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drama, as portrayed first by Mr. Dickens and then by Mr. Robson, were enabled to judge of the wonderful superiority of the rendering given by the former. And not merely as an actor, but as a stage director, were his talents pre-eminent; not merely did he play his own part to perfection, but he taught every one else in his little company how to play theirs; he would devise scenery with Stanfield and Telbin, take a practical share in the stage carpentry, write out the copy for the playbill, and in every way thoroughly earn the title of 'Mr. Crummles,' with which he was always affectionately greeted on these occasions."

At the time of which we are writing, Dickens was full of enthusiasm for the stage, and being appealed to by Jerrold for an opinion on his drama of "Time Works Wonders," he wrote to his friend"I am greatly struck by the whole idea of the piece. The elopement in the beginning, and the consequences that flow from it, and their delicate and masterly exposition, are of the freshest, truest, and most vigorous kind; especially the charactersespecially the governess, among the best I know; and the wit and the wisdom of it are never asunder. I could almost find it in my heart to sit down and write you a long letter on the subject of this play, but I won't. I will only thank you for it heartily, and add that I agree with you in thinking it incomparably the best of your dramatic writings."

During the summer and autumn of this year Mr. Dickens finished his new Christmas book, "The

Cricket on the Hearth (a Fairy Tale of Home); printed and published for the Author" by Messrs. Bradbury and Evans, illustrated by Leech, Stanfield, and Maclise, and dedicated to Lord Jeffrey. Next to the "Christmas Carol" and the "Chimes," this is a great favourite.

The quaint way in which it opens, giving an eloquent picture of homely and domestic comfort in the English carrier's house, the construction of the plot, and the glorious dénouement, make the book one of his best and heartiest efforts. Tilly Slowboy, the great clumsy nurse-girl, is very charmingly pourtrayed, her especial forte being to hold the baby topsy-turvey, and entertain it with dialogues, consisting mainly of scraps from conversations she hears, with all the nouns turned into plurals.

The Lyceum was first in the field (21st December) with a dramatic adaptation by Mr. Albert Smith, Miss Mary Keeley impersonating Bertha ; Mr. Keeley, Caleb; Mrs. Keeley, Mrs. Peerybingle; and Mr. Emery, John, the honest carrier. Under Mrs. Keeley's management it proved an extraordinary success.

On 6th January following, Mr. Webster's version of the story was placed on the Haymarket boards, with this strong cast:

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At the Adelphi, O'Smith represented Mr. Peerybingle; Wright, Tilly Slowboy; and the celebrated Mrs. Fitzwilliam, Dot. At the City of London Theatre, too, an adaptation was performed with considerable ability. In the beginning of 1862, Mr. Boucicault's adaptation, under the title of "Dot," played at the Adelphi, proved a great triumph, Mr. J. L. Toole sustaining the part of Caleb.

CHAPTER XIV.

DICKENS AS A JOURNALIST.

E have previously alluded to the fact that Mr. Dickens had for some time past been thinking of connecting himself with a new daily paper which was to appear early in the new year. The idea was well taken up. Money was freely spent by the various shareholders, and many advertisements told the public that a newspaper, which should supply everything in the first style of newspaper talent, would be published at the price of twopence-halfpenny. The name chosen was the Daily News, and Mr. Dickens was widely advertised as "the head of the literary department." Expectation was raised to a high pitch by this announcement; and in 1846, on the 21st of January, the first number appeared. The new journal, however, did not prove so successful as was expected. The staffs of other papers had been long organized, their expenses-of course immense--were well and judiciously controlled, and the arrangements complete. All these things were new to the Daily News, and the expenses entered into did not render it possible, with the circulation it had then reached, to sell the

paper at the original price; and it was shortly after raised to threepence, and finally to the same price as the Times.

Very recently, and only a few days after the death of the great novelist, the paper here alluded to gave this account of his connection with the journal :

"Some of our readers may not be aware that the 'Pictures from Italy,' which are now included in all editions of Charles Dickens's works, were originally contributed to this newspaper, and that its early numbers were brought out under his editorship. In the first number of this journal, in the Daily News of January 21, 1846, appeared No. 1 of 'Travelling Letters, written on the Road, by Charles Dickens.' In the Daily News of February 14th, of the same year, Mr. Dickens wrote the following verses—which will be new to many-elicited by a speech at one of the night meetings of the wives of agricultural labourers in Wiltshire, held to petition for freetrade:

THE HYMN OF THE WILTSHIRE LABOURERS.

"Don't you all think that we have a great need to cry to our God to put it in the hearts of our greaseous Queen and her members of Parlerment to grant us free bread!"-Lucy Simpkins, at Brem Hill.

Oh God, who by Thy Prophet's hand

Didst smite the rocky brake,
Whence water came at Thy command,
Thy people's thirst to slake:

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