“My dear Patmore,—Though I
am as willing as most to think no news good news, yet to know nothing for a
month of an
| R. PLUMER WARD. | 189 |
“For ourselves, illness seems to have taken up her permanent abode in our once happy home—happy no longer. The poor sufferer is entirely given up by the regular physicians, so as a forlorn hope we have admitted an illegitimate one, who came all the way from Plymouth to try inhaling. The process is only just begun, and a few days, I am told, will decide—not a cure—but the possibility of it—in itself more comfort than we have hitherto been allowed.
“In regard to myself, there never was a more complete
overthrow to all the happiness of my life—all old habits broken up, and, what
is worse, replaced by none; so that I should be a prey to the lassitude I feel,
and which is such as I never knew, if even I had no grief to feed by brooding
on it.
| 190 | R. PLUMER WARD. |
“Meantime, I cannot read anything but (I must not say) trash, though all I attempt are a few Novels, which by me ought not to be so vilified. And yet there are few I can get through. The authors, however, may say the same of mine, and I, at least, give them fair play.
“By the way, how is it that your certainly very clever friend, Mrs. Gore, cannot do more for me than skim along the surface? I never knew so much real talent in seizing the outside of characters, and drawing magic lantern pictures, so entirely fail in creating permanent interest. I have sent home ‘Mrs. Armytage’ a second time, without getting quite half through, and yet how clever the individual portraits!
“So I may say of Galt, Gleig, cum multis aliis.
“Not so ‘Charles Chesterfield;’* at least there the portraits are themselves so over
* By Mrs. Trollope. |
| R. PLUMER WARD. | 191 |
“By the way, who was published first, ‘De Clifford’ or ‘Chesterfield’? For Marchmont, and Paragraph, and Sourkrout, as far as the story goes, are so alike, as well, indeed, as the general account of reviewing, that, unless one copied the other, the coincidence is astonishing. I particularly mean Marchmont’s use of phrases, ready cut and dried, for books he had not read. But Marchmont is, at all events, inimitable, and true, I am sure, though I bother my brains in vain to know the original. You, who have so much more knowledge, pray tell me. I am really anxious about it.
“I suppose ‘De Clifford’ has seen its zenith, and is on the wane; yet I continue to receive letters from strangers, as well as friends, about it; and —— tells me the Duchess of —— told her it was ‘making quite a sensation on the Continent, where everybody was reading and liking it.’
“There’s for you! Ought I not to have the
Guelph? I think I shall ask for it! God help me for a blockhead, with all my
| 192 | R. PLUMER WARD. |
