71 and what ,i have done1 bar one or two things1 are merely little chic sketches for money4 ,i have many plans2 among others ,i intend to bring out a series in ,punch1 with which ,i shall take peculiar care--something quite original4 ,i think you would precious soon get more portraits than you could paint here1 but if you are getting on so well in ,paris1 of course it would be madness to leave4 ,but ,i do not like the idea of your not being one of us--such a band of brothers full of jolly faults that dovetail beautifully4 ,it was quite a freak of mine coming over here2 ,i did it against everybody's advice--came over with a ten-pound note and made the rest4 ',your friend ,bobtail seems to be the only man who had no doubt of your talent1' writes my mother4 ',enfin c'est prouv que je suis au moins bon a quelque chose4' ,do you go much into the world8 ,i go knocking about as happily as possible1 singing and smoking cigars everywhere4 ,jimmy ,whistler and ,i go 'tumbling' together1 as ,thackeray says4 ,would you were here to tumble with us6 ,enfin1 mon bon1 cris moi vite4 ,when at last ,i too returned to ,london ,i was privileged to take my humble share in the tumbling1 as also in the steady process that was gradually to wean us from ,bohemia4 ,we tumbled pretty regularly into the ,pamphilon1 a restaurant within a stone's throw of ,oxford ,circus1 of the familiar type that exhibits outside its door a bill of fare with prices appended1 to be studied by those who count their shillings and pence as we did4 ,we had got beyond the days when no wines are sour and when tough meat passes muster1 if there is only plenty of it2 we wanted a sound dinner1 and we got it at the ,pamphilon2 to wind up we adjourned to the coffee-room and talked and read and smoked4 ,stacey ,marks1 ,poynter1 ,jimmy ,whistler1 and ,charles ,keene were among the crew1 and others not so well known to fame4 ,pleasant hours those and gemthliche1 as the ,germans say2 how different the after-dinner clay pipe or cheap weed of those times to the post-prandial havannah we now complacently whiff at our friend's ,mcenas' hospitable table6 ,yes1 things have changed1 my dear ,rag1 since the day we were paying our bill1 and you addressed the waiter with superb affability3 ,here1 ,charles1 is a penny for you4 ,i know it isn't much1 but ,i can't afford more4 ,it is hard to fancy anything less like ,bohemia than ,regent ,street1 but a little incident that occurred as ,i walked down that busy thoroughfare one afternoon recalls the best traditions of the land in which practical jokes abound4 ,i was going along without any definite aim1 killing time and gathering wool1 flaning1 in fact2 perhaps there was a touch of the foreigner about me1 for ,i had only lately returned from abroad2 anyway ,i suddenly found myself singled out as a fit subject to be victimised4 ,i felt a hand stealthily sliding into my pocket2 on the spur of the moment ,i grasped that hand in as much of an iron grip as ,i could muster4 ,then--,i hardly know why--,i waited quite a number of seconds before ,i turned round4 ,when ,i did1 it was du ,maurier's face that ,i beheld1 blanched with terror4 ,those seconds had been ages to him4 ,good heavens6 had he made a mistake8 ,was it not ,bobtail's but another man's hand that was clutching his wrist8 ,thank ,heaven1 it was ,bobtail's6 ,there never was an occasion1 before or after1 ,i feel absolutely sure1 when du ,maurier was more truly glad to see me4 ,his colour rapidly returned1 and he swore that of all the bonnes blagues this was the best2 but for all that1 one thing is certain--he has never since attempted to pick pockets in ,regent ,street4 ,a delightful compromise between ,bohemia and the land where well-regulated ,society rules supreme1 was the ground on which stood ,moray ,lodge1 the residence of ,arthur ,lewis1 the head of the well-known firm of ,lewis and ,allenby4 ,we have read of him before3-- ,sir ,lewis ,cornelys1 as everybody knows1 lives in a palace on ,campden ,hill1 a house of many windows1 and1 whichever window he looks out of1 he sees his own garden and very little else4 ,there was no pleasanter or more festive house than his in ,london1 winter or summer4 ,i quote this1 as probably it may not be known to everybody that ,sir ,lewis was knighted on the memorable occasion of ,trilby's birthday1 when she was presented at the drawing--and every other--room4 ,with much kindly fore-thought his friend and biographer allows him to be eighty years old in the early sixties1 thereby enabling him to have attained to-day the ripe old age of one hundred and fourteen4 ,well1 he was one of du ,maurier's earliest friends1 and when ,taffy the ,laird1 and ,little ,billie1 a-smokin' their pipes and cigyars1 told the cabby to drive to ,mechelen ,lodge1 ,i found my way to what ,i called ,moray ,lodge1 and met them there4 ,and there too1 to be sure1 was ,glorioli1 the tall1 good-looking swarthy foreigner from whose scarcely parted1 moist1 thick1 bearded lips issued the most ravishing sounds that had ever been heard from throat of man or woman or boy4 ,as we now empty one or the other of the million bottles that are about1 marked ,de ,soria1 ,bordeaux1 we often think with gratitude of the great wine-grower and still greater singer1 so correctly described as singing best for love or glory in the studios of his friends4 ,to return to ,arthur ,lewis3-- ,he occupied an exceptional position1 inasmuch as he had made his house a centre towards which intellectual ,london gravitated4 ,when he had done this1 that1 and the other to make his bachelor days memorable to a host of friends1 he wound up by marrying one of ,england's fairest women1 our great actress1 ,kate ,terry4 ,it was in those early days that ,ellen1 the dbutante1 was introduced to the dramatic world as ,kate ,terry's sister4 ,since then ,kate1 having elected to rest on her laurels1 is proud to be referred to by the younger generation as ,ellen ,terry's sister4 ,in early life ,lewis had various roads open to him4 ,born1 as he was1 with the capacity of a man of business1 the means and opportunities of a man of leisure1 and the talents of an artist1 he managed to follow the three roads at the same time1 and they all led to well-deserved success4 ,he was to be found at his desk in ,regent ,street1 at his easel in the studio1 or on the threshold of that big billiard and reception room which he had built to entertain his friends4 ,himself an artist1 and for many years a regular exhibitor at the ,royal ,academy1 he was on terms of close friendship with the men who had made their mark in the art-world1 and with many who were destined to become famous4 ,he was a ,mcenas of the right sort1 knowing a good thing when he came across it1 and frequently acquiring it before the sleepy world awoke to its merits4 ,i well recollect the enthusiasm with which he welcomed the first pictures ,joseph ,israels exhibited in ,england in #ahfb4 ,neither in the ,english nor in the ,dutch department of the ,exhibition could he ascertain whether these two pictures1 ,the ,drowned ,fisherman and ,washing the ,cradle1 were for sale4 ,but luck would have it that he was introduced to ,israels at the ,academy soire1 and the artist1 assuring him that the pictures were certainly for sale1 ,lewis secured the coveted works1 and was thus the first to establish ,israels' fame in ,england4 ,the gatherings in ,moray ,lodge were unique in their way4 ,it was characteristic of the master and the house that they made everybody feel at home1 from the titled aristocrat in the dress-suit to the free-and-easy brother-brush or pen1 and the sometimes out-at-elbow friend ,bohemian4 ,there was the ,duke of ,sutherland1 the ,marquis of ,lorne1 ,lord ,dufferin1 ,mr4 ,frederic ,leighton1 ,associate of the ,royal ,academy1 ,fred ,walker1 who sang tenor in the choir1 of which more presently1 and who on several occasions designed the cards of invitation for ,lewis4 ,there was ,lord ,houghton1 ,charles ,dickens1 ,wilkie ,collins1 ,rossetti1 ,landseer1 ,daubigny1 ,gustave ,dor1 ,arthur ,sullivan1 ,leech1 ,keene1 ,tenniel1 c41 c4 ,it is as hard to pass those names over without comment as it must have been to run the gauntlet of ,scylla and ,charybdis1 for every one of them brings back some recollection1 and calls upon the pen to start a paragraph with an ,i well remember4 ,but that would lead me away from ,moray ,lodge and the famous ,saturday evenings1 and ,i never was1 and am not now1 in a hurry to get away from that hospitable mansion4 ,the billiard-table was boxed over on the gala nights and transformed into a buffet4 ,it was covered with bottles and glasses1 pipes and cigars1 and towards the close of the evening with mountains of oysters4 ,the amount we consumed on one occasion was #bgh dozen1 as ,i happen to know4 ,but the great attraction at these gatherings was the part-singing of the twenty-five ,moray ,minstrels4 ,john ,foster was the conductor1 and led them to such perfection that the severest critic of the day1 dear old crabbed ,henry ,f4 ,chorley1 proclaimed them the best representatives of the ,english school of glee-singing4 ,another no less interesting feature was the performance of small theatrical pieces4 ,du ,maurier and ,harold ,power had given us charming musical duologues1 like ,les ,deux ,aveugles1 by ,offenbach1 and ,les ,deux ,gilles1 with great success1 and that led to further developments and far-reaching consequences4 ,a small party of friends were dining with ,lewis4 ,what shall we get up next8 was the question raised4 ,something new and original1 suggested the host4 ,now1 ,sullivan1 you should write us something4 ,all right1 said ,sullivan1 but how about the words8 ,where's the libretto8 ,oh1 ,i'll write that1 said ,burnand4 ,and thus those two were started4 ,cox and ,box1 a travesty of ,box and ,cox1 was read and rehearsed a fortnight afterwards at ,burnand's house1 and the following ,saturday it was performed at ,moray ,lodge4 ,du ,maurier was ,box1 ,harold ,power ,cox1 and ,john ,foster ,sergeant ,bouncer4 ,du ,maurier's rendering of ,hush-a-by1 ,bacon1 was so sympathetic and tender that one's heart went out to the contents of the frying-pan1 wishing them pleasant dreams4 ,then there was his famous duet with ,box1 reciting their marriage to one and the same lady1 and the long recitative in which the printer describes his elaborate preparations for suicide4 ,how he solemnly walked to the cliff and heard the seagulls' mournful cry--and looked all around--there was nobody nigh4 ,then 7disposing his bundle on the brink7--,away to the opposite side ,i walked4 7,away on the high ,a1 that ,sullivan put in on purpose for du ,maurier1 who possessed that chest-note in great fulness47 ,i must skip a few years and speak of a drawing that appeared in ,punch in #ahge1d and which has a special interest for me2 it brings back to my mind a happy thought of du ,maurier's1 which is closely connected with a particularly happy thought of my own1 that took root then and has flourished ever since4 ,footnote #d3 ,published by kind permission of the proprietors of ,punch4 ,i must explain that there was a time when ,i had to console myself with the reflection that the course of true love never runs smooth4 ,a lady whom in my mind ,i had selected as a mother-in-law1 by no means reciprocated my feelings of respect and goodwill4 ,but the young lady1 her daughter1 fortunately sided with me1 and had1 in fact1 given her very willing consent to the change in her mother's position which ,i had suggested4 ,i was naturally anxious to assure that young lady as frequently and as emphatically as possible how much ,i appreciated her assistance1 and how determined ,i was never to have any other mother-in-law but the one of my choice2 nor could there be anything obscure in such a declaration1 as of three sisters in the family that particular one was the only unmarried one4 ,but neither in obscure nor in explicit language was ,i allowed to approach her2 a blockade was declared and rigorously enforced1 and we were soon separated by a distance of some few hundred miles4 ,illustration ,i can look back complacently on the troubles of those days now that twenty years have elapsed since ,i emerged victorious from the contest2 but then the future looked blank and bleak1 and ,i felt nonplussed and down-hearted4 ,knowing1 however1 what a faint heart is said never to win1 ,i was anxious to keep mine up to the mark1 and with a view to stimulating its buoyancy ,i went to make a friendly call on du ,maurier4 ,he would1 ,i felt sure1 be sympathetic1 and1 whatever else might be wanting in that troublesome eye of his1 there would be a certain vivifying twinkle in it that could always set me up4 ,it was as ,i expected1 and ,i had the full benefit of the eye1 and of an ear1 too1 that he lent willingly as ,i told him how matters stood4 ,well1 he said1 if you can't smuggle in a letter1 let's smuggle in your portrait4 ,it will be rather a joke if she comes across you in ,punch4 ,i've just got a subject in which ,i can use you4 ,to be sure1 ,i jumped at the idea1 only beseeching him to make me as handsome as he possibly could1 without losing sight of the main object1 viz41 that the young lady should be able to recognise me4 ,her mother too1 ,i felt sure1 would not fail to be duly impressed1 for to figure in ,punch would raise me in her estimation as a person of no small importance4 ,the drawing was made and published1 and the scheme worked well2 coupled1 perhaps1 with a few millions of other influences1 and with the assistance of the ,fates1 it achieved the desired result1 and before a year had elapsed the original drawing could be presented by du ,maurier to the young lady1 now become a bride1 as a memento of bygone troubles4 ,one more digression suggested by the name of ,arthur ,sullivan2 it shall be the last4 ,i am not going back to the time when we were boys together in ,leipsic1 but will only mention him in connection with ,carry2 this time ,carry in another form4 ,illustration ,shortly after that big wave intervened that separated her from us a happy chance put me in possession of a dog1 the most affectionate and lovable of ,skye terriers4 ,i named him ,carry4 ,that dog1 his qualities and virtues1 and especially his musical gifts1 deserve more than a passing mention2 but1 trusting that he1 like every dog1 will have his day1 ,i will here only transcribe a letter of his that he wrote with the assistance of his friend1 ,arthur ,sullivan1 who1 attracted perhaps by the gifts above named1 had kindly taken charge of him during my temporary absence on the ,continent4 ,poor dog6 ,he is dead now2 so that there can be no indiscretion in publishing his bark and its translation4 ,the former is best given in its original setting4 ,the latter1 purporting to be a ,translation of the foregoing by ,a4,s41 runs as follows3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,and ,,esteemed ,,master1--,my kind friend1 ,mr4 ,sullivan1 who pretends to be as fond of me as you are1 has taken me away from the enjoyment of a delicious mutton bone1 in order to answer your letter2 and as ,i cannot find a pen to suit me well1 he is writing whilst ,i dictate4 ,i was very low-spirited the other day after leaving you1 and appeared to feel the parting very much1 but it soon wore off under the influence of biscuit1 bones1 and kindness2 indeed1 ,i must do ,sully and his family the justice to say that they try to do the utmost to make me happy and comfortable1 although they don't always succeed1 for sometimes ,i appear dissatisfied 7hoping1 entre-nous1 by that means to get more out of them74 ,i have several idiosyncrasies and failings1 of which my master 7pro tem47 is trying to correct me1 but finds it rather hard work1 for ,i am not so easily brought out of them4 ,i have a will of my own1 but ,sully says3 ',train up a dog in the way it should go1 and he will not depart1 c41 c4'--and ,sully is right4 ,don't you think it is a bad plan to wash me with soap8 ,i think it deters me from licking my skin1 and consequently from having those ideas of cleanliness engendered within me which are so necessary to every well-bred dog moving in good society6 ,i want to get back to my bone1 but ,sully says ,i must first deliver a message from him4 ,you are to give his love to your dear parents 7in which ,i heartily join71 and tell them how grieved he was that he did not see them to wish them ',god speed' before they left ,england1 and how it hurt him to think that a long1 long time would perhaps elapse before he should see them again4 ,and now1 my dear master1 ,i must say ',good-bye4' ,much love in few words1 in which ,sully joins me4 ,believe me1 ever your ,attached and faithful dog1 ,illustration3 ,carry ,x his mark ,f4 ,,moscheles1 ,esq4 99 99 99 99 99 ,and now ,i come to du ,maurier's last letter--the best1 as ,i am sure every right-minded person will admit4 ,i have kept it pour la bonne bouche 7excuse my quoting ,french4 ,will me not of it1 as our neighbours say2 there are unassailable precedents for such quoting1 you know--or ought to know74 ,the letter in question speaks of an event so momentous1 that of all events it is the one most worthy to be marked with a white1 white stone2 and marked it was1 if not with a stone1 with satins and laces and a veil and white orange blossoms4 ,come and be introduced to the future ,mrs4 ,kicky1 it said4 ,she intends to celebrate her #bast birthday by a small dance4 ,there will be friends and pretty girls1 'en veux tu1 en viol4' ,so rek-lect1 olf'lah1 ,tuesday1 at half-past seven4 ,illustration ,the drawing shows how ,i was introduced1 and how graciously ,i was received4 ,the letter needs a word of explanation1 as it speaks of the future ,mrs4 ',kicky1' and ,i have not yet mentioned that ,kicky was but another name for du ,maurier4 ,he got it at an early period of his life4 ,just as any other baby less favoured by ,dame ,fortune the witch would have done1 he gave himself his nickname4 ,he picked it up in ,brussels when he was two years old1 and under the care of ,flemish servants4 ,they called him ,mannekin 7little man71 and that he converted into ,kicky4 ,i append one of the numerous varieties of his signature4 ,illustration3 ,kick 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,rag1 ,tag1 and ,bobtail had its day1 and was shelved soon after we bid adieu to ,bohemia2 but the ,kicky survived and flourished1 and to-day not only his old chums1 but those nearest and dearest to him1 feel that they could not do without that particular appellation1 associated as it is with a thousand and one happy memories4 ,and having arrived at that busiest of stations1 the ,matrimonial ,junction1 where the converted bachelor alights and changes for ,better or for ,worse1 this chapter fitly comes to a close1 meant as it was only to sketch some of the pleasant recollections that ,i1 in common with so many of his friends1 have of du ,maurier's bachelor days4 99 99 99 99 99