Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 5.djvu/395

 ii s. v. APRIL 27, 1912.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

323

CHARLES DICKENS. FEBRUARY TTH, 1812 JUNE QTH, 1870.

(See ante, pp. 81, 101, 121, 141, 161, 182, 203, 223, 243, 262, 284, 301.)

ON the 22nd of December, 1867, Dickens was again in Boston, where a delightful surprise awaited him. Mrs. Fields had decorated his rooms at his hotel with flowers and English holly, " real red berries," while festoons of moss were hanging from the looking - glasses and picture frames. The next morning on his breakfast table he found a sprig of mistletoe (a great rarity in America), while enormous boughs of it were placed about the room. This touching tribute came from Capt. Dolliver, of the Boston Custom House, who had quietly arranged for the boughs to be brought out in that week's Cunarder. Dickens, writing to Miss Hogarth, says : "In such affectionate touches as this, these New England people are especially amiable." The letters from home were read in the midst of these home-like Christmas surroundings, and as he and Dolby sat by the fire they " talked of no tiling but home and the dear ones there." On Christmas Eve he read the ' Christmas Carol/ which was more brilliantly attended and he himself more enthusiastically re- ceived than was the case at any of the previous readings. In the evening there was a dinner party at the house of Mr. and Mrs. Fields. This was Dickens's Christmas dinner, for Christmas Day itself had to be passed on the railway, travelling to New York for the reading on the day following.

Dickens was suffering from the most acute depression, consequent, in a great measure, on the return of the influenza, and the necessity of having to leave Boston and travel on the day which he always delighted to celebrate amidst the sweet surroundings of home. At the station, in the early morning, he found the Fields, Longfellow, Agassiz, Wendell Holmes, Tick- nor, and a host of other friends who had come to say " Good-bye " and to present their Christmas greetings ; but the greetings ended for Dickens in a perfect breakdown in heart and speech. The journey was a sad one, and but few words were spoken ; nor was the depression alleviated by an unlooked-for compliment. As they crossed one of the rivers on a steam ferry the captain of the United States man-o'-war stationed on the river, knowing that Dickens would be in the ferry-boat, gave orders that as it passed his vessel the band should strike up

' God save the Queen,' while at the same time the British flag was unfurled from the mizen mast, and a wreath of holly and ever- greens run up. At their lonely dinner on their arrival very little was said about Christmas, the only reference to it being that made by Dickens, who proposed the health of all the dear ones at home, and closed with his favourite .quotation from Tiny Tim " God bless us, every one."

At Brooklyn the only building available was Ward Beecher's chapel. As to the sale of tickets, it was suggested that Mr, Beecher's system of disposing of the pews should be adopted, viz., to fix the price of each pew at the rate of two dollars a ticket (as a reserved price), and to sell the pews in the best positions by auctibn at a premium. Dickens would not accede to- this, as it would give rise to grave charges that he was receiving more money for his tickets than the rate agreed on, so that it was decided to sell the pews entire at the rate of two dollars each seat. Both Dickens and Dolby describe the scene at the sale of the tickets as " amazing." There were crowds in the street all night, as at New York and Boston, and the cold being intense, they kept up a huge bonfire, sleeping around it in turn on their mattresses, and enjoying their suppers, each man having a little bag of bread and meat, two blankets, and a bottle of whisky. Just about daybreak, how- ever, a body of police appeared, the idea having suddenly occurred to them that in a narrow street, composed of wooden houses, a bonfire was a source of considerable danger to that part of the city. Accordingly they made a raid on the bonfire, and a terrific combat ensued ; the New Yorkers got the worst of the fight, and the Brooklyn* men got the best of the tickets.

The weather remained intensely cold, and' there was so much floating ice in the river that Dickens had to leave a pretty wide margin of time for getting over the ferry. Mr. Beecher being present in his pew r Dickens sent to invite him to come round, and " found him to be an unostentatious, evidently able, straight-forward, and agree- able man ; extremely well-informed, and with a good knowledge of art."

Dickens had now completed rather more than a quarter of the number of readings he intended to give in America, and on the 15th of January, 1868, he remitted to Coutts's 10,OOOZ. in English gold, retaining over l.OOOZ. to go on with.

JOHN COLLINS FRANCIS. (To be continued.)