The Novels of Ge or ge M e r e dit h : A S t u d y

E L M E R JA M E S B A IL E Y

NEW Y ORK CHARLE S SC RIB NER ’ S SONS

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r O ur s poke n i n pr ote s t e m ai ns . ” A young ge n er ation r e gps .

M E RE DITH : The E m pty P ur s e .

C O N T E N T S

I

INTRO D UCTIO N m e g Com pen sa tion in Liter a r y R enown Th e Pr oba ble ’ P e r m a n e n ce of Me r e dith s Fa m e — Th e P er iods of H is Ca r eer II TH E APPRE NTICE ’ Mer edith s E a r ly Life Liter a r y Con ditions in Ni ne “ te enth Ce ntur y E ngla n d befor e 1 860— Th e P oem s “ of 1 85 1 The Sha vi ng of Sh a gpa t Fa r ina III

TH E JO UR NE YMAN Ass im ila te d Influen ce s Th e O r d e a 1 of R i cha r d “ “ Fe ver el E v a n H a r r i n g t o n — S a n dr a B ellon i Vittor ia Rhoda Flem ing IV TH E MASTE R -WO RKMAN “ The P er iod of Fr ee In venti on The Adventur es of ” “ ’ ” H a r r y Richm on d B e a u cham p s Ca r e er “ “ ” “ Shor t Stor ie s The Egoist The Tr a gi c Com e di a ns V

TH E MASTE R -WO RKMAN “ Th e Per i od of Con ce ntr a te d Inte r e st Dia n a of th e “ “ Cr osswa y s O ne of O ur Conq uer or s Lor d ” “ O r m ont a n d H is Am inta — Th e Am a zing Ma r ” r ia ge — Th e Mer edith School VI ’ L st of th e a r a cter s in Mer e t s No e s W t a n A i Ch di h v l , i h Enum er a tion of th e Cha pter s in Whi ch they a ppea r

T H E N O V E L S O F G E O R G E M E R E D I T H : A S T U D Y

INTRODUCTION

CO M P ENS ATIO N IN LITERAR Y R ENO WN— T H E PRO B ’ ABLE P ERMANENCE O F MERED ITH S FAME— TH E P I D I A ER O S O F H S C R EER .

TH E fame which comes to an author is no less a result of the action of moral la w than is the glory w of a general , the reno n of a statesman , or the beati fica tion O f - a martyr . Long ago the clear eyed Greeks perceived that although Fortune dealt out her O f gifts with sovereign disregard merit or desert , she was sooner or later followed by Nemesis , the god dess of due proportion , who ruthlessly shattered such prosperity a s seemed even moderately beyond v the mean . In the long run , the alternating mo e ment set up by repeated visitations of the two deities , satisfied the mind of Justice ; and the balance in her steady hand fell to rest . As forces , however,

Fortune , Nemesis , and Justice did not become power less with the passing O i Athens and Rome . On the contrary , still existing, they were renamed by later 2 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH generations ; and the law O f their harmonious inter play was restated for the benefit of those who had ears to hear . Because of this evolution of expres we sion , therefore , no longer talk with the Greek f philosophers of Nemesis, but we find no di ficulty whatever in speaking with Emerson and Browning of Compensation .

Nor is this law or principle , in so far as it has to

f . do with literary fame , di ficult of statement Baldly : a t expressed , it is this The duration of attention tracted is in dir ect ratio to the time consumed in

. In awakening adequate appreciation other words , if renown is the growth of a night , its continuance will be hardly more than for a day ; b ut if it is slow in coming to maturity , it is likely to be persistent , m and in some cases permanent . A man , for exa ple , writes a story which is immediately looked upon as the greatest novel of the year ; soon it is advertised as being in its tenth , its twelfth , or possibly its six n h tee t edition . For a time it heads the list of best ’ selling books ; then it runs the gauntlet of women s Clubs ; and finally it rushes comet- like on its par abolie course from our sight . On the other hand ,

- - should a serious minded , high purposed author pro duce a book which must needs be read with the mind as well as the eye , his readers , at first . are almost “ ” certain to be few, barely the remnant , perhaps .

Nevertheless , if the work is deserving , the audience ’ steadily widens ; and the author s writing gradually ’ ceases to be confused with his wife s , if she happens

- to be a blue stocking, or with the weaker pro d uctions of some m a n ' whos e pseudonymous name INTRODUCTION 3

m isleads those who read as they run . Such a writer , furthermore , is occasionally forced to pass through the purgatory of having a club formed for the purpose of studying his work . But even this agony enters as a factor into the problem of due compensation , for if an author withstands that test of his power , the ellipticity of his orbit is in all proba bility computable ; and although he may disappear from sight or even from memory for a time , he is likely , in none the less , to return at intervals with an ever creasing Splendor of renown . What Homer was to those who heard him recite his poems , no one now can ever know ; but critics were not wanting even among the Greeks , who proved beyond a shadow of doubt , that the blind poet of the

. seven cities was altogether lighter than, vanity Even s a tisfa c in recent time , it has been shown to the tion of not a few , that no such man as Homer ever lived ; yet the Iliad and the Odyssey remain , and by the many the iconoclastic critics are r e membered chiefly because they raised their un shamed hands against a master . Dante , indeed , had literary recognition in his life-time ; for as he moved O f through the streets Ravenna , not only did the nobility pay him a certain forced respect , but simple minded mothers gathered their children about them , -f and whispered in trembling awe that the stern aced , silent man had looked upon the suff erings of those who writhed in the torments of Hell . Yet when Fortune tardily sought out one of the greatest of the

- children of men , she found that , over weary with the Of ’ climbing others stairs , he could draw no comfort 4 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH from the high regard which she was then willing to wa . s bestow Shakespeare , too , no very great man in the sight of his friends at the Mermaid Tavern ; and the best reply which Dryden and Pope could give to ’ “ Sh a ks e a r Milton s inquiry , What needs my p for his honoured bones ? ” was to emasculate the most virile n work which the literary world has know . There is little question about these great men now, how ever , for Fame has crowned their work ; and in She compensation for her delay , has made the wreath immortal . In the narrower field O f English fiction the work O f ing the law is no less evident and sure . We are in the habit of assuming that Scott, and Thackeray ,

and Dickens , and possibly George Eliot, are our greatest novelists ; and conseq uentlyf ew of us stop

to realize , even if we know, that G . P . R . James , and m u h Lever, and Bulwer were , at one time , very c

more eagerly read , and their enduring fame much

more earnestly prophesied . It cannot , of course , be held with truth that our greater novelists received ’ no recognition in their day . Indeed , Scott s con temporary popularity and present renown would

seem to be an exception to the rule , if it could be proved that more than a very small number of those who now feel compelled to buy his books and to

speak glibly of his characters , ever sit down even to

cut the leaves of their purchase . Thackeray and

Dickens , it should be admitted , both expressed their satisfaction in the recogn ition with which their books were met : but neither of them at any time r e ceived a modicum of that extravagant praise , or a INTRODUCTION 5

tithe of that large return in money , which is the present lot of nearly every man who discovers the cheapness of paper and ink , and thinks it his duty r e to bring them together . But this evenness of nown in the case of Thackeray and of Dickens does not confute the principle of compensation as laid l a w down . It rather shows the action of the when recognition has been neither too long delayed , nor too excessive ; for the appreciation which Thackeray and Dickens and George Eliot received from their contemporary readers was no greater than was due ; and , therefore, creating no disturbance in the bal ance of justice , it has ever since continued with only that occasional fluctuation of interest, which is the systole and diastole of living , pulsating renown . O f With the thought compensation in mind , n therefore , one feels assurance in predicti g the per O f manent fame of George Meredith , the last those great creative artists whose novels bear nearly the same relation to the reign of Victoria as the dramas of the sixteenth century bear to that of Elizabeth . Beginning to strive for the ear of the public as early 1 849 as , the year in which Dickens was bringing out “ ” CO er field David pp , and Thackeray was writing

Pendennis , Meredith during the next half century placed before the public a dozen novels , several few volumes of poetry , a short stories , and occa i l s on a lly an essay or a review . In no possib e sense f O . the word , however, did he become popular Edi of tors certain magazines , it is true , had the courage ’ to print some O f Meredith s work in their pages ; but such publication seems not to have awakened any 6 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

e distinct appreciation of the contributor , nor to hav O f increased the length the subscription lists ; indeed , it is said that, now and then , it shortened them . The first editions of the novels and of the poems supplied the public for years ; there was no marked demand for them at circ ulating libraries ; and until recently a uniform issue of Meredith ’ s works was the last thing which a publisher would have considered with the f expectation O adequate financial return .

Meredith , however , did not cease to keep the road

which he had chosen for himself . Publishers and

editors found that there was no use in tempting,

friends that there was as little in advising, until , l finally , near y all of even those who wished him well began to Shake their heads and mourn over the ih evitable shipwreck which they prophesied must be

the lot of perverse genius . This stubborn following of his own bent by Meredith may have been the chief cause of the general indifference with which he was n regarded ; but nevertheless , little as he was k own ,

he was not without an audience, and this audience

endeavored , almost vicariously , it might be said , to

proselytize readers . Yet, laudatory advertisements, -w ff enthusiastic review riting, and a ected admiration

accomplished next to nothing . Despite the appar f ent indi ference , however , George Meredith and his

works would not down . Many who reviled him

openly read him privately , while others, who found un d er s r r d themselves unable to p him at all , looked T ’ T’ superior and knowing when his work was men i t oned . Meredith was happy , certainly , in escaping the lot of Browning who was called upon to endure INTRODUCTION 7

n the formation of societies amed in his honor , but doing him the dishonor of explain ing the obvious

and muddling the clear . Still , small groups here and there did talk about the novelist to good pur

pose , and three or four presumably serious studies of

. wer e om e his work also appeared These , it is true , s what thin in character ; but they served to force the conclusion that there must be something worth while h wa s in George Meredit , since , like Christianity , he

able to end ure in spite of defenders . Such was the condition of things toward the close - a of the nineteenth century , when a wide spread p

preciation of Meredith was seen to be in existence . Those who admired him were surprised to learn that he had long been the favorite writer of their next

door neighbors . Buyers of books ceased to think “ ” that The Ordeal O f Richard Peverel was a ballad bound up in complete editions of Owen Meredith ’ s poems ; and although some of them never got be yond that knowledge , others , who were readers as

well as buyers , began to feel that George Meredith a d m ir possessed the qualities which abide . To his ers this long delay in the general recognition of his

genius has been a source of regret ; but , on the whole ,

perhaps it is best . The tardy appreciation of Mere

dith means , if the law of compensation holds , that his

present repute must persist . There has been no

- rocket like flight, accompanied with pyrotechnic n now whizzings ; but there has bee , it is evident, a

steady forward movement , which has resulted in the capture and possibly the permanent occupation of

one of the higher citadels of renown . In other 8 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

O f words , the probable compensation George Mere ’ d ith s long wait for adequate recognition is endur ing fame . Meredith ’ s insistence upon ordering his methods and plans to suit himself has often been the subject O f comment on the part of the critic ; but while such insistence must be admitted , it should not be con s tr ue d into meaning that his work , as a whole, is not subject to diff erentiation . The close reader soon discovers a larger unity in the consistent purpose and the well- ordered system of philosophy which runs ’ w throughout Meredith s ork . He furthermore per c eives , if he makes a study of the novels , that they readily fall into four groups , each of which was pro d uc ed in a period of about ten years . The seeming a r tificia lity of such a division becomes still more strik ing when it is added that to each of these groups , except the first , just four works belong . But , how ever arbitrary a classification based upon time and number may appear, especially when it permits be such mathematical exactness of statement , it if v a n comes convincing, , upon being obser ed from other point of view , it is still found to be accurate and adequate . The decade beginning in 1 849 seems to have been for Meredith a period of experiment or preparation . Not quite sure of the kind of literature which he u sho ld cultivate , he began his career with the publi cation of a poem called Chillia n wa lla h in the ’ ha m ber s s Edinbur h Jour n a issue of C g l for July 7 . l Two years later a vo ume of poems appeared , and “ 1 856 1 85 7 y then in and respectivel , The Shaving of INTRODUCTION 9

Sha gpa t and Farina . The composition of the poems , of the extravaganza, and of the medieval tale showed no fixity of purpose ; and these works may be said , without undue disparagement , to ex hibit a hesitancy which characterizes the apprentice rather than the experienced workman . The last years of this first period were no doubt “ ” Feve r el spent in writing The Ordeal of Richard , for its publication in 1 859 opened the second ’ decade of Meredith s literary activity . This book showed a decided advance in power ; and , viewed in O f the light his subsequent work , it marked an awak ening to a realization of the form of literature in which the writer could best express himself . The several novels beginning with “ The Ordeal of Rich ard Peverel ” and ending with “ The Amazing Mar ” riage , therefore , exhibit a homogeneity which does not exist in the works of the first period . They are , none the less , easily separated into three groups, each including four stories . The three decades , in each of which one of these groups was n published , may receive a desig ation determined by the vantage ground from which the novels are studied . Such possible points of view are of course many ; but the most important are those from which one may come to conclusions with regard either to Meredith ’ s emancipation from the influence of other his writers , or to the development in philosophy of life . If the possibility O f such a classification be a d m itted 1 85 9 , the decade beginning in may be called O r the period of influenced production , since The 1 0 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

Fever el deal of Richard , published in that year, ” 1 861 “ ” Evan Harrington in , Emilia in England , “ wa s 1 864 as Sandra Belloni originally called , in , “ ” 1 865 “ ” Rhoda Fleming in , and Vittoria, which should be regarded not as a separate novel , but only ’ 1 867 — as the completion of Sandra s story , in , all show striking lines O f connection with the writings ’ of Meredith s predecessors and contemporaries .

Moreover, since these same novels make a system atic onslaught upon sham and conventionality , the time in which they were produced may be called f the period O attack upon sentimentalism .

The third decade , separated from the second by 1 87 1 “ two years of silence , began in with The

Adventures of Harry Richmond , and was still further marked by the publication of “ Beauchamp ’ s ” 1 876 ” 1 879 “ Career in , The Egoist in , and The ” 1 a l Tragic Comedians in 880. These novels Show ’ of most no traces any other writer s influence, and may therefore be regarded as belonging to a period of free invention ; but if emphasis is laid upon their philosophical content , since they present studies of ’ selfishness or, to use Emerson s term they may be looked upon as having been produced f during the period O attack upon egoism . “ After the publication of The Tragic Comedians , Meredith permitted a lustrum to pass before he en r d te e upon the final period of his activity as novelist .

Like the novels of the preceding decade , those of this 1 885 time, Diana of the Crossways , published in , “ ” 1 89 1 One of Our Conquerors in , Lord Ormont ” 1 894 “ and His Aminta in , and The Amazing Mar

1 2 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH it is permissible to borrow terms from the artisan rather than from the artist , as works produced during years of activity in which he showed himself suc ces sive l y an apprentice, a journeyman , and a master workman . In the first stage , he wrote those books already mentioned as belonging to a period of ex er im ent p and preparation ; in the second , he pub lish ed the works of the ten years designated as the period of influenced production or of attack upon d sentimentalism ; and in the thir , he spent the greater part of his time upon the novels of two sep a r a ted decades , of which the earlier may be char a cter iz ed as the period of free invention or of attack upon egoism ; and the later as the period of coneen tr a te d interest or of attack upon conventional ideas m r r of a iage . THE APPRENTICE

’ MERED ITH S EAR LY LIFE— LITERARY CO ND ITIO NS IN NI NETEENTH CENTURY ENGLAND BEFORE 1 860 “ ” “ TH E P OEMS O F 1 85 1 — TH E S H AVI NG O F S H AG ” “ ” PAT FARI NA .

’ TH E first decade of Meredith s literary career was

- the third of his life time . Born in Hampshire , 1 2 1 828 February , , he lost during his childhood his Welsh father and Irish mother, and thereupon becoming a ward in Chancery was sent to Germany ca for his edu tion . Critics are probably not far wrong when they say that the man in whom was thus mingled blood drawn from two branches of the

- - fancy loving, quick witted Celtic race , and whose training was recei ved among a people pos s s s s e d of searching analytic intelligence , showed by his spark ling wit and his almost mystical treatment of nature the influence of his ancestry on one hand , and by his penetrating insight into motives of conduct and his philosophical criticism of life the no less potent influence of his education on the other . But how ever interesting and valuable it may be to point out the possible connections of earlier conditions a nd sur roundings with later thought and methods , the fact I 3 1 4 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH that Meredith was placed at a school upon the con tinent O f would imply , in so far as the mere events

his life are concerned , that his parents had left the

boy provided with at least some little property . Such a conclusion , however, is hardly trustworthy , for we are often told that when Meredith in the first years of his manhood returned to England , he found himself compelled to enter immediately into a strug gle with poverty . In all probability allowance Should be made for exaggeration when one reads that the young man lived for several months upon oatmeal ; yet there is no reason to doubt that he labored for years with pecuniary difficulties which to many would have been wholly disheartening . Under conditions , then , which must have been far from easy , Mere

— dith , at the age of twenty one, turned his attention e to the study of law ; but his interest, never mor than lukewarm , soon cooled , and in a short time he abandoned all thought of the bar as a satisfactory profession .

Journalism , as a means of livelihood , perhaps , rather than as a calling, next claimed him , and proved sufficiently attractive to make him willing in later life to serve at intervals upon various newspapers n and magazines . But a greater i terest than either l a w or journalism was stirring within him . Indeed 1 849 as early as , the year in which he was articled ,

Meredith , roused by the heroism of the English O f Chillia n wa lla h soldiery in the bloody battle , made his first appearance as author with a poem com

memorative of the victory . The stanzas were not included in the definitive and so called complete THE APPRENTICE 1 5

’ edition O f Meredith s works published in 1 898; but whatever crudeness they may show , their author need not have been ashamed to reprint them .

CH ILLIANWALLAH

Chillia nwa lla h l Chillia nwa lla h l Wher e our br othe r s fought a nd ble d ! th na m e is na t r a m s Ohl y u l u ic, And a dir ge a bove the dea d ! o we a e n ot ee n e ea te Th ugh h v b d f d , ’ o we a n t b e o e r om e Th ugh c v c , ’ i ene er t o a r t r e ea te St ll , wh h u p d , in r ie er I would fa tha t g f w e dum b .

Chillia nwa lla h l Chi llia nwa lla h l

’ Tis a na m e s o s a d a nd s tr a n e g , Like a br ee ze thr ough m idnight ha r p-str ings Ringing m a ny a m our nful cha nge ; B ut the wildness a n d the s or r ow Ha ve a m ea n ing of their own Oh ! wher eof no gla d to-m or r ow Ca n r elieve the dis m a l tone !

Chi llia nwa lla h ! Chillia nwa lla hl

’ Tis a i a e a r a nd low v ll g d k , B the oo be m i er y bl dy J lu R v , Br idged by the for e boding foe ; And a cr oss the wintr y wa ter He is r ea to r etr ea t dy , When the ca r n a ge a n d the sla ughter a f r Sh ll ha ve pa id o his defea t.

Chillia nwa lla h ! Chillia nwa lla h !

’ Ti s a a n d r ea r a n wild d y pl i , r e n i t ots O f t c e s t n e St w w h pl hi k ju gl , r n lVIa tte d with the go y s ta i . 1 6 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

Ther e the m ur der - m outhe d a r tiller y In the ea a m s a e d dly bu c d , Wr ok the thun der of his tr ea cher y n the s e eton r i a e O k l b g d .

Chillia nwa lla h ! Chillia nwa lla h !

en the ni s et in it r a in Wh ght w h , Ca m e the s a va ge plun de r ing devils T o the ir wor k a m on g the sla in ; And the woun de d a n d the dying In cold blood did s ha r e the doom t e r om r a e s r o n t em in Of h i c d u d h ly g , h r Stiff in t e d ea d skyless gloom .

Chillia nwa lla h ! Chillia nwa lla h l

ou i be a o e c or Th w lt d l ful h d , And a m ystic note of m our n ing Tha t will n ee d n o chim in g wor d ; An d tha t he a r t will lea p with a n guis h Who m a y un de r s ta n d the be st ; But the hopes of a ll will la nguis h i th m e m or is r e T ll y y a t st.

Chillia n wa ll a h The publication of has , of course , a certain interest as the starting point in ’ Meredith s literary career . A mere date in itself , however , is usually of very little value in the life of an author . Far more important is the place which he holds relatively to other writers , especially if he makes his appearance at a time favorable to his bes t development . Such was the case with Meredith .

Even going back to the beginning , one learns that ’ ’ Meredith s birth preceded Ibsen s by but one month , ’ and Dante Gabriel Rossetti s by only three . The year of 1 828 also s a w the establishment of The Athenaeum The S ecta tor two and p , reviews which THE APPRENTICE 1 7 for many years disagreed whenever a work by Mere w dith appeared , since the first was nearly al ays s a w favorable , despite any restrictions which it fit to suggest ; while the second wa s seldom other than depreciatory , whatever merit it was grudgingly forced to allow . 1 828 u In , of the poets favorably known d ring the early part of the nineteenth century , Byron , Shelley , and Keats were dead ; and Moore , Coleridge , Southey , a l and Wordsworth had all done their best work ,

- though Southey was still Poet Laureate , and Words f 1 4 worth was to succeed to that O fice in 8 3 . Tenny son and Elizabeth Barrett were but just known , “ ” and Browning had not printed Pauline . Among the essayists and reviewers , Hazlitt and Lamb were D e uin ce near the end of their lives ; Hunt , Q y, and Landor were in mid- career ; Macaulay had contrib uted his first vigorous articles to The E di n bur gh Revi ew; Carlyle wa s at the close of his period of ex treme admiration for things German ; and Ruskin

. a ckn owl was a boy of ten Scott, of course, was the edged leading novelist ; but the roll of the Wa ver ly series was nearly complete . Thomas Love Pea ’ -in -l a w cock , who was to become Meredith s father , was very popular as the author of several satirical tales of English life , Susan Ferrier was between ” “ ” Inheritance and Destiny , and Maria Edgeworth “ “ ” n between O r m u d and Helen . Disraeli had “ ” just published Vivian Gray ; Bulwer , not yet

raised to the peerage , was in the period of his wild

and wicked heroes ; and G . P . R . James , foolishly “ encouraged by Scott , was at work upon Richelieu . 1 8 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

1 828 1 859 Between and , that is during the thirty years which lay between Meredith ’ s birth and the

appearance of his first novel , important changes

took place in literary England . Tennyson steadily forged ahead until he succeeded Wordsworth as “ - 1 850 Poet Laureate in , and by publishing In Me ” f u moriam in the same year, so e fect ally silenced the “ ” 1 847 sneers which The Princess had awakened in , that he was felt to have placed his fame upon no

doubtful foundation , a belief greatly strengthened by the appearance of the first four “ Idylls of the ” King in 1 858 . Browning was making his way

more slowly, but he completed the series called “ ” Bells and Pomegranates ; and somewhat later, ” flin s O f Men and Women , despite the cheap g

critics , gained him no mean following . His wife ,

however , was regarded by nearly everybody as the

greater poet of the two , though that very mild “ ” poem , Aurora Leigh , was looked upon as a rather

shocking piece of work for a lady . Arnold was se ver ely criticised again and again for his attempt to write English poetry in accordance with Greek ’ methods ; Rossetti s verses awaited their r es ur r e c tion from the grave of his wife ; and Swinburne was probably no more than beginning to think about those naughty “ Poems and Ballads ” which event a ll u y troubled the sentimental propriety of England . During the same period Peacock amused his “ ” readers with his satire O f Crotchet Castle ; and

Disraeli dabbled in various themes . Bulwer man aged to escape from his melodramatic heroes and

colorless virgins , and after trying to balance himself

20 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH and publishing their writings with marked regu l a r it y, had completed nearly all their important novels when “ The Ordeal of Richard Peverel ” appeared in 1 859 . m A ong prose writers other than novelists , Carlyle O f and Ruskin were preaching the nobility labor , and fulminating against cant and sham ; while Macaulay continued to write his brilliant essays and began his no less brilliant history . The Tractarian move ment ran its course with its remarkable display O f

fine rhetoric , enthusiastic zeal , and deep religious feeling . The opposing leaders , Pusey and New man , both equally sincere , shook the English Church to its foundations ; while Gladstone , though not in the a r ehen midst of the conflict , hovered with much pp sion upon the outskirts of the battlefield . George Eliot hardly helped to simplify matters by tr a n sl a t ing German inquiries into the authenticity O f Chris tia nity ; and the works of Darwin and of Spencer in natural science and in philosophy not only added to the confusion , but forced thinking men to give up m a nv long accepted doctrines , and to reformulate sacred beliefs . Such then were the literary conditions in England while Meredith was getting his schooling upon the continent, and was later serving his apprenticeship at home . In wealth of genius these years have often been compared with justice to the Elizabethan

Age . Poetry flourished as freely in one period as in the other ; the novel in the later took the place of the drama in the earlier ; and discoveries in science were hardly less important in opening new vistas THE APPRENTICE 2 1 to men ’ s imagination than were the explorations of

Raleigh and Drake . In other words , the later ’ n ot period , like the former, did so much try men s souls , as it permitted their full development . Under such conditions , therefore , an intellect like Mere ’ dith s must beyond a doubt have found sustenance on every side and incentives at every turn . But however much it may be evident in after years ’ that a writer s work has been influenced by his a n cestr y, his education , his early struggles with poverty , and the literary conditions which have surrounded his first sallies into the fields of authorship , it is not always found that in the beginning he exhibited a knowledge of the form in which he could best ex

. a t press himself Such all events , is the case with “ hi i ” Meredith . His first poem of C ll a nwa lla h was perhaps but an accidental utterance of patriotic a d m ir a tion for those who snatched victory out of de ’ feat while fighting for their country s honor . Be that as it may , the young law student spent the next two years in preparing a small volume of verse to which he gave no more ambitious title than “ ” Poems by George Meredith . Five years later , 1 856 in , he published in prose , an Arabian story ” called The Shaving of Sh a gpa t ; and this was re ceive d with sufficient favor to encourage his further testing the temper of the public in the following “ year with a German tale named Farina, A Legend of Cologne . These two stories , wholly dissimilar in diction , character drawing , and plot , force the reader to feel that Meredith was at the stage O f ex er im ent p , rather than at that of conscious power . 22 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH Certainly all this earlier work betrayed a lack of

finality , thus standing in direct contrast to the con “ vin cing firmness of tone which characterized The ”

P v . Ordeal of Richard e erel With this book, pub ’ lished 1 85 9 in , Meredith s period of apprenticeship came to a n end ; his ten years of experiment had taught him that his work must be done in the field

- of novel writing . The classification of the earlier w ritings of Meredith as experimental , however, does not permit their immediate dismissal from our a t tention . At the time of their publication , it is true , he had not determined his style, nor formulated his philosophy ; but he was writing under influences which remained powerful with him for several years ; he was trying methods of expression , not a few of which became characteristic of his style ; and he was giving voice to ideas which in their later develop ment caused many to regard him as almost an oracle . The Poems of 1 85 1 made no very distinct im pression upon the public , though William Michael The Cr i ti c Rossetti praised the book in , and Charles ’ Kingsley reviewed it appreciatively in F r a s er s M a g

a z i n e . The critics in general , however , seemed to feel that they were tempering justice with mercy when they dealt Meredith the rather dubious and disheartening compliment O f saying that the poems showed promise . As a matter of fact , they really deserved greater commendation . Crudities appeared on almost every page , it is true , but there was none flow the less a spontaneous , limpid in many of the stanzas , which may be favorably compared with the THE APPRENTICE 23

’ smoothness of Tennyson s first volume ; and further d more , there also appeare abundant evidences of a vigor of thought and a boldness of diction which more than offset an occasionally Obvious strain after originality . Without any endeavor to be nice in making selections , one may turn immediately to the simple stanzas which open the poem called The ” Sleeping City .

r in ess in the ea s er n a e A p c t t l , ’ a e t r o a m a r e it a e P c d h bl c y p l , And sa w on a st s a e s of stone gh ly h p , The sculptur e d life she br ea the d a lone ;

’ Sa w er e er her e e m t r a n e , wh y igh g , Her self the only child of cha n ge ; An d hea r d her echoe d footfa ll chim e B etween Oblivion a nd Tim e ;

An d in the s a r es er e o nta ins a e qu wh f u pl y d , And the s r a a s tr a e up pi l b lu d , Along the dr owsy cor ri dor s en to the n m ost s ee in oor s Ev i l p g fl ,

r e e in on e r c e it r ea Su v y d w d hill d w h d d , The seem n n es s of e a t n ot a i g D h , de d ; ’ Life s sem bla nce b ut without its s tor m ” n r And sile ce fr osting ever y fo m .

Here certainly is an atmosphere reminding the reader of the success with which Tennyson drew the loneliness of Mariana in the moated grange , or with which Shelley pictured the lovely lady of “ The u Sensitive Plant . But if one is in q est of the quality “ of atmosphere , one finds it beyond a doubt In Will 24 THE NOVELS OF GEOR GE MEREDITH

’ o the Wisp, where the lightsome eeriness of lilt and rhythm seems to echo the mocking laughter of the crazy hobgoblin flying over the oozy marshes of the woods .

o o m e o o m e F ll w , f ll w , er r a e a nd n er r ee Ov b k u d t , ’ r o the os ta n ler Th b ky g y, B r ushwood a nd br a m ble ! o o m e o o m e F ll w , f ll w , La ugh a n d le a p a nd scr a m ble ! o o o o F ll w, f ll w , i a n d o o H ll h ll w, osse a n d r r o F bu w, Fen a n d r r o fu w, o n into the r s e s D w bul u h b d , ’ s t the r ee s a nd osie r ea s Mid d h d , In the r s soa in a m s u hy k g d p , er e the a o r s itc t eir a m s Wh v p u p h h c p , o o m e o o m e F ll w , f ll w , For a m idn ight r a m ble ! 0! a t a m i t f o wh gh y g, Wha t a m er r y n ight O ho ! o o o o n er n er F ll w, f ll w, igh , igh er a n a n d on a n d r ia r Ov b k , p d , b , o n into the r oa in it e s D w c k g d ch , ot en lo R t g, otte r o Sp d f g , B eetle br ight it r a in i W h c wl g l ght, Wha t a joy O ho ! Deep into the pur ple bog Wha t a joy 0 ho !

o n we o o n we o D w g , d w g , Wha t a joy 0 ho ! oon s a be o n e ow S h ll I d w b l , n in it a r a f a t r a r Plu g g w h g y f i , THE APPRENTICE 25

i er it er to a nd f r o H th , th h , , Br ea i n m ists a nd is in a m s th g wh k g l p , Fla shi ng in the s hiny swam ps ; i e m o s n a nter n a Wh l y c u i L J ck , it co e a r s a nd nn in e es W h ck cu g y , r n s him r oun on his a c Tu d up b k , a s him oo r een a nd a c D ub zy g bl k , its on his r o in s e S up ll g iz , er e he ie s er e he i es Wh l , wh l , Gr oa ning full of s a ck Sta r ing with his gr ea t r oun d eyes ! Wha t a joy 0 ho ! Sits upon him in the s wa m ps B r ea thing m is ts a nd whisking la m ps ! Wha t a joy 0 ho! a la d is a n er n a Such L t J ck, When he r ide s the bla ck nightm a r e Thr ough the fens a nd puts a gla r e ’ r r Iu the fr i a s t a ck . u a r o i la d oo a ! S ch f l c , g d l ck To r n a r ia r on his a tu f b ck , r i him i him i him ni him T p , cl p , wh p , p , La y hi m s pr a wling s m a ck ! Such a la d is La nter n Ja ck ! a r i s la d oo a c ! Such t ck y , g d l k Wha t a joy 0 ho ! o o m e o o m e F ll w , f ll w , ” er e he s ts a nd ou s a s ee ! Wh i , y h ll These lines recall the goblin passage in Milton ’ s

and suggest , though more remotely , the ’ meeting of Sh a kspe a r e s weird sisters in the cauldron “ ”

O f . scene Macbeth Their best analogy is found , however , not in literature , but in the kindred art of “ ” music , where the Humoresken of Grieg and the “ Marche Grotesque ” of Arensky express the same O f odd effervescence spirit . 26 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

Of an entirely different nature were nine quatrains of each dealing with the work of one _ the greater writers who preserved the true traditions of English

. y poetry from Chaucer to Keats Unrh med , and to thev a certain extent careless of the laws of metre , Show a strength of thought and a fullness of tone somewhat suggestive of Whitman .

TH E P O E TRY O F MILTO N

Like to som e deep -ches te d or ga n whose gr a n d i nspir a tion er e ne m a es t in tter a n e o t a nd c a m S ly j ic u c , l f y l , nte r r ets to m or ta s it m e o r e a t a s i ts r t en I p l w h l dy g bu h , The m ystica l ha r m on i es chim ing for ever thr oughout the r br ight sphe es .

TH E P O E TRY O F WO RDSWO RTH

r e a t of the m o nta ns r es or n in the r e ions m a es t A b h u i , f h b g j ic, - r n n h Tha t look with the ir eye da i g s um m its dee p i to t e sky. The o e of r ea a t r e s m e it h er o t on e t ons v ic g t N u ; ubli w h l f y c c p i , e ea r nest a n d s im e a n s e e i of the r een o Y t pl a s y w tch ld g l wly va le . Submitted recently to an enthusiastic admirer of

Wordsworth in America , these lines called forth strong approval ; but that Meredith at the age of — f twenty one showed su ficient insight to write them , n ca not be looked upon as a mere accident . A large number of these early poems have to do with nature themes ; and that not a f e w of them might have emanated from Dove Cottage is well instanced , for “ an example, by the concluding verses of The South ” in west Wind the Woodland .

The voi ce of Na tur e is a br oa d Thi s night; s he fills the a ir with ba lm ; ’ H er m ys ter y is o e r the la n d ; And who tha t hea r s her now a n d yi elds

28 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

AUTUMN

When n uts behin d the ha ze l-lea f Ar e r o n a s the s ir r e t a a nts t em r ee b w qu l h t h u h f , And the e s a r e r t the s un- r n t s e a fi ld ich wi h bu h f , ’ M id the blue cor n-flower a nd the yellowi ng tr ee ; And the fa r m e r glows a nd bea m s in his glee ;

Oh then is the s ea son to wed thee a br ide ! E r e the ga m er s a r e fille d a nd the a le-cups foa m ; For a s m iling hos tes s is the pr ide n o er of e er a r e t A d fl w v y h v s hom e .

Despite the weakness of the ending of each of the Sh a ke s e r e a n poems just quoted , the verse, if not p , is at least Elizabethan in simplicity and sincerity . Now it happened that both these terms were watch Sh a kes er ea n words , though hardly in a p sense , with — the the pre Raphaelite Brotherhood , who , about n middle of the nineteenth ce tury , were astonishing both the English nation and themselves with their a new ideas in art and literature . Just what the c quaintance between George Meredith and Dante Gabriel Rossetti may have been when both in 1 85 1

- reached the age of twenty three , is not very well known ; yet a connection between Rossetti and other writers has been asserted on much more dubious ground than need be assumed for the relation be

— tween the chief pre Raphaelite poet and Meredith . f The Brotherhood , in their commendable e fort after sincerity , made the unfortunate double mistake of i nor most reformers , that of going too far, and that of g ing the corrective influence of common sense . Mer edith unfortunately exhibited both the pr esumabl e THE APPRENTICE 29

merit and the actual fault , when in urging his lady : to a ramble over the fields , he wrote the lines

o a r t no nun e e a n d o e oom e to n o r s a Th u , v il d v w d ; d d u i h wither i ng pa llor ! City e xotics bes ide the e would S how like blea che d line n a t m idda y Hung upon he dges of egla ntin e !

Such a quotation , of course , cannot by itself prove that Meredith wr ote under the influence of Rossetti ; “ ” but the eighth stanza of Love in the Valley , as it “ 1 85 1 appeared in the Poems of , is pretty convine ing . It is Rossetti through and through , not indeed “ ” O f the Rossetti The Blessed Damozel , but rather the poet of The Ballads” and the painter of

The Ann unciation .

en a t a n s he a en s a nd her a e a e s Wh d w w k , f c g z ’ O ut on the e a t er t r o the n o a nes w h h wi d w p , Bea uteous s he looks ! like a white wa te r -lily r n out O f on the r i r i r - in s Bu sti g bud pple d ve pla . When fr om her b ed s he r ise s clothe d fr om n eck to a nkle In her long n ightgown swe et a s boughs of M a y Bea uteous s he looks ! Like a ta ll ga r den lily r Pur e fr om the night a nd per fect fo the d a y.

It is easy to say that the lines just escape being ridiculous ; but for the matter of that the pre—Ra pha elites spent most of the earlier days of their movement in trying to make such escape both in their poems and in their paintings . On the other n ha d , there are some people who think the stanza beautiful , a pretty conclusive proof that there is no profit in disputes concerning taste . Nevertheless , it 3 0 THE NOVELS O F GEORGE MEREDITH would be unfair to leave the impression that the best poem in the volume is not better than its weak est part . Tennyson and Rossetti looked upon the lyric with favor ; and Meredith himself cared suffi cientl 1 878 y for it to subject it to careful revision in , ’ when it appeared in M a cm illa n s M a ga z i n e for “ O f October, and to include it in Poems and Lyrics ” 1 the Joy of Earth published in 883 . Even before its revision , it contained among others such well nigh perfect stanzas as these

a s a s ir r e a n d a a r a s a s a o Shy qu l , w yw d w ll w ; Swift a s the swa llow when a thwa r t the we ster n flood r et n the s r a e he m e ets his m ir r or e in e s Ci cl i g u f c d w gl t , I r ne n her m a i en s tha t clea o i d bud . Shy a s the s quir r e l whose nest is in the pin e-tops ; Gentle— a h ! tha t s he wer e j ea lous a s the dove ! of a ll the ness of the oo a n cr ea r es Full wild w dl d tu , Ha ppy in her s e lf is the m a iden tha t I love !

a a tim e en the r a s ta r t in es H ppy, h ppy , wh g y w kl Over the fields a ll fr es h with bloom y d ew; en the o - e e a n r o s r the i i Wh c ld ch ck d d w g w uddy up tw l ght, And the o un a s n n s e a d e s her i the l e . g ld w k , w d b u en en m a r n te m ts the e a r r ee e s Th wh y d li g p ly b z , She the only sta r tha t di e s not with the da r k ! Powe r les s to s pe a k a ll the a r dor O f m y pa s s ion ca t her itt e a n a n r I ch l l h d s we lis te to the la k .

Here indeed is the lyric cry ; and its sweetness is all ’ Meredith s own . The fact that on the whole these early poems show the influence of Wordsworth , Shakespeare , and Rossetti may not at first thought seem to ’ have much bearing upon Meredith s prose work . THE APPRENTICE 3 1 But as Nature is often a determining force in the novels , as Meredith professedly uses dramatic meth ods in presenting his characters , and as truth in self expression is one of his principal teachings , it is not without interest to know that in his very earliest work he Shows the influence , however slight - O f and remote , of our chief nature poet , our fore nu most dramatist , and of a young enthusiast not justly called by his contemporaries , the apostle of sincerity . Meredith ’ s practice in poetic diction undoubtedly played an important part in forming the style of his first prose work ; but the influence which appears to have been felt most strongly in the writing of “ The ” Sha a t Shaving of gp was foreign , rather than na tive . There are , it is true, striking resemblances between Meredith ’ s eastern tale and Beckford ’ s ” V a thek but the similarity is due to their common origin in “ The Arabian Nights rather than to any study which Meredith might have made of Beck ’ ford s romance . No doubt Meredith knew the elder ’ writer s book , for its popularity hardly waned from the time O f its publication in 1 7 86 until well on towards the middle of the nineteenth century ; and its influence , moreover , was as Openly admitted by writers , as it was freely discussed by readers . Byron , for instance , did not hesitate to say that he owed “ ” certain parts of Lara , of The Corsair and even ” of Childe Harold to Beckford ; and if Moore and Southey flattered themselves with being more dis cr eet , they did not succeed in misleading anybody a by their silence . Under these circumst nces , it 3 2 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH may be concluded that probably Beckford ’ s stories suggested possibilities to Meredith . However that may be , it still remains true that The Shaving of ” “ Sh a gpa t is more nearly like The Arabian ” “ N V a thek ights than like , and that it is also much better sustained throughout than is Beckford ’ s work . In execution , like its eastern predecessor, Meredith ’ s extravaganza Shuts up one story inside another, much as do those magic boxes sometimes brought from the Orient ; while its exuberance of detail , its brilliancy of color , and its quickness of movement present the alternating chaos and order of the kaleidoscope . Successful , however, as the book is on the whole , it must be admitted that there is dis ce r nible a r tificia lit here and there an y, a suggestion of the author playing the showman , which prevents ’ “ ” the reader s mistaking The Shaving of Sha gpa t

- - for the thousand and second tale of Scheherazade . The character of Meredith ’ s Arabian entertain ment, as he called it , permitted or perhaps even de m a n d e d the use of an ornate and florid style ; yet the luxuriant profusion of figures , indicative of an unusually fertile imagination , the gorgeous display of sparkling diction due to a glowing appreciation of color and form , and the smooth flowing cadences traceable only to accuracy in the author ’ s understand w ing of tone , were so ell managed as to save Mere dith from falling into the production of that mongrel “ ” - kind of shilly shally writing called poetic prose .

The frequent use of metaphor and simile in the book , no doubt , had something to do with awakening in Meredith that predilection for figurative language THE APPRENTICE 3 3 which Often laid his later books open to the charge “ Sha a t of Obscurity ; but in The Shaving of gp , at v least , the motive for each figure is ob ious ; and when to one is introduced , it is sufficiently developed pre ’ vent any misconception of the author s meaning . In in the later works , on the contrary , Meredith often volves one trope in another , until the reader in his confusion drops the thread which is his only means of escape from the beautiful but tangled maze . Hardly less frequent than the figures of speech which wind through these stories are the flashes of di rect and ironic wit which illuminate nearly every page . The book is bright with sharp epigrams and strong aphorisms which pale only beside the scintillating “ ’ ” “ brilliancy of The Pilgrim s Scrip , in The Ordeal ” of Richard Fever el . Hardly separable from this wit is a humor which forces the reader near to im moderate laughter . The history of the doleful thwackings which b efel Shibli B a ga r a g in the city of Sha a t h gp the clothier, the shameful punis ments which Sha hpesh the Persian visited upon Khipil the builder, and the frightful agonies which were suf f er e d by Baba Mustapha through the persecutions ‘ r of the Genie Karaz in the fo m of a flea , are per haps as ludicrous as anything English literature can show in the field of sheer fun . The story , of course ,

- is written in mock heroic vein , and is full of whims and absurdities , which are often expressed in lan guage purposely grandiose and inflated ; but there um are , none the less , passages of true pathos and usual beauty . Certainly to one who is moved by the charm of an exquisite mingling of melodious 3 4 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH words informed by noble thoughts and poetic feel “ ” ing , The Lily of the Enchanted Sea is altogether ” B h a n a va r lovely , and The Story of the Beautiful

- is well nigh perfect from beginning to end . Of the many phases of beauty appearing in The ” Sha a t Shaving of gp , the treatment which Meredith accorded to nature is not least important The

book has numerous bits of landscape description ,

although , rather surprisingly , sustained passages of

this sort are few . After the amount of attention given to nature in the early book of poems , Meredith might have been expected to S how growth in a power

already possessed in a high degree ; and , further

more , taking into consideration the attention paid “ ” eve r el to nature in The Ordeal of Richard F , a reader wonders why Meredith allowed this field of r his a t to lie so nearly fallow even for a time . But despite the apparent neglect on his part , he did ex bibit a tendency towards what became an important element in his later work . This was his recognition of a sympathetic connection between Nature and

Man , that is of a dynamic relationship between scene and character which through interaction are

made to gain from each other . This treatment of n ew Nature was indeed not in literature , for Shake

Speare used it frequently , and Tennyson cultivated

it carefully . Scott , too , recognized its value , but it is safe to say that it has been more fully developed

by Meredith than by any other English novelist .

Still another tendency , although not connected with the preceding in any way save in time and place

of appearance , was the use of a device which has

3 6 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

Ou diff e r en t he a ds m i sfor tun e s com e O ne e a r s t e m fir m a not e r a ints b h , h f , Whi le thi s one ha ngs the m like a dr um ” er eon to a tter o o n Wh b l ud c m pla i ts .

o a dr e a m est a n e ent Th u th t v , i e r m sta n e is a a ste of sa n Wh l Ci cu c but w d, r ise a e th or nes in th a n A , t k up y f tu y h d , ” An d a i or a r i n d ly f w d p tch thy te t.

Although Fitzgerald ’ s translation of Omar Khayyam 1 859 was published in , three years after the appear “ ” Sha a t ance of The Shaving of gp , it is known to have been circulated in manuscript for some time before it was printed . There is no evidence , how ever, that either of the writers actually borrowed from the other, though the striking similarity of two tone between the works is , to say the least , interesting . The lot which has befallen Meredith of always being taken too seriously or not seriously enough is evidenced in the two or three attempts that have “ ” been made to interpret The Shaving of Sh a gpa t allegorically . To the most recent , it is said , Mere dith courteously replied that the elaborate exposi tion recalled some of the thoughts which he had when writing the fantasy , but that as a matter of fact , the book was no more an allegory than Cr um m les was a Prussian . This commentator might have been spared his work , interesting as he undoubtedly found it, had he been acquainted with the second “ h edition of The Shaving of Sh a gpa t. T is a p pea r ed in 1 865 and contained a Prefatory Note de THE APPRENTICE 3 7

nying that the story was susceptible of a ny esoteric

interpretation . The note is not reprinted in edi now tions accessible ; characteristic of Meredith , how i t . ever , well deserves reproduction “ It has been suggested to me by one who has no fear of Allegories on the banks of the Nile , that the hairy Sha gpa t must stand to mean umbrageous Humbug conquering the sons of men ; and that oor n a Noor ka N bin represents the seasons , which a fflic help us , if there is health in us , to dispel the tion of his shadow ; while my heroic Shibli B a ga r a g a is actually to be taken for Circumst nce , which works under their changeful guidance towards our m dis a ultimate release fro bondage , but with a p pointing apparent waywardness . The excuse for such behavior as this youth exhibits , is so good that I would willingly let him wear the grand masque

ff . hereby o ered to him But , though his backslidings cry loudly for some sheltering plea, or garb of dig

‘ m - t ity , and though a story teller should be flat ered to have it supposed that anything very distinct was a l intended by him, the Allegory must be rejected h . S a a t together The subtle Arab who conceived gp , meant either very much more, or he meant less ; and in my belief is , that , designing his wisdom simply to amuse , he attempted to give a larger embrace to time than is possible to the profound dispenser of

Allegories , which are mortal ; which , to be of any value , must be perfectly clear , and when perfectly ’ clear , are as little attractive as Mrs . Malaprop s ” reptile . Of more importance than either the meanings 3 8 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

Sh a a t which have been read into The Shaving of gp , or the beginnings of those peculiarities of expression which became a striking characteristic of the later works , or even those possible Sources and influence which are easier to assert than to prove , is the promulgation of principles which Meredith in after years used as more or less important parts of a con sistent system of philosophy . Character with him no less than with Shakespeare is the source of destiny . A man ’ s conduct in a crisis is determined by his previous thoughts and acts . Pride and cowardice , n avarice and fear as surely bring to othing , as cour age and faithfulness , honor and humility lead to triumph . Egoism , the undue worship of the per ish a ble self ; sentimentalism , the elevation , according m to Meredith , of the con stantly changing conve “ ” tion a l above the eternal verities , are perhaps for a time their own exceeding great reward ; but the O f ironic laughter truth is heard at last, the illusions a r e dispelled , and the king is glad to propitiate the people by the voluntary resignation of the crown to

B a a r a . Shibli g g, the Master of the Event The words of the sage are indeed seen to be the words of wisdom when he says

’ o e r on sion a se o e r to eth a ll P w , Illu b d pp ; ” The m or e disa s tr ous is its cer ta in fa ll ! But the mere recognition of a truth does not bring salvation , nor having touched success at one point may the race of mankind be content . “ For the mastery of an event la ste th among men a the space of one cycle of years , and after that fresh THE APPRENTICE 3 9

Illusion springeth to befool mankind . As the poet declareth in his scorn :

‘ om e o t e ter n t r om e e n S d ub i y ; f lif b gu , Ha s o c e a se t n t em s ir e to son ? f lly d wi hi h , So e er r es sions a r ise , v f h Illu will ’ An d or r ea tion n i n r t m e a e ise . l d c , u l w he adds

‘ Tha t is a dis ta nt per iod ; so pr epa r e T o the a se o t s a n d ne er s a r e ! fight f l , O y u h , v p For who would live i n chr on icle s r enowne d ’

s t om a o or a s oo be r o ne . Mu c b t f lly, f l c w d Of the many illusions which are constantly ham pering mankind in its advance toward full per fec r be tion , Meredith , judged by all his w itings , from ginning to end , seems to look upon the conventional w attitude to ards women as the most stubborn , as an Event, indeed , to an assistance in the mastery m of which he hi self has heard no uncertain call . Even in this early work he did not hesitate to take the stand that without the aid of woman , man must m leave much undone, since fro her chidings he learns many things , and through her encouragement he becomes strengthened to retrieve his errors and to save himself from complete overthrow . Indeed , so strongly does Meredith insist upon these doc trines , that he may himself be regarded as the Sage who said in speaking of the Laws made in honor of Noor na by Shibli B a ga r a g for the protection and upholding of woman ,

er e m en on e a in t em we s o cr ea e W c cl d h , h uld t ”

r a e n ot o o in om m a n in a e . A c f ll w g, but c d g, f t 40 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

Serious as some of these teaching are , however , ” The Shaving of Sh a gpa t is on the whole to be r e garded as an extravaganza in both thought and ex m pression ; yet even fro that point of view , the work has to be taken more seriously than the story which “ immediately followed it . Farina bubbles with laughter from beginning to end ; and the reader seems to hear the author calling out from every page That ’ s the fun of it ! ” Only once in later life did Meredith gi ve another exhibition of such un “ restrained humor ; but The Case of General Ople and Lady Camper ” has nothing in common with “ ” ’ Farina save the jester s spirit which animates f “ both . The story of the retired o ficer with his gen ” tle m a nly residence and of the lady who reformed

both his speech and his manners , is an episode in recent English social life ; but the history of the siege which Farina laid to the heart of Margarita is a

German romance of the Middle Ages . It is a rol

licking tale of love and adventure , of blood and

thunder, of kidnappings and rescues , of maidens

and duennas , of knights and robbers , of saints and sinners , of nixies and devils , and , indeed , of pretty be nearly everything in heaven above , in the earth neath , or in the waters under the earth . Its super natural elements suggest the pseudo- Gothic romances of Horace Walpole and Ann Radcliffe ; its ridicule of the chivalry of mediaeval Germany recalls the picar esque novel as modified by Cervantes ; the Water ’ Lady is own sister to Fouqué s Undine ; and Aunt

Lisbeth , judged from her suspicious watch over

Margarita, must have learned her lesson in the same THE APPRENTICE 41 school with the Aunts von La nd shor t who guarded the heiress of Ka tz e n e llenboge n in Washington Ir v ’ “ ” ing s story of The Spectre Bridegroom . But sug ’ estive g as the story is of other authors creations , the probability of its actually owing anything what ’ ever to Meredith s contemporaries or predecessors is very remote . The most that can be said with cer tainty is that “ Farina ” was Meredith ’ s first book to show a n v traceable influence of his school days in

Germany . The style of Farina is much less ornate than “ ” Sha a t that of The Shaving of gp , the character and the setting both demanding a pruning of the diction which was fully appropriate to the earlier work . On the other hand the burlesque facetious ness , at times approaching audacious nonsense , finds fitting expression in words and turns of phr a s ing best described as piquant and quaint . Wit and humor play as freely here as in the story of Shibli ’ B a a r a s a h g g adventures , but there is a noticeable sence of pathos . The sayings of the Minnesingers serve the purpose of the Greek Chorus , as did the “ ” verses of the sage in The Shaving of Sh a gpa t; and now and then there is a glint of the philosophy emphasized in the preceding book , such , for instance , as the corrective power of laughter , the inevitable fall that waits on pride , and the foolishness of plac ing the conventional above the absolute . On the whole, however , a decided increase in power of de scription is perhaps the most important advance which Meredith made in this story . Not as yet , it is u tr e , did he show himself an artist in sustained pas 42 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

sages , but he exhibited an unusual skill in painting

a picture with a few strokes ; and , rather strangely , most O f these have the Rembrandt-like character istic T o of possessing a single point of light . w fi “ ” scenes , the rst from The Lilies of the Valley , “ the second from The Silver Ar row adequately ’ Show this n ew development of Meredith s genius . “ The moon was dipping down , and paler, as if h touched with a warning of dawn . C ill sighs from l the open and passed through the city . On certain

- colored gables and wood crossed fronts , the white light lingered ; but mostly the houses were veiled in ’ dusk , and Gottlieb s house was confused in the w twilight ith those of his neighbors , notwithstanding its greater stateliness , and the old grandeur of its ” timbered bulk .

They wound down numberless intersections of narrow streets with irregular-built houses standing

- - or leaning wry faced in row, here a quaint beamed cottage, there almost a mansion with gilt arms, brackets , and devices . Oil lamps unlit hung at intervals by the corners near a pale Christ on cruci

fix . Across the passages they hung alight . The passages and alleys were too dusky and close for the moon in her brightest ardor to penetrate ; down the streets a slender lane of white beams could steal . After incessant doubling here and there , listening to footfalls , and themselves eluding a chase which their suspicious movements aroused , they came upon the Rhine . A full flood of moonlight burnished the knightly river in glittering scales , and

44 THE NOVELS O F GEORGE MEREDITH

the genesis of a style , or the institutes of a philosophy can well afford to take down the early stories of Meredith and spend a little time with Shibli B a ga r a g as he proves himself worthy of the love of Noor n a oor ka bin N , or with Farina and the Goshawk while they rescue Margarita from the clutches of Baron n a Werner a d his robber b nd . THE JO URNEYMAN

ASSI MILATED INFLUE NCE s TH E O RDEAL O F RICH ” ARD P EVEREL EVAN H ARRI NGTO N S ANDRA ” O R RH BELLO N I VITT IA ODA FLEMI NG .

TH E journeyman differs from the apprentice mainly in that he has discovered the bent of his genius, and is consciously possessed of power and skill . From observation and practice he has gained -confid ence a certain self , and believes that he ought to be trusted to do ordinary work well ; but if he

- has the making of a master workman in him , this self-confide nce does not let him fall into the trap of thinking that he has nothing more to learn . On m et the contrary , he still studies whatever has with l now general approva , but he is animated by a de si r e to become acquainted with methods and means rather than with results . The old inquiry of his apprenticeship , what must be imitated that proper f training may be e fected , gives way to the deeper u and more important q estions, how was this work done, and to what extent may the same methods be followed without the sacrifice of originality . He gets his answer , much as he did in earlier days, through experiment and imitation ; but it is through 45 46 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

h experiment of a higher kind , and throug imitations

of a rarer sort . No longer satisfied with the sim

ple reproduction of what he has seen , he strives to express his own ideas as completely as he may with out violating long accepted traditions and well a u thentica ted now principles . As a result , what he places before the world , although it may still be sug es tive g of the work of others , is far from being

a mere resemblance . In other words , the process of absorption is replaced by that of assimilation , and he is thus enabled to turn to his task with ever in in creasing energy , the hope that he may yet produce a masterpiece which shall give lasting joy to both maker and user . The apprenticeship of Meredith seems to have been spent in a pretty close study of English , Arabian , and German models ; but there came a time when the young author , after having fully decided to de w vote himself to novel riting, felt that he might trust somewhat freely to his own originality . Not so self confid e nt , however , as to consider himself a master workman , he did not wholly emancipate himself from the influence of other authors , but spent his time upon four or five works which have much in common with the writings of his predecessors , Rich a r d s on , Fielding, and Sterne , and with those of his contemporaries , Dickens , Thackeray , and George

Eliot . This does not mean that Meredith merely copied these authors , nor that he deliberately bor a rowed from them . Indeed , whatever ch rges the most hostile critics have brought against him , none have taken it upon themselves to accuse him very THE JO URNEYMAN 47

v loudly of plagiarism , but ha e rather gone to the -s uffi cienc opposite extreme , insisting that in his self y he refused to learn from those who could have taught him much . Writers of such criticism would have said far less , had they known a little more . The true student of Meredith , whether admirer or not , plainly sees that the earlier novels , at least , are the resultant O f some of the most important forces in the world of English letters . Appropriating whatever he deemed admirable , wherever he could find it, Mere y dith , either consciously or unconsciousl , turned such material to account , first , however , so thoroughly assimilating it , that in its transformation it appeared wholly his own . Indebtedness thus incurred is by no means censurable . Meredith simply used a method which has been characteristic of the great i est authors from Homer to Mol ere , from Chaucer to Browning . Indeed , it is not impossible that an overscrupulous care to be original from every point

- of view, is the mark of a second rate mind rather than

of a genius . For any young novelist writing during the middle years of the nineteenth century to have wholly r e jecte d what his surroundings abundantly offered

- would have been well nigh impossible . So far as

Meredith is concerned , the corrective power of his

genius fortunately saved him from mere imitation , and helped him to the preservation of an original envi and striking individuality . Nevertheless , his

r on m ent w a s not without its disadvantages . At a r time of g eat intellectual activity , the chorus of those who have gained the attention of the public is 48 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

so often overpowering, as to drown the voice of any new aspirant to fame ; and this was the unfortunate lot which befell Meredith when he published “ The Feve r el 1 859 Ordeal of Richard In , readers ask ing for the newest books could make choice of Dick ’ “ ’ “ ens s e Tale of Two Cities , Thack ray s Virgin ” ’ “ B ’ “ ians , Trollope s Bertrams , eade s Love me ” ’ n O f Little , Love Me Lo g , Fitzgerald s translation “ ” ’ “ ” a a a nd the Rub iy t , Darwin s Origin of Species , ’ “ Mill s Essay on Liberty . Moreover, during the same year , occurred the deaths of Leigh Hunt, Ma ca ul a y, De Quincey , and Hallam , thus giving the pessimist some excuse for shaking his head and mourning over the irreparable thinning in the ranks of literary men . Certainly the minds of those inter e ste d in books and authors were taken up with many h things ; and it is therefore little surprising t at , despite several favorable reviews , the first edition “ ” of The Ordeal of Richard Feve r el supplied all di demands for nineteen years . But whatever s a p pointment Meredith may have felt over the recep tion accorded his first novel , its publication was an important event in his career . It showed conclusively that he was ready to abandon such cherry- stone carv “ ” Sh a a t ing as The Shaving of gp , and that he was sufficiently sure of himself to enter into competition with other novelists , and to submit to measurement by their standards . “ Fever el The Ordeal of Richard , was followed as rapidly as careful work would permit by “ Evan ” “ ” “ R ” Harrington , Sandra Belloni , hoda Fleming , w and Vittoria , all of hich , as has been said , pos THE JOURNEYMAN 49

6 5 3 m 5 in co mon at least one characteristic, that of e recalling the writings of other authors . This s ugg s tiveness , however, is much stronger in some cases y than in others . Sometimes it is a feature of st le ;

Often it is a similarity of incident , or a likeness in character-drawing ; now and then it is almost safe to say that a certain personage could not have been created , had it not been for the existence of some ’ other novelist s work ; and occasionally striking par allels of considerable length can be pointed out between Meredith and others . True as these state w ments are , ho ever , the influence which predecessors and contemporaries seem to have exerted upon Mere dith is to be felt rather than seen . Often there is no more than a whiff or a tang of the borrowed

a s . flavor , and even these are lost soon as tasted

Clearly , anything so evanescent will hardly bear much insistence . Still if Meredith himself should uncon rise up in protest , and assert that he was scious of any outside influences whatever , the com parison would still remain true and have a certain interesting value . When The Ordeal of Richard Feve r el a p e a r ed v p , some re iews called it a Shandean romance , and others said that it betrayed the influence of ’ “ ” Bulwer s Ca xtons nor can it be denied that the critics had some warrant for their statements . Rich ’ ard Fever el s Uncle Algernon had been a gentle of man the Guards , but had unfortunately lost his leg as the result of an injury received in a cricket match ; ’ Pisistratus Ca xton s uncle Roland had lost a leg ’ at the battle of Waterloo ; and Tristram Shandy s 50 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH Uncle Toby had been severely wounded in the leg Now at the siege of Namur . , of course , the presence of one- legged uncles in novels hardly constitutes a simi la r ity which is to be taken as other than accidental ; m but in addition , all the uncles and , even ore, all the fathers in these three stories had various hobbies , not the least important of which were their remark able ideas of how the several voung heirs should be brought up . Sterne refers more than once with some humor to what he calls the Shandean system ’ of Tristram s father ; and Meredith is constantly pointing the finger of scorn at Sir Austin ’ s theories and their application . In the first book , too , there d are passages descriptive of the elder Shan y , which “ might almost have been written of Sir Austin , It ” is the nature of an hypothesis , says Sterne in the character of his hero , that it assimilates everything ” to itself, as proper nourishment , a sentence cer ’ ta inly applicable to the Baronet s suspicious and condemnatory train of thought , when he was nurs ing his wrath against Richard for marrying Lucy . “ There are a thousand unnoticed openings which let ’ ” a penetrating eye into a man s soul , says Sterne , thereby expressing an aphorism worthy of a place in “ ’ ” The Pilgrim s Scrip , and at the same time furnish ing a terse anticipatory comment upon Sir Austin ’ s unsuccessful endeavor to entrench himself in studied and unnatural reserve .

The elder Caxton , whose name , by the way , was shortened from Augustine to the more familiar r is tr a m h Austin , like the fathers of T and of Ric ard , also used a system in bringing up his son . He had

52 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

the faculty of laughter . For a good wind of ” “ O f laughter, says Meredith , had relieved him

- much of the blight of self deception , and oddness , and extravagance ; had given him a heathier view ” of our atmosphere of life ; but he had it not . It is not surprising that under such conditions a tragedy took place . The System must prevail , although the boy for whose good it was formulated should be sac r ificed to its exactions . Had Sir Austin but pos sessed the clearer vision , clouded though it was , of Lady Blandish ; or better still had the penetrating

- eye of the far seeing Bessie Berry been his , he might have preserved his son alive . But he would not see .

Ever declaring to himself that , so far as his son was own concerned , all love and all wisdom were his , he ’ merited in the hour of his grief over his son s way wa r d nes s and agony , exactly the same criticism which had been spoken of him many years before “ If immeasurable love were perfect wisdom , one human being might almost impersonate Providence ! to another . Alas love, divine as it is , can do no more than lighten the house it inhabits— must take

— its shape, sometimes intensify its narrowness can

- spiritualize , but not expel the old life long lodgers ” - above stairs and below .

Pity the Baronet deserves , no doubt , but his nature was seldom other than cold and hard . In the very ’ crises of his son s life , he could steel himself to utter an aphorism ; and by the irony of fate he character “ i z ed himself most fully when he wrote , A maker

— of Proverbs what is he but a narrow mind , the mouthpiece of narrower ? These sayings of his THE JO URNEYMAN 5 3

from that first startling statement , I expect that woman will be the last thing civilized by man , to “ that final penetrating observation , Which is the coward a mong us ? He who sneers at the failings ” ! fr e of Humanity are never less than brilliant, and quently strike at the roots of the folly and the mis f o . takes mankind Recalling them , the reader is ” Ca xtons again carried back to The , for the father of the hero in that book was engaged upon the com “ ” of position A History of Human Error . The absent-minded scholar and the analytic nobleman thus both turned their eyes upon the world about them , and put down the lessons they drew there from , but one looked from within and was moved d by sympathy and pity , while the other stoo aloof and felt little but contempt and scorn . r e At one other point , certainly , there is a faint semblance to be found between Meredith and Bulwer, although it might not suggest itself, if the presence of larger and more striking similarities did not lead the reader to find analogies where perhaps none really exist . Nevertheless , the extreme deference

. a c paid by Mrs Caxton to her husband , her ready cepta nce of every word of his as the utterance of in carnate wisdom , remind one of the earlier attitude of Lady Blandish toward Sir Austin . Fortunately for Mrs . Caxton , no rude shock ever disturbed her

n . admiratio Her husband , inferior as he was to the nobleman , was always simple and sincere , as simple

r . and since e , in fact , as the Vicar of Wakefield wa s Lady Blandish , on the other hand , destined to

. a s a harsh awakening The Autumn Primrose , 5 4 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

Meredith called her love for Sir Austin , bloomed for ’ the Baronet s pleasure, and more than once he

seemed on the point of plucking it for his wearing , but the blighting frost of his egoism wrought in

time its destructive work . During the first weeks of d wa s her stay at Raynham Abbey , Lady Blan ish awed into approval by the stupendous claims made

for the System , nor would she permit herself to doubt, either when her heart went out to the modest loveli

ness of Lucy , or when in pity she gazed upon Richard

lying pale and motionless , with fever on his cheeks

and strange unseeing eyes . But when the nobleman ’ hearing of Richard s deceit and disobedience , as he

called it, endeavored still to be the Sage , still to maintain his pose as one who could be surprised by

a . nothing in n ture , then was the veil lifted somewhat

Daily , thereafter , she saw him more and more as he indi was , and at the end she could write with sane g nation to Austin Wentworth “ ! h ow Oh sick I am of theories , and Systems , and the pretensions of men ! There was his son lying v all but dead , and the man was still uncon inced of the folly he had been guilty of . I could hardly bear l the sight of his composure . I sha l hate the name of Science till the day I die . Give me nothing but ! ” commonplace , unpretending people ’ But the chief victim of Sir Austin s strange per ’ Bl a n dis h s version , the Object of Lady pity , and the ’ butt of Adrian Harley s wit , Richard himself, is a study in character , not unlike that made by one of the founders of the English novel . Almost without “ Fe ve r el question , The Ordeal of Richard may be THE JOURNEYMAN 55

looked upon as a purified Tom Jones . Fielding in his chief work presented a hero as fully and as “ ” truthfully as Rousseau in his Confessions en r d d ea vo e to picture himself . That Fielding suc ce ed ed , no reader denies ; and attempts have been n ow made , and then , to gain renown in a similar owe way . But of the several authors who seem to a part of their inspiration to Fielding ’ s frankness in portrayal , Meredith comes nearest to a reproduction

O f his spirit . Meredith freely admits the natural O f impulses his hero , and shows whither , under cer tain conditions they would inevitably lead him . a l That is, Meredith dared to do , what Thackeray “ c most feared to undertake . In the prefa e of Pen ” dennis , its writer remarked that since the death of

Fielding, no writer of fiction had been permitted to

e . d pict a man as he really was Instead , the hero had to be carefully draped and be given a conve n tion a l simper , since readers were determined not to hear what moved in the real world ; what passed in

- society , in the clubs , college mess rooms ; what was f O . the life, the talk young men Thus hampered , Thackeray felt that he had need to apologize for his frankness in drawing the character of Ar thur Pen dennis , and that he must ask the charitable favor of his readers for presenting the truth . This timid ’ ity on Thackeray s part— one hardly likes to call it cowardice — this deference to conventional ideas not yet wholly abandoned , is a state of mind which Meredith stigmatizes by the name of sentimental ism ; but Thackeray possibly had been made a trifle fearful by the cry of disapprobation which in 1 847 5 6 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

had greeted the publication of Jane Eyre . Char lotte Bronte living quietly in the rectory at Haworth had been too far removed from the stiff propriety of the cities to be trained in the elegant accomplish O f ment squeamishness , and had portrayed the nat ural passions as they are, rather than as London then said that they must be assumed to be . Never theles s , limited as her opportunities for observation e were , what Charlotte Bront could do , she did ; on the other hand what Thackeray felt he ought to do , he went nigh to shirking ; and it is therefore not a little to the credit of Meredith that in the very be ginning of his career as novelist he did not hesitate to follow the path of the woman rather than of the man . Readers are not now so daintily fastidious as they used to be , and they accept without adverse com ment the baldest portrayal of the animal passions ; but Charlotte B r onté and George Meredith wer e leaders in the renascence of the realistic presenta tion of the natural instincts , subjects which no healthy mind now considers it beyond the right of the novelist to present . That they were for a time taboo to writers of fiction was perhaps partly due to the rise of a false modesty , but probably more to the fact that their calm and well-balanced treatment by Fielding and Richardson was brought into disr e pute by the salacious suggestions of Smollett and “ ” the knowing leers of Sterne . Under circumstances “ ” like these , certain chapters in Jane Eyre and in “ ” The Ordeal of Richard Feve r e l might have been expected to make readers uneasy , a condition of THE JOURNEYMAN 5 7 mind which was by no means greatly soothed when ’ ” Charles Rea de s Griffith Gaun t appeared in

1 866 . No wonder that shocked propriety of that “ ” ! ca n time exclaimed , What are we coming to nor we doubt that the destruction of Sodom and Gomor rah would have been prophesied for the present day and generation , had anyone foreseen the unblush ing immorality of many of our plays , and the shame f less coarseness O not a few of our popular novels . For the inexcusable length to which recent writers e have gone , however , Charlotte Bront and George

Meredith and Charles Reade are not to blame . In that cyclic movement which the world exhibits a s it makes its onward progress , this age is repeating to a certain extent the degraded a r tificia lity of the Res tor a tion drama as compared with the frank natural ness of the Elizabethan play , the evil mental condi tions which permitted the reading of Smollett and Sterne as compared with the healthier attitude which found Richardson and Fielding acceptable . If the readers of Meredith ’ s first novel really ’ were over-shocked by the narration of Richard s adventures with the Enchantress , they could hardly deny that it had brought them face to face with an everyday truth . Depressing this experience may have been to some, and doubt as to the wisdom of ’ the author s daring may have affected others ; but no just person could have been blind to the fact that the colors had been laid upon the canvas by no un certain hand . Nor even in the drawing of minor characters could any tendency toward carelessness ff few or indi erence be found . The strokes might be , 5 8 THE NOVELS O F GEORGE MEREDITH but thev were sufficiently bold and telling to give the

figures life and animation . Ripton Thompson , for uns uc instance , though sometimes regarded as an ces sful portraiture of vulgarity , is more than a mere

- foil to his high born friend . A reading of his fight with Richard , and of the part which he played in the Bakewell comedy will carry any man back to ’ own his boyhood days . His conduct in his father s f O fice was natural to the last degree , and his follow ing of Miss Random was , to a youth of his tempera ment , inevitable . Nor is the subtile distinction which he made as to the propriety of his conduct in com ’ parison with Richard s , anything unusual . The specious argument by which he explained away his logical inconsistency , is known and repeated and acted upon still by nearly every young man whom ’ e Ri ton one m ets . p s desire to watch over and pre serve the purity of his headstrong companion , there : fore , is not to be ridiculed rather one is touched by ’ the pathos in hi s reply to Richard s scorn at his “ f words of warning, It would be di ferent with me, ’ ” because Richard , I m worse than you . Such guar dia nshi f p, such a fectionate desire to protect, recalls William Dobbin ’ s faithful following of George “ — Osborne in Vanity Fair . Even more , as the crude, ungainly son of the grocer in Thames Street dared to worship Amelia Sedley at a distance, so Ripton Thompson found his mission in striving l ’ Fever e s . for Lucy welfare Indeed , the very words ’ in which Meredith describes Ripton s awakening might have been written by Thackeray himself even to the little moral with which they conclude

60 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH Quincey ’ s dubbing the coachman in “The Glory of ” “ ” — o Motion a crocodile s is Mrs . Berry made to live and breathe before us as “ the bunch of black ” satin . Coarse she is at times , as coarse as Sairey

Gamp , as racy in her speech as Dame Quickly , and as slyly insinuative , but withal as sympathetic , as the “ ” nurse in Romeo and Juliet . She is marked , too , by a pronounced interest in cooking which places her d “ ” . To er s n besides Mrs g in Marti Chuzzlewit ,

- while her common sense ideas upon morality , and her shrewd observations upon life in general make “ ” her an own sister to Mrs . Poyser in Adam Bede .

We trust her, yes , we love her, the moment we meet her at the door of her lodging house in Ken

. D ea S ington . Nor are we betrayed She is the ’ ea: a c hin a m of Richard s life . Married she has f been , and at the hands of her husband she has su fered much ; but despite her sad experience , her ideas upon men and matrimony are safe and sane . One sight of Mrs . Mount enables her to analyze and label the woman a Bella Donna , a use of terms which , as

Meredith remarks , would have startled that lady by its accuracy . Incisively penetrative in her under of standing Sir Austin , she adequately sums up his “ character when she says to Lady Blandish , A man ’ ’ ’ ” 0 ! that s like a woman , he s the puzzle life Greater wisdom than is usually admitted , underlies her bridal ’ gift to Richard s young wife ; and a full knowledge of the world causes her to make no delay in hasten ing to the Isle of Wight , when she hears that Lucy lies unprotected at the mercy of B r a yd e r and Mount ’ falcon . Mrs . Berry s keenness of vision also shows THE JO URNEYMAN 61 her that beyond a doubt all would be well if she could a but bring Richard and Lucy toge ther . In her t tempt to assist in the consummation of her hope she makes her famous speech on the separation of hus band and wife : “ ’ ’ Three months d wellin apart ! That s not mat ’ ’ r im on divor cin ! y, it s what can it be to her but Widowhood ? Widowhood with no cap to Show ! ? ! for it And what can it be to you , my dear Think you have been a bachelor three months ! and ’ elor man , he ain t a widow woman

n r es ir a tion . k ow what checked p p is Laugh away , ’ I don t mind ye , I say again , we all do know what i i r es r a t on . checked p p is It fly to the lungs , it gives ye mortal inflammation and it carries ye off . Then

I say checked matrimony is as bad . It fly to the ’ off heart, and it carries the virtue that s in ye , and you might as well be dead ! ”

After that how can one say , as has been said more

t . han once, that Mrs Berry simply wandered into “ ” The Ordeal of Richard Fever el fr om the show box of Gadshill ! Meredith did far more than imi “ ” tate the creator of David Copperfield . He bor ’ a rowed part of that writer s panoply , perhaps , but in the tilt he beat Dickens on his own ground . And what is to be said of Clare and Lucy ? They also are not unsuggestive of Dickens ; yet the quiet grief with which Clare obeyed her mother ’ s com mands , and the tragic struggle which Lucy made against her fate , can never become a mere matter of laughter or contempt , a misfortune which has over taken many a passage in Dickens , once looked upon 62 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

as the perfection of pathetic writing . Critics say

far too much , when they assert that the point of bathos is reached in the description of the death

of little Nell , for after more than half a century that “ chapter in The Old Curiosity Shop still rings true .

Nevertheless , there is a dignity , a reserve in Mere ’ ’ dith s treatment of Richard s watch beside his dead

cousin , which protects the younger writer from seri

- a ous adverse criticism . A similar self restraint p ’ in pears also his description of Lucy s death , for she , u too , m st die , not because she is misunderstood , but because she must be broken on the wheel of Sir ’ Austin s magnificent system . Hers was a stronger ’ character than Clare s ; too strong , indeed , to meet

death in the same way . The deepest pathos of her

life , therefore , is not in the agony of her last hours , u but rather in that meeting with her h sband when ,

rising to her noble forgiveness of his unfaithfulness ,

she is rent and torn in the very moment of triumph , by his blind and wilful persistence in a mistaken con i ce t on . p of honor In that hour , the souls of Richard and Lucy lie bare before us ; we are at the very springs of spiritual life ; and we learn anew that the still small voice sometimes speaks to the heart of man as plainly from the words of the novelist as from the

pages of Holy Writ . “ The Ordeal of Richard Fever el is a tr agedy k Sha s e a r e a n . a tragedy , indeed , in the p manner This means not Simply that the reader is led into the

- presence of death , but that the heart racking catas tr ophe of the end is foreshadowed at the very begin

ning . The tragic note sounds with no uncertain THE JOURNEYMAN 63

tone in the earliest pages , and from then on it is per s istently repeated with increasing intensity until it ’ becomes the knell tolling the f ew years of Lucy s troubled life . Not for a moment in reading the book, not even in its humorous scenes , is one allowed to deceive oneself with the hope that in some miraculous

wa . y the outcome may be happy Instead , there seizes upon the reader that kind of frenzy which lays its grasp upon him as he watches the unrelenting advancement of the plot against Cordelia , or the ravening progress of the feud which deflowered the houses of Capulet and Montague . Convinced for the time that the woes of Richard and Lucy are real , h one feels that one must turn back the w eels of fate , that the inevitable must not be . Powerful as Meredith must have seen that his first novel was , however , he did not again permit him self to make an equally extensive incursion into the “ same field of writing . The Tale of Chloe is tragic, it is true , but nearly perfect as it is , still no “ ” more than a short story ; Rhoda Fleming with its lesson that the consequences of sin are eternal , is pretty serious reading, but it is not tragedy , not at least in the technical sense of that term ; the death neither of Roy Richmond nor of Nevil Beauchamp takes the novel in which each of those men appears , “ ” O f out the realm of comedy ; and although Vittoria, “ The Tragic Comedians ” and “ One of Our Con ” querors may seem to hover upon the borders of lands presided over by the tragic rather than the comic muse , it is clear that in comparison with “ ” Fever el The Ordeal of Richard , all the succeed 64 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH ing novels form a group of which the homogeneity is much disturbed by any attempt to class the earlier work with them . ’ Meredith s second novel , therefore , Evan Har ” th rington , stands in almost as great contrast with e book immediately preceding it as that with the ’ r w itings of its author s apprenticeship . The tragic h element is practically eliminated , for alt ough Juliana Bonner’ s death brings about the union of the man whom she loves with the woman of his choice, her story awakens no more than a quickly nf passing impulse of pity . The woes of the u or tu nate Susan Wheedle are but faintly outlined , and are included probably for no other reason than to show ’ the kindliness of Evan s heart ; and finally the unhap py lot of the beautiful and attractive Caroline Strike is perhaps purposely but little more than mentioned, that the story of her temptation and escape may not seriously interfere with the gradual unfolding of ’ i - r o Evan s rise to true manhood , or w th the mirth p voking treatment of the complications surrounding the Countess de Saldar . The book , indeed , is per vaded by humor of every sort , the extravagant , the grotesque , the refined , the delicate , the subtle, and the funny , until it would seem that Meredith is on the point of breaking through the bounds of what in the drama would be called legitimate com edy , and of permitting himself to revel for a time in the fields of hilarious farce . But as a matter of n fact . he is ever mindful of the dema ds of true pro portion ; and consequently , never degenerating into the harlequin , he can force home , despite his fun , THE JOURNEYMAN 65

the serious lesson of the hollow foolishness which lies in attempting to appear what one is not Different as Meredith ’ s first two novels are in

most respects , however , the second is like the first to the extent of prese nting three or four characters somewhat suggestive of those found in the writings h . a s of other authors John Raikes , for instance , it

been said by some critic , might easily have been cre ated by Thackeray ; but such a statement shows a strange forgetfulness of the words and ways of Dick ” Swiveller in The Old Curiosity Shop ; and cer ta inly the solicitous care and the deferential respect ’ which Evan s old school -friend has for his much worn hat vividly recalls the outward appearance

though not the swindling nature of Mr . Tigg, the ” - shabby genteel gentleman in Martin Chuzzlewit . Co lesb Cheer le The gg y brothers , too , unlike the yb

twins as they are in many respects , must still sug ’ a gest Nichol s Nickleby s benefactors , in their kind

ness of heart , their delight in dry jokes , and their sly plans for helping the deserving and circumvent

ing the insincere . The chapters in which these two men carry out a conspiracy to reduce the pride of ’ O ld Harrington s da ughters — a conspir acy only too successful since Andrew found hi mself caught in his own trap — is like Dickens almost at his best in the the humorous ; and the first chapter, also , in which

- inn keeper, the butcher, and the confectioner discuss

the death of the tailor is reminiscent of Dickens , but

r a r ified . of Dickens , , sublimated , and refined While L m or t s the y p shopkeepers talk , the reader learn

that the Great Mel , as the sartorial Melchisedec 66 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

Harrington was called , had a soul much above but tons and would gladly have moved in aristocratic circles . Realizing that he could best attain this end by not making too many pretensions , he assumed a modesty which really irked his heart , a humility w n hich was ever on the watch for opportunity , a ki d ’ H e e is m of Uriah p , so to speak , raised to the n th

power . Nevertheless there was nothing cringing in 1 3 . 8 Mr Melchisedec Harrington , Tailor of , Main

L m or t-on - - Street , y p the Sea , for it must be remem bered that Melchisedec had a Presence ; and ac cording to Meredith : “ A Presence would seem to be a thing that directs m ff the ost a able appeal to our human weakness .

Beau Brummel , for instance , had a Presence . Many

it is true , take a Presence to mean no more than a

- shirt frill . But that is to look upon language

too narrowly .

The wife of the Great Mel , has a far fainter Dick in ens flavor than he . The way which she bullied ’ Dandy is not without a suggestion of Quilp s treat ’ ment of Tom Scott , nor is her servant s devotion to her beyond a comparison with Tom ’ s affection and admiration for the master by whom he was habitually

beaten and abused . But Henrietta Maria Harring a ton , woman endowed with a Port as her husband

with a Presence , does not permit herself to be dis missed with the mere statement that she faintly “ recalls a character in The Old Curiosity Shop . - - n She was a strong minded , common sense woma , ’ perhaps , best summed up in Dandy s epithet of ” n iron , a word which he frequently muttered whe

68 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

hypocrisy and deceit . There was more than dignity , there was grandeur in her bearing and in her soul when she appeared at the picnic in the grounds of v Beckley Court . E an , she felt , must be saved at

any cost to his pride . There was in her bosom a terrible determination

to cast a devil out of the one she best loved . For

this purpose, heedless of . all pain to be given , or of

impropriety , she had come to speak publicly , and him disgrace and humiliate, that she might save ‘ from the devils that had ruined his father . My ’ lady , said the terrible woman , thanking her in reply ‘ S he to an invitation that might be seated , I have

come for my son . I hear that he h a s been playing

the . lord in your house , my lady I humbly thank him your ladyship for your kindness to , but he is ’ nothing more than a tailor s son , and is bound to a tailor himself that his father may be called an honest

man . I am come to take him away . If the reader of these words has any adequate conception of the circumstances under which they

were uttered , if, indeed , he has even a remote under n standi g of the woman who said them , he has con vincingly borne in upon him the fundamental truth ’

. SO . in Meredith s philosophy of life , indeed , Mrs

Mel is more than a mere character in a novel , she

is more than what critics call a type , she is rather d h an embo iment of that perfect sincerity before whic , a r tifici a lit in the long run , y and sham must always go down . In strong contrast with their mother stand the l Co l es b three daughters , Caro ine Strike , Harriet gg y, THE JOURNEYMAN 69

and Louisa , Countess de Saldar . Inheriting their ’ father s social ambition to rise in society , they e m ancipa ted themselves as far as possible from what they called the D e m igor gon of Tailordom and strove with courage and pertinacity to make their footing firm in aristocratic circles . Much as the reader may laugh at them , however , he feels at times that Caroline Strike is not undeserving of pity . The beautiful wife of a brutal husband , she is saved from disgrace through the one sincere trait in her character , her love for her brother . Faintly sketched as sh she is , e plays her part with a stately sweet ness which makes the story of her life pathetic in spite of all her failings . Her next younger sister, r w Har iet , the ife of the wealthy brewer, Andrew Cog

les b n . g y, is even more lightly draw Unendowed her with the beauty of elder sister , and lacking in the strategical power of the Countess , she was con tent to remain in the background , to sacrifice herself for the good of the cause , and to furnish funds for the campaign in which the daughters Harrington hoped to vindicate their right to forget their humble birth .

In the siege thus laid to the citadel of society,

. a the Countess de Saldar was the general Attr ctive ,

- vivacious , far seeing, and cautious , she knew where how to marshal her forces , to place her artillery , and when to fly the flag of truce . Her very success wins our approval ; and the reader feels almost guilty a s of tre on as he breaks into irresistible laughter , e wh n the father, whom she had denied , was pitilessly served up to her at the dinner in Beckley Court , or ’ when the awful catastrophe of her mother s unex 70 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

’ ected p appearance at Lady Jocelyn s picnic , sub verted her plans and spiked her guns . The Countess de Saldar has been called “ the most consummate ” a n liar in literature , but this , as Meredith said in

other connection , is to look upon language too nar r owly. Her perversion of the truth was too artistic to be regarded as mere lying ; rather let it be called a

poetic idealization of unattractive fact . But if the generalship of the Countess awakens admiration u in the ho rs of siege and of attack , it wins even greater applause , when in unbending dignity she with

- l . drew from a we l fought , if unsuccessful battlefield

It was not in her nature to admit defeat . Repulsed from one position , she marched away , with colors

flying , to recruit her forces at another vantage ground . Her letter from Rome showed her occupying a new

eminence , ambitious , unconquered , and courageous

still . The Countess has only one peer in English litera ture Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair . As Thack c ray s interesting heroine, forgetting that her mother

was an opera girl , used to say that her maternal h ancestors , the Entrec ats , were a noble family of

Gascony , so the Countess sunk the identity of the Great Mel in Abraham Harrington of Torquay ; as Becky took advantage of a certain lack O f gallantry

in Jos Sedley to make him her lover , so Louisa de Saldar boldly drew Harry Jocelyn from a group of s coffin g critics , and taught him to fetch and carry at ’ her will . Again as the governess in Queen s Crawley determined to make friends with everyone around

her, who could at all interfere with her comfort , so THE JO URNEYMAN 7 1 the tailor’ s daughter at Beckley Court undertook to make capture of all who could in anyway assist or prevent her making her position sure . As Miss Sharp overreached herself in marrying Rawdon n ow a d Crawley , so the Countess and then , taking of f vantage what seemed to o fer firm footing, found herself upon treacherous ground . And thus the comparison O f character and plot might be con tinued even to those last scenes in which Mrs .

Rawdon Crawley , born Sharp , betook herself to deeds of charity , went to church regularly and placed her name upon subscription lists for the Destitute

- Orangeman , the Neglected Washer woman , and the M uffin - Distressed man , while the Countess de Saldar found a haven and a refuge in a religion which , according to her own words , gathers all in its arms , not even excepting tailors .

Despite the likeness between the two women , the

Countess is far less repellent than Becky . Either of unsh e a th them , it is true , might her claws and mark one with a cat- like scratch ; but their ways were f wa s di ferent . Becky careless whom she hurt, if the injured person could not retaliate ; the Countess with a certain lady- like magnanimity exhibited her weapons only to keep some envious woman in well B eckv disciplined subjection . Still further was an egoist who sacrificed everything and everybody to own her ambition , while the Countess , gathering up her two sisters , her brother , and the memory of her dead father , endeavored to carry them all with her to a secure and lasting niche in high society . In the atta inment of their ambition both of the women 72 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

y failed , yet while the reader feels that Thackera meted out to Becky her proper deserts , he wonders if Meredith did not suff er an occasional qualm for not permitting the Co untess to remain master of the situ ation at Beckley Court . Such a triumph would have ’ been hardly more than poetic justice d ue that lady s adroit and consummate genius . ! As studies in character , Mrs . Mel and her titled daughter are of such importance as to make it a matter of some surprise that neither Evan Harring ton himself nor the two women who regarded him with romantic affection approach a nvwher e near being unique . Nevertheless , the reason for the ex istenc e of the novel rests first of all in its presentation of the struggle which a young man undergoes , when for good and almost sufficient reasons he would like to appear other than he is ; and also in its setting the not unimportant problem of what a yo ung h v woman s all do , when her heart has been gi en to ’ the keeping of a man socially her inferior . Evan s nature even in its undeveloped state partook s uffi ’ cien tly of his mother s sturdy sincerity to earn for him from the angry Countess the frequent accusa tion of being but a Dawley — a n epithet by which the lady meant that her brother was willing to remain on a level with the commonplace family from which the Great Mel had presumably raised his wife when he made her Mrs . Harrington . Partly moved by his ’ sister s prodding, but influenced still more by the fact that he had fallen in love with the daughter of

Sir Franks Jocelyn , Evan wavered between th e de sire to call himself a gentleman , and the wish to be THE JOURNEYMAN 7 3

loyal to truth and write himself a tailor . Nor does Meredith permit his readers to feel that Evan was called upon to make any insignificant choice . It in volved a question of moral strength ; on the young ’ man s decision his future rise or fall is so plainl y made to depend , that one breathes a sigh of relief when one learns that Evan has determined to make his ’ way to Mr . Goren s unattractive London shop . If by so doing he in any way ceased to be a gentleman , he at least showed himself a man . The struggle through which Rose Jocelyn passed in becoming reconciled to her lover ’ s calling was ’ hardly less significant than Evan s own . But her native good sense and strength of character did not fail her in the crucial moment ; despite an occa ’ s iona l feeling of repugnance to becoming a tailor s wife , she Showed herself worthy of the man who loved her . Unfortunately , circumstances for a time forced Evan to appear a dastard even to her, and their engagement , as a result , seemed irrevocably broken . For artistic reasons the bond had to be b ut reknit , it is disappointing to find that Mere ’ dith s hand suddenly lost its cunning, and that the

first four thoroughly satisfying acts of the comedy , as its author calls it , are followed by a group of scenes which it is scarcely too harsh to speak of as cheap ’ his and commonplace . Meredith s solution of concl uding problem is as little satisfactory as the closing chapters of “ The Vicar of Wakefield ” where

Goldsmith , suddenly seeming to realize that he had own before him a Gordian knot of his weaving , y be abruptly and unexpectedl struck it through , 74 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

in cause he lacked the patience and , possibly , the n i ge u ty necessary to its untying . In the same way Juliana Bonner ’ s death and the infl uences which it set in motion seem hardly more than a sorry makeshift to unite the parted lovers . Just why Meredith introd uced the young woman in the first place is hardly clear . Evidently he did not care for her and apologized more than once for her existence . It is true that she is faintly suggestive ’ d Fever el s of Richar cousin Clare , probably for no wa s other reason than because she an invalid , but on the whole she wa s a despicable little creature and the way in which she gloated over Evan ’ s bodily strength and physical attractiveness makes her at ’ times positively repulsive . Meredith s chivalry now and then forced him to present her in such a light as to awaken a glimmer of pity ; but in general it must be admitted that a reader feels little better than shocked to have the likeness of Juliana Bonner hang in the same gallery with portraits of Lucy

Desborough , Clara Middletown , and Diana War

wick . Yet , the ending, despite its weakness , does not lessen to any great extent the satisfaction and

delight, with which one recalls those early scenes made memorable by the presence of the tall and

stately Henrietta Maria Harrington , the versatile Tom and vivacious Countess de Saldar , the eccentric l Co es bv . gg , and the beautiful Caroline Strike “ Evan Harrington ” first appeared in the popular O nce A Week Febr u magazine called , and ran from 1 1 1 3 1 860. ary to October , It was reprinted the following year ; and the story proved enough m ore

7 6 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

B ut in the la r ge ne s s of the eve ning e a r th r r t r a s n O u s pi i s g ew we we t s ide by s ide . e r The hour b ca m e he hus ba n d a nd m y br ide . o e a t ha d r o e us s o t s es s e our ea r ! L v th bb d , hu bl d d th The pilgr im s of the yea r wa xe d ver y loud In m t t no s a ter in s a s the oo ul i udi u ch t g , fl d r o n a m e r om the e s a n d e a e oo Full b w c f W t, lik p l bl d x a n e to the er r im son o E p d d upp c cl ud . Love tha t ha d r obbe d us of i m m or ta l things s tt e m om ent m er a e Thi li l cifully g v , Wher e I ha ve s een a cr os s the twilight wa ve T n he s wa sa il with her young benea th her wings .

In accordance with just what theory of selection the remaining score of poems in the volume was afterwards suppressed is not at all clear . Some, it is true , show but little improvement over the “ ” 1 85 1 Poems of , and for that reason were perhaps rightly rejected ; but on the other hand two or three are not unworthy of a place beside the best lyrics produced during the latter half of the nine “ ’ h in te ent . century Margaret s Bridal Eve , for stance , led Swinburne to say in his Essays and Studies that it stands not very far below Rossetti ’ s ” t Sis er Helen , a poem which the same critic ranked “ as being out O f all sight or thought of expression ” the greatest ballad in modern English . In spite of such praise Meredith ruthlessly omitted the piece from all later collections of his poetry , and with as little hesitation pruned away the nearly “ ” flawless verses called The Meeting . It is inter esting to learn that this particular poem received the distinction of being praised by Thackeray at a time when he was almost a dictator in the world of THE JOURNEYMAN 7 7

English letters . The great novelist and editor said to Peacock who showed him the lines in manuscript , “ They have the true ring about them . Were it not my fate to make enemies of so many of mv contr ibu tors by not always being able exactly to m eet their ou Views , I should ask y to let your friend fill many ” or n hi ins i nifi pages of the C ll . These were no g cant words , but , flattering as they were , they seem , when one takes the subject of “ The Meeting ” into consideration , to exhibit Thackeray in the same unfortunate light as does the introductio n to Pen ” - f dennis that is , su fering from an Obsession of timidity . At all events the poem appeared for the Cor n hi ll O nce A Week first time not in , but in , where in compensation for its rejection by Thackeray , it was illustrated by Sir John Millais .

TH E ME ETING

The old c oa ch- r oa d thr ough a com m on of fur ze With kn olls of pin e r a n white ; er r es of a t m n t t s t es a n d r r s B i u u , wi h hi l bu ’ — And s i er t r ea s dr oo d in the t. p d h d , p ligh

The light in a thin blue ve il pe er e d s ick ; The s he ep gr a ze d c los e a n d s till ; The sm oke of a fa r m by a yellow r ick r r Cu le d la zily un de a hill .

No fly s hook the r oun d of the s ilver net; No insect the swift bir d cha se d ; On ly two tr a veller s m ove d a n d m e t

Acr os s tha t la zy wa s te .

O ne wa s a r it a a e t a t t r o e gi l w h b b h h v , Her r uin a n d her bli s s ; O ne wa s a youth with a la wle s s love r f or s Who c la spe d it the m o e thi . 78 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

The ir f or her a e m m e r a er s ee g l b b hu d p y ful p ch , The youth f or his love did pr a y ; Ea ch ca st a wistful look on ea ch ; And eit er en t ir h w the wa y. From these quotations at least two conclusions may be safely drawn , that Meredith was no mere poetaster, and that his work in verse showed a considerable growth in 1 862 beyond what it had been ten years before . Still , although poems by Meredith appeared now and then in the magazines , he did not see fit to collect them into a volume until twenty years 1 4 . 86 had gone by On the other hand , beginning in , he published three novels in three successive years , ” “ ” “ Sandra Belloni , Rhoda Fleming , and Vit toria . Of these the third is connected with the first in much the same way as Thackeray ’ s “ Virginians ” “ ” is related to Henry Esmond . The heroine ,

Emilia Alessandra Belloni , however , is the same in both stories ; and the steady growth of her character is continuously kept before the reader instead of its being presented at two contrasting periods of her ’ E s life , as was Thackeray s method with Beatrix ’ mond . Nevertheless , Meredith s two novels pre f ” sent several points of di ference . Sandra Belloni “ wa s originally called Emilia in England , a title 1 887 h which it kept until , and w ich indeed it should have retained , since it presents the experience of an ’ “ ” Italian exile s daughter . Vittoria, or as it might ” better have been called Emilia in Italy , relates the events in the life of the same young woman ’ after her arrival in her father s native land , and the identification of herself with the unsuccessful a t THE JOURNEYMAN 79 tempt which that country made in 1 849 to throw off two the Austrian yoke . In the novels dealing with the life of Emilia Belloni , therefore , peaceful Eng off land is set against troubled Italy , society small talk against political intrigue , enthusiasm for art against devotion to country , youthful sentiment f against womanly a fection , ridiculous scenes pro vocative of laughter against grim incidents ins pir ing horror , and pictures almost wholly lacking in tragic elements against those which are strongly colored by sorrow and bloodshed . But if “ Sandra Belloni ” stands in noticeably “ strong contrast to its sequel , its similarity to Evan ” Harrington is hardly less remarkable . In fact , had Meredith ’ s third novel been for any reason u p blished anonymously , its authorship would have been immediately suspected . The three daughters and the son of the Lym por t tailor simply reappear as the children of the City of London merchant , at least so far as there is concern with their social a m bition or with the ascendency which the three sisters in either novel had over their only brother . Nor is the truth of this comparison weakened by the daughters O f Samuel Pole being less strongly dif f er e ntia ted than those of Melchisedec Harrington, or by the fact that Evan Harrington in proving himself a man rose , while Wilfred , never becoming wholly sincere , steadily declined . That many of the minor characters in both novels should be much Goss tr e alike is of course little surprising , for Lady , B a r ffl i . Chill n wor th . u e Lady g , the Hon Mrs y , and eve n Edward B uxley a n d possibly Tracy Running 80 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH book must have moved in the same social circle

n . with Lady Jocely , Mrs Barrington , and Drum mond Forth . In addition to this likeness in char acter drawing , there is also a similarity of incident too striking to be overlooked . The picnic on Bes worth lawn is essentially a repetition of that which occurred at Beckley Court , even to the placing of the superior guests upon an eminence apart from the common crowd . The supper also in which the deli cate feelings of the sisters Pole were scourged by the vulgar Mrs . Chump inevitably suggests the dinner at which the Countess de Saldar and Caroline Strike writhed beneath the lash of hearing their father ’ s memory bandied about as a thing for sport and laughter .

Now and then , too , in Sandra Belloni Mere “ dith see m s to hark even further back than to Evan ” ’ B r a into s Harrington , since p admiration for Sandra is not wholly unsuggestive of Ripton Thompson ’ s r e worship of Lucy ; and Mrs . Chump occasionally calls Mrs . Berry . But in neither case is there any B r i . a nto strong appeal made to our sympathy p, in consequence , never appears other than foolish and

. of silly , nor Mrs Chump other than common and fensive . The latter , however , is of interest from V another point of iew, for she is a study in caricature ’ after Dickens s broadest style . Early pictured as “ a shock of blue satin to the eye ” and afterwards characterized as “ a Simmering pot of emerald ” ’ broth , she lives before us by virtue of Dickens s method of concentrating upon a striking trait . Her speech as represented by Meredith is hardly realistic THE JOURNEYMAN 81 or convincing in itself ; but it suddenly takes on ver sim ilitud e when the exasperated Adela Pole ’ bursts out with her characterization O f the woman s “ ! D O ? talk . Her brogue you remember it It is ’ ’ not simply Irish . It s Irish steeped in brine . It s pickled Irish ! ” Of course Dickens would not have written in just that way , but his custom of portray ing a person by making three or four ridiculous strokes of the pen has been pretty closely imitated .

In drawing Mrs . Chump , Meredith , it must be con ceded , availed himself of the privilege of being far cical ; but in so doing he barely escaped being r epul sive . Nevertheless , vulgar , coarse , and repellent as f Mrs . Chump is , there is su ficient reason for her existence since she is a righteous retribution — or to use the diction of criticism , an artistic nemesis , visited upon the Pole sisters for their assumption of u a pose which shows them to be only less v lgar , coarse, and repellent than she through their pos

- session of a greater subtilty in self expression .

Arabella , Cornelia , and Adela Pole stand as the O f embodiment of that attitude mind which , know ing itself to be wholly commonplace , still undertakes to deceive not only the world but itself also into the belief that it is possessed of innate grace and charm . This mental condition and the conduct to which it gives rise , Meredith looked upon as a phase of what “ ” he terms sentimentalism . As expressed in the three sisters , it shows that they felt themselves to be in exclusive possession O f the Nice Feelings and um surpassed in comprehension of the Fine Shades . This confidence on their part led to a proceeding 82 THE NOVELS O F GEORGE MEREDITH

which they called Mounting . That is , conscious of what they regarded as dross in those surrounding them and consequently to a certain extent contempt uous , they none the less were not unwilling to make use of others if by so doing they might advance “ ” “ themselves . To be brief , wrote Meredith , they were very ambitious damsels aiming at they knew not exactly what , save that it was something so wide that it had not a name , and so high in air that no one

’ ” could s e e it. For this reason they endured Mr .

Pericles because of his wealth , they associated with Lady Goss tr e because of her title and assured social position , and they decided to patronize Emilia hoping by means of her wonderful voice to become known a as a sort of triple modern M ecenas , a kind of earthly agent of the Muses . Nor did those more closely related to them escape ’ paying tribute to their ambition . Their father s success as merchant was the more gratifying , since it rendered possible their escape from a city circle ; but they had to admit that his unaspirated speech made them shudder . They thought themselves sin cere when they professed to love their father , but they could not bring themselves to look upon his in grammar as paternal . Their brother , too , an va lided h Cornet recently returned from India , t ey loved tenderly and admired when necessary . But coming to the conclusion that valor is not an in tell e ctua l quality , they soon exhausted their sensa i tions concern ng his deeds of arms , and fancied that he had served their purpose . All of which goes to

Show that they were certainly lacking in sincerity ,

84 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH strikingly similar to those which had brought about his humiliation in England . After becoming e n gaged to the Austrian Countess Anna von Lenken stein he again met Emilia whom three years of study had made a cantatrice of no ordinary ability . No more truly in love with her than before, he felt his earlier ambition revive , and attempted to repeat his trick of paying addresses to one woman while still bound in honor to another . Less uniformly suc c ess ful in his second experiment than in his first , he soon found the tables completely turned upon him . He received but cold treatment from Emilia and a colder dismissal from the Countess . Truly , senti mentalism led its possessor through thorny paths ; and Wilfred Pole must have felt it a hard school in which he learned the lesson , that he who will w not when he may , may not hen he will . Surely if the victim of his own insincerity awakened the in laughter of the gods his early disappointment, Olympus must have rung with their shouts when they gazed upon the boy-like chagrin with which h he received his second breec ing . In strong contrast with the Pole sisters and their E brother stands milia Alessandra Belloni , Mere ’ dith s first minute and elaborate presentation O f admirable womanhood . Endowed by her creator with all the graces , all the virtues , and all the powers, youth and beauty , simplicity and honesty , inspira tion and genius , Sandra was a favorite with Mere dith at the beginning and , according to those who ’ r e claim to know, was never in the author s mind placed as a study of ideal womanliness by any char THE JO URNEYMAN 85

acter of the later novels . Confident of her charm , ff yet never in any sense egotistical , she o ended only She f n the hypercritical when O fered to si g, assum ing without question the desire of her audience

to listen . Simple as Nature itself, she failed to com prehend the subtle reasoning which caused Cor

nelia Pole to conclude that the woods , the night , and the moon gave inspiration not elsewhere found . As “ sure as the Lady in Comus that virtue is its own

protection , she saw no cause for concealing her early

acquaintance with Captain Gambier, nor for hesi tating in later years to visit the offices of the disgust

ing Pericles .

Practical , too , she was calmly unconscious of the humor in her account of her careful preservation of the potatoes which her angry father used as

ammunition against her first lover . Unasham ed

of those whom she knew, she impulsively intro d uced Purcell Barrett , the poor organist , nor knew that she had erred , even when the sisters gave him v the three shades of distance , called respecti ely from the coldness of their recognition , Pole , Polar ,

and North Pole . Simple and sincere herself, she expected to find others no more complex or divided in mind than she , and in consequence , not for a moment did she suspect Wilfred as implying less than he said , when she sat with him beside the white Wil m in twisting fall of g Weir . Unsuspicious of his restless shallowness , she saw no reason to bind him

by promise . He loved her , she thought , as she loved him , and two souls so loving had no need of

spoken oath . Thoroughly convinced , therefore , 86 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

She of the righteousness of her belief in her lover , could see nothing strange or unwarrantable in her going to Samuel Pole for the purpose of asking his consent to her marriage with his son . No reader can be much surprised at the effect which her un con vention a l methods had upon the London merchant ; but the ludicrous conduct of the man when the fear comes upon him that Emilia is insane , makes neither her nor her pleadings in any degree ridiculous to us .

Despite her simple , trusting nature , however, Emilia did not lack in depth or in strength of char acter . True , she was struck down at the revelation ’ er fid Chillin wor th of Wilfred Pole s p y, when Lady g , intending to work ultimate kindness by means of present cruelty arranged that the girl should hear ’ her lover s disavowal of any affection for her ; but upon her recovery , delayed though it was by her other misfortunes , she adjusted herself to circum stances in a way which showed that her almost girlish conduct was the mere surface play of a truly estimable womanliness . Rendered somewhat less impulsive by her unhappy experiences , she grew more analytical of herself and of others , and finally came to see that she had the right to ask release from h a promise w ich kept her away from Italy , and upon receiving a refusal , to break that promise herself, in accordance with the dictates of duty and honor . This marked a decided development in her char b acter ; still , the reader is startled y the consummate d eed of retaliation which closed her life in England .

Poetic justice , however , was no more than fulfilled ’ in Lady Chillingwor th s being forced to hear Wilfred THE JOURNEYMAN Pole make as thorough a repudiation of her as he had formerly made of Emilia . Still it must not be overlooked that her ladyship rose to the occasion . With unconquerable aplomb she moved forward to say , I like a hand that can deal a good stroke . I conceived you to be a mere little romantic person and ” corr ect my mistake . The words are wise and fitted th e the situation . Moreover, thought which they expressed may stand for that which must exist in ’ many a reader s mind . Had Emilia left England without performing that act of chastisement , she would indeed have appeared but a mere little r o mantic person . The stroke as delivered , however , gave balance to her character a n d at the same time formed a fitting climax to the book which tells the ’ story of her early life . Without it, Meredith s third novel would have been far weaker than his second ; with it “ Sandra Belloni ” is distinctly stronger than “ ” Evan Harrington and certainly not unworthy of the hand which wrote “ The Ordeal of Richard ” Peverel . The opening chapter of Vittoria presented uh Emilia in new surroundings . She, however , was changed save that to the attributes which had made her admirable were now added a breadth of under standing and a perfection of vision which placed her character in full and stable equipoise . In Sandra Belloni ” she was always beautiful and “ ” attractive , in Vittoria she was stately and com

- manding . At the close of her three year study in the Milan Conservatory of Music, not only her voice but her womanhood as well rose from the 88 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

C hrysalis stage of youth , and hovered brilliantly above the hearts and souls of Young Italy . Patriot ism and heroism led her in spite of counter- edict and command , to sing the song which was to precipitate the uprising against Austrian oppression . Had the minds of those who listened , possessed but a part of the wisdom which was hers , the unification of Italy would have been immediately secured ; but her hearers convinced that the conclusions of man ’ s laborious intellectual study are superior to ’ those of woman s quick insight , made the half hearted response which ended in nothing but a reign of terror and useless bloodshed . Nor did fate permit Emilia to escape the havoc which the blind ness and timidity of men permitted to ensue . Never th el ess , the picture which Meredith gives of her at the very close of “ Vittoria ” shows that strength of mind , greatness of heart , and nobility of soul were hers . “ Merthyr delivered the burden of death . Her soul had crossed the darkness of the river of death in that quiet agony preceding the revelation of her ’ Maker s will , and she drew her dead husband to her bosom , and kissed him on the eyes and forehead , not as one who had quite gone away from her but as one who lay upon another Shore whither she would come . The manful friend , ever by her side , saved her by his absolute trust in her fortitude to bear the

burden of the great sorrow undeceived , and to walk

with it to its last resting place on earth unobstructed .

Clear knowledge of her , the issue of reverent love , enabled him to read her unequalled strength of THE JOURNEYMAN 89

nature , and to rely on her fidelity to her highest ” mortal duty in a conflict with extreme despair . “ On the whole , Vittoria , from some points of ’ view at least , is unique among Meredith s works . ’ is It that author s only historical novel , the only one of which the scenes are laid entirely out of England and of which the characters are almost exclusively ’ foreign to Meredith s native land . It seems not to have been , nor to be , very popular ; and the statement that it was the fruit of a visit to Italy during the Aus tro-Italian war ha s been met more than once by the semi- sarcastic remark that readers would have been better pleased had Meredith stayed at home .

This patronizing bit of criticism , was due of course, not so much to fact as to the brilliancy of the w who riter first uttered it , since the novel appeared in The F or tn ightly Revi ew from January 1 to Decem 1 1 866 ber , , at the very time when , acting as Italian The London M or ni n P os t correspondent for g , Mere dith was assumed to be collecting material for a book already written . However that may be , the failure of “ Vittoria ” to win ready acceptance from its author’ s admirers may be due to its being more emphatically a novel of incident than any of his other books ; for readers of Meredith are devoted to him, not because he can tell a story , but because he gives careful and minute studies O f character . If Meredith intended to write a novel which should strongly attract lovers of exciting action , he seems b e to have failed in his purpose , not perhaps cause the book itself is in any way undeserving of success , but probably because readers desiring 90 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH that kind of book had come to the conclusion that the author of Evan Harrington or of “ San ” dra Belloni could hardly write to please them .

If such really was the case , they stood in their own light , for , as a matter of fact , there is an onrush in the several chapters presenting the events im mediately preceding the abortive uprising , and in those relating the flight of Emilia , which must carry readers to the end . Moreover , there is a greater breadth and freedom of drawing than in any of ’ Meredith s earlier books ; and , indeed , it might be held with some Show of truth that he never again permitted himself equal liberty . Be that as it may , the chief defect , apparent to every reader , is that the great number of characters— there are one hun dred and nine— crowd the pages to such an extent that by the hopeless confusion of Austrians , Italians , and English ; men , women , and children ; patriots , traitors , and enemies ; poets , composers, and sing ers ; nobles , commons , and servants , one is both blinded and deafened , and is sometimes compelled to pause and wonder what it is all about . As the last novel written during Meredith ’ s period of journeyman work , Vittoria, whatever its de e fe ts , has at least the interest of showing that its writer was practically emancipated from everything which looks like the dominating influence of other No authors . w and then Meredith appears to have own borrowed from his earlier work , much as in Sandra Belloni he drew from Evan Harrington ” “ and The Ordeal of Richard F eve r el ; but so far as other novelists are concerned , the power which

92 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

’ them with horror . Woman s mission , however ,

being her perpetual precept , she felt at the age of y - twent three bound to put it in practice and , as she

was handsome and most handsomely endowed , a quite unobjectionable gentleman was discovered

who , for the honor of assisting her in her mission , a nd agreed to disembody himself in her great name ,

be lost in the blaze of Sir Charles . With his con

currence she rapidly produced eight daughters . A

son was denied her . Thus was the second genera di n Gr a n s o s . tion of denied a son Her husband ,

the quite unobjectionable gentleman , lost heart after

the arrival of the eighth , and surrendered his mind

to more frivolous pursuits . She also appeared to

lose heart ; it was her saintly dream to have a Charles . So assured she was that he was coming at last that she prepared male baby—linen with her own hands

for the disappointing eighth . When in that mo ’ v ment of creati e suspense , Dr . Bairam s soft voice ‘ ’ with sacred melancholy , pronounced A daughter ’ madam ! Mrs . Caroline Grandison covered her

face, and wept . She afterwards did penance for her want of resignation and relapsed upon religion ” and little dogs . These allusions to Richardson ’ s hero might pos s ibly be explained as the result of chance ; but it is

far more than a mere chance , it is a strongly influenced state of mind to which certain parts of “ ” Rhoda Fleming are due . The pursuit of Clarissa Harlowe by Richard Lovelace has little in common perhaps with the pursuit of Dahlia Fleming by Edward Bla ncove ; but the sincere repentance of THE JO URNEYMAN 93 the eighteenth century libertine and his earnest wish that his evil work had been left undone are too nearly like the deep and manly contrition of the London banker’ s son and his desire to make amends so far as in him lay to leave any doubt in a reader ’ s mind ’ of Meredith s marked indebtedness to Richardson .

The influence of Dickens and George Eliot , can hardly be so positively declared , although con i r s de a ble evidence of its probability is adducible . ” The plot of Rhoda Fleming , centring as it does about the deception practised by a nobleman ’ s son upon a young and pretty Kentish girl visiting her : uncle in London , is not in any essential unusual the situation is one which has been treated over and s tor v- over again , ever since the time when telling ’ began . To hold , then , that Dahlia s elopement with Edward is traceable either to Emily ’ s flight ’ with Steerforth , or to Hetty s misplaced confidence in Arthur Donnithor n would be setting up a claim too ’ easily refuted ; but to allege that Robert s search for Dahlia owes something to Peggotty ’ s journey to find ’ Emily , and to Adam s quest for Hetty is to make an assertion less easily disproved . The despairing hope with which the man in each case sets out, the inquiries which are so depressingly fruitless for a time , the endeavors which are wholly discouraging for many days, and the final discovery of the crushed and broken-hearted victim are too much alike for the reader not to feel , even if he cannot prove, that

George Eliot drew somewhat from Dickens , and that Meredith was not wholly uninfluenced by both of his older and popular contemporaries . 94 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

s In certain minor matters , also , other similaritie ’ are noticeable : Rhoda s dogged persistence in r e fusing to believe that Dahlia could have gone wrong must recall Adam ’ s long unshaken con ’ fid en ce Ed in Hetty ; Mrs . Lovell s remarks upon ward ’ s waywardness when she finds that Dahlia is ’ ’ but a farmer s daughter , suggests Rose Dartle s cruel indiff erence when she learns that Emily is a Yar ’ ’ mouth sailor s child ; and Robert s refusal to allow Edward even a moment with Dahlia brings to mind the essential particulars of the scene between Adam

and Arthur in the wood . Again , the effect which Edward ’ s letter has upon Dahlia is not unlike that ’ ’ which Arthur s has upon Hetty ; Dahlia s consent to marry Sedge tt— a deed by which her family hopes ’ to restore her to respectability— suggests Hetty s first contemplations of her possible marriage with

Adam , after she has been cast off by Arthur ; and

finally , so far as matters of plot are concerned , Adam ’ s marriage to Dinah Morris at least remotely

calls to mind the union of Robert and Rhoda .

- In character drawing, too , certain similarities may

be pointed out . Dahlia and Rhoda as sisters make “ one think of Nancy and Priscilla L a m m eter in Silas

Marner , while the group gathered in the Pilot Inn is not unsuggestive of a far more successful piece of fi r e drawing , the company which sat around the i “ ” place n the kitchen of The Rainbow . Certainly Meredith suff ers here in comparison with George

Eliot . The woman painted a scene which is natural , ’ convincing and life- like ; but the man s picture is

without verisimilitude , for it is not too much to say

96 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH book upon the market before he could give it the

careful revision which was his custom , appears with a regularity almost computable ; yet the ex cuse can hardly reconcile one to defects which are characteristic of the tyro rather than of the ex e r ie n ce p d novelist . It would seem far better not to blink the fact , but to admit fairly and squarely , that Meredith was out of his element when he a t tempted to present the yeoman character . At all events , he certainly learned his lesson , Since he never again saw fit to centre the plot of a novel around any but those whose social instincts were actually fine or presumably so . The field in which he could do his best was wide enough without the n eed of an attempt on his part to enlarge its boundaries and ’ to trespass upon George Eliot s ground . Fortunately the result of Meredith ’ s mistaken ambition was not an absolute failure . Indeed , whatever lack of finish the story may show, how “ ever crude it may seem here and there , Rhoda Fleming ” is neither to be ignored nor to be regarded ’ lightly . If the frequent allusion to their mother s Bible fails to surround the two sisters with the r e ligious atmosphere which envelops Dinah Morris Bl a ncove and Adam Bede, the repentance of Edward is more real and convincing than Arthur Donni ’ incons is thorne s remorse . If Robert Eccles is an a tent character through his appearing now yokel , now a brute , now a blackguard , and now a gentle ’ man , Major Waring s unwavering refinement makes him always attractive , noble , and admirable . If ’ Mrs . Lovell s life in India and the incident of the THE JOURNEYMAN 97 blood-spotted handkerchief are so briefly touched upon as to leave the reader in a quandary , the careful study and minute delineation of Rhoda are s uffi cientl y satisfying to awaken sympathy , although her convictions may not themselves gain approval . Nor is it too much to apply the over-worn epithet of “ Shakespearean to a work in which the idea of nemesis is so consistently worked out . Farmer Flem ing visited a severe punishment upon his daughter

Rhoda, because of her sympathy for a girl who had w andered from the path of virtue , and the time came when the disgrace of his beloved Dahlia was a burden almost too great for him to bear . Rhoda pitilessly insisted that Dahlia against her will should r Sed ett SO mar y g , and in doing she produced con ditions which all but forced her into an unwilling union with Algernon Bl a ncove . Edward abandoned

Dahlia, when he mistakenly supposed that he had n grow wholly tired of her, and was afterwards forced to learn that repentance , although it may gain forgiveness , cannot revive a love which cruelty and neglect have crushed . In other words , the book teaches with no uncertain tone that char own acter is its punishment , its own reward , its own destiny . As clearly from the lips of Meredith as from the mouth of the Apostle issues the message “ Be not deceived ; God is not mocked ; for what ” soever a man soweth that sha ll he also reap . “ Rhoda Fleming ” and “ Vittoria ” were the last sustained works produced by Meredith in the first period of his career as novelist . During the next few years , a review or a poem signed by his name 98 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH might be occasionally chanced upon in the maga O f zines the time ; but on the whole , Meredith for some reason preferred to keep silence . Had he per in u sisted s ch preference , it may be almost safely as s er ted that his n ame would not now be remembered m or, if re embered , as that of an author of one book , “

n Fever el . amely , The Ordeal of Richard At 1 87 0 best , indeed , he had done little more by than furnish an example in proof O f Oliver Wendell Holmes ’ s comment at his Breakfast Table Every articulately- speaking human being has in ff him stu for one novel in three volumes duodecimo . There is great danger that a man ’ s first life

story shall clean him out , so to speak , of his best

thoughts . Most lives , though their stream is loaded

with sand and turbid with alluvial waste , drop a few

golden grains of wisdom as they flow along . Often

times a single cradling gets them all , and after that the poor man ’ s labor is only rewarded by mud and ” worn pebbles . To regard Evan Harrington and the three n ovels succeeding it as no better than th e silt washed down by the gold - bearing river would be to do them mani it fest injustice ; yet is little doubtful , that in many e n respects , each of the stories , when viewed in its “ tir e t The r Fev y, is inferior to O deal of Richard l ” e r e . That book , far from successful as it was in n ow attracting readers at the time of its appearance , stands out even among the great novels of Mere ’ dith s famous contem poraries as a piece O f rare

workmanship . Still , the later books , when taken in a h contr st with the first , ex ibit in matters of detail a

THE MASTER-WORKMAN

TH E P ERIO D O F FREE I NVENTIO N TH E ADVENT ” “ ’ URES O F H ARRY RICH MO ND BEAU CH AM P S ” “ ” ” CAREER SH ORT S TO RIES TH E EGO IST “ ” TH E TRAGIC C O MED IANS .

TH E career of the artisan is largely determined by the continuous co- operation of two forces power and ambition . Either without the other scarcely ever produces a resultant of any a ppr eci able value , but when the two forces are properly balanced , they are mutually corrective , since the possession of power tends to prevent idle dreaming, and a clearly perceived goal is an incentive to per severance . Now , not all of those whose fortune it is to become journeymen preserve the balance of inner forces , which leads eventually to master workmanship . Either there is a lack of true pro portion between their ambition and their power, or their vision for some reason becoming dull , they are content to sit down by the highway rather than to follow it to the end . Others , however , press on to complete success . Now and then , a man reconciles himself in the days of his apprenticeship to the hard b la or , the disciplinary task , and the irksome com THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 01

mand , because he is wise enough to see that endur

ance of these things is necessary to his training . In the succeeding years when as journeyman he is to a own large extent his master, but still has to listen to the orders of an employer, he does not fall into dis cour a ge m ent because of harsh and perhaps unjust criticism , nor does he permit himself to rest satisfied with his past accomplishments because they have called out approving or flattering commendations . too - confid e nt On the contrary , self to be over de pressed , and too sane to be unduly elated , he gathers strength from within and from without to strive still for the full realization of his purpose ; until at last having reached the goal , he has the right to

say , with that mingled humility and pride which is

true greatness ,

n n n n I sta d o m y a tta i m e t.

O f - The criteria a master workman are various .

Some , of course , are far more important than others . Most striking of all perhaps is that self-trust which

caused Horace to say , that he had builded in his “ ” Odes a monument more lasting than bronze , and which led Shakespeare to prophesy eternal life for “ ” his Sonnets . This confidence, indeed , does not

always express itself in words , for mere persist ence in following out theories in spite of adverse criticism is evidence that a man considers his work

good . Every piece of art so placed before the world ,

whether it be a painting , a symphony , or a book is a “ challenge . Its maker is really saying ; I hear your a c criticism , I admit that I do not seem to follow the 1 02 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH ce ted p canons of art ; but look at my work , judge for ” own yourselves , and let it stand or fall by its worth . -confid ence Had it not been for this fearless self , grow ing out of the knowledge that art is for man and not man for art, the world would have been poorer by the lack of the best works of such painters and sculptors u as Raphael and Angelo , of s ch musicians as Bee thoven and Wagner , and of such poets as Words worth and Tennyson and Browning . Usually , how if ever , a man will but continue to force his work upon the world long enough , he will at last extort e consideration , since contempt for destructive riti c is m has a charm which eventually attracts attention and wins admiration . Popularity , therefore , partie ula r ly if it comes after a period of indifference and if it Shows any tendency to remain permanent, may be regarded as a second indication that one is a - O f master workman . But a far more conclusive test such attainment , for popularity indeed may appear ’ at almost any time in one s career, is the publication of studies and commentaries by others , and the appearance of imitations more or less faithful . The former will range all the way from those which in sist that there is nothing whatever of good in the works under discussion , to those which claim that an acquaintance with them is the final Shibboleth of culture ; the latter will include , as extremes , the exact Copy which is too nearly perfect to be called a plagiarism , and the work which shows its maker to have been a student of his master ’ s methods rather than of his mannerisms . If these four marks are admitted to be true signs

1 04 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

the poet of despair , Swinburne , the poet of con te m tuous p discontent ; and Tennyson , the poet of uncer faith and hope , each spoke of him in no tain words of praise ; critics like Symons and Saints bury and Dowden delighted to do him honor ; and novelists varied all the way in their expressions of approval from the extreme worship of Stevenson to ’ - Mrs . Humphry Ward s restrained , but true hearted “ exclamation , The Master of us all , George Mere ! ” dith Finally , it is of no little importance in this connection to learn that a Scotch university , never very prodigal of such honors , conferred upon him the degree of LL . D . ; and also that when the death of Tennyson in 1 892 left the British Society of

Authors without a President , no word of dissent marred the prompt election of Meredith as the Poet ’ Laureate s fittest successor . ’ But although the second half O f Meredith s life may be looked upon as a period of realized ambi - 1 870 tion , the work of the two score years following ,

homogeneous as it appears from some points of view,

still permits the classification already spoken of, into the novels produced in the decade when his invention

allowed itself free play , and those written during the ten years when his interest concentrated itself upon a study O f problems presented by ill- sorted

marriage . The eight novels of the whole period a r e alike in that they show their author to be completely emancipated from any obvious outside

influence ; but , none the less, the grouped works of these two decades of later composition are so strongly distinguished from each other in many THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 05

respects , that either may be made the subject of separate observation . The third period of Meredith ’ s literary produc “ tion , then , may be characterized as free in two : senses of the word free , in that the writer was no longer hampered by the study of models ; free , also , from the much higher and more important point of view that he showed himself possessed of a range of vision , a power of analysis , and an originality of style, which gave him a unique place among Eng “ lish novelists . The Adventures of Harry Rich ” mond , it may be urged in partial proof of this claim , ’ is Meredith s only example of autobiographical fic

— tion that is , in the sense of its being written in the “ ’ ” first person ; Beauchamp s Career is his strongest “ ” political novel ; The Egoist is the most striking study in literature of character dominated by a single “ ” trait ; and The Tragic Comedians , since Meredith himself disclaimed the charge that “ Diana of the Crossways ” was founded upon an episode in the ’ life of the Honorable Mrs . Norton , is the author s only essay in the presentation of a plot dealing with persons who actually lived , and with events which really took place . In matter of form , Meredith , with even more conspicuous success than in his earlier work, managed to weld the theory of the comedy to that of the novel . And , finally, a return with increased power to the use of the epigrammatic style which was “ ” characteristic of The Shaving of Sh a gpa t and of “ ” Fever el The Ordeal of Richard , made him widely quotable for his wit , but unfortunately also laid him

bare to the charge of being wilfully obscure . 1 06 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

The Adventures of Harry Richmond , which ’ opened this third decade of Meredith s literary life, Cor n hill made its first appearance in the , where , em b ellished with full - page illustrations by George d u 1 870 Maurier, it ran from September , , until

1 87 1 . November, Immediately upon its completion o u here , it was published in book form , and its p p la r ity was so great that a second edition wa s called for within two months . For the benefit of the curious in such matters , it may be said that this ’ novel is Meredith s longest story , for in the limited uniform edition of the works it consists of fifty-six chapters printed upon seven hundred and sixty

- demi octavo pages . The number of characters , too , is remarkably large, there being one hundred and “ - — O r sixty nine , that is , more than appear in The “ ” deal of Richard Peverel and Sandra Belloni taken together, and as many more than are found in “ Vittoria ” as there are personages in “ Rhoda ” Fleming . Unimportant as these details are in them selves , we are forced to regard them as giving some foundation to the frequently repeated charge that the story is a rambling one . Certainly , it is far less compact than any which preceded it ; and the events , it cannot be denied , are often episodic and some times digressive rather than Obviously integral parts of a unified plot . The scene of the action , more of over, touches all the continents the Eastern Hem ispher e ; and characters appear from every important European district except Russia and the Sc a ndin a vian peninsula . On the other hand , no such con fusion arises in the mind of the reader who follows

1 08 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

l . a royal His preposterous claims , which he himself most believed authentic , his extravagant conduct, which by its originality held ridicule and laughter very nearly in check ; his astute planning, which came close to uniting his son with the Princess of a German

State , go far indeed toward winning the reader to his side . Nevertheless , Meredith by causing Roy Richmond to fail again and again at the moment when success is almost within reach , awakens sup pressed ironic laughter . Roy Richmond , therefore , ’ is no mere caricature in Dickens s style , nor , what “ ” ever the author O f Sentimental Tommy has to say to the contrary , is he to be compared with Thack ’ cray s Barry Lyndon : rather he is the consummate production of that side of Meredith’ s genius which

l . . Co esb created Mrs Berry , Tom gg y, Mr Pericles , and Anthony Hackbut . The charge is sometimes made that a man like Roy Richmond could not in real life be crushed by the discovery that the source of his mysterious in come is Dorothy B elth a m instead of a frightened government eager to buy his silence . His repent ance , too , after his unexpected and overwhelming convm cm defeat , it is said , is hardly g, and is cer inl ta . y the weakest part of the story Perhaps ; still , even if these charges be admitted without question , the earlier chapters describing his life with his boy are well nigh perfect ; so nearly perfect in fact that they would save any novel from oblivion . Nor does

Roy Richmond , in spite of all his defects , ever wholly lose the splendor which there irradiates him . He must have been a wonderful father— yet Meredith THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 09 n ever makes him so wonderful as to appear im poss i ble . Whether he was a caravan of wild beasts or the interpreter of Punch and Judy , whether he l ta ked to Harry of Nelson or of Pitt , he must have a — been rare delight ; and , beyond a doubt, supreme joy was the lot of a child whose father could make all the mighty characters of Shakespeare ’ s plays live in one grand fantasy ! “ The scene where Great Will killed the deer, dragging Falstaff all over the park after it by the ’ light of Bardolph s nose , upon which they put an extinguisher , if they heard any of the keepers , and so left everybody groping about catching the wrong person , was the most wonderful mixture of fun and tears . Great Will was extremely youthful but everybody in the park called him Father William and when he wanted to know which way the deer had gone , King Lear punned and Lady Macbeth waved a handkerchief for it to be steeped in the blood of the deer ; Shylock ordered one pound of the carcass ; Hamlet offered him a three-legged stool ; and a num ber of kings and knights and ladies lit their torches ’ flew from Bardolph s nose ; and away they , distract ing the keepers and leaving Will and his troop to ff follow the deer . That poor thing died from a di er ent weapon at each recital , though always with a flow of blood and a successful dash of his antlers into Falstaff ; and to hear Falstaff bellow ! But it was mournful to hear how sorry Great Will was over the animal he had slain . He spoke like music . I found it pathetic in spite of my knowing that the ’ whole scene was lighted up by Bardolph s nose . 1 1 0 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

’ When I was just bursting out crying— for the deer s tongue was lolling out and quick pantings were at his side ; he had little ones at hom %Gr ea t Will r e membered his engagement to sell Shylock a pound of

the carcass ; determined that no Jew could eat of it , he bethought him that Falstaff could well spare ee f a pound , and he said the Jew would not s the di fer ence Falstaff only got off by hard running and roaring out that he knew his unclean life would make him ” taste like pork , and thus let the Jew into the trick . The boy among whose earliest recollections was the memory of such a story as this , exhibits through out his life a likeness to his father which is not usual in literature . Novelists frequently present parents

and their children in the same book , b ut seldom would the relationship be suspected if there were not some assurance or some hint that it existed ; but here the character of Harry Richmond is so colored as “ to make the reader exclaim now and again : That ’ ! ” boy is his father s own child In his development , it is true , he shows a certain tendency to weakness , which as much interferes with his being unfailingly attractive as it makes him different from his father .

This , however , cannot be looked upon as a refutation of the similarity suggested , for no son is exactly like his father , but inherits only certain traits from him . Nor can it be held that the alleged similarity rests upon insufficient foundation because the younger

man never acts in precisely the same way as the older . Family traits are most generally seen in some turn of the head , some movement of the hand , or some use of words rather than in any extended line of

1 1 2 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

one of the most natural boys in English fiction .

Shortly after his arrival in the court of Prince Ernest , however , he unexpectedly develops into a youth capable of making most violent love . This sudden leap forward startles the reader somewhat ; and by the time things are readjusted , Harry Richmond has ceased to be of any special interest Save in so far as he ’ is a tool of his father s colossal ambition . The em bers of his youth , it is true , do occasionally send fitful up a glow or aspiring flash , but Harry Rich mond unfortunately never fulfills the promise of his childhood .

For a time , at least , around this young man as a centre there move , in addition to his father , four characters of no mean importance , his grandfather , B elth a m River sl e Squire of y Grange ; his aunt , Dor othy B elth a m ; and the two women who regard him with romantic attachment , Janet Ilchester and the E n z n - r keld Princess Ottilia of ppe wel e S a . The Squire is a straight-forward sturdy character not unlike ” Jonathan Eccles in Rhoda Fleming, though he is thrown into much higher relief than the Hampshire farmer . He least of all is befooled by Roy Rich mond ; and not only in this respect , but in others as f ew well , stands out as one of the wholly sane char a cter s in the book . He belongs , therefore , in the class which includes Mrs . Mel from Evan Harring ” ” B a ld er ini ton , Agostino from Vittoria , and “ possibly Major Waring from Rhoda Fleming .

Coarse and blunt he may be , but he sees clearly and he speaks with sincerity . In that last scene which takes place at London not many days before his THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 1 3

death , he rises almost to grandeur . Desirous of sparing his daughter as much as possible , yet dis gusted with her foolish infatuation for her dead ’ sister s husband ; filled with righteous contempt for -in -la w his son , but not unmindful that the man is ’ Harry s father ; yearning with love for his grandson , but embittered by the knowledge of his wilful blind ness ; he bursts out in a masterly invective against n Roy Richmo d , which at last compels that arch be charlatan to restrain his insolence, and to cower of - Never the fore the storm well deserved abuse . in im os si less , there is that him which makes it not p B elth a m ble that Dorothy should be his daughter .

If he is sturdy , she is persistent ; when he is nursing r his w ath , she is cherishing her affections ; when he stands ready to crush , she is eager merely to restrain .

Unfortunately , she is never at any time thrown into er m e very great prominence , but , none the less , she p ates the book and adds a sweetness to what without her would sometimes be acid or bitter , and sometimes fla or le s v s or insipid . two The younger women , the Princess Ottilia and

Janet Ilchester , present an interesting contrast . The former idealized Harry Richmond , the latter saw him

as he was ; the former was romantic , sentimental ; the

- latter far seeing, sensible ; the former was governed : by the heart , the latter by the head yet the former was not unlike Sandra Belloni in many respects , and the latter was not without some likeness to Clare Fo d is s a oints r ey. Each of them to some extent pp the ’ reader who is hardly reconciled to O ttilia s content ing herself with Prince Hermann ; and the strange 1 1 4 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH aberration of mind which permitted Janet to engage herself to the Marquis of Edbury is almost incr ed

— ible . Surely the well balanced intellect of the Eng lishwom a n would have prevented her from taking such a step out of mere pique at Harry Richmond ’ s apparent indifference ; and it would equally have stifled in the very beginning any such quixotic whim as marrying a man to reform him . Her escape at the stroke of the hour, however , must seem some ’ thing like a straining of the novelist s art ; but of course the eternal fitness of things demanded that she should be saved from the Marquis . Still , her later marriage to young Richmond suggests that she was not over- successful in steering her course

between Scylla and Charybdis , since it is a serious question whether her life could be happier in losing

a rake , only to take up with a stick . “ The Adventures of Harry Richmond is thought ’ by some to have been inspired by Marryat s J a phe t in Search of a Father but no very careful reader of the two books will feel that any real connection ex

is ts . The statement in all probability was first made by some hasty critic who was perhaps analogy- mad

and therefore saw what he was most eager to see .

As a matter of fact , two novels could hardly be more

widely separated or be more unlike . Nor can the claim that Stevenson ’ s “ Prince Otto ” had its sources ’ in Meredith s novel be given much more credence . It is true that the younger novelist ’ s book received almost unstinted praise from Meredith ; it is likewise true that Stevenson worshipped the elder writer

nearly to the verge of sentimentality , and took much

1 1 6 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH But it is not too much to say that those who took “ ” “ Phin n a nd delight in Phineas Phineas Redux , both preceding the publication of Meredith ’ s political few novel by only a years , and who likewise found “ ’ ” pleasure in The Duke s Children , a book which followed it by three or four, must have felt that the atmosphere of Meredith ’ s work was not unlike that ’ of Trollope s splendid series . Further than this , however , the comparison cannot be carried , for Phineas Phinu has little in common with Nevil Glencor a Beauchamp , and Palisser reminds one not n r i n at all of R e e é de C o s el or of Cecilia Halkett . Of greater interest and of more importance than this faintly possible connection with Marryat and “ ’ Trollope is the fact that Beauchamp s Career , flanked on either hand by six remarkable pieces of

fiction , shows itself almost inextricably bound to both groups . That is , the novel seems to have been the product of much that went before as it was the anticipation of not a little that followed . In the first place , politics had been introduced as a minor element in “ The Adventures of Harry Rich ” mond , the book immediately preceding it , and the who criticism directed by Dr . Shrapnel against those “ ” accented the Ego was a foretaste of The Egoist .

Again , Meredith here kept up his attacks upon sen tim enta lism whenever it appeared , whether as ideal or ism as insincerity ; and , furthermore , strongly hinted at the inadequacy of commonly accepted ideas m of arriage . Thus there can be found in the book the informing ideas which permit the threefold grouping of Meredith ’ s novels into those making war THE MASTER- WORKMAN 1 1 7

m e upon sentimentalis , thos ridiculing egotism , and those proving the insufficiency of the conventional attitude towards the marriage question . Even more striking still is the strong family relation “ ’ ” ship which the characte rs O i Beauchamp s Career ’ be ar to those of Meredith s earlier novels . Rosamond

Culling, both because of her position in Everard ’ Rom fr ey s house and because of her regard for Nevil

Beauchamp , is near to being a reproduction of the Lady Blandish who suffered from the tongue of gossip ’ and cared for Richard Peverel with a mother s love . f . Rom r e Mr y himself is , of course , not at all like the lord of Raynham Abbey , but he must suggest in more h ways than one Squire B elt a m of Rive r s ley Grange .

- - Great aunt Beauchamp , a sort of half hidden force in the background , recalls those elderly women , ’ Mrs . Grantley in Meredith s first novel and Mrs .

Bonner in his second . Seymore Austin has far more ' in common with Aus tin Wentwor th than the mere accident of name ; and the attitude of Beauchamp towards the former permits comparison with that of Richard towards his older cousin . Dr . Shrapnel , Ka r ste too , is Professor Von g written large ; and Renee de Cr ois n el is almost undoubtedly a replica E en wel z en of Ottilia of pp , as Cecilia Halkett is of

Janet Ilchester ; but it must be immediately added , on one hand , that the French woman is less attrae tive than the German princess , and , on the other , that the Colonel ’ s daughter is much superior to Squire ’ B elth a m s distant relative . Great as is the contrast between the appearances of Renee and of Ottilia in g r e En land , and between the attitudes which their 1 1 8 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH s ective p lovers take towards them , the two events and the attendant circumstances have sufficient in common to Show that they must have sprung from the same creative mind . At this point therefore, Nevil Beauchamp and Harry Richmond become at least tangent to each other ; and the later engage ment of Janet Ilchester to Lord Edbury may almost permit itself to be called an intersection with the Tuckh a m marriage of Cecilia Halkett to Blackburn . “ ’ Yet Beauchamp s Career , as might be hastily concluded , is no mere presentation of old puppets in N new relationships . evil Beauchamp and Cecilia

Halkett , at least , stand out in bold relief ; and can hardly be looked upon as inferior to the greatest of ’ Meredith s creations . Certainly with the possible ex “ ” ce tion Am m ia n i p of Carlo in Vittoria , Beauchamp is the most interesting study in male portraiture b e Vil h tween Richard Fe ve r el and V loug by P a tter n e . two It is true that he wavered between loves , as did Wilfred Pole and Harry Richmond , and thus betrayed a weakness which Meredith expects his

readers to condemn , but he possessed much greater

force of character than either of these men , and a more attractive personality than either Evan Harring l or B a ncove . ton Edward Chivalrous , impulsive , w ready to dra upon the slightest provocation , he often carried those who did not sympathize with his political ideas to ground whither they least wanted

- to go . Over mastered by his heart when he first e Cr oisnel knew Rene de , he was disappointed to fi nd a l her less influenced by passion than by fear,

though later , when reason had asserted itself, he

1 20 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

disappointment . She loved Nevil Beauchamp , but her affection did not blind her to his fundamental

weakness . Even such limitations as her education imposed upon her thought did not greatly lessen that all - inclusive quality of mind for which grandeur is

hardly too strong a term . The silence with which she endured the assumption of her father and of R om fr e Everard y, that women are incapable of deep

thought or of clear insight , is evidence that she pos sessed the very powers which those men denied to her

sex . Indeed , her attitude went far towards putting them in the wrong ; for her strength of character in

- abstaining from self defence , threw the burden of proof upon them ; and it became evident that they were sentimentalists , blindly accepting traditional ’ ideas about woman s place in the world . It is a trifle hard , perhaps , to reconcile this side of Cecilia ’ H a lke tt s character with that which permitted her to ’ receive Blackburn Tuckh a m s proposal at a time when she must have been confident that Nevil Beau f champ was on his way to make o fer of his hand . But Meredith seldom presents his readers with ideal con ditions , that is with conditions which are ideal from the sentimental point of view . He is a realist in the sternest sense of the term ; and his problem is the presentation of man and woman in the making, of

man and woman struggling, albeit with many re of verses , towards that perfection soul which Mere dith himself believes is the purpose and secret of this ’ world s existence . In his discussion of this problem Meredith feels it pertinent to give time to the study of the una THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 2 1

wakened as well as to the wakened , to those who are content to remain in bondage as well as to those who have heard the call to freedom . This , then , is the ’ reason for Reneé de Cr oisnel s existence . She is very beautiful ; she is attractive to everyone of those impulses of passion which have caused the heart of man to hold his intellect in subjection ; she is , it tem ta might almost be said , an embodiment of the p tion which the monks of the middle ages saw in every woman— the temptation which sought to bind the soul to earth and to stifle s every aspiration to spiritu m ality . The asceticis of the old churchmen would undoubtedly have been termed a sentimentalism by d Meredith , but he could not have enied that in their crude way , they were endeavoring to give voice to a criticism of their age which he constantly preached “ against his own . It sounded loudly in The Ordeal ” Fever el wa s of Richard ; it not absent , although “ breathed more gently , in Evan Harrington , and in the two novels dealing with Sandra B ellon ils ” career ; it rose to shrillness in Rhoda Fleming ; and with changed qualities of tone it persisted in those pages which dealt with the Princess Ottilia ’ i Cr o sn el . and Renee de The conclusion , however , is not to be drawn that Meredith looked upon the presence O f passion in men and women as working a necessary degradation of character . If that had been his attitude , he would himself have deserved the shafts of ridicule which he was directing against the world as painted in the characters and the inci of dents his novels . His hope was to make mankind see that passion must be subdued to intellect before 1 22 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

there can be any great growth of soul ; and that , as a necessary corollary, woman will remain the tempt ress , just so long as men act upon the tacit under standing that she exists as the coy but willing vic tim of his pleasure . The long continued and wide extended acceptance of this interpretation of the use of women , has produced , according to Mere dith , a false balance in society , and he felt that it was his mission to point out that the resulting evil a c is working its own punishment . Women who cept the conditions either actively or passively , either knowingly or blindly , he thought , must be brought to see that they themselves perpetuate the degradation from which they suffer most ; and men who persist in believing that women have not grown beyond what they were in the childhood of the race own retard thereby not only their advancement , but the progress of the world as well . So must we “ go on , said Meredith in The Sage Enamoured and ” the Honest Lady ,

n t t ose t a in who s r in the r oot a nd a r e U il h w , p g The no e e in i ision t a tr ot k wl dg d v , pligh h Of e qua l ha n ds ; n or l onge r cir cula te A pious token f or the ir cur r en t coin T o r o a t the e x a n e t e m a te a n d m a te g wl ch g ; h y, , Fa ir fem in ine a nd m a sculine s ha ll j oin on a n er a in s t om m on m o Up upp pl , ill c uld , er e s ta m e r e on a n d r e e t e a e Wh p d ligi , fl c iv p c sta te er m e a s r e a n d the oo of o A li u , h p g ld ’ r i n f r r Roun ds to ho zo o th e soul s e m b a ce . The n s ha ll the se n oble s t of the e a r th a n d sun n x n o I m i u like t wa ve s on s a va ge s e a . ’ ’ B ut n ot till Na tur e s l a ws a n d m a n s a r e one ” Ca n m a r r i a ge of the m a n a n d wom a n be .

1 24 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH to The Ti m es not so very long ago created some

flurry . It was called out by what Meredith himself wa s had to admit , the result of mistaken zeal on the part of certain women who attempted to obtain by an irregularity what they could not get by due proc ess of law . True to the methods which he fol w in lo ed all his novels he approved where he could , but he did not hesitate to disapprove where necessity seemed to require . In part he wrote “ The choicer spirits of men do now see that women en have brains , and can be helpful to the hitherto tir ely dominant muscular creature who allowed them some degree of influence in return for servile fla tter ies and the graceful undulations of the snake

— admired , yet dreaded . Women must have brains to have emerged from so long a bondage . In the present instance , it is the very excellence of their case a m that infl es them . The mistake of the women has been to suppose that John Bull will move sensibly for a solitary kick . It makes him the more stubborn , and such a form of r e m on sta nce with him alienates the decorous among the sisterhood , otherwise not adverse to an emancipation of their sex . It cannot be repeated , if the agitating women are to have the backing of their sober sisters . Yet it is only by repe tition of this manner of enlivening him that John

Bull (a still unburied old gentlemen , though not much alive) can be persuaded to move at all . There fore , we see clearly that the course taken by the suf fr a gists was wrong in tactics . It may be argued likewise that the punishment inflicted on them h a s magnified the incident foolishly . THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 25 Meredith ’ s later radicalism in politics and his earlier sympathy with the Liberal party have more than once been the cause of some carping on the part of those who cannot reconcile his holding such political ideas with his having served as an editor about 1 860 upon The Ips wi ch Jour n a l and The or i P M n n os t. g Both of these papers , it is true , were organs of the Tory party , but there was noth ing o ccurring at that time in political England which could lay Meredith Open to the charge of ins incer ity in writing leaders for the periodicals mentioned .

It is said , however , that he found the work irksome , although he did sometimes take up the cudgels against members of his own party when he thought that their enthusiasm carried them too far . It was in this spirit that he wrote

With Mr . Cobden to interpret the laws to us ,

Mr . Bright to regulate their application , and Mr . e Peas to control our passions , we are likely to do well . Were England subjected to the rule of the m f n triu virate, our di ficulties with foreign ations would be short . Mr . Cobden would declare them to be in the right , Mr . Bright would proclaim us to be in the wrong , and then the final adjuration of

Mr . Pease to lead us to adopt brotherly love as our emblem would come in with singular sweetness and ” unction . ’ This passage is unmistakably in Meredith s own now style , as are many others buried in old files of the papers to which they were contributed . Their author practised no economy in his flow of trenchant humor and biting satire when he thought occasion 1 26 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

. a l called for a display of wit A further extract , though having no great bearing politically , may be given to Show how Meredith dealt with other mat ters of public interest . It was currently reported , it seems , that Lord Palmerston , the Liberal Prime in di Minister, was to be called into court by an g nant husband . The situation was too ludicrous for ’ - Meredith s gravity , and he felt compelled to give way to the inspiration of the Comic Muse . After a long article on the matter he summed up his ideas in these words “ But rumor is a wicked old woman . Cannot something he done to stop her tongue ? Surely one who is an octogenarian might be spared . We are a moral people, and it does not become us to have our Premier , agile though he be , bandied about derisively like a feathered shuttlecock on the reckless battlefield of scandal . For ourselves , hear we r e ing much , have nevertheless been discreetly served , but now the veil is drawn by a portion of the

Press , and not so delicately but that the world is taught pretty plainly things concerning the Eternal ff Youth in o ice , and the fatal consequences of his toasts to the ladies which may make some of them blush . We are indeed warned that nothing less than an injured husband has threatened and does really intend to lay an axe to the root of our Pre mier ’ s extraordinary successes in a certain awful court . We trust that rumor again lies ; but that she

is allowed to speak at all , and that men believe her

and largely propagate her breathings , is a terrible comment on the sublime art of toasting the ladies

1 28 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

tendencies of its author on on e hand to pile figure upon figure and on the other to force some simile or metaphor to curvet and caper until the reader grew ’ - dizzy . This lack of self restraint on Meredith s part undoubtedly contributed to prevent the book from gaining any marked popularity ; and possibly

his whimsical statement in an early chapter , that the

reader need not look for any plot in the story , was

not without similar influence . Just what Meredith

meant by such a warning is not very clear, for cer ta inly the novel has far greater unity than had its

immediate predecessor , and it is hardly less rich in variety of incident than Evan Harrington ” or even “ Vittoria Perhaps Meredith intended to imply nothing more than that he was incapable of weaving plots of such complexity as made the

fame of Wilkie Collins and Charles Reade . If

this is the conclusion to be drawn , he certainly had

the courage of his convictions , for in his next book , “ ” The Egoist , he showed that interest may be awak ened and enthusiasm carried to the highest pitch by an extended work of fiction which is as bare as a rock of even the suspicion of a plot . All that Mere dith undertook to do in the seven hundred pages of what has come to be regarded as his greatest work was to Show how a young woman broke an unwel ’ “ come engagement . Defoe s Robinson Crusoe may unquestionably be termed a romance without “ ” a heroine , Thackeray certainly called Vanity Fair a novel without a hero ; but here was a work of fi c tion undoubtedly unique in the history of literature, — a story without a plot ! THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 29 In the four years which intervened between the appearance of the final chapters of “ Beauchamp ’ s ” The F or tn i htl Revi ew Career in g y , for December , 1 87 5 1 87 9 “ ” , and the publication in of The Egoist

in book form without the medium of a periodical , Meredith found time to make three experiments - be in short story writing , and to read a lecture

fore The London Institution . These four pieces ” of work , The House on the Beach , the address on “ The Idea of Comedy and of the Uses of the Comic S ” “ pirit, The Case of General Ople and Lady “ Camper , and The Tale of Chloe , all appeared in The N ew ua r ter l M a a z i n e Q y g , the first three in 1 87 7 the numbers for January , April , and July , , 1 87 9 . respectively , and the last in the issue for July , As the stories were not published in book form until fi fteen years had passed , and the lecture not until s The core had gone by , Mr . J . M . Barrie , writing in ’ S cot s O bs er ver 24 1 888 for November , , rather aptly te rmed them The Lost Works of George Meredith . B ut Mr . G . S . Street was even more fortunate when in The Yellow B ook 1 895 for April , , he hit upon the “ ” e xpression , Mr . Meredith in Little , as a title for ’ hi e s r view of the collected stories . Mr . Street s theme was announced in these words “ ‘ ’ In The House on the Beach , you have Mr . ‘ Meredith , as it were , in his bones . In The Case of General Ople and Lady Camper ’ you have him ‘ ’ alive and imperfect . In The Tale of Chloe you ” have him consummate .

One may be permitted , perhaps , to dissent from

the characterization of the second story , but we 1 3 0 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

h cannot help feeling that Mr . Street was sure of is ground and trustworthy in his conclusions . “ The House on the Beach ” was certainly a piece ’ of work in Meredith s early manner . Martin Tin Ca vel a man and his sister, Mrs . y, might e sily have been mistaken for characters drawn by Dickens ; Annette Smith was of the type portrayed by Thack r ickled on er ay in Amelia Sedley ; and Mrs . C in some respects was George Eliot ’ s Dolly Winthrop trans ported from the village of Raveloe to the Cinque i h Cr iks w c . s Port of Various phases of entimentality , moreover, were attacked ; and the heroine was all but allowed to become the victim of her mistaken devotion to a conventionality . Still , despite this re turn to earlier methods and ideas , the story by no means shows that Meredith ’ s hand had lost its cun

n . ning, or that his power of invention had wa ed V a n Diemen Smith was made too pathetic , through being wounded in the house of his friend , to be the n subject of anythi g but sympathetic laughter, even when his fears led him to picture himself in a lu dicr ous position . Still greater skill was shown in the manipulation of circumstances by which Tin man ’ s deep and successful scheme to silence Little Jane ’ s craving for an increase of wages received its reward in making her become the instrument which laid bare his far deeper and much meaner plan to

flay once more the feelings of his friend . Finally , the description of the storm demands mention at least , since , in spite of the strictest economy of words , Meredith makes his readers feel the fury of the wind and the destruction of the flood .

1 3 2 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH gentlemanly and sights that were sweetly ” pretty ; but it is to be hoped that a reduction to collarless imbecility was seldom necessary to bring him into proper subjection . If the story of the General and the Lady through its inclusion of a striking phrase has any right to be considered a preliminary sketch or forestudy “ ” “ for One of Our Conquerors , certainly The Tale of Chloe may be looked upon as a pen ” dant to The Adventures of Harry Richmond . It will perhaps be remembered that when the hero

- of the last named novel was a small boy , his father taught him to speak with precocious supercilious ness of the dair ymaid who became the Duchess of

Dewlap . An episode in the life of this same young woman soon after her name became enrolled in the

Peerage, formed the subject matter of the third and ’ most important of Meredith s short stories . The chief interest of the reader , however, must centre not so much about the young Duchess as about “ n Chloe , that most admirable woma whose heart was broken by a faithless man ere she devoted her wreck of life to arrest one weaker than herself on the ” descent to perdition . The story , as told , was a cameo rather than a piece of sculpture , a miniature rather than a painting ; but it showed none the less ’ the touch of a master s hand . The atmosphere was that of the age of the minuet , of powder and lace . Yet to the attractive melancholy with which authors l a ways invest scenes of that period , Meredith added an element which took the story wholly out of the realm of comedy . Chloe , who tied a knot in a silken THE MASTER- WORKMAN 1 3 3 cord at each fresh instance of her lover ’ s unfaithful

ness , and who at last put the tangled strands to a

strange and terrible use , was hardly less perfectly

portrayed than the heroine of a Greek drama . The

critic , therefore , did not greatly err when he called

her one of the noblest figures in tragic story , and held that he who told the tale of her last unhappy days ,

spoke with consummate art and perfect skill . If such words of praise seem a trifle extravagant to have been called forth by a form of literature in which Meredith never did more than perform a few

experiments , they certainly cannot be looked upon

- by any fair minded reader as being excessive , when applied to the long novel which appeared in the same year with The Tale of Chloe . Nevertheless , The ” Egoist is not acceptable to every reader . If it has been made an object of idolatrous worship by

Stevenson , it has been torn to shreds and tatters by

William Watson . If the former spoke of it almost

as if he felt himself treading upon holy ground , the latter in offering his words of censure recalled the

fable of the bull in the China Shop . The creator of “ the dainty rogue in porcelain might have

trembled at first for the safety of his wares , but upon reassuring himself that they were above his bovine ’ visitor s huge antics , he no doubt settled down to

quiet laughter . “ No milder word than detestable , said Mr . Wat in son his article , no milder word than detestable can be applied to the preposterous style— and vile ? as it is , it is surpassed by the , what shall one call it Intellectual coxcombry seems a blunt phrase but is 1 3 4 THE NOVELS O F GEORGE MEREDITH any courteous phrase available that will adequately describe the airs of superiority , the affectations of originality , the sham profundities , the counterfeit -or a cul a r is m s subtleties , the pseudo of this book n Without co structive ability , without power to con ceive and fashion forth realizable human creatures , wi hout aptitude for natural evolution of incident , without the instinct for knowing what will keep com

— pany awake M r . Meredith can do anything better ” than he can tell a story .

The citadel against which Mr . Watson hurled this be diatribe showed no sign of yielding, probably cause “ The Egoist is something entirely different It from what the critic supposed it to be . is not a story in the ordinary sense , it is a study in character ;

its author used the methods not of the novelist, but of the dramatist ; he treated language as if it were

in a plastic rather than in a fixed state , that is , he discarded the rules of the prose writer and availed himself of the privileges of the poet ; and finally he did not aim so much to amuse as to instruct , for the purpose of the book is to make the reader turn his criticising eye inward upon himself, rather than out ward upon his fellowman .

The story is vouched for by Stevenson , that a sensitive youth went to Meredith with the com plaint that he had been held up to ridicule in the “ person of Sir Willoughby Pa tter ne . You are

mistaken , said the great novelist in reply , the ” Egoist is not you , he is all of us . This fact , that Meredith ’ s readers are almost always driven to self analysis is perhaps the chief cause of his being called

1 3 6 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

often sees in real life , but which one is always sur prised to find in novels . It is futile to ask whether Clara Middleton possessed sufficient strength of character to break her engagement , had circum stances not assisted her ; it is useless to inquire if a man would conduct himself as Sir Willoughby did in his eager desire to escape a second jilting ; it is time thrown away to wonder whether Laetitia could really have brought herself to accept her quondam lover when she saw him shorn of the glamour with which she had invested him . These are questions which ’ can have no answer , for the ways of Meredith s characters are not less inscrutable than the conduct of men and women in life . The reason , therefore , why “ ” The Egoist gives us pause is , not that it is unreal , fla ell a but that it is too real . It is a scourging , a g tion , a cutting to the quick . Meredith may be pleased “ to call it A Comedy in Narrative , and the reader may be led thereby to expect opportunity for a bund ant laughter . He will not be disappointed , it is true ; but if he reads between the lines , if he hears the message of the author, his amusement will be grim rather than hilarious , thoughtful rather than ex plosive .

Wonderful as The Egoist is , however, unique as

most critics concede it to be , it unmistakably belongs ’ to the genus which includes Meredith s other novels . ” The Book of the Egoist , that remarkable collee tion of aphoristic comments upon life and conduct

from which frequent quotation is made , is put to the same use in this work as was “ The Pilgrim ’ s ” “ ” Scrip in The Ordeal of Richard Peverel and the T - 1 3 THE MAS ERf WORKMAN 7

sayings of the Philosopher in Sandra Belloni . enkinson a Mrs . Mountstuart J has all the penetr tive power of Lady Camper, and by a single phrase hits off a character as successfully as by a few strokes of her pencil the Lady pilloried the conduct of her

- middle aged lover . Dr . Middleton is not less obtuse than General Ople , and in the wilful blindness of his selfishness fully as odious . He is as politely def er entia l to his daughter , as was Colonel Halkett to his , and when there is a clash of Opinions , strives to be as patient ; but he has , like the Colonel , the con ventiona l belief that women are to be guided or even commanded if need be , since their intellectual quali ties are at best but rudimentary . Vernon Whitford Ka r s te belongs in the group of which Professor von g, i Dr . Shrapnel , and Nevil Beauchamp are l kewise members , as also at times are Austin Wentworth and Seymour Austin . Clara Middleton , of course , is the third and greatest in the trio which , besides herself, is made up of Janet Ilchester and Cecilia Halkett ; but she has qualities which remind the reader more than once of Sandra Belloni at her best .

Indeed , Clara Middleton seems to be the perfect ’ flower of Meredith s earlier studies in womanhood , as almost beyond a doubt she is the ideal to which his later creations were never more than approximations . 1 87 9 “ ” Appearing in , The Egoist stood in point of publication midway between George Eliot ’ s “ D ” aniel Deronda , which preceded it by three ’ ” years , and Henry James s The Portrait of a Lady , which followed it by two . These data are hardly important in themselves , but the fact that Gwendolen 1 3 8 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

H a r leth , the heroine of the former novel , and Gilbert ’ Osmond , the heroine s husband in the latter, are both pronounced egoists , affords some opportunity for comment . The presence of Mr . Middleton , a “ ” curate , in Daniel Deronda and of the Rev . Dr . Middleton in “ The Egoist ” is of course no more ’ than an accident ; but Gwendolen s posing as Saint Cecilia at the organ and taking satisfaction in the admiration of her mother and the housekeeper , brings up the scene in which Sir Willoughby , when a child , mounted a chair and cried out to his ador “ ! ing aunts , I am the sun of the house For a m a n long period of years , neither the nor the woman had had their power or their general superiority dis ute d p , with the result that the man before whom Pa tte r n e Isabel and Elinor bowed down in worship, and the woman toward whom her mother was always in an apologetic state of mind , had each developed a strong determination to have what was pleasant with an absolute fearlessness in making themselves disagreeable or dangerous when they did not get it .

Added to this, they both had that spontaneous sense of capability , some happy persons are born with , so that any subject they turn attention to , impresses them with their own power of forming a correct ” judgment on it . Still , despite this interesting parallel which might be carried even further, it would be rash to assert any actual connection be ’ ’ tween Meredith s novel and George Eliot s . Noth ing further can be proved than that both authors , at about the same time , felt impelled to make studies of characters dominated by supreme selfishness .

1 40 THE NOVELS O F GEORGE MEREDITH s ciousl y to himself , gave a sort of sequel to The

Egoist , or rather what would have been a sequel , had Meredith brought his novel to a close with the union of Sir Willoughby to “ the dainty rogue in porcelain instead of to the lady with “ a romantic ” tale on her eyelashes . What Clara Middleton would have become , had circumstances not permitted he her release from an egoist , that Isabel Archer came . Looking upon his cousin in after years Ralph Touchett s a w that she had completely changed . “ Her light step drew a mass of drapery behind it ; her intelligent head sustained a majesty of orna a n ment . The free , keen girl had become quite other person ; what he s a w was the fine lady who was ‘ supposed to represent something . What did Isa ’ bel represent ? Ralph asked himself ; and he could answer only by saying that she represented ! ’ Gilbert Osmond . Good heavens , what a function he exclaimed . He was lost in wonder at the mys ter y of things . Much more closely related to The Egoist than either Daniel Deronda ” or The Portrait of a Lady was Meredith ’ s own work called The Tragic

Comedians . Sigismund Alvan , the hero of that book , was a study in egoism , even more pronounced ,

if i . indeed , less subtle than Sir W lloughby Like the

English baronet, the Hungarian socialist took pos ’ session of a young woman s heart before her reason had asserted itself ; and though Clotilde von Rudiger was far inferior in every way to Clara Middleton , Alvan melodramatically and almost hysterically r e THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 41

’ e a ted p the essential acts of Sir Willoughby s comedy .

He looked upon the lady as the quarry , himself as “ the hunter . He expected to find in her a sprightly comrade , perfectly feminine , thoroughly mastered , young, graceful , comely and a lady of station . Once in his good keeping her lord would answer for her . ” An d this, he felt , was a manfully generous view of the Situation . At a time when circumstances thundered that he and she must be forever sepa rated , he recalled to her by letter the day when they had stood together in glorious sunshine planning the work

Ne w . of the Republic As he wrote , he seemed to see that “ his moral grandeur on that day made him live be as part of the splendor . With that in mind he “ gan to ask himself, Was it possible for the woman ? who had seen him then , to be faithless to him The swift deduction from his own feelings cleansed her of a suspicion to the contrary , and he became ” - light hearted . Thus swayed by his heart rather than by his head , he permitted himself an extravagance of language and conduct which his reason , when it began to stem the current of his tumultuous blood , plainly taught him would cause him to look little less than ridiculous , if the lady should slip from him . ” The thought filled him with agony . Anything, ! he cried , but that She will not refuse ; I am bound to think so in common respect for myself . I have done tricks to make me appear a raging ape ” — ! ! B e if she Oh she cannot , she will not refuse side himself with fear , he looked for comfort within , and he found it by magnanimously thinking that he “ a was without meanness of soul . He had , he felt, 1 42 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

broad , full heart for the woman who would come to

him , forgiving her, uplifting her, richly endowing her ! ” All of these feelings were Sir Willoughby ’ s as well ’ as Alvan s . His hasty engagement to Clara , his

desire that she should reflect him and him only , his

determination to mould her mind , his fear that she

would escape him , his wish to be a conqueror, his agony at the thought that he might be made the sub e ct j of contemptuous laughter , his willingness to go to any extreme if he might stand unashamed before ’ the world , all are matched by the impulses of Alvan s

heart . Considering this similarity of character be

tween the heroes , one is led to ask how it came about that “ The Egoist ” should be considered the greatest ’ “ ” of Meredith s novels , and The Tragic Comedians

the least Significant . The conclusive answer is found “ in the very brief statement , that The Tragic Come ” dians is not to be regarded as a novel at all . By

this is meant , not that it is too short, although as The F or tn i htl Revi ew originally published in g y , from 1 880 1 881 October , , to February , , it consisted of only

fifteen chapters , but that it is neither more nor less than a plain presentation of those relations between

the famous German socialist , Ferdinand Lassalle, and Helene von D 6nniges which resulted in the death of the former from wounds received in a duel with i z R a cow t a . Yanko von Strangely blind to this fact, which was known at the time when the book wa s

published , and totally forgetful that Meredith in the prologue expressly states that the pair of tragic “ co medians belong to history , breathed the stouter

1 44 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

sympathies , one may fancy , will be broader, our critical acumen shrewder, if we at once accept the thing as a part of us and worthy of study . The pair of tragic comedians of whom there will be question pass under this word as under their banner and motto . Their acts are incredible yet they are real creatures , exquisitely fantastical , strangely ex posed to the world by a lurid catastrophe .

With these words in mind , the reader of The Tragic Comedians ” plainly perceives that Sir Pa tter ne Willoughby is no impossible personage , for Ferdinand Lassalle did his deeds in actual life ’ before him ; that Nevil Beauchamp s treatment of e Cr oisn el Rene de upon two memorable occasions , was but the appearance in fiction of the great social ’ is t s conduct , first when dominated by his heart , and later when ruled by his head ; and finally that Rich ’ ard Fever el s foolish persistence in a course of action which darkened his life forever, might be matched with an event in real life . The style of “ The Tragic Comedians on the whole is remarkably unlike that of any of Meredith ’ s n ow other works , although and then , rather strangely , one seems to catch a glimpse of his early manner , as “ seen in Farina There is almost a complete a h sence of the aphorisms and epigrams which readers of Meredith always expect ; and certainly no one can justly complain that the book is in any way Obscure in expression or meaning . The sentences are r brief, so frequently brief that the w iting might be r termed feverish . Accordingly , The T agic Come dians , despite its value from some points of View, THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 45 might be said much more properly than The House ” on the Beach to represent Mr . Meredith in his

bones . It is certainly the least significant of his works a nd cannot be regarded as a n important contr ibu tion to literature . Nevertheless , the Prologue and ’ the last chapter are typical of the novelist s writing . Certain paragraphs of the conclusion remind the “ ” reader of the closing words of Vittoria, and have an added interest in that they give voice to some ’ of Meredith s conceptions of life . “ wa s Silent that house of many chambers . That m mass of hu anity profusely mixed of good and evil ,

of generous ire and mutinous , of the passion for the future of mankind and vanity of person , magna nim it y and sensualism , high judgment, reckless in fr a m enta r i discipline, chivalry , savagery , solidity , g

. two un ness , was dust The men composing it , the tamed and the candidate for citizenship , in mutual dissension pulled it down . He perished of his weak

ness, but it was a strong man that fell . If his end was unheroic , the blot does not overshadow his life . His end was a derision because the animal in him ran him unchained and bounding to it . A stormy blood made wreck of a splendid intelligence . That last word of his history ridicules the eulogy of partisan and devotee , and to commit the excess of worshipping is to conjure up by contrast a vulgar giant ; for truth will have her just propor

tions, and vindicate herself upon a figure over idealized by bidding it grimace leaving appraisers

to get the balance of the two extremes . He was neither fool nor madman ; nor man to be adored : his 1 46 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH last temptation caught him in the season before he had subdued his blood , and amid the multitudinously simple of this world stamped him tragic comedian :

- that is , a grand pretender, a self deceiver, one of the lividly ludicrous whom we cannot laugh at, but must contemplate to distinguish where the conduct strikes the discord with life . The characters of the host of men are of the simple order of the comic ; not many are of a stature and a complexity calling ” for the junction of the two muses to name them . With the publication of “ The Tragic Comedians 1 880 in book form , late in , Meredith closed the third decade of his literary career , the period of free range . From many points of View the ten years thus design ated may be looked upon as the most important part of his life as author . The several works then produced evinced a sense of proportion , a conscious ness of mastery , a disregard of arbitrary methods , which could not be unreservedly predicated of him in 1 869 when his work as a journeyman was brought to an end . On the other hand , although it cannot be denied that he remained in full possession of all his powers through that later period which may be termed the decade of concentrated interest , the very fact that there was a limitation of range made it clear that in all probability the time of expansion r e was over , and that thereafter whatever energy mained in store would endeavor to put itself forth not in outspreading branch nor in upreaching stem , but rather in leaf and fruit and flower . At all events , the following decade of Meredith ’ s literary career was not noted for the production of any such r e

THE MASTER-WORKMAN

TH E PE RIO D O F CONCENTRATED I NTEREST D IANA ” “ O F TH E CRO S S WAYS - O NE O F O UR CO NQUER ” “ ” O Rs LO R D O RMO NT AND H IS AMI NTA ” M Z G M — TH E H H A A I N ARRIAGE MERED IT S C O O L .

AFTER the artisan has shown himself sufficiently a master- workman to be received with noticeable re

- spect by serious minded men , he may not unjustly feel it his privilege to give emphatic expression to any thought which he deems important . Up to the time when critics somewhat freely admit that he is a stable living force , he is often compelled to make use of his powers in vindication of his right to be considered at all ; but when indifference has given way to attention , and censure to approval , f he may lay aside conscious e fort to please others , and rest assured of a considerable audience inter e d ste in what he is doing to please himself . Now there can be but little doubt that “ The Adventures of Harry Richmond ” and “ The Egoist ” placed Meredith high in the ranks of English novel ists , and convinced many conservative readers that he was worthy of m uch more than mere passing notice . If therefore he had ceased to write in 1 880 , he would not have been denied a permanent 1 48 THE MASTEE WO RKMAN 1 49

hOnor ed . and place in literature Indeed , it may be in questioned , in spite of the fact that his popularity creased with his later novels , whether the works which he wrote after the year just mentioned were in any f way necessary to the stability O his renown . Never theless 1 885 , during the decade beginning in , he felt moved to produce four sustained pieces of fic tion which may be said to belong to a period of con centr a ted interest , inasmuch as each of them dealt with complexities rising out of an unsuitable mar “ ” r ia ge . In Diana of the Crossways is given the story of a woman , who marrying without love , was afterward separated from her husband and made to take an anomalous and unhappy position before the “ ” world ; in One of Our Conquerors is presented a study of the attitude taken by society towards a man and a woman living together in a union un sanctioned by Church and State but regarded , none two the less , as sacred by the chiefly concerned ; and ” in Lord Ormont and His Aminta and also in “ ” the The Amazing Marriage , reader is confronted with the unhappiness which results from a marked discrepancy between husband and wife in matters of rank, age , or inclination . With the possible ex ce tion p of the second , these four stories amply repay those who read simply to be amused , but for others who look upon the novelist as having a mission b e yond that of giving mere pleasure , they furnish in d i d tion much food for thought . i It may be concluded from these facts that Mere dith found in certain phases of the marriage relation some of the gravest problems furnished by modern 1 50 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

society . That he looked upon the questions as being more than a mere source of material for the novelist, is certainly shown by the fact that long after he had ceased the formal writing of fiction , he permitted himself to speak upon them at some length . o The London The interview, as it was rep rted in Da il M a i l 24 1 904 y , for September , , stirred up so much comment both in England and in America f e w - that a weeks later , Meredith in self defence was led to break his usual silence upon personal matters , to t and say tha , at least in some respects , he had been misrepresented . As , however, he did not state that he wished to withdraw from the position which s he was asserted to have taken , his earlier remark are of some interest both in themselves and on account of their connection with the fundamental ideas of his later novels . In part he was accredited by The Da ily M a il with saying It is a question in my mind whether a young girl married , say at eighteen , utterly ignorant of life, knowing little , as such a girl would of the man she is marrying, or of any other man , or of the world at all , should be condemned to live with him for the rest of her life . She falls out of sympathy with him , say , has no common taste with him , no real com m uni a tion c with him except a physical one . The life is nearly intolerable . Yet many married women go on with it from habit or because the world ter r or iz e s . them Certainly , however , one day these present conditions of marriage will be changed .

Marriage will be allowed for a certain period , say ten years , or, well I do not want to specify any par

1 52 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

i e Rev w D 1 884. , where it ran from June to ecember ,

As there published , it carried the fortunes of the heroine up to the point , where the opportune arrival of Lady D unsta ne at the bedside of her friend saved Diana from death . The narration then closed , f rather abruptly perhaps , with a note to the e fect that those who cared for more of the erratic woman would find it in the extended chronicle . The mean ing of this statement was made clear early in the following year when , by the insertion of numerous paragraphs , by a renumbering of chapters , and by the addition of seventeen more carrying on Diana’ s “ story to her marriage with Redworth , the extended ” - chronicle was printed as a three volume novel .

The book became immediately successful , and the demand for it was so great that three editions were o u exhausted before the year was out . This p p l a r it y, furthermore , awakened a widened interest in the author ’ s earlier writings and led Mere dith to sanction the publication of a collected edition of all his prose work . Nor did the liking ’ for Diana s story prove ephemeral . After success fully weathering a n unusually sharp and witty bur les ue P unch 1 8 q in where , in the issue for October , 1 890 . , Mr Rudolph Lehman published a skit under “ ‘ ’ the heading, Joanna of the Cross Ways , by ‘ ’ V er im th George y , author of Richard s Several Edi ’ ‘ ’ ‘ ’ ’ tions , The Aphorist , Shampoo s Shaving Pot , etc . , the book continued to be in steady de mand ; and from all present appearance , it bids fair to be widely read even by the third and fourth generations . A T - THE M S ERf WORKMAN 1 5 3

The story , it is true , moves with a certain swing and h das , which in part explains its perennial popularity, but the marked interest with which its first appear t ance was gree ed , was due , no doubt , to the belief that in Diana Warwick was portrayed the famous and pop ular Mrs . Caroline Norton . Both were Irish women of remarkable beauty , Diana a daughter of old

Dan Merion , a wit of no little reputation ; Mrs . Norton a granddaughter of Richard Brinsley Sheri dan , the dramatist . Each married after an acquaint be ance altogether too brief, and almost from the ginning suffered from the husband ’ s unfounded jealousy . Each after a time was made the subject of a ridiculous divorce suit, Augustus Warwick claiming that he had been injured by Lord Dannis burgh , the Honorable George Norton that he had suffered a t the hands of Lord Melbourne . More over. each of the women wrote novels which were well received by the public ; and finally Mrs . Norton for a time was under the unjust suspicion of hav ing betrayed the confidence of a cabinet minister, just as Mrs . Warwick in the story imparted Percy ’ D a i c er s Tona ns . secret to Marcus In passing , it is of interest to learn that the publication of “ Diana of the Crossways revived the almost for gotten scandal about the Honorable Mrs . Norton , a nd led to an investigation which wholly exonerated a in the l dy from blame . In consequence of this bo intr od uc quiry, recent editions of the ok bear an tory note written in Meredith ’ s characteristic style “ A lady of high distinction for wit and beauty , the daughter of an illustrious Irish house , came under 1 54 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

the shadow of calumny . It has latterly been ex a m ined and exposed as baseless . The story of ‘ ’ ” Diana of the Crossways is to be read as fiction . The discovery that Diana Warwick had a possible prototype in life was one of no very great diffi — or culty , since Mrs . Norton rather, Lady Sterling

Maxwell , as by a second marriage she became was well known and popular in England , almost from the time of her entrance into society until the 1 8 r day of her death in 77 . But twenty years afte “ ” the publication of Diana of the Crossways , an ’ r S cr ibn er s M a a z i n e anonymous w iter in g , for Feb r ua r 1 905 y, , pointed out that a parallel no less inter esting than that existing between Diana Warwick and Mrs . Norton , might be drawn between the same heroine and the French writer who called herself

George Sand . Both were noted for their wit, as might be expected indeed since one was of Gaelic the other of Gallic blood . Each became united early in life to an uncongenial husband whose nature led the wife in either case to seek happiness in separation . Both became interested in the political matters of their respective countries , and both turned their hands to the writing of novels , for which they drew abun dant material from their own experiences and from those of men and women surrounding them . Both were harassed by money cares , and were driven to extraordinary methods to escape them . Both were beset by lovers and found consolation in male friend ship ; and finally each emerged from her many di be verse perplexities into a state of peace , Diana coming united with the patient and loyal Redworth ,

1 5 6 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH Warwick be mistaken for any of the several other attractive women appearing in Meredith ’ s novels

as , for instance , Janet Ilchester and Cecilia Halkett ,

distantly viewed in memory might sometimes be . ’ They , and many others with them , have the reader s

admiration and respect ; but Diana has more , she

has his pity and his love . Despite the trial to which ’ her erratic conduct puts one s patience , despite her woeful lack of wisdom when one would expect it to ir r es onsi be most abundant , despite her audacious p f bili y , her bewildering inconsistency , her incalculable

impulsiveness , one does not hesitate to be enrolled B ’ beneath Tom edworth s banner, and to follow the ’ lady with that leader s perfect confidence and trust . The story in which the fortunes of this beautiful

and attractive heroine were narrated , starts the read er ’ s mind now and then upon lines of thought lead ing to sources from which consciously or uncon s ciously Meredith might have received some minor “ suggestions . In the first place , although Diana of the Crossways ” is hardly a political novel in the ’ same sense that Beauchamp s Career is , it certainly produces so nearly the eff ect of Trollope ’ s “ Parlia mentary Series as to make one feel that Lady Glen

cora and Mrs . Max Goesler and John Grey are just on the point of making their appearance and enter

ing into conversation with Diana and Redworth .

Perhaps , too , this illusion is strengthened somewhat by the realization on the reader ’ s part that Diana’ s

separation from Augustus Warwick , and his sub sequent threat to take legal measures for the r es tor a

tion of marital rights , are almost exactly a repetition THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 5 7 of Laura Kennedy ’ s experiences with her husband “ ” ’ as related in Phineas Redux , Again , Warwick s accusations against Lord D a nnis bur gh in addition to being those of the Honorable George Norton against

Lord Melbourne, were likewise those which rumor, nearly fifty years ago , said were to be made against

Lord Palmerston , and which Meredith , it should not s a w be forgotten , fit to comment upon in his news paper days .

Furthermore , here , as elsewhere , Meredith seemed ’ to draw from his own earlier works . Diana s love for

antiques , to which she ascribed her liking for Lord D a nnis bur h g , is , as a phrase , traceable to Lady Camper ’ s stinging comment upon the amorous Gen ’ C eral Ople s endeavor to be hivalrous , even after he had her word that she was seventy years old . r B r a into A thur Rhodes , in his devotion to Diana , is p reproduced with certain improvements from “ San ” dra Belloni ; Lord D a n nisbur gh is the Duke of Bel ” field from Evan Harrington , but so much nobler in un character, despite his many failings , as to be not worthy of a place near the elder Duke of Omnium in Trollope ’ s Can We Forgive Her ” and “ Phineas

Phinn . Lady D a cier in her sanctimonious s u er ior it p y might have been studied from Mrs . Grandi i ” son n The Ordeal of Richard Fever el ; and Mrs . Wa thin is a gossip possibly sketched , though some what coarsely perhaps , from the same model which furnished the delicate drawings of Lady B usshe “ ” and Lady Culmer in The Egoist . On the whole, however , all these similarities are so remote as to be little more than fanciful ; and do not in any way 1 5 8 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH prevent Diana of the Crossways from being r e ’ garded as one of Meredith s most Original and most important contributions to literature . ’ For a time after the publication of Diana s story , Meredith’ s career as a novelist seemed to be at an end . If by chance he was mentioned at all , his critic usually spoke of him as being an unsuccessful com petitor with Dickens and Thackeray rather than as a living author . Nevertheless , Meredith was by no means keeping silence . Occasional contributions in prose and verse were printed in The F or tn ightly Revi ew The P a ll M a ll Ga z ette , , and elsewhere ; and two important volumes of poetry were published “ in successive years , Ballads and Poems of Tragic ” ”

1 887 1 888 . Life , in , and A Reading of Earth , in The latter book was closely related in contents with “ Poems and Lyrics of the Joy of Earth ” which had appeared five years before ; that is , two years in advance of Diana of the Crossways while the earlier volume had considerable in common with the 1 862 “ partly suppressed collection of , Modern Love and Poems of the English Roadside with Poems ” and Ballads . Even a somewhat cursory reading of Meredith ’ s books of verse beginning with the “ ” 1 85 1 Poems of , and passing on through the four volumes just mentioned to the three succeed ” ing collections , The Empty Purse , published “ in 1 892 ; Odes in Contribution to the Song of ” 1 898 “ ” French History , in , and A Reading of Life , in 1 901 ; will show that he was developing a phil osophy and pointing out a unity between Man and Nature such as had not been preached by any

1 60 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

. Now is given the designation of Circumstance , according to Meredith , these two forces , to one of which Man owes his origin , and by the other of which , when it acts alone , he is more often delayed than assisted in his advancement towards fullest development , are not always mutually helpful .

Between them , rather , Man is carrying on an epic ” encounter . Nor seldom is he in a quandary . Often he is compelled to pause and ask himself, Is Man in fact harmonious with the Great Mother when he

— yields to the pressure of his nature that is, to his impulsive human nature ? To this question his rea ! “ son can give but one answer, No Man may be rebellious against his time and his Laws , but if he is ” really for Nature , he is not lawless . Where , then , he may justly inquire , is to be sought the power, the wisdom which shall dictate the laws transcending ? those formulated by Society It is found resident, reason again replies , in the Intellect , that attribute of

Man which distinguishes him from the brute , and which by its development has filled the Great Mother with joy . Not yet , however, is she sure that Man

w . is to be her cro ning work The heart , that is the beast within , would ravin hourly if it could , nor is the Intellect at all times the conqueror . The head may yet be the victim ; the heart may yet gather force again to be

’ The lion of our deser ts tr odden weeds ;

Aga in to be the lor dly pa w Na m ing his a ppetite s his n ee ds ” r B ehind a deco a tive cl oa k . THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 61 In this struggle between the heart and the head for supremacy , Circumstance , the collective term by which Meredith names the methods agreed upon by man as being those best suited for his life with his fellows , is far less helpful to the head , and gives far more assistance to the heart than should be ex

ected . p Man , however , is not himself unaware of the conflict , and he even feels called upon now and then to make his excuse to the Great Mother . As Meredith puts it at the beginning of the n inteenth chapter of “ One of Our Conquerors “ There is at times in the hearts of all men of active life a vivid wild moment or two of dramatic dialogue between the veteran antagonists , Nature and Cir cum sta n ce , where they , whose business it Should be to be joyfully one , furiously split ; and the Dame is up with her shrillest querulousness to inquire of her offspring for the distinct original motive of his con duct . If he be not an alienated issue of the

Great Mother , he will strongly incline to her view , that he put himself into harness with a machine going the dead contrary way of her welfare and there by wrote himself a donkey for his present reading .

But it is asked by the disputant , If we had fol lowed her exclusively , how far should we have travelled from our starting point ? We of the world and its prizes and duties must do her an injury to make her tongue musical to us , and her argument worthy of our attention ! ”

Society or Circumstance , Meredith , of course , would not look upon as being always reprehensible ; but when , by misdirection or perversion , it stands 1 62 THE NOVELS ! OF GEORGE MEREDITH

’ in the way of Man s advancement , it could not to his mind be too severely condemned . It is this thought which spurred him to make in his many novels repeated attacks upon the widespread and unquestioning acceptance of traditions and estab h “ ” lis e d customs . In One of Our Conquerors this war upon sentimentalism , as he called it , was especially directed against the shallowness of r e li ion g as commonly received , and against the denial to woman of her proper place in the present scheme of things . Meredith , it is true , did not in his work make any direct and sustained assault upon the Church ; but he did take evident delight in heaping ridicule upon the clergymen of his novels , nearly all of whom were guilty of an elephantine belief in their Lobour ne own superiority . The colorless curate of “ ” in The Ordeal of Richard Fever el and the Rev “ ” e r e nd Mr . Marter in Sandra Belloni are of course hardly more than lay figures ; but the Honorable and Reverend Herbert D uffia n in Evan Harring ” “ ton and the Reverend Dr . Middleton in The ” Egoist , unlike as they are in many respects , might very easily be regarded as representatives of that type of minister whose choice of profession is due, not to the Winsome attractiveness of the Nazarene, but rather to mere accident or to thoughtless follow ing of the line of least resistance . Not far removed from these two men although much more ponderous in every way is the Reverend

Septimus Barmby . Appearing early in One of Our ” Conquerors , he became almost omnipresent , for even in his absence the stentorian booming of his voice ,

1 64 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH Colney Durance undoubtedly overstated the truth when he declared that woman , because of her edu unfitted cation , is to speak an opinion on any matter external to the household ; but he made Nataly Rad nor see plainly that society “ gives an exotic fostering to the senses of women instead of the strengthening breath of vital air, and that , as a result, the model ” women of men make pleasant slaves , not true mates .

So true is this in general , so thoroughly is woman the slave of existing conventions , so surely is she the artificial production of a state that exalts her while she sacrifices daily and hourly to the artificial , that Victor Radnor ’ s opinions may be regarded as being “ ” those of the entrenched majority . What would be d eor ient the result , he asked himself, if men could alize their gleeful notion of women and dis-Turk ’ themselves by inviting woman s voluble tongue to sisterly occupation in the world , as in the domestic ? circle In reply he had the old argument , itself a “ ? series of questions , Is she moral Does she mean to be harmless ? Is she not untamable Old Nature ?

Would she not, when once on an equal footing with her lordly half, Show herself that wanton old thing, the empress of disorderliness Thus rendered a p prehensive , Radnor allied himself with the average “ man , objecting to the occult power of women , as we have the women now while legislating to main tain them so , and forbidding a step to a desperately wicked female world lest the step should be to ” ’ wickeder . Radnor s opinions of course were far ’ from being Meredith s own . By his very method of presenting them , he made it evident that he looked THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 65

of upon them with contempt, and that he was freely fer ing himself as the voluntary champion of woman ‘ kind . That he found himself at the head of no numerous host was due perhaps to the fact that an enthroned Society by its advocacy of existing laws and rules and habits had produced in woman those timidities , at present urging her to support Estab ” i hm l s ents . The vehicle by which Meredith conveyed to his readers these radically destructive criticisms of long accepted ideas , was a story not unlikely in itself to shock the British public . In early manhood a certain Mr . Victor Radnor married a wealthy woman , several years his senior . Tiring of her, he Dr e i hton became interested in a Miss Nataly g , to whose attractive qualities his wife was constantly calling his attention . After a struggle to remain true to his marriage vows , he deserted Mrs . Bur man Radnor in the company of her young friend , and entered into a union which both he and Miss

Dr eighton looked upon as sacred . The novel opens at a time when their daughter was entering upon womanhood and is concerned with the treatment which society meted out to her and her parents .

Thus baldly told , the story could not be objected to on the ground that the situations were impossible or that they were not at least occasionally a c quiesced in by modern society . The immorality a d of which the book was accused lay , it was m itted , not so much in the plot as in the teach ings . Two persons had violated the laws of the

Established Church , yet the reader was expected 1 66 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

. a l to approve of their conduct Their daughter, beit innocent, was none the less illegitimate , yet Meredith was willing to lift a free-lance in her de fence . This certainly was carrying things with a “ pretty high hand . Why , the very foundations of society are being attacked ! ” cried the horrified “

. u . ? critic Pray, what wo ld Mr Meredith have Does he not realize that these ideas are subversive

— of Church and State nay, that they are even more ” — ? say anarchical in the extreme Now, it is not at all unlikely that Meredith knew what he was a bouts l A close observer of society , he detected h more t an one spot of weakness ; and thereupon , with unflinching hand , he pointed out the source of trouble and suggested what to his mind would work a cure . He could not agree with one of his charac ters who freely admitted the errors of society , but felt that the assertion of our individuality in op position to the Government of Society — this ex is ting Society— is a toss of the cap for the erasure of ” our civilization , rather he held with that other who “ flung the gauntlet at externally venerable Ins titu tions and treated Society as a discrowned monarch f : . on trial for an o fence against a more precious viz , the individual cramped by brutish laws : the individ w ual ith the ideas of our times, righteously claiming expansion out of the clutches of a narrow old-world ” — disciplinarian that giant hypocrite . If the teachings and the plot of One of Our Con ” querors had not stood in the way of its popularity , its style alone would probably have kept it as little a c known as it is . Meredith has always been

1 68 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

younger generation who , like Sarah Battle, occa s ion a lly found time to turn aside from whist-playing and to unbend the mind over a book , took no special pleasure in anything which Meredith had to say . Radically different as “ One of Our Conquerors was from Meredith ’ s earlier novels in its strongly didactic tone, its plot , and its strangely involved style , the book struck its roots deep into all that its author had published before it . Egoism and senti mentalism were still made objects of attack ; Colney

Durance was a maker of phrases , as were Mrs . “ Mountstuart in The Egoist, and Adrian Harley in “ The Ordeal of Richard Fever el the D uvid ney sisters in their worship of their cousin Victor Rad nor were like the Pa tter ne ladies in their blind adora tion of the egoistical Sir Willoughby , while in their or prim regard f the proprieties , they showed them selves to be what the unmarried Pole sisters must n in their old age have become . Mrs . Marsett is u deniably like Mrs . Mount , although , happily , Nesta Radnor ’ s endeavor to save the woman from herself was much more successful than was Richard Fev ’ er el s attempt to reclaim the woman who had been hired to entice him away from his wife . Again , the several references in Chapter Five to the Rajah ’ s visit to London recall more than one passage in “ ” Sha a t The Shaving of gp , while the street brawl has not a little in common with the tent scene in ” Sandra Belloni . Even more striking than this is a remarkable similarity between a passage in the “ ” novel and the first poem of Modern Love . Although Nataly Radnor could not approve of her THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 69

’ h usband s scheme for the great assembly at Lake lands, she would not in any way undertake to thwart or i i . St fln disappoint him g her own feelings , therefore , “ S She could have turned to him , to how him she was in harmony with the holy night and loving world but for the fear founded upon a knowledge of the man he was ; it held her frozen to the semblance of a tombstone lady beside her lord in the aisle where honor kindles pitchy blackness with its legions at one movement . Verily it was the ghost of Mrs . ” Burman come to the bed , between them .

Nearly thirty years before, Meredith had written of a husband and wife between whom the spirit of jealousy had risen ; and at that time he used almost exactly the same thought and phraseology

By this he knew she wept with wa king eyes ’ a t a t his a n s i ui er he r ea Th h d l ght q v by h d, The s tr a n e low s o s t a t s oo t e r com m on bed g b h h k h i , er e ca e into he r it a s a r s r r ise W ll d w h h p u p , And str a n e m te i e itt e a in sna es gl d u , l k l l g p g k , he Dea dly venom ous to him . S la y tone -s t a nd the on a r ness o e a a S ill , l g d k fl w d w y

it m uflfled a ses . en a s m n t m a es W h p u Th , id igh k Her gia nt hea r t of Me m or y a nd Te a r s r in the a e r of si ence a nd so ea t D k p l d ug l , b ’ ee s ea m ea s r e t e r om ea to e et Sl p h vy u , h y f h d f er e m o e e s s oo in t r o t eir ea a c ea r s W v l , l k g h ugh h d d bl k y , n By va in r egr et s cr a wle d over the bla k wa ll . Like sculptur e d e ffigies they m ight be s een on t e r m a r r a e tom the s or et een Up h i i g b , w d b w ; ” r Ea ch wis hing for the swor d tha t seve s a ll .

It is , furthermore , of some interest to discover that a strong tendency to use the methods of Dickens r e 1 70 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

appeared after many years in this later novel . Skep Pr idd en sey , the pugilist , and Martha , the evangelist , ’ are quite in Dickens s style , and their union is just

what the elder novelist would have brought about . The Reverend Septimus Barmby and the Rever end Gross man Buttermore must have been fellow h db a nd . C a workers with the Reverend Mr , although ,

- despite their heavy self respect , they are much more “ delicately drawn . The statement that Mrs . John

Cor m n . Ya tt y entered voluminous , and Mrs Peter eff ervescent ” shows the influence of Dickens ’s well known custom of reducing character or appearance to a single trait without loss of illusion ; and evidently the whole chapter describing the concert at Lake lands , and that other dealing with the agony which the D uvid ney ladies were made to suffer by their lap dog’ s disgraceful behavior are in the manner of the master of English caricature . It would seem from this that Meredith in his later novels showed at least a slight tendency to return upon himself, to revert to methods employed in his earliest work . Certainly,

‘ when the reader is told , almost as the last word in “ ” The Amazing Marriage , that Carinthia Jane W th a n married Owain y , because of his wooing her ’ ” with dog s eyes instead of words , he must feel , “ ’ recalling the references to the O ld dog s eyes in ’ Ripton Thompson s head , that Meredith had harked back to a passage in his first novel . “ Although One of Our Conquerors never em joyed any great popularity , there was an attempt at the time of its publication to place it before a larger audience than had been reached by any of

1 72 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

Thus , on the whole , Lord Ormont and His Aminta rather added to its author ’ s fame than detracted from it , for if there really was an appreciable lessen ing in the number of old admirers , there was a com en s a tin p g accession of new readers , many of whom soon had their eyes opened to the value of his earlier and more important works . But whatever influence the voice of the critic may be assumed to have had upon the diction of “ Lord ” Ormont and His Aminta , it did not cause Meredith to suspect the validity of his message , nor lead him to build his plot in accordance with commonly a c

ce ted . p ideas of morality He was , perhaps , less formally didactic in this novel than in the one pre ceding it , but that he did not withdraw from his posi tion of attack upon popular opinions about the mar r ia ge relation was made clear in at least two ways ; he evidently approved of Aminta’ s determination to leave Lord Ormont when she found that she did not love him ; and he had no hesitation in picturing her later life with Weyburn upon the Continent as one of unalloyed happiness . She had idealized Lord O r mont and for that sentimentalism she was subjected f to a period of su fering . After a time , when she became better acquainted both with herself and her husband , she undertook to adjust her life to conventional theories and bear without complaint the yoke which she had impulsively taken upon herself . While the roseate hues were thus giving place to gray , as Meredith puts it in another connection , Aminta was thrown into close companionship ’ with her husband s private secretary , Matthew THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 7 3

Weyburn , who happened to have been an acquaint

- ance of her school girl days . Without effort on the part of either to avoid the other, since neither he nor she for one moment contemplated the possibility two of a change in their relations , the for many months lived side by side as friends . Then , in one of those rare moments of far-reaching vision which w Meredith , no less than Bro ning, insists are some times given to mankind , the Lady Aminta and V Matthew V eybur n saw the difference between ’ ’ men s decrees for their convenience , and God s ” laws . From then on , Meredith managed matters in with even more than his usual skill , so much so , deed , that the reader, when he lays down the book , is somewhat shocked to realize that he has almost unconsciously been led into an approval of what society regards as an immoral situation .

Closely related , or even almost unified , as One of Our Conquerors ” and “ Lord Ormont and His Aminta are seen to be from the point of View of f the teaching which they have in common , they a ford an unusually systematic , and therefore striking con

- trast in details of plot structure . Victor Radnor married a woman much his senior , Lord Ormont one many years his junior ; Nataly Dr eighton found her self excluded from society because her union with

Radnor was illegal , Lady Aminta was not given the place which was her due , despite the fact that she was truly the wife of the disappointed military hero ; Radnor endeavored to force Nataly to a place which she did not desire , Lord Ormont refused to allow his wife to take a position where she wished to stand ; 1 74 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

Mrs . Burman was abandoned by her young husband ,

Lord Ormont by his young wife . Both the elder man and the elder woman lived many years , and thus prevented the marriage of those who had de s er te d them ; but each forgave the unhappiness which had been inflicted , and in dying removed the obstacle which interfered with the legal union of the younger husband and the younger wife . At this point , how

in . ever, the contrast details was again resumed

Hastening home with the news of Mrs . Burman ’ Radnor s death , Victor found Nataly dying , and in the agony of his grief and disappointment gave way to a mental derangement from which he never re covered . Lord Ormont , on the other hand , six months before his death accidentally encountered

Matthew Weyburn in Switzerland , and , although ’ shocked at the meeting with his wife s companion , gave him such courtly treatment as caused Aminta , “ when she heard of it , to say , I thank heaven we ” B e know him to be one of the true noble men . yond this the reader learns little but that Aminta im became a widow . Meredith leaves it to our a gin a tion to decide whether she and Weyburn felt the ’ need of a clergyman s blessing, or whether they

- regarded the approval of conscience as all s ufli cie nt. Closely related by Similarity of teaching and by contrast of detail as Lord Ormont and His Aminta ” is with the novel which immediately preceded it , it s ste m a ti is not less strongly , although perhaps less y cally , connected with still other works by Meredith .

On the whole , the atmosphere is reminiscent of “ Diana of the Crossways ” and anticipatory of

1 76 THE NOVELS ' OF GEORGE MEREDITH

was reprinted as a book from the pages of The P a ll ’ M a ll M a a z i n e g , the firm of Charles Scribner s Sons announced that arrangements had been made with

Mr . Meredith to publish , as the leading serial of 1 895 their magazine for , a novel which he called The

Amazing Marriage . The title suggested that Meredith was still interested in problems presented by relations existing between man and wife ; and when

the story appeared , its readers found that the author was studying the unhappy marriage from a n ew point

of view . It did not involve the question of the elderly husband and the young wife as presented in “ Lord ” Ormont and His Aminta, or of the young husband and the elderly wife as given in “ One of Our Con ue r or s q neither, as in both these novels, were matters complicated by the introduction of a union obviously

suitable yet defiantly illegal . Instead , the conditions assumed were not much unlike those in “ Diana of ” the Crossways . As there was no discrepancy in ’ age between Dan M er ion s daughter and Augustus

Warwick , so there was none between Carinthia Kirby and the Earl of Fleetwood ; but there was such f a di ference of taste in one case, and of taste and rank

in the other , as to bring about a separation of husband

and wife . Each of the husbands found himself at

last in a ridiculous position , with nobody but himself

to blame . Warwick drove Diana from him by foster

ing a foolish jealousy , Fleetwood deserted Carinthia because he could not brook her birth and breed ing . Each of the men in time had his eyes Opened to his error , but only to find that the day for

repentance had gone by . When they would wil THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 77 lingly have offered devoted allegiance to the women un whom they had scorned , they found themselves able to awaken any sympathetic response .

Thus , in the main , the Situations in the two novels f are parallel , and such di ferences as are to be sought , must be looked for , not in details of plot, but in mat ters of character . The reader sees Augustus War wick almost not at all , but thinks of him as a force f inferable only through his e fect upon Diana, where as Lord Fleetwood , proud and erratic , cruel and selfish , is almost never absent from the scene , and stands out hardly less strongly than Sir Willoughby ’ Pa tter ne or Nevil Beauchamp in Meredith s earlier novels . A much more striking contrast in char acter study , however , is that existing between the a l heroines of the two stories . Diana Warwick is ways hasty and impulsive , the Countess of Fleetwood is never other than calm and statuesque ; one is at all a - - times nervously quiver , the other firmly self con trolled ; the former is restless , acquisitive , and pas s iona te r e , the latter is patient , receptive , and of strained . This antithesis character might be carried out in almost endless detail ; but convincing evidence of the complete contrast between Diana and Carinthia may be found in two citations from the novels in which the women appear . In the first Diana is pictured as walking in the woods with Redworth three days before her marrage to him . “ She was Irish ; therefore intuitively decorous in

amatory challenges and interchanges . But she was

an impulsive woman , and foliage was thick around , 1 78 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

only a few small birds and heaven seeing ; and peni tence and admiration sprang the impulse . It had to be this or a burst of weeping - she put a kiss upon his arm . She had omitted to think that she was dealing with a lover, a man of smothered fire , who would be electrically alive to the act . Redworth had

— his impulse . He kept it under she felt the big breath he drew in . The impulse of each had wedded ; in expression and repression ; her sensibility ” told her of the stronger . Beside this may be placed the passage in which leetwood the Countess of F took leave of her husband . Towards the end of a long conversation in which he

strove to win her back to her old regard for him , she silenced him in these words “ ‘

Do . not beg of me , my lord I have my brother

and my son . No more of husband for me ! God — a has given me a friend , too , man of humble heart , ’ ’ my brother s friend , my dear Rebecca s husband .

He can take them from me ; no one but God . See ’ — the splendid sky we have . With these words she barred the gates on him ; at the same time she b e stowed the frank look of an amiable face and brilliant

- in the lively red of her exercise , in its bent brow

curve along the forehead , out of the line of beauty ,

touching , as her voice was , to make an undertone

of anguish swell an ecstasy . So he felt it , for his ’ ” mood was now the lover s . Surely two things are made clear by these quota : tions first, the marked contrast between the wom

en ; and then , perhaps of even more importance

than that , the strong moral basis which underlies

1 80 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

and Vittoria and it may also be held , perhaps , that the elder Countess of Fleetwood by her refined cruelty more than once reminds the reader of the i “ ” von L enkenste n . ladies in Vittoria Again , the ’ Earl s return to Carinthia after the ill - treatment which he had dealt out to her , and his disappoint ment that her love was no longer his , both of course “ ” suggest the similar situation in Rhoda Fleming .

On the other hand , it must be admitted that the connection between “ The Amazing Marriage ” and ’ the first two novels of Meredith s third period is not very strongly pronounced , unless it may be thought that the elder Wood seer has something in common with Captain Jasper Welsh in “ The Ad ” of ventures Harry Richmond , and that the Lady Ar pington was drawn from the model which furnished “ ’ Rosamund Culling in Beauchamp s Career .

But the Earl of Fleetwood , in his egoistical de termination to keep his word at any cost , and in his eager desire to escape being made r idicu lous , is beyond a doubt like Sir Willoughby Pat “ terne in The Egoist , and , therefore , also like “ ” Sigismund Alvan in The Tragic Comedians . a s Finally , so far minor characters are concerned , the Ladies Endor, Eldritch , and Cowry , as studies in of gossips , are second only in importance to the ’ imitable Ladies B uss che and Culmer in Meredith s greatest work . The more important lines of relationship between The Amazing Marriage ” and the earlier novels of Meredith ’ s fourth period have already been pointed out in another connection ; but it may be added in THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 81

passing , that old John Kirby had the same reasons as had Lord Ormont for being dissatisfied with the

treatment which his country accorded him , and that ’ Ca r inthia s engagement , which was as hasty as ’ ’ Diana s to Warwick or as Aminta s to Ormont , was followed like theirs by a long period of unhappiness ’ due, in keeping with Meredith s theories , to the lady ’ s permitting her heart to act without the guid

ance of her reason . This endeavor to Show that Meredith ’ s latest prose-work is to a great extent the product of forces

resident in all his earlier novels , is not unlikely to give offence to many of his admirers ; as also is

the assumption persisted in , throughout this whole

study , that a network of analogies and similarities binds his novels into what might be termed a fabric r m of fi es t texture . Doubtless some readers of Mere dith would be inclined to feel that not a few of the threads are pretty tenuous ; yet all but those whose

enthusiasm blurs their vision must see that , large and ’ o thickly settled as the world f Meredith s novels is ,

its chief inhabitants , if not all of one nation , are

plainly all of one family . If it be objected that this proves too much in that it detracts from Meredith ’ s

fame rather than adds to it , the reply must be made that no one more quickly than Meredith himself would regret the existence of a renown built upon “ insecure foundations . Lord , save me from my ” friends , has been the prayer of many a man before

the present time , as it will be that of many another in time to come ; and Meredith unfortunately has not been without a bitter knowledge of the need of that 1 82 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

— petition . He is a great novelist the greatest , let it be conceded for the nonce , among English writers but he is not Shakespeare , as some admirers would n ow have us believe , nor perhaps , save and then , Sh a kes er e a n even p , as others would strive to make us admit . That he has firmly placed himself in no mean niche in the temple of permanent literature , only a blinded or a prejudiced observer ca n deny ; but to assert that he is one of that company to which , as yet , only Homer and Dante and Shakes peare belong makes both Meredith and his undis criminating admirers ridiculous .

In general , of course , it is always hazardous to ’ prophesy the permanence of any man s fame ; still , from at least one point of view, it can be asserted ’ without hesitation that Meredith s name must be r e membered as long as English literature shall endure . Unlike most other writers whose real influence has been felt only by some subsequent generation , Mere dith has permeated the work of his contemporaries . By this is meant that he has awakened such general respect as to make him acceptable without envy to the other novelists of at least his later years . They acknowledge his superiority , they look upon him as unapproachable , they call him Master . In evidence of this , one may note the fact that in present dis e ussions of novels the critic nearly always refers to

George Meredith as a standard of measurement .

Nor , indeed , is that the only use to which the

l . great writer and his nove s are put It is , of course , to be expected that Meredith ’ s name would be mentioned by Hall Caine in an article on “ New

1 84 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH makes it clear that Meredith is woven into the very texture of the fabric as well as embroidered upon it .

Mr . . Towards the close of the nineteenth century , T “ ” H . S . Escott , in his Personal Forces of the Period , “ asserted that the late James Payn who , as publish ’ er s reader, saw more of manuscript novels than most people , declared that with the acceptance of Mere dith as a favorite , there appeared a distinct improve ment in the literary workmanship of the documents ” with which he had to deal . Ten years later in corroboration of this statement , Mrs . Craigie did not hesitate to say that all the most worthy of living E nglish novelists , with the exception of Thomas

Hardy , were distinguished disciples of George Mere dith . The remark was a trifle sweeping, perhaps ; yet it is indisputable that Meredith’ s influence has been strongly and widely felt . Mr . Escott finds its f leavening e fect in the Australian stories of Mrs . d . Pr a e Patchett Martin and of Mrs Campbell , in the critical work of Mr . Edmund Gosse and of Mr . ! H . D . Trail , and in both the prose and the verse of

William Ernest Henley . Others have gone so far as to assert that nearly every recent story of adventure , ’ “ ” ’ whether it be Stevenson s Kidnapped , or Hope s “ Z ” ’ “ ” Prisoner of enda , or Hewlett s Forest Lovers , can be traced more or less directly to The Adventures of Harry Richmond while with as little discrim ina tion the poems of James Thomson , the novels of

Robert Hichens , and the plays of Bernard Shaw in their expression , their psychology , or their wit are often assumed to be the aftermath of Mere d ith ’ s first reaping . Such hypotheses break down THE MASTER—WORKMAN 1 85

by their own weight ; still , although at the risk of

writing oneself among the makers of them , one feels tolerably safe in holding that many of the a phor istic utterances of Oscar Wilde would have remained

unsaid , and more than one page in the work of George d u Maurier and of Sarah Grand would never have reached the reader , had it not been for the

novels of George Meredith . The school life de ” ” icte d in p in Peter Ibbetson and The Martian , unf or tu the beautiful Duchess of Towers , and the ’ nate Trilby O Fa r r ell are obviously the result of a ’ close reading of Meredith s novels ; and a mere mention of “ The Heavenly Twins ” or of “ The Beth ” Book should be a s ufli cient answer to the critic who regrets that literature does not possess any such adequate study of awakening wom anhood as is found of adolescent boyhood in “ The Ordeal of ” r Richard Feve el . Open to dispute as some of these specific claims

may be , there can be but little doubt that Meredith has had a striking influence upon a considerable As number of recent writers . an example of the dominance which a great author sometimes exerts d over a devoted isciple , one of the earlier works of Charles Marriott may be taken and subjected to close en scrutiny . The table of contents of the novel “ ” in w XX titled The Column , hich Chapter VII is “ ” called The Development of the Emotional Idea , XX “ and Chapter VIII The Great Sweet Mother, m shows a reader im ediately , that he is in company

r . with a schola of the Meredith school If, however ,

he is kindly disposed at the outset to give Mr . Mar 1 86 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH r iott the benefit of the doubt , he will find that his first impressions are strengthened rather than weakened when , as he turns to the story , he meets with such B a r is ter characters as Caspar Gillies , and Johnnie g , and Daphne Hastings . If he does not see in the cynicism of the first , an after study of Adrian Harley ; in the boyishness of the second , an attempted com pos ite portrait of Richard Fever el and Cr os sja y Pat terne ; and in the mingled simplicity and statelin e ss of the last , a curious mosaic of Sandra Belloni , Clara

Middleton , Aminta Farrell , and Carinthia Kirby , he must be wholly without a knowledge of Meredith ’ s

N r . best works . o does the discipleship end here “ Edward Hastings , who is now and again letting fall some concentrated paradox on the tr aining of ” the young , holds somewhat the same attitude towards the world in gener al and towards his d a ugh wa s ter in particular , as characteristic of Sir Austin in his relation to society and to his son Richard . ff Gertrude La ey , also , in her philanthropic enter prises may seem not unlike Lady Judith Felle ; but tem ta her real prototype is Mrs . Mount , for her p tion of Basil Waring is too much like one of the Chap “ ” ters in The Ordeal of Richard Fever el to leave a reader very long in doubt of the connection . Finally , so far as minor characters are concerned , Michael v Tr e otha Trigg, whom the illage of g looked upon as ’ m Daphne s watchdog , recalls Ripton Tho pson in his devotion to Lucy Peverel ; and clearly Basil

Waring is Wilfred Pole transferred to a new field , but still endowed with all his old time s entim en tality , insincerity , and divided admiration .

1 88 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

’ of the swine s trough fresh filled . It may also be pointed out in passing that Mr . Marriott twice em ploys a device used by Meredith in the forty-third chapter of “ Rhoda Fleming ” to make the reader v cognizant of the fact , that beneath a con ersation of no great depth , a real conflict of souls is going a llienne on . Both Richard Le G and Paul Elmer More have quoted the passage fr om Meredith for ff entirely di erent reasons , although they unite in M ’ praising it for its high realism ; but Mr . arriott s ’ unquestioning adoption of his master s method shows him to be a disciple indeed .

W . ithout seeking to inquire whether Mr . H G . Wells does actually Show the influence of Meredith “ in the opening chapters of Love and Mr . Lewis ” “ ham , or whether the sources of The Beloved Vaga

. . be bond , by W G Locke, may really sought in “ The Adventures of Harry Richmond without undertaking to do more than notice the statement of

Mr . W . R . Nicoll that both George Gissing and Thomas Hardy openly admitted that but for the en cour a e m ent g which they received from Mr . Mere ’ dith as publisher s reader , they would never have devoted themselves to writing , one may feel safe in assuming that the thoroughness with which Mere dith and his work are embedded in present-day literature , will prevent his being ignored by any future student , however distant the point of view, or however cursory the glance . Such immortality ff is , in the literary world , but little di erent from that in the spiritual world , as suggested by George “ Eliot in the poem , O , may I join the Choir THE MASTER-WORKMAN 1 89

! ” ’ Invisible The woman s teaching is , that having

lived , we continue to exist until the end of time , by virtue of the influence which we exert over those

whom we meet, and which they extend to those who

follow them . Unsatisfactory as such immortality

seems to the many , it is none the less based upon an

assured scientific fact, and is , therefore, indisputably

certain . Admitting then , for the moment, all that

the most adverse critics have said against Meredith , ff that his style is insu erably bad , that his method C could not be conceivably worse , that his haracters

are wholly impossible , and that his mission is fool v ishly ain , no one , whether admirer or not , can deny that he is assured of a position neither insignificant

nor inconspicuous . f e w But to not a of his readers , Meredith seems de serving of much more than that kind of immortality which rests upon the mention of his name by other authors and upon the formative influence obviously exerted by his writings . The knowledge of what must be is greatened in the minds of many by faith : in what will be and when that faith is put to trial , they are far from feeling that it is without a sub s ta ntia l basis in reason . Still , if such have learned any thing from their reading of the man whom they t delight to honor , they hesitate to name his absolu e place . Whatever the impulse of the heart , they know that it should be tempered by the working of the brain ; and they therefore do not undertake to assert more than that Meredith must be regarded as no unworthy companion of the greatest English novelists . If the sneer of the critic accuses them of 1 90 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE MEREDITH

a r e having but faint confidence in their belief, they not betrayed into fruitless wrangling or loud de

fence . Serenely unmoved , they let Meredith speak

for himself . Surely no just man can find fault with the intermingling of honest pride and sin

cere humility behind that sonnet , to which Mere

dith , writing in his middle age , gave the name of ” Internal Harmony .

Ass ur e d of wor thiness we d o not dr ea d Com petitor s ; we r a ther give them ha il And gr e e tin g in the lists wher e we m a y fa il st if we e a r a n a im e on the ea ! Mu , b b y d h d My better s a r e m y m a ster s : pur e ly fe d By the ir s usta inm e nt I likewis e s ha ll sca le Som e r ocky s teps between the m oun t a nd va le ; ea n i e the m a r a e a nd i wed M wh l k I h v I w ll . So t a t r a the r ea t of ner a ir h I d w b h fi , ta tion is n a nor oot a s a r e -str ewn S ught, f w y l u l , r Nor r iva ls tightly belte d for the a ce . Good spe e d to the m ! My pla ce is her e or ther e ; My pr ide i s tha t a m ong them I ha ve pla ce ” And n n in thus I kee p this i str um e t tun e .

Truly such calm self- analysis explains the r e markable patience with which Meredith awaits the decision of the wise years . If in the words of

Lowell ,

Som e inna te wea kness ther e m ust be In him who con descen ds to victor y Such a s the pr e s en t give s a n d ca nnot wa it a e in im se a s in a a te S f h lf f ,

Meredith through the absence of such weakness , shows himself endowed with noble strength and

A L I S T

O F T H E C H A R A C T E R S IN

GE O RG E M E RE D IT H ’ S NO VE LS

WITH AN E NUM E RATIO N O F

T H E C H AP T E R S IN WH I C H

TH E Y APPE AR r en c Ger m a n S a n s a nd ta a n n a m e s e nn n F h , , p i h , I li b gi i g with pa r ti cle s of r e la ti on s hip a r e e n ter e d un der th e letter t c th e c e m em e r of th e com o n e n s t s wi h whi h hi f b p u d b gi , hu

’ D AUF FR AY o o s ATTE NB URY , AGNES , f ll w , LADY

o o s CO GGLE S B Y DE COL , MARQUIS , f ll w , TOM

CRE FE LDT o o s VON , BARONESS , f ll w CREEDMORE , LORD

1 96 A LIST OF CHARACTERS

ARME TT — e t r e s of ASWAR AK - , MISS Adv n u , VIZIER Shaving

r r m o : . of S h a a : Ha y Rich nd XXXIX g p t II . s e e ATTE NB URY — r e ARMSTRONG , ROBERT , LADY O d al

. of r Fe e r l v e : . ECCLES . ROBERT Richa d IV ’ — ttor : . D AUF F R AY e ARNOLDO Vi ia XXI , AGNES B au ’ - — m s r e e r : AR O NLE Y s e e h p , , , LORD ROM c a Ca XXIII XXV XL R XLII , XLI I . FREY , EVERA D , and ROM I ’ — . AUFFR AY w e a c m 3 FREY , CRAVEN D , M B u ha p r e e r : ARPINGTO N — m , , , LADY A azing Ca XXIII XXIV r r e : - I e Ma iag II , XII , XX XXV II , AUSTIN , SEYMOUR B au ’ XL XLv m s r e e r : - XXXVI , XXXVII , , XLI , cha p Ca XVI XXII , XXVI ,

VI . I XL I XXVIII , XXX I , XXXVII , XXXIX , X - Lv . ASHWORTH Adve ntu r es of XLVIII , LIV — r r m o : . AV E RST O n e of O ur Ha y Rich nd VI , EDITH ’ o e r or s : D AS O L A C XXVI , XXXV . , VIOLETTA nqu ’ D E LLA — IS O R , C . AV E R ST O n e of OUNTESS , SIR JOHN O ur o e r or s : — of C nqu XXVI . ASPER , CONSTANCE Diana th e r os s s : - AV O NLE Y — s ee C way XV XVII , XIX , , LORD ROM - XXI XXIII , XXVI , XXVII , XXIX , FREY , CRAVEN . - X . X XV XXXVII , XXXIX AZAWO O L — Shaving of S h a gp a t — - AS RAC of XXI . , EBN Shaving Shag XXIII

a t : . p II AZRO O K A— Shavi ng of Sh a gp a t — : ASSUNTA Vittor ia XXVIII . XXII

B AE RE NS — s e V i t , GOTTFRIED Ca BANDINELLI , GIULIO of e e r e tor : I-v V - G n al Opl and Lady ia , XXX I , XL XLIV .

m e r : I . Ca p I , VI , V II B ANNE R B R ID GE , CHARLES — B AE RE NS . s e of Ge n e t r es of , MRS Ca ADOLPHUS Adv n u e r e m e r : 1 r r m o : II-Iv al Opl and Lady Ca p , Ha y Rich nd , XIX , XL , VI , VIII . LI , LII . — B E B ID — B AGAR AG of ANN R R GE , Ad , SHIBLI Shaving MISS S h a a t : v -XXI e t r es of r r m o : 1 1 gp I , III , , XXIII , v n u Ha y Rich nd , XLI v . XXIV . IX , M — — B , RS O n e of O u r B AGE NH O PE Adve ntu r es of ANNISTER o e r or s : . Ha r r y Richm ond : LIII . C nqu XXIII — s e e JINK S O N — ANTAM , THE , . O r B BAIRAM , DR BENJAMIN . e of r F e ve r el : GILES d al Richa d XVIII , e . B , B , ARBARA LADY au XXV XLV ’ m h p s r e e r : . BAKER— Adve ntur es of Har r y c a Ca XLII — o s t : Richm ond : III . BARCLAY Eg i XIX , XXV .

. E MRS — r e of XXVII , XXIX BAKEW LL , O d al — r F e v e r el : , ho Richa d VI , XI , XXV , BARCLAY COLONEL R da

e m : I . XXVI . Fl ing XXI , XX I — P — r e of B ARCO , M R S a s e of e e r BAKEWELL , TOM O d al C G n al - e m r P e e r e : pl pe r : , Iv , Richa d v l III XIII , XX O and Lady Ca II - I V I , . , , , V VII XX I XXV II XXXI XXXIV . - — , , . B AR E LIE B r z XXXVII XXXIX XLIII XLIV N Fa ina XIII . B ALDE R INI — V it — s e e , AGOSTINO BARLEY , SUSAN DEW - to r : I . ia VIII , X , XII , XV , XVI , LAP , DUCHESS OF - XXXTX XVIII XXI , XXXI , XXXV , , BARM Y , REVEREND SEPTI — B XLII XLVI . MUS — O n e of O u r Conque r or s B ANDE LME YE R Iv - I . GREGORIUS , VIII , IX , XI , XIV XV II , XXI , - e n t r es of r r - Adv u Ha y Rich XXII , XXIV , XXV , XXVII XXXIII , - m o : . I nd XXXII XXXVI XXX X , XLI , XLII . IN MEREDITH ’ S NOVELS 1 97

— of th e r os s BARNES Diana C BEAUCHAMP , COLONEL RICH ’ — s : I . e m s r e e r : way XL II ARD B aucha p Ca II ,

— , . M R . H r r XXVI XLIX BARNES , Evan a ing

ton : . I , II , VII BEAUCHAMP , ROSAMOND

s e e . B AR NS H E D Adve ntu r es of CULLING , ROSAMOND

m o : . H r r R h d V — Ad v e n a y ic n I BEAUMARIS , LORD — r B el t r es of r r i c m o BARRETT , LADY Sand a u Ha y R h nd

o : . l ni X , LV XXXIX

— , MR . r e of BARRETT SIR JUSTINIAN BEAZLEY , O d al Rich r e o : . ll , a r d e v e r e l : . Sand a B ni X LV F XVI , XXVI — r BARRETT , PERCIVAL Sand a — s e e , T T , : BEL AUN CURREN e llo i . B n LV ISABELLE . — r B TT , E d ARRE PURC LL San a O F — -X - BELFIELD , DUKE Evan e llo : , , , B ni VII XIV XVII XIX r r to : XI V XXI- Ha ing n , XVI , XVIII , XIX , XXIII , XXIX , XXXI, XXXIII , I I - - LV XXI , XX I , XXIV , XX X XXXIII XXXIV , XXXVII XL , XLIII , XXXVII , XXXIX , XLI . LVII . ALE S S AN — E ONI , EMI IA BARRINGTON , LADY Evan B LL L , ls o k o a s V ITTO R r r to : . DRA a n wn Ha ing n I - IA CAMPA Sandr a B e lloni , . - - ARRINGTON MRS E I Xv I . ttor : B van , XV I LIX Vi ia II r r to : . Ha ing n XXII o e . XLIV , Epil gu , E BARTHOLOMEW PET R — E , d r : B LLONI GUISEPPE San a r e llo . Sand a B ni XI e o : B ll ni v , VI , XXV , XXVI , XXX , — d e t r es of H a r X BARTLETT A v n u XX II , XXXIV , XXXIX , XL , r y m o : . Rich nd XLIII XLVIII , L , LII , LIV . — of th e Cr os s — BARTLETT Diana BELLONI MRS Sandr a B el s : . way XII , XL o : —L l ni VI , XXXIX , XLVII , LII , — o s t : . . ttor i : BARTLETT Eg i XVII LIX Vi a v , VIII , XI , XIII , I B ASK E LE TT XIV , XX , XXV I , XXXV . , CAPTAIN CECIL ’ — e m s r e e r : B E LMAR ANA B aucha p Ca II , XI , , COUNT Evan - I r r to : . XIV , XIX XX I , XXVI , XXVIII Ha ing n III , IX XXXII , XXXIV, XXXVI , XXXIX , B E LTH AM Ad - , DOROTHY XL XLV , XLVIII , LII , LV . ve n tu r es O f Har r y Richm ond B AS K E LE TT — - , Iv V II XI I SIR JOHN AND , , , , , , ' I III XIV XV II XX — e h m p s r e e r : - I LADY B auc a Ca XXII , XXXVI XXXV II , XL , XLIII , . - I L . XXXIII XLIV , XLVII , XLV II , LVI — r BATTISTA Vitto ia : X . B E LTH AM , SQUIRE HARRY BAYNES Sand r a B e lloni LEPEL— Adve ntu r es O f Har r y - - . m o : I Iv XXXIV , XXXVII Rich nd , VI IX , XI , XII , - I B AY RUF FLE , , , , , , HONORABLE XIV XVIII XX XX I XXV XXVII - MRS — r e o : , , , , Sand a B ll ni XXXIV , XXX XXXVI XLI XLIII XLIV - I I , . XXXVII , LVII . XLV L II LVI B E LTH AM MR S — e t r es e of , d BEAMISH , BEAU Tal A v n u - of r r hm o : , , l oe : I . d Ch VIII , X Ha y Ric n IX XXIII . — XLI . o em BEAN , DR Rh da Fl ing — or r m o t XIX . BELTUS , LADY L d O n

H is m t : . — d BEATRICE Lor d O r m ont and an A in a XXIII — or O r H is m t : . A in a III BENCH , WALTER L d m H is m t : ont and A in a XII . BEAUCHAMP , ELIZABETH ' - — O n e of O u r Con MARY Be aucham p s Ca r e e r : BENJAMIN XV I u e r or s : Iv . , , , , , , q , II III XXVI XXVIII XXXII — , . B E NLE W I o r XXXVII XXXIX , ROBERT L d i m : r m o t H s t . BEAUCHAMP , LADY EMILY O n and A in a XXII ’

e m s r ee r : . B aucha p Ca II B E NLE W — or , ROBERT II L d — e r m o t H is m t : BEAUCHAMP , NEVIL B au O n and A in a XXII , ’ - m s r e e r : I . . cha p Ca LVI XXVI , XXX 1 98 A LIST OF CHARACTERS

B E NLE W E G B L ANCO V E N , ELIZABETH , A L G E R N O — or r m o t H is o - d d e m : , v IX XI I LETT L O n an Rh da Fl ing I , , - - m t : . A in a XXII XIV XVIII , XX XXXIV , XXXVII , - E L IK — or : , , , . B N O M Vitt ia X . XXXVIII XLII XLV XLVII XLVIII B L A — NCO VE , E ho a BENNETT , BURLEY Evan DWARD R d e m : 1 v -XI I r r to : . , , , Ha ing n XXII Fl ing XVI , XVIII XX - BENSON — O r de al of Richar d XXIX , XXXI XXXVIII , XLI , XLIII . F e v e r el : Iv VI I XLVIII , V , , X , X I , XX I I B L ANCO VE — o I , I h d , , SQU RE R , , a XXIV XXXI XXX II XXXIV e m : l , , , , . XLIV . F ing I VI VIII XV XVIII V , , , . — XX I XXXII XXXVIII XLI BE d r e o LIX. PPO San a B ll ni B L ANCO V E tto r : - - , I I I M Vi , , S R W LL A ia III VI XI XV XXVI o e m : h d l , , , , , , , R F V V II X XII , a ing I I I XXVIII XXXI XXXII XXXV I - X XLI - , , , , , v . XXXVII X XIX , XLII , XLVI XVI XXI XX I XXV XXVI - , , — V it XXXI XXXIV XXXVI XXXVII , B , T ERNARDUS FA HER . XLII , XLVIII tor : . ia XXVII , XXVIII E MME LIN BLANDISH , LADY E H r e — , r e of a r F e v e r el : BERRY ELIZABET O d al O d al Rich d I , of r F eve r el : - - h , , XI V Ric a d I XXVI IV , XI XVI , XX , X I xxv , XX III , - - VI , , X XX I XL I XX II XXXII XXXIV XXXVII XXX , XX III X VI I , XL , , - , . XLI XLIII XLV XLIV . XLV . — f - — r e o r : . BERRY , MARTIN O d al BLASS GESELL Fa ina XI , XII r F e ve r e l : I Richa d XXI , XX I , B L ATH E NO Y — O n e of , VI JACOB XXV , XX , XXVIII XXX , XXXVII , O u r o e r or s : X I . , - C nqu IX II xx , L , . XXXIX XLI X III XLIV I XXV X . XX I , XXIV , , XXX , XX I - Fa r BERTHA OF BOHMEN B LATH E NO Y MRS — O n e of , In a : V . O u r o e r o r s : XX- I C nqu XVII , XXII , - B H ANAV AR X I . THE BEAUTIFUL XXIV , XXV , XXIX X X I - of S h a a t : . h gp , , — : S aving I II X BOB Evan Har r ington XIII . ’ m B IGGO T , e h p s — TOM B auc a B O B INIK E NE M . O n e of O u r , C r e e r : . a IV o e r or s : XLI . C nqu XIX , BIONET , MADAME BLANCHE — d e t r es of r r — e t r es of H r r BODDY A v n u Ha y Adv n u a y Rich m o : . Rich nd XLVIII , LIV m o d: . XXX — n II B O LLO P r e of h r d F ev — o e m O d al Ric a B , h d r ILLET SIMON R a Fl e el : III . In g : . XX — s e e T , L TT — BOL ON ADY BE Y B hod e m : , ILLING R a Fl ing XVIII . EDBURY , MARQUISE OF . XXIV MRS — s e e MR S — o em BOLTON , SWEET BILLING , Rh da Fl WINTER , MABEL . In g : XXIV . . E o BONNER JULIANA van B , E h d ILTON STEPH N R a r r to : - - Ha ing n XIV XIX , XXI , XXIII e m : . Fl ing XVII XXI - XI XXV , XXVII , XXIX XX I , XXXV B L ACH INGTO N, H ADOLP US XLIII , XLV . O n e of O u r o e r o r s : . ~ — ~ C XVI MR . H r r nqu I BONNER , Evan a ing

B LACH INGTO N ton : I I . , LADY ROD XXV I , XXX — O n e of O u r o e r E C MR S — H a r W LL nqu BONNER , Ev - an o r s : , , , , - XV XX XXII XIV XXVII r to : , , , II X ing n IX , XIV XVII XIX XXV I . I - XXXV XXV I , XXIX , XXXII XXXIV , - B LACH INGTO N . , SIR ROD XXXVII XL , XLIII — O n e of O ur Co e r — WELL nqu B O O LP Shaving of Sh a gp a t : II . - O r s : , , , . XIV XX XXII XXIV XXVII — or O r , T L d XXXVI . BOON JONA HAN m o t H is m t : . r e of n and A in a XIX BLAIZE , GILES O d al — r Fev e r e l : - B O O TLB AC h of h Richa d II XI , XV , XXII , S aving S ag - - p a t : . XXIII , XXVI , XXVIII XXX , XXXIV , XXI XXIV e . B O R O LICK , B XLI . XLIII , XLV A L G Y au ’ m s r e e r : — r e of cha p Ca XX , XXI BLAIZE , TOM O d al Rich — o e m a r d F e ve r e l : , C h d I , IX , XX , XXII BOULBY DI K R a Fl . In g : . XXVI , XXVIII , XXXIV XVIII

200 A LIST ‘ OF CHARACTERS

— O ne of O ur Con — MR . CADDIS , CARRINGTON , LOUISA Evan - ue r o r s : . r r to : XI V q XX , XXI , XXXVI Ha ing n , XIX XXI , XXIV , - CADWALLADER Am azing XXVII , XXX XXXII , XXXVI , r r : , . Ma iage XXXIV . XXXVII XLI — . C T I Lor d r m o t d C T , M ME M ARS A RS O n an ALLE ADA AR AN H is m t : DINE — O n e of O u r Conque r A in a XXIII , XXIX . o r s : m III , VIII , IX , XIII , XIV , XXI , CARTHEW , MRS . A azing r r e : XXII , XXXVI , XXXIX . Ma iag XIII , XIV , XX . CAL LIANI — o r O r CAS E L DY — e , GIULIO L d , SIR MARTIN Tal - m o t H is m t : . of oe : X. n and A in a XII , XXX Chl II — CATH AI — MRS r B el RN , of CAMERON , Sand a LADY Diana h e r o t s s s : . l oni : L . C way XX — — ttor : C O n e of O ur Co e r CAMILLA Vi ia XVII , XIX ATKIN nqu o r s : Iv , , , , , XXI , XXII , XXV , XXXI , XXXII , XL . XIV XV XVIII XX XXII , XXV , XXXIII , XXXVI , XL . — , s e e CAMPA VITTORIA BEL — ALE S S AN O ATMAN Adve ntu r es of H ar r y , ! LONI EMILIA m o h d : , . DRA . Ric n V VI — CAUS ITT . P or , DR ETER L d C M . L Y GEL A PER AD AN A r m o t H is m t : Cas e of G e n e r al Ople and Lady O n and A in a XVI . - CAV E LY H — m e r : I . o s e on Ca p VIII , MART A H u th e e : I- — s e B ach XII . CAMPER , SIR SCROPE Ca — of e e r e . m G n al Opl and Lady CAWTHORNE , DR A azing

m e r : . r r e : . Ca p I , II Ma iag II , III MWE LL — — r r to CA e : . , AUGUSTUS Tal CHARLES Evan Ha ing n V of oe : Iv V -V HI hl , , , . C II X CHARLES ALBERT , KING OF — O n e of O ur — ttor : IV CANTOR , LADY SARDINIA Vi ia I , II , , XXX— o e r or s : . I C nqu XXVI V , VIII , XXX I , XXXIV - — , XLI XL V . MR . o s : t . XXXVIII CAPES , Eg i XXXV E — m o CHARNE , DANIEL A azing , h d CAPES SIR JOHN R a r r e : XXI M . e m : . a iag XLV Fl ing XVI , , XXII , XXIV CH AS SE D IANE — Ad CAP PE R STO N , JENNIE , SIR WALTER e t r e s of r r m o — o h v n u Ha y Rich nd f t e C r os s s : . Diana way XIV VI XXXII , XXX II , XXXIX , XLI P — ttor : C , E . ARDI I TRO Vi ia XV , XLIV XXIX . CHAUNTER Adve ntu r es r r m h o : . CAREY , LORD AND LADY Ha y Ric nd VI — o le m : I . ttor : Rh da F ing XX I CHECCO Vi ia X , XVI . CAR IGNY — e t r es of r r y . Adv n u Ha CHERSON , MRS FERDINAND — m o : . of th e r o Rich nd XXXII , XLIV Diana C s s ways : — M n e . R . O of O ur CARLING , XXVII N— ois t : o e r or s : Iv V I I I . C nqu , VI , , XII , X II , CHESSINGTO Eg XXXIV , , , , , CH IAL L O — or O r XIX XXI XXII XXX XXXI , CAPTAIN L d , , . m o t H is m t : XXXVI XXXIX XLII n and A in a XII , XXV . — MR S O n e of O ur — I G , CH ICK LE Y MR S r B el ~ CARL N , Sand a o e r or s : . C nqu VII loni : XXV . C O ARLO A L B E R T — ttor : I-VI I CHIEF , THE Vi ia , V II , CHARLES ALBERT . X-XII - , XV XVIII , XXIV , XXVII , — - C , O n e of O ur ARMINE LADY XXX , XXXV XXXVII , XL , XLIII , o e r or s : C nqu XX , XXI . XLIV . ’ — CH ILL INGWO RTH CAR NIS CH I V itton a : I , XXX . L A D Y — r B e l ARP E ND IK E CHARLOTTE Sand a C . e , MR B au o : I ’ l , , , m s r e e r : ni X XIV XV XV II , XIX , cha p Ca XIX , XX . XXIII , XXVI , XXVIII , XXX - - C , Ad v e n V ARR LORD ALONZO XXXVII , XL , XL I , L , LII LIV , t r e s of r r m o : — u Ha y Rich nd XLVII . LVI LVIII . IN MEREDITH ’S NOVELS 201

— H P MR . r e o CO LUME LLI m Ma r C IP S , Sand a B ll ni A azing

XXI . r i a e : . , XXII g XXVIII , XXXIX , XLVII — , O or d CO MB LE MAN L CHIUSE VINCENTIN L , A D M I R A r m o t H is m t : . r r to : . O n and A in a XII Evan Ha ing n I , III , IX , XIII — s e e — H a r CHLOE MARTINSWARD CONLEY , FARMER Evan . r : CATHERINE ington XXX . — H IMH LD r : — C R I . a H a r Fa ina II CONLEY , MISSES Ev n — r i r B el to : , . CHUMP , MARTHA Sand a ng n XXX XXXI o : - — l , , , , , H a r ni IV v VII XIV XVII XIX CONNING , MARIA Evan — , , , r m g ton : XXI XXIII XXVII XXIX XXXI XIII , XIV , XIX , XXI , - V , , L VI , . XXX II XLII LIII LIX XXIX , XXXIII , XXXVII . — C , MR . r e llo : HUMP Sand a B ni CONSTANTINE , P R I N C E X XIX XXIV XXXII XXXIII r m e V I o s : . XV , , , , , , T agic C dian I XLII , LIV . r a CONRAD , KAISER Fa in A O A — n o CL NC N N O e f . , LORD XIV O u r o e r or s : C nqu XXVII , XXIX - or r m o t COOP , JANE L d O n , . H is m : XXXI XXXV and A inta XII . — m CLEMENCE , MADAME A az — or COOP , MARTHA MARY L d r r e : XI . M r m o t H is m : ing a iag O n and A inta XII . — . r e of CLIFFORD , DR O d al — o r r m o t C , d r F ev e r el : OOP ROBERT L O n h , , is Ric a d XII XX XXIII and H Am inta : XI I . . XXV — r B el C , T d — OPLEYS HE San a CLUNGE O N. e of JIMMY T l o : . a l ni III , XIX , XXI , XXVII Chloe : V . C , . L — OPPING SQUIRE AND MRS CO GG E S B Y , E - ANDREW van r r to : . - - Evan Ha ing n XXII r r to : V , V II IX, , Ha ing n III XIV - r r - -XLI COPPING , TOM E H g XVIII XXXI , XXXIII , XXXVII , van a in ton : , . . XIII XX XLIV , XLVI , XLVII — , ME E S O N m CO GGLE S B Y . COR Y SIR A z , M I T B a RS HARR E r r e : - — H a r r i n ton III VI I- M VII IX , XI , XI , , ing a iag I Evan g i v , IX , XXV XX , XXIII , XXIV , XXXV, XXXIX , ; , XIII , XIV , XIX , XX , XXVII VI . XL L XLI , XLV , XL I XXXVIII , , XLI , X IV , XLVI , — I . O n e of O ur XLV I CORFE , COLONEL o e r or s : CO GGLE S B Y — H a r C nqu XX , XXI , XXXVI . , TOM Evan

r to : CO RMY N . . ing n v , VIII , XI , XII , XVII , , DR JOHN AND MRS XXV - — O n e of O u r o e r or s : XVIII , XXXII , XXXVI , C nqu IV, L L V XXXVII , XXXIX , XLI , X IV , X VI , III , IX , XI , XVIII , XX , XXII , - XL XLVII . XXIV. XXV , XXXVI XXXVIII , , XL . DE COL , DUCHESSE DA ROS I — — r r to : . o s t : TA Evan Ha ing n XXI CORNEY , DR . Eg i X , XV , I I — XIX , XXV , XXV , XXX , XL , , M I E v II II I DE COL ARQU S E an - VI . r r o , , Ha ingt n : IX . XLIV XL I L — ttor a : I-v - C , , . COLEWORT O n e of O ur Con ORTE UGO Vi i VII ue r or s : , , , , , q XLI . XII XVIII XXX XXXI XXXIV - VI . XXX , XL XLIV , XLVI CO LLE STO N O F ’ , MARQUIS CO UGH AM— e ch m p s Ca or r m o t H is m t B au a L d O n and A in a - r e e r : . XVI , XVIII XX XVI . — of - - COURTNEY , MISS D C or d r m o t iana OLLETT r L O n and th e r os s s : I . H is m t : C way XXV II i , , , A n a I XVIII XXIV — m Ma r C , XXVI , XXVIII , XXX . OWRY LADY A azing r i a g e : , , VI , . — or or XII XXIII XX II XLV C L TT , I L d OL E SEL NA — H r r i to m o t H is m ta : COXWELL , Evan a ng n n and A in I , VI , X , - , . XIV , XVIII , XXI , XXIII XXVI , VII XXVI XXVIII , XXX . CRANE , LORD AND LADY

of th e r os s s : . MRS — or r m o t Diana C way XIV COLLETT , L d O n H is m t : I — of and A in a XXVII , XXV II , CREEDMORE , LORD Diana

XXX. th e r os s s : . C way XV , XIX 202 A LIST OF CHARACTERS

CRE FE LDT G GH O — ttor VON , BARONESS RU I . J A C O P Vi ia r om e s d . LUCIE T agic C ian XXV , XXVI , XXVIII , XLVI I -X X I V V II V XI . , , , XVII , CRUCH I — ttor , ROSETTA Vi ia

. CRESSETT , COUNTESS FAN XXV — - — NY m r r e . I v CRUMMINS H o s e on A azing Ma iag , , NED u h VI t e e : . XII , XIII , XV , XXIII , XXV , XX , B ach II XXIX , XXXV , XXXIX , XLIV . CUFF , COLONEL EVANS ’ — e m s r e e r : XI R . m Ma r h p . CRESSETT , J A azing B auc a Ca r i a e : — g , , , , , CULB R E TT S TUKE LY e IX XI XII XXXV XXXIX , B au ’ I . - , , , m s r e e r : I XLI XLIII XLVI XLV I cha p Ca III , XI , XIV , I O F— m , , , , , CRESSETT , EARL A az XVII XX XXI XXVI XXX II - - XLI XLIX In r r e : I , , v , , g Ma iag III . XXXV XXXVIII XLIII R E W C STO , C — VON OUNT AND C M e c h m p 8 — ULLING MR B au a T Tr om e d COUN ESS agic C i r e e r . . , , , , a ns : Ca I II IX X XIV II , v . — e CULLING , ROSAMUND B au CR I K L — ’ C E DO N o s e on th e m s r e e r : I-v H u cha p Ca , VIII , IX , - e : II v . - h , , XI XIv I I B ac VII XI , XV I , XX I , XXV , XXVI , - CR ICK LE D O N MRS — o s e on , , , , H u XXVIII XXX XXXIII XXXVII - - - L v . h e e : , , , t XI . B ach III VIII , XXXIX XLV XLVIII LIII LVI CULME — or O r CRO IS NE L , L d DE , COMTE CRES DE ADY L ’ - — t H is m t : m o I . NES B e aucham p s Car e e r : v n and A in a XI X II - — o s t : IX , XI , XXIII XXV , XXXIV , CULMER , LADY Eg i II , v , XXXVII , XLI . X , XXIX , XXXIV , XXXVI , XXXVII , - CR O IS NE L — e . DE , RENEE B au XLIII XLVI ’ m s r e e r : V - XI — h p , , X or O r c a Ca XI XIII CUMNOCK , CAPTAIN L d I m o t H is m i t : XXVI , XXX , XXX I , XXXIV , n and A n a XVIII - XXXVII , XXXIX XLVI , XLVIII , LI , XXI .

L v . LII , — r MR . o r m o t CUPER , L d O n and CRO IS NE L R O H is m t : Iv XI DE , CAPTAIN A in a I , II , , v, IX , D — e m r e e r h p s . N B auc a Ca XIII , XXIV , XXVI v -X - , XXIII XXVI , XXXIV , XXXVII , C L O B O URNE — O r - URATE OF XXXIX XLIII , XLV , LV . e of r F e v e r e l : Iv d al Richa d , XIII , CR O O K LY N , PROFESSOR XV . o s t : XXX Eg i XXVII , XXIX , — C , E E I URRENT ISAB LL Evan XXXV II , XLI , r r to : Ha ing n XVI , XVIII , XXII , A B — C , CO o s t : . ROOM J Eg i XXVI XXIV , XXIX , XXX , XXXIII , VI CR O Y STO N e . , L A D Y B au XXX I ’ m s r — p e e r : . r e of cha Ca LV CURRIE , FRED O d al r F e e r e l : CR O Y STO N e v . , L O R D B au Richa d XXXIV ' — m s r e e r : C , ho em cha p Ca XXXII , XXXVII , URTIS DICK R da Fl

LV . : . ing XVIII , XXIII

D ACIE R — of th e UR — of , LADY Diana DANCE , ARTH Diana

r os s s : th e r os s s : . C way XVII , XIX , XXVII . C way XI DACIE R — of th e DY — r r to : , LORD Diana DAN Evan Ha ing n VII ,

r os s s : . . C way XIX , XX IX , XXVI D ACIE R — of th e D ANMO RE A — or O r , PERCY Diana , L DY L d - r XI X I m o t H is m i : I . os s s : V L . t C way , XLIII n and A n a XX X LJE TITIA— o s t : - D ANNIS B UR GH — DALE , Eg i II IV , , LORD Di - — I - of th e r os s s : 1 VI XI , XIII XX , XX I XXV , XXVII , ana C way , VI , VII , - - - L . XXIX XXXIV , XXXVI XIV , XVI XXI , XXVI , XXVII , XXXV ,

— - . MR . o s t : II Iv XLI DALE , Eg i , X , - — X M . n of ur Con V I . R O e O XIII XXXIII , XXXIX , XL , DANNY , ’ X X ue r or s : . LII LV I LV . , X III , XLIX q XXI

204 A LIST OF CHARACTERS

V O N DITTMARS CH , CAPTAIN DULAC , LORD AND LADY — Adve n tu r e s of Ha r r y Rich Diana of th e C r os s ways : XXV .

m o : . nd XLVII , XLVIII m DUMP , CHARLES A azing D ITTMARS CH MR S — s e e r r a e : . VON , Ma i g II , III , . SIBLEY LUCY — m M r , a DUO MP MARY A z — o h a : XXI a ing f S gp a t r i : DOB Shaving a g e III . XXIV . D O LCH E STE R — e t DUNSTANE , CAPTAIN LUKEN , d LADY A v n — of th e r os s s : m : r es of r r o d . Diana C way II u Ha y Rich n XLI I - ’ V , , , , , — II XII XIV XVIII XIX XXI D O L LIK INS e h m p s Ca I X X B auc a XXV , XXVII , X XVI , X XVII , r e e r : , . - XX XXI XXXIX XLIII . - H a r DOLOROSO , DON Evan — DUNSTANE , LADY EMMA Di r to : Iv . ing n of th e r os s s : - ana C way II XXI , — r e of - - , M d h X DORIA ISS O al Ric XXIII XXVII , X IX XXXI , XXXVI a r d F e v e r el : . XXXV XLIII . O SE P H — e t r e s L , d DUPE RTUY — Ad DOUB E J A v n u , MADAME - of r r m o : . Ha y Rich nd XI XIV ve ntu r es of Har r y Richm ond — DOUBLEDAY Evan Har r i ng XXXII .

ton : . VII — O n e of DURANCE , COLNEY D O V ILI ttor i O u r o e r o r s : - , ANGELO Vi a C nqu I , III XXV , - - . I XV XXVII XXIX , XXX , XXXV XLII . D RE IGH TO N, C - OLONEL SEL D T O n e of O ur — O ne of O u r o e r or s URANDAR E IN C o e r or s : W nqu C nqu XX , XXI , XXXVI , XLI . — d e t r es of r r DREW A v n u Ha y — E o DURHAM , CONSTANTIA g hm o d : , , . Ric n V VI XIII Is t : I- V I III , , VII , IX , X , XII , XVI , — e DREW , JOHN THOMAS B au , , , , ’ XXI XXII XXIV XXIX XXXV m s r e e r : . p . cha Ca XI XXXVII , XXXIX , XLII , XLV — r : — I E r to , o s t DUBB N van Ha ing n XIV DURHAM , SIR JOHN Eg i XXX . III . D B B LE O N— O n e of O ur Con U S D IE — f h e UB TTE M . o t , Diana ue r or s : . q r s s s : XLI C o way XV . ’ — e m s DUCIE , VIVIAN h p DUV ID NE Y B auc a , MI - SSES DORO r e e r : . Ca XIX , XXIV XXVI THEA AND VIRGINIA— O n e DUFFIAN of O u r o e r or s : V I , HONORABLE AND C nqu III , XV II , - - REVEREND HERBERT XIX , XXII XXVI , XXVIII XXX , r r to : I V Evan Ha ing n XL , XLIV , XXXIII , XXXIV , XXXV , XXX II ,

I . . XLVI , XLV I XL — m O R — e t r es of DUFFIELD , LORD A azing DYKES , MAJ Adv n u r r : Mar r iage : III . Ha y Richm ond XIX .

O NATH AN— o ECCLES . J Rh da EDBURY , MARCHIONESS OF - — M H I em : . s e e ARC O N Fl ing XIV , XVII XXIV SERENA , o ESS OF EDBURY . EC L , T h d C ES ROBER R a E L e m : E , Fl ing I , II , IV , v , VII , IX , X , DBURY MARQUIS THE V - D R — e t r es of r r XIII , XV , X II XXV , XXX , XXXII , Adv n u Ha y - XLI m o : , . XXXIII , XXXV XXXIX . Rich nd XLIV LIV . E XLVIII D URY , MARQUIS THE — — E CKE RTH Y e t r es s e e , , TOM Adv n u YOUNGER DESTRIER — of r r m o : . Ha y Rich nd VII IX , LORD — , , . E DE LS H E IM O R e t XXIII XL XLIII , MAJ Adv n — Ad r es of r r hm o d EDBURY , LADY MARIA u Ha y Ric n ve ntu r es of Ha r r y Rich m ond XXXII — m XXXIX , XLI , XLII , XLIV , XLV , EDWARDS , HOWELL A az - . r r e : X . XLIX , LIII ing Ma iag XXVIII X XIII IN MEREDITH ’ S NOVELS 205

E GLE TT E ND E RM — r , LADY CHARLOTTE AN , FRANZ Fa ina - i s Lo r d O r m on t and H Am in I . - - - ta : — II XI , XIII XVII , XX XXVI , N m Ma r E DOR , LADY A azing - . r ia e : XXVIII XXX g XII , XXIII , XXVIII , XLV . - E GLE TT M R . o r r m o t , L d O n — tto r : I . H is m t : ENRICO Vi ia XL V d , , , an A in a II III XIII E P P E NWE L ZE N I . , XXII , XXIII , XXV , XXV VON MAR WO H LGE E IGH TE E NTH CE NTUR Y TH E SHAL ALBRECHT , — e t r es of r r — MUTH Adv n u Ha y s e e , E GRANTLEY GR AT m o : - Rich nd XV XVIII , XXIV , AUNT . . E L B URNE — XXVII , COUNTESS Evan , C E P PE N r r to : . ERNEST PRIN E OF , , Ha ing n XXV XL XLIII WE L Z E N-S A R K E L D - Ad — m ELDRITCH , LADY A azing e t r e s of r r hm o d : r r i e : v n u Ha y Ric n Ma ag XII , XXIII , XXVIII , - VI - I XIV X I , XIX , XXV XXV II , XLV . - I XXXI XXXVI , XXXV II XL , XLI , E C - - LECTOR AND ELE TRESS XLIII XLV , XLVIII LIII LVI . — r : . OF BAVARIA Fa ina VI E S UART — of th e Q , LADY Diana — - E , hod le m r os s s : LLING LADY R a F C way XIV XVI , XVIII , XXII , : , , . ing XVI XXIV XXVII XXV , XXVII , XXVIII . — m — , o l e E S UART of th e ELLING LORD Rh da F Q , LORD Diana - In g : , XI , , , , . r os s s : VI XVI XXI XXII XXIV C way XIV XVI , XVIII , XXV , ’ e m s . ELSEA , LADY B aucha p XXVII

r e e r : . Ca XXXIX , XLIV E TH E RE LL — Ad , CHARLES — r B el e t r es of r r m o ELTHAM , LORD Sand a v n u Ha y Rich nd

: I . lo , XLI . ni LV I LVIII y, XLVII — — R AS O O N of ttor : . EL Shaving Shag EUGENE Vi ia XI , XV

a t : . p XXII EVELEEN— Adve ntu r es of H a r ZO O P — a t m I of Sh a r o : V I . EL Shaving gp y Rich nd , XLVI

I . XX I E V RE MO N — DE , EVELYN Evan L — - E ME R Y , E r r r to : MADAM T agic Ha ing n XVIII XXII , XXIV . om e s : . - C dian VIII XXV , XXVII , XXX XXXIV . — E tto r : , . MILIO Vi ia XXXVII XLIV EVREMONDE , CAPTAIN LAW — — r r to : EMPSON Lor d O r m ont and H is SON Evan Ha ing n XXX , m . A inta : XIII . XXXI , XXXIV — o H s e e E ZNO L , h f ENCHANTRESS , T E ABOO S aving Shag a t : . . p MOUNT , BELLA XXIV

— f O u r M . O n e o FAKENHAM , ADMIRAL BALD FALARIQUE , — m r r e : o e r o r s : , , , WIN A azing Ma iag II , C nqu XIX XXIV XXVIII - XV XIX . III , VI , VII , XI XIII , , XLI e r e s of XXII . FALMOUTH Adv ntu

r r m o : . P — m Ha y Rich nd XLII , XLIII AKENHAM , CURTIS A az — O n e of r r e : . , ing Ma iag II , III FANNING GENERAL O u r o e r or s : . R Y C nqu IX M , G FAKENHA E O F F MR S — O n e of O u r m r r : , A azing Ma iage II . FANNING o e r or s : C nqu XVII , XX , XXI , XXIV , , FAKENHAM HENRIETTA V . m r r i e : V -VI I XXX I A azing Ma ag III , , — - r : I . — FARINA Fa ina XVII IX XIII , XV , XVII , XIX . XX , XXII — r I , XXV II , XXX , XXXV , XXXVI , FARINA FRAU Fa ina - I VI I . XXX X , XLIII XLVII . — MR . r r FARNLEY , Evan Ha ing FAKENHAM , COUNTESS LIV ton : . — m r r e : XXXI IA A azing Ma iag III , v , — XIX- — or O r VII XIII , XVII , XXVIII , XXXV , FARRELL , AMINTA L d - - - X XLV . m o t H is m t : I . XX IX XLI , XLIII , XLVII n and A in a XXX 206 A LIST OF CHARACTERS

FE S H NAV AT — S h a v FARRELL , CAPTAIN ALGER , VIZIER - o r r m o t H is m of S h a a t : I NON L d O n and g gp I , III , v , VI , VI I - m t : . . A in a VI XI , XIV , XVI , XVIII XXIV - — F A I r , N m Ma r RUG NO Vitto ia : XV . FETTLE SIMO A azing r i a g e : . FE ATH E R DE N r e of II E O d al P r F e e r l , i h d v e : . EVEREL CAPTAIN ALGER R c a IV — O N r e a l of i r F e v FE CK E LWITZ N O d R cha d , C M e r e l : Iv VI X- JA O AU , B B , , , , , — tto r : I I II XII XV XXIII A DER V X II , XXV I W L i ia XXV , XXV , XXVIII , XXXII , XXXIV , , , , . XXVIII XXXIX XLII XLV XXXVII . — of h a a t : h S gp , FE V E R E L FEIL S aving XXII , SIR AUSTIN ABS — XXIII . WORTHY BERNE O r de al of - — a r F e v e r e l : UDITH O r , , , FELLE , LADY J Rich d I II IV XVIII - - - e of r F e v e r e l : , , . d al Richa d XXXIV , XX XXVI XXVIII XLI XLIII XLV

. P XXXIX , XLI , XLII EVEREL , L I E U T E N A NT — — r e of r e of h FELLE , LORD O d al Rich CUTHBERT O d al Ric a r d F e v e e l : I a r d F e v e r e l : . r . XXXIV , XL I I FE V E RE L — r e of FE LLINGH AM , HIPPIAS O d al , G ENERAL r F e v e r e l : o s e on th e e : Richa d I , IV , X , XII , H u B ach VIII , IX , XX , XXIII , XXV , XXVI , XXVIII , - FE LLINGH AM XXIX , XXXII XXXIV , XXXVII , , HERBERT . - XLI , XLIV o s e on th e e h : . H u B ac II XII P — r e of V , L d l — E ERE ADY O FE LLINGH AM o s e L a , M Y r F e v e r e l : AR H u R h d I , X I , XXIV , - ic a I on th e e : . h IX XII . B ac XXXVII , XXXVIII , XL , XLI E LTRE — m Ma r , FE V E R E L — s e e F LORD A azing , L r i a e : - UCY DES g , , I , XXI XXII XXVI XXV II G , . - BOROU H LUCY XXXIII , XXXVII XLIV , XLVI , P Y L CH E R PEVEREL , SIR . XLVII r e of r F e v e r e l : O d l R h d XVI . FE NB IR D a ic a I JAY , CHEMISTS FE V E R E L , n O r r o RICHARD DORIA O e of u o e r s : . C nqu XIII — O r de al of Richa r d F e v e r e l : I H FENCASTER , MARC IONESS XLV . — or r m o t GRACEY d O d P — O r L n an , H EVEREL RICHARD II is m t : . A in a XII de al of Richa r d Fe ve r e l : XLI

FE NE LL AN . , CAPTAIN DART XLV — O n e of O u r o e r o r s FE V E R E L — r e of REY C nqu , VIVIAN O d al Iv -V I I l F e r e : . , X , XV , XVI , XV II , XIX , Richa r d ev I XXI , , , , CH LE Y o r XXIV XXV XXVII XXIX FIN , ISABELLA L d . r m o t H is m t : XLII O n and A in a III , - - — X Xv I I FE NE LL AN O n e , , , , , , G VI VIII XV I XIX XX II ENERAL XXX f u r o e r XXV , . o O C nqu or s : XIX . O , FE NE LL AN . FIN HLEY LAWRENCE , MRS HENNEN or r m o t H is m t O n e of O u r o e r or s : III XIX L d O n and A in a C nqu , , , , , . XXV . III VIII XV XXX — r r FE NE LL AN SIMEON— O n e of FISKE , ANNE Evan Ha ing ton : . O u r o e r o r s : I - XI - II , VII , IX , XXVI C nqu IX , XIV , VI XVI , X I , XIX , XXI , XXII , XXIV , FISKE , BARTHOLOMEW

r r to : V II . XXV , XXXI , XXXIII , XXXV Evan Ha ing n - XXXVII , XXXIX XLII . UD GE — FITZGERALD , J Diana — r e of of th e r os s s : . FENN , LAURA O d al Rich C way XXX a r d F e v e r e l : . FL ATS CH MANN XXXVIII , COLONEL — o h ttor : . FENN MR . Diana f t e C r os s Vi ia X s : . — s e e way XXI FLEETWOOD , COUNTESS — m . FENNELL , MASON A azing KIRBY , CARINTHIA JANE r r e : I M . 0 IV a iag XXX V FLEETWOOD , D A G E R ’ — — E R B R AS S M R . e m s s e e F , B aucha p COUNTESS FAKENHAM ,

r e e r : . Ca XVIII , XX . COUNTESS LIVIA — FE R NAWAY ~ O F s e e , JONATHAN FLEETWOOD , EARL

E oxs t : . . g XXVI RUSSETT , EDWARD

208 A LIST OF CHARACTERS

— r e of — H a r GARNER , MARY O d al GRAINE , JENNIE Evan - a r e ve r e l : . r to : Rich d F XX ing n XVI XVIII , XX , XXX

. — XXXII GAR R AV E E N Shaving of Shag D CH AMP C a t : v , p , VII , XI , XII , XIV , XV , DE GRAN OLONEL ’ . O XVII , XVIII C IN B e aucham p s Car e e r :

— . r : . XXV GELLER , ERNEST Fa ina I — O r — tto r G I , C LI GI I T V , , RAND SON ARO NE AC N A i ia XI XX e of r F e v e r e l : I d l h d , , , a Ric a XX , , XXII XXIII XXVI XXX XXXV I , , , , . . XX I XXIII XXVI XXVIII XXXII XXXIX , XLV - GIE S S LIN K ATCH E N G T , G T T G , RAN LEY REA AUN ER r e of r F e v e r e l : : l , , Vitto r ia XXIII . O d a Richa d I IX XX , XXIII , XXV , XXVII . — r B e l , d GIRLING JOHN San a — O n e of GRAVES , PRISCILLA o : . l ni XI O u r o e r or s : - C nqu IV , VIII XI , — O u r - MR . O n e of V I GLADDING , XIV , XV , X II , XX XXII , XXIV

o e r o r s : . X C nqu IX XXV , XXXI , XXXIII , X XVI

. — m Ma r XXXVIII , XLI , XLII GLOSSOP , DR . A azing — r i a e : , E r g XIII , XXXIV , XL , XLV , GREGORY FATH R Fa ina -X Xi - v . XLVII . VII , XVII — — , E o r O r G I d e t GRENAT EMIL L d OODW N CLARA A v n m o t H is m t : r e s of r r m o : Iv d , , v , h d , n an A in a I IV u Ha y Ric n I - XII , XV II , XX V , XXX . , I XIV , XV , XVIII XX , XXXVIII — . . m Ma r XLVII , XLVIII , L GRIFFITH , DR A azing

r i a g e : . — Ad XXXIII GOODWIN , COLONEL ve ntu r e s oi Ha r r y Richm ond GRIST , MESSRS ” SOLICITORS - Iv r r to : , , XIV , XVIII XX , XXXVIII , van Ha ing n XVII XI , . XLVII , XLVIII , L . XX I XXXVI , XLIV — F a GO O R E LK A— Shaving of Shag VON GROSCHEN , FRAU - r : . a t : . ina II p IX XII , XVIII , XXIII — r r to VON GROSCHEN , GOTTLIEB MR . GOREN , Evan Ha ing n — - r : I VI XI V . 1 1 Fa ina II , X , , XVII , IV , v , VII , IX , XVI , XVII , XXVI , - XXXVIII XL . VON GROSCHEN , LISBETH : - - r , , V I , XVI . — s e e Fa ina II IV VIII XIV GOSHAWK , THE GUY , , T G . VON GROSCHEN MARGA HE OSHAWK — r : I- I XII RITA Fa ina V II , X , — o , h d I GOSLING ADELINE R a XV I . lem : , , , . F ing XVI XIX XX XXV — MR . r r GROSSBY , Evan Ha ing MR S — s e . ton : VI I GOSLING , MR and Ca I , . of e e r e G n al Opl and Lady GUID ASCAR P I — V it , ANGELO m e r : VI . Ca p II , , VII tor : V I XXI ia X II , XIX , , XXIII — - MR S o e m , , , GOSLING , Rh da Fl XXXI XXXIII XXXVII XXXIX - . : . , ing XXI , XXV XLI XLIII XLVI GUID AS CARP I — V i t — r e of , C E IA GOSSIP , DEBORAH O d al L L ° tor : . e r e l , Richa r d Fe v XVIII . ia XXIV XXXIII GUID AS CAR P I GO S STR E — r B e l , RENALDO , LADY Sand a ttor : I IX Vi ia XVIII , XIX , XXIV , lo : v , , , , , , , ni v VII X XIV XV - XXVII , XXIX XXXIV , XLI , XLIII . XXVIII , XXXI , XXXII , XXXVII , GUL RE V AZ— of I . h h XLII , XLV I , LIII , LIV , LVI S aving S ag - p a t : , , , . — or r m o t X XIV XVII XX XXIV GOWEN , DAVID L d O n , d H is m t : . GUNNETT AMABEL FRYAR an A in a XII — ' Diana of th e C r os s ways : GR AATLI, ttor I COUNT Vi ia XXVII , XXXV , XXXVII , XXXIX ,

I . , XL I XLII . X II XXVIII , GR AATLI O F— s e e F R AY AR — of , DUCHESS GUNNETT , Diana

. th e r os s s : . AMALIA , DUCHESS C way XLI - H a r — r i GRAINE , GORDEN Evan GUY , THE GOSHAWK Fa na — - r to : . X ing n XVI III IV , VIII , XVII IN MEREDITH ’S NOVELS 209

H AB RAL r r to Evan Ha ing n HARRINGTON , HENRIETTA — a r XXII . MARIA DAWLEY Evan H

r to : Iv . — ing n II , , V , VII , IX XIV , , Y ho HACKBUT ANTHON R da I VI e m : - XVI , XX I , XX , XXVII , XXIX l , , ‘ F ing II VIII X XII , XIV , XXXV II XXXV III XXXIII , , , XLIV XXV , XXXI , XXXIII , XL , XLII XLVI , XLVII . XLVIII . ME LCH ISE H ACK LE B R IDGE HARRINGTON , , GENERAL DE C— r r to : , , — Evan Ha ing n I II r r to : . Evan Ha ing n IX IV -V II — , XIV , XIX XXVI , XXVIII — e t r es of H a r - HACKMAN Adv n u XXXIII , XXXVI XXXVIII , XLIII ,

r m o : . y Rich nd VI , VII . XLIV , XLVI e HALKETT , CECILIA B au HART , REVEREND SIMON ’ m s r e e r : - e t r es of r r m o cha p Ca XI , XIV XXIV , Adv n u Ha y Rich nd - VI . XXVI , XX II XXX , XXXII . IX - , , , . H ARTISTO N XXXVII XXXIX XLII XLIV LVI , SIR ABRAHAM — of th e r o s s : e s . HALKETT , COLONEL B au Diana C way XXX ’ m s r e e r : 1 A WO O D — h p , , , H RTS c a Ca III IV XII , , COLONEL Di -

, f th e r os s s : . XIV XVIII XX , XXII , XXVI , ana o C way XLI V -XXX - I XX III , XXXII XXX X , XLIII , H ARVEY , WILLIAM Evan LVI . r r to : XV - Ha ing n XVIII , XX , XXX ,

H . ALL , CAPTAIN ROBERT XXXII ’ e m h p s C r e e r : , , H ATCH F O RD O F B auc a a III IV , MARQUIS . s f r r m o XII , XXXII Adve ntu r e o Ha y Rich nd — O n e . HALLEY , LADY GRACE XLVII of O ur o e r or s : Iv Ix — H a r C nqu , VIII , , HAWKSHAW , MRS Evan - I to : . XI , XIV XVI , XVIII , XXVI , XXV I , r ing n XXVI XXXI , XXXV , XXXVI . — e t HEDDON , COLONEL Adv n H —O n e of O ur r es of r r m o : ALLEY , LORD u Ha y Rich nd LIV , o e r or s : C nqu VIII , XVIII , XXV . LVI . — O r MR . o e m HAMBLE , Rh da Fl ing HEDDON , LIPSCOMBE

e O f r F e v e r e l : . III , VI . d al Richa d XVIII H - RE V E RE N — r e of AMPTON EVEY , D HEDDON , LORD O d al — r F e e r e l : STEPHEN Lor d O r m ont and Richa d v XVIII . H is m i t : I . — , , , H e t r e s A n a III XIII XVII XXV EDDON , LUCY Adv n u

H AP PE NWYLL of r r m o : . , GENERAL Ha y Rich nd LIV , LVI e t r es of r r — d hm o d a of A v n u Ha y Ric n HEDGES , ANDREW Dian . XXXIV th e C r os s ways : VIII . F F — e t r es of r r — r HA IT Adv n u Ha y HEINRICH , KAISER Fa ina - m o : . h d I . Ric n VI III , VIII , X , XI , XV , XVI H AR DIST e — r : , CAPTAIN B au V . ’ ON HELLER Fa ina III m s r e e r : ’ cha p Ca XI , XV . D H E NR IE L , COMTE HENRI ’ — r e of — r r HARLEY , ADRIAN O d al B e aucham p s Ca e e : XXIII r F e v e r e l : Iv -V II X Richa d I , , XXV , XXXIX , XL . - - XIII , XX XXVI , XXIX XXXVI , HEPBURN , ALEXANDER XXXVIII , XL , XLI , XLIV . of th e r os s s : Diana C way XXVIII , — . O r HARLEY , MRS JUSTICE XXXIX . e of r F e l v e r e l : . d a Richa d I E R B TB L M — F a H S U , O MARTHE 1 1 11 3 : II HARRINGTON , SIR ABRA . - r r to : HAM Evan Ha ing n III , — e t I XIX HERIOT , WALTER Adv n IX , X II , XVII , , XX , XXVII , r es of r r m o : V - I u Ha y Rich nd IX , XXX , XXXVII . - XX , XXIII , XXXVI XXXIX , XLIII

XL v L v LV I . HARRINGTON ADMIRAL , XLIX , , r r to : I Evan Ha ing n XX I . H ERMANN PRINCE — Adve nt — , E r e s of r r m o : HARRINGTON EVAN van u Ha y Rich nd XXXIV , r r to - - : I . LI . Ha ing n XLVII XLIV , LIII , LVI 21 0 A LIST OF CHARACTERS

— — H MR . e t r es of AT r r i ICKSON , Adv n u HODGES , N Evan Ha ng

r r m o : . ton : Ha y Rich nd XXI , XXII XIII , XX . H — e t r es IGGINSON , LADY MARIA VOM HOF , BARON Adv n u e t r e s of r r of r r m o : Adv n u Ha y Rich Ha y Rich nd XLIV . m o : nd XXXVI , XXXVIII , XLI . E CK ARTw Ad v e n t VOM HOF , H — r r es of r r m o : ILDA OF BAYERN Fa ina u Ha y Rich nd XXXII ,

VI . L XL , , LI , LIII .

— — e t , C r c HILL , BEAUCHAMP Adv n HOLLINGER OUNT T agi r es of r r m o : Com e s : , , . u Ha y Rich nd XLII , dian XIII XIV XVIII ’ — . e m s XLIII HOLLIS , JOHN B aucha p r e e r : H IP PE R D O N O R MANTO N . , N Ca V Adve ntu r es of Ha r r y Richm ond H OLMES Rhoda Fle m i ng

. I XLIII , XLIV XXX V . H IP P O NY — e t r es — o s t: , JACK Adv n u HOFFNER , Eg i IX , XVII , f r r m o o : I . Ha y Rich nd XLV I XXIX .

— Ad o e r or s : ILCHESTER , CHARLES C nqu I , XVII , XVIII , XXI , e t r es of r r m o I v n u Ha y Rich nd XXV I . VIII , IX , XIX , LIII . MRS — O n e of O ur INCHLING , — e t o e r or s : VI ILCHESTER , JANET Adv n C nqu XVIII , XX I . r es of r r m o : u Ha y Rich nd VIII , — m I , I T - NES CHR S OPHER A az X , XII , XVIII XX , XXIII , XXX , r r e : - M , , - — ing a iag XIV XIX XXI VI , . XXX XLV XLVII LVI , I XXIII , XXV , XX X , XXX , XXXII , ILCHESTER , LADY MARGAR XXXIII , XXXV , XXXVI , XL , XLI , e t r e s of r r ET Adv n u Ha y XLVI . m o : VI XI X h d , , , , — r r i Ric n II IX XLI ME . m e INES , A azing Ma ag , . I LIII LIV XV II . — ISE NTR UDE r : . ILCHESTER , SIR RODERICK Fa ina VI — e t r es of r r ’ Adv n u Ha y Rich D IS O RE L L A — V i t , COUNTESS m o : . nd VIII , XLI , LIII , LIV tor : XXX I I ia XVI , , XXX , XXX V , M — O n e o r - R . f O u VI . INCHLING , XXX XLV

— s e e J — O r JACK RAIKES , JOHN AYE , LADY JULIANA

. r e l : Iv FAVERSHAM de al of Richa r d F e ve . — r r to JACKO Evan Ha ing n JENKINSON , MRS . MOUNT — - , . o s t : V I VII IX STUART Eg i II , IX , X , — - r es f I , MR . e t o , , JACOBS , Adv n u XVII , XVIII XXIV XXVII XXX X - . Har r y Richm ond : XXXIX . XLI , XLIII XLVII , XLIX , L — JACQUIE R E S , tto DE MADAME JENNA , LIEUTENANT Vi of th e r os s s : . r ia : I Diana C way XXX IX , X , XX X , XXX , XXXIX ,

I . — r r o , JANE Evan Ha ingt n : IX . XL XLV — — e t r e s O f o s e on th e e : , MR . d JANE H u B ach VI , JENNINGS A v n u r r m o : , XI , XII . Ha y Rich nd XXXIX , XLII — o e m XLIII . JANE , AUNT Rh da Fl ing — XVII , XXIII . JEREMY Adve ntu r es of Ha r r y — JAR NIMAN O n e of O u r Con Richm ond : LIII .

q ue r or s : , Iv , , , XV I , , III VII X XIX JE R ID O MANI — O n e , SIGNOR XXI , XXII , XXX , XXXI , XXXVI , of O u r o e r o r s : I . - C XXV II XL XLII . nqu — — JAR NIMAN MRS O n e of O u r r ello : , , , , JIM Sand a B ni II VIII IX Conque r or s : xv . XI .

2 1 2 A LIST OF CHARACTERS

K IO MI— e t r e s of r r S TANS O N — m Adv n u Ha y KIRBY , A azing - m o : r r e : . Rich nd VII IX , XVIII , XX , Ma iag I - XXIII , XXXVI , XL , XLV XLVII , — s e e KIT INES , CHRISTO Lv . , LV I PHER . I , C I T I K RBY AR N H A JANE — r CO m r r e : - O IN , COUNT T M , , K LL agic A azing a iag I III IX XI - m e s : II IV . - - dian XIX , XXI XXXI , XXXIII XXXV , - — XXXVII XLVII . K O O R O O K H Shaving of Shag - - a t : VI LE V E LLIE R p , , X , . KIRBY . CHIL XVI X II XX X III XXIV — m TON SWITZER JOHN A az K O R NIK O F F — Ad r r e : - I X- , COUNTESS ing Ma iag I , III V II , XIII , e t r e s of r r m o - — v n u Ha y Rich nd XV , XIX XXI , XXIV XXX , XXXII , . - - I LIII XXXV XXXVII , XXXIX XLV I . — r : PE KRAUT Fa ina II , VI . KIRBY , CAPTAIN JOHN T V — m Ma r K R E S NUK O F GAE ER A ASON A azing , I G r i a e : I-V - K N g , , , , of S h a a t : - XI XIII XV XVII h gp . - S aving XXII XXIV XVIII , XXII , XXIII , XXV XXVII , — - I K R O O JIS of S h a gp a t XXIX XXXIV , XXXVI , XL , XL I , Shaving . XLIV XLVII . v TH O RK ILL K R O O Z K R AZAWIK — b KIRBY , RALPH EL S av - m r r e . of S h a a t : A azing Ma iag : 1 ing gp XXI XXIII .

’ L AMMAK IN— e m s Ca LE NK E NSTE IN B aucha p VON , COUNT — r e e r : . ttor : XI ESS ANNA Vi ia XIV , - - X T XVIII XX , XXVI XXX , X XIII , LANDLADY OF HE AURORA - — , , , , Evan Har r ington : VIII . XXXIV XXXVI XL XLII XLIV . — XLV L I dve t r es of r r ARK NS A n u Ha y LE NKE E I m : VI NST N, B Rich ond . VON IANCA — tto r : VI L AR RIAN — Vi ia XI , XVIII , XX I , , GENERAL Diana - XXVIII , XXX , XXXVI , XLV . of th e r os s s : II Iv , VI , , C way XI LE NK E TE I XIV VI NS N, XIII , , XVIII , XX II , XXXV , VON COUNT — tto r : — XLIII . KARL Vi ia XXXII XXXIV , - o XXXVI , XXXVIII XL , XLV , XLVI . TT , h d LA ERS HARRY R a LE NK E NSTE IN e m : . , Fl ing XXXI , XXXVIII VON COUNT A— tto r : — ESS LEN Vi ia IX , XIV , , C of LAUNAY OLONEL Diana - - XVIII XX , XXVII XXX , XXXIV , th e r os s s : . C way XLI - XXXVI , XXXVIII XL , XLV . L AXLE Y — , FERDINAND Evan LE NK E NSTE IN r r to : - VON , COUNT Ha ing n XII , XIII , XV XX , — ttor : - - PAUL Vi ia IX , XVIII , XIX , XXII XXV , XXVII , XXIX XXXVIII , - XXVI , XXVII , XXXIII , XXXIV , I . XL , XLII , XL II , XLV XLVII XXXVII , XXXIX , XLV . XLE Y — H a r L A , LORD Evan — or d r m o t d H is r to : . LEO L O n an ing n XIX m t : , . m A in a III XIII L , T g EBERN COUN A azin — ttor : , . Ma r r iage : v . LEONARDO Vi ia XX XXI P — - LE S E L , e LE B R UNO ttor : . GRANCEY B au V ’ i ia XIX XXI m s r e e r : h p , , LE CZE L r c a Ca XI XV XVII , G L T I ENERA agic XX I , XXVIII , XXXI , XXXII , om e s : , . C d XV XV I . . ian I I XXXIX , XLV LV LE DD INGS — m r r i e M LE S PE L . A azing a ag , MRS GRANCEY ’ XXXII , XXXVII , XL . e m s r e e r : B aucha p Ca XX , XXI , — or r m o t H is . LEEMAN L d O n and XXVI , XLV , LV

m t : . A XIII LE V E LLIE R — m in a , LORD A azing LE NK E NSTE IN r r e : I- VON , COM Ma iag III , v , XIII , XIV , ME ND ATO R E GRAF ADEL XVII , XVIII , XXII , XXIV , XXVII , — ttor : X BERT Vi ia XI , XVIII , XXXIV , XXXV , XLII , XLIII , XLV , XL V L XXX , XXXIII , XL , XLV . IN MEREDITH ’ S NOVELS 2 1 3

LE VVIS O N — E g o L O TS D ALE — O n e , LADY MARY , CRANMER of O u r o e r or s : is t : XXIII . C nqu XXI — e t r es of H a r LIESCHEN Adv n u LOVELL , HARRY

r m o : . e m : . y Rich nd XV , XXXIII , XXXV Fl ing VI , XXII — — R h o r : V I . LIESCHEN Fa ina LOVELL , MARGARETT e m : V I — e t r es of da Fl ing I , , VIII , IX , XVI , LIKA COUNT Adv n u - I : , , , r r hm o d . XXIV XXVII XXX I XXXIV Ha y Ric n XLIII - I . XXXV , XLIV XLVIII I INGTO N L NN FRED Evan — I , Har r ington : X II . LOWTON SIR GEORGE Evan r r to : . — Ha ing n XIII I V tto r : . L SA i ia XXVII — LUCIANI BIANCA O n e of O u r LIV E LY STO N, LORD Evan o e r or s : . C nqu XX , XXI r r to . Iv , . Ha ing n XIV LULO O — of Sh a a t ’ h g gp — e m a S avin , h p s C LIVRET M B auc a XXI . r e e r : , . XXIII XXV r M , T I d W m Ma r LU LEY CAP A N San a e o : LLE ELLYN A azing B ll ni XXXVI . r ia ge : . XXXIV — MR . e t r es of M , d — LU LEY A v n u L O CK R ACE , O F e EARL B au r r m o : . ’ Ha y Rich nd XXI m s r e e r : I . h p , c a Ca XXX I XXXVII MR S — r e o I , d ll L O E PE L — e t r es LUP N San a B ni , COUNT Adv n u III , XV , XVI , XXVII , XXIX , XXXII , of r r hm o : . Ha y Ric nd XXXII XXXIII . — e t LOFTUS , ADMIRAL Adv n O F — e t r es T , d r es of r r m o : LU ON EARL A v n u h , of r r m o : u Ha y Ric nd XXXIX Ha y Rich nd XLVII . a r , , . XLVIII L e L I , I — YD ARD LOU SE B au ’ m ZO ttor : . OR V IX , XLVI m s r e e r : i ia cha p Ca XXXIII , XXXVII , LORING , DOROTHY Evan XLV . r r to : ’ Ha ing n XIII , XVI , XVII , XIX , — MR . e m s LYDIARD , B aucha p . XX , XXX , XXXVII , XLII r e e r : - Ca XII , XIX XXI , XXVII , — V LORING , SIR JOHN Evan XX III , XXXIII , XXXV , XXXVII , r r to : XVI Ha ing n , XVIII , XIX , XXI , XXXIX , XLII , XLV , XLVI , XLVIII , - - I L . XXIX XXXI , XXXIII , XXXV I . LVI

— O n e of O ur o e r MACKRELL , JOHN ROSE MANTON C nqu

m r r i e : o r s : . A azing Ma ag XXIII , XXIV , XXIII , XXXIV XXVI , XXV I , XXXIV , XXXIX , — of th e II MANX , QUINTIN D - iana . r os s s : VI I XLV XLVII C way XV , X I , XXI , XXV I , M ACPHERSON , DR . WILLIAM XXXIII , XXXV . — of th e r os s s : I Diana C way XXV , MR S — or r m o t MAPLES , L d O n . : XXVII and H is Am inta XIII . MAHONY , CAPTAIN CAREW M G T— r de l of h r d — AR ARE O a Ric a of th e r os s s : , Diana C way XIII F e ve r e l : XXVIII . . XXVIII — M I V ttor : . — AR A i ia XXIV MAH R LE N, Ad PROFESSOR MAR IAND AL — m Ma r ve ntu r e s of Ha r r y Richm ond A azing r i a e : . X g , XX III . III V — r B el — e t r e s MARINI GIULIA Sand a M T , T I d ALE CAP A N A v n u - o : . f r r m : l , , o Ha y Rich ond XIV . ni XXXVII XL LII LIX — r B e l — , MR . of th e MARINI UIGI S d MALKIN , Diana L an a lon : , , , r os s a s : . i XXXIV XXXVII XXXVIII C w y III - LIX , , . — m XL XLVI XLVIII M , M ALLARD A BROSE A az — r : e ll o . i n g a r r e . MARION Sand a B ni XXX M iag III , XV , XVI , XVIII , — r r to : XXIII , XXVIII , XXXIV , XXXV , MARK Evan Ha ing n XI , XXXIX , XLI , XLII , XLIV . XII . MR S — r B e l — r e of MALLOW , Sand a MARKHAM , NED O d al

o : . r Fe ve r el : . l ni VII , XIV Richa d VII 21 4 A LIST OF CHARACTERS

— — , MRS of s e e (1 MARKLAND Diana MEL ) HARRINGTON , th e r os : C s ways XXXV . MELCHISEDEC and (2) JOGE — s e e , M L MARQUIS , THE HAR LYN HONORABLE E . . VI RINGTON , MELCHISEDEC LLE — — MAR CH AT K A r . s e e JO CE S S Vi tto ia : Iv . MELVILLE , MRS E D LYN , MRS . MARSETT , CAPTAIN — — O n e of O u r o e r O F e q MENAI , COUNTESS B au WARD C n u ’ m s r e r : or s : I p e X . XXVIII , XX X , XXXII , XXXIV , cha Ca XX I — , . ME RCADE S CO ttor : XXXVIII XXXIX Vi ia XXIX . O n e of MARSETT , JUDITH — of th e , O u r o e r or s : MERION DAN Diana C nqu XXVIII , XL . r os s s : I - C way III , V , VII , VIII , G— S h a v VI I MARSHALLED , KIN X I , XIX , XXIII , XXVIII , XXXV I of S h a a t : ing gp II . XXXVIII .

— ME . s e e MARTER , REVEREND MERION , DIANA WAR r e : ll o , . . Sand a B ni XXIII XXXIV WICK , DIANA ANTONIO — ’ ’ MARTHA Am azing Mar r iage M GILLIPE R — B e aucham p s Ca , , , . XXIX XXXII XXXIII XXXV r e e r : XIX . — or r m o t ’ MARTHA L d O n and MICHELL B e aucham p s Ca H is m t : . r e e r : . A in a XIV IV , XI — H m — , E MICH IE L A ttor : XIV XIX MARTIN ELIZAB T A az Vi ia , r r e : 1 . I ing Ma iag XXI , XX II , XXV , XXXII . — m — , M o s t MARTIN WILLIA A azing MIDDLETON , CLARA Eg i r r e : . - Ma iag I Iv L . — A v e n — , d t MRS o s t MARTINEZ CAPTAIN MIDDLETON , Eg i r f r r m o : es o . u Ha y Rich nd LVI XX . MARTINS WAR D RE E RE N V . , CATHERINE MIDDLETON , D DR - - — —XI e of oe : X. o s t : Iv Tal Chl II Eg i , XIII , XV , XVII ’ - V M e h m p s C r e e r XXVII , XXIX XXX II , XXXIX , ARY B auc a a - L . XLVII . XLI

— , C o s t : . MILLINGTON OLONEL M ’ ARY Eg i XL e m s r e e r XXI h p : . — B auc a Ca r r M to : . ARY Evan Ha ing n XXVI A - t r MI V t o : . — N i ia XXVI M O n e of O u r o q e r or s ARY C n u — , e . MOLYNEAUX PETER B au XXVIII , XXXII , XXXIV , XXXVI ’ m s r e e r : . h p , MAS NE R — or O r c a Ca XIX XX , d JOSEPH L e t r es m o t H is m t : MONTAGUE Ad n and A in a I , XI , v n u r r m o : . XXVIII . Ha y Rich nd VI — O n e of O ur Con M ASTALO NE — V i t MONTAGUE , FILIPPO q u e r or s : . o r : XXIII t ia II . MR S — o s t : V II — s e e MONTAGUE , Eg i , MATEY WEYBURN , MAT XIX . , XXIV , XXV THEW . M TE S INI — ttor : O N . — ttor i : Vi ia XXIX MATTEO Vi a XIV . — ttor : XIX- — o r r m o t MONTINI Vi ia XXII , MAY , AMY L d O n and . H is m t : XXXVIII A in a VI . XI , XII , XV, XVI ,

I . . XV II , XIX , XXI , XXIII , XXV , MONTVERT , MR and MRS

of th e r os s s : . XXVI . Diana C way XIV — r , o d r m o t o MAY CAPTAIN L O n MOODY , WILLIAM Rh da H is m t : , e m : and A in a VI , XI XII , Fl ing XVIII , XIX , XXIV . XI X XVI , , XXIII , XXV , XXVI . MO R S F IE LD , — ADO PHUS tto r : L MEDOLE , COUNT Vi ia II , o r d r m o t d H is m t I L O n an A in a , , , , , , , VI X- - VIII X XII XV XVI XV II XX III , , VIII , XIII , XV XXVI , , , , I , . XXX XXXI XXXV XXXV II XL XXIX . — tto — MR . o e m MEDOLE , COUNTESS Vi MORTIMER , Rh da Fl

r i a : XL . ing : XL . a n d MR S — r e of MEEK , EZRA JONATHAN MORTIMER , O d al — r r . r e e r e l : Am a z m g M a iage : XLII Richa d F v XXXVI .

2 1 6 A LIST OF CHARACTERS

— ME . r r C PARSLEY , Evan Ha ing PERICLES , ANTONIO A IOL ton : -Xv VI O P O UL O S — S a n d r a B e ll on i : I-v XIII , XIX , XXV , XX I , ,

. X I XXXIII , XLVII XVII , XXI , XXIII , X IV , XXV I , - XXX XXXII , XXXIV , XXXVII , PARSONS , JAMES PANNERS - o r r m o t H is m t XXXIX , XL , XLII , LII , LIV LVI , L d O n and A in a - . ttor : v I XII LVIII , LIX Vi ia VIII , X II , . - XIV , XVII XXI , XXIII , XXXI E E - P AR Y LI . , PRINCESS TH R SE XXXVIII , XL XLII , XLIV — of th e r os s s : . — D C XIV PE R ID O N MR . O n e of O u r iana way , — r r o e r or s : Iv XI to : . V PAT Evan Ha ing n XXV C nqu , VIII , XI , , I P CR O S SJAY — E o XV , XV II , XX , XXII , XXV , XXXIII , TT , g A ERNE - is t : Iv VI - V - XXI XXXVI , XL XLII . , XV , X II XIX , - - L . r r to XXXIII , XXXVI XLIII , XLVI PERKINS Evan Ha ing n P XLIV . ATTERNE , LIEUTENANT — - CR O S S JAY o s t : MR . H r r Eg i I , IV , VIII , PERKINS , Evan a ing

ton : . IX , XI , XXXII , XLII . VII , XLIV , XLV P ATTE R NE MRS — H a r , LADIES ELEA PERKINS , Evan — o s t r t : NOR and ISABEL Eg i ing on XXXI . Iv -X I , II , , VI , XIV , XV , XXII , I — O n e of O ur Co e r - PERR N nqu , , , XXIV XXV XXIX XXXI XXXVI or s : . , , I I XXIII XXXIV XXXV XXXV II , XXX X , XLI , XLIV , . PETER OROUGH REVER , B XLVI XLIX — END AMBROSE Adve ntu r es — P ATTE R NE ois t : I f r r m , LADY Eg o Ha y Rich ond : XXIII , . I VI XIII XXVII , XXX , XXX II , XXXIV . — - MRS o s t : VI , , . PATTERNE , Eg i II , XXXVI XXXVIII XLI LI . P W XLII ETTIFER , SIR ILSON

— o s t : . P ATTE RNE o s t : . Eg i XXXV , SIMON Eg i I MRS — of P ATTE R NE WILL O UGH PETTIGRE , D , I W iana S R th e r os s — - - s : , , , B Y o s t : I L . C way II III XIV Eg i XI , XIII VI , I . — X II XL I , of th e PAWLE BARON Diana P FE N I — r : G . C r os s ways : XXX . VON N Fa ina III — — , m dr e llo : . PHELPS LUMMY A azing PAYNE San a B ni XXXII r r Ma iage : XV . P AY NH AM — of , MARY Diana P H ILIB E RTE — e , DAME B au th e r os s s : ’ C way XVIII , XIX , XXI , m s r e e r : - cha p Ca XXIII , XXIV . XXIII , XXV , XXVII XXX , XXXIX , — - o r r m o t d XLI XLIII . PHILIPPA L d O n an H i m : s A t III . — in a T d e t r es of H a r PAYN ER A v n u H ILLIM E — P O R , C d e t r y Rich m ond : VI . DI K A v n r es of H r r R h m o d — u a y ic n , E DE PEL COUNTESS van XLVIII . r r Ha ington : III . P H IP P UN— o s e on th e e h M — O n e of O u r H u B ac PE MPTO N R . , - II Iv . o e r or s : C nqu IV , VIII , IX , XI , XIV , I - P IAV E N — ttor XV II , XX XXII , XXV , XXXIII , I , AMALIA Vi ia - - - XXXVI , XL XLII . XI XIII , XXVIII , XL XLII . — P IAV E NI — P E NNE RGATE MR . O n e of ttor , , GIACOMO Vi ia

O u r o e r or s : . V . C nqu XVIII V , IX , X III , XXVIII , XXX , XXXVI

— f h — , o t e PIAV E NI V i t PENNON LADY Diana , GIACOMO II r os s s - - ; , , , , tor : VI . C way I XIV XVII XVIII ia XI XIII , XX II , XL XLII - , , , , XXI XXIII XXV XXVIII XXX I — t r PIAV E N , to ; , . LAURA Vi ia V XXXIX - - VIII , X , XII XIV , XVI , XVIII XXI ,

K M . PE NNYCUIC , R ho R da XXIII , XXVII , XXVIII , XXXI - e m : . l . F ing XL XXXIII , XXXV XLVI PE NR H Y S - e t r es , d ANNA A v n u I , of r r m o : - P ERSON COLONEL JOHN h d , r e o : I Ha y Ric n XX XXII , d ll , , — San a B ni XVI XX II XLIII , , . - XXVII XXXIX XLI XLIV . tto r : X LII , LIX Vi ia VI , VIII , — e - PEPPEL , COMMANDER B au XIV , XVII , XIX XXII , XXVIII , XXX , ’

m s r e e r : . . cha p Ca XVII , XLVII XXXII , XXXIX , XL IN MEREDITH ’ S NOVELS 21 7

P — s ee PO LTE RMO RE IERSON , LIEUTENANT , COLONEL

: . . e of Chloe , , POLE , WILFRID Tal VII VIII X — — H o s e P . r r to P O O NE Y , E ILLIE , DR Evan Ha ing n SIR ALFR D u

n th e ea : . . o h XI , XII B c VII — or r m o t H is PO STE R LE Y PINNET L d O n and , R E V E R E N D — O n e of O u r o e r Am inta : XXVIII . ABRAM C nqu o r s : P ITS CRE W XXIII , XXIV , XXIX , XXX , , IM LORD S ON . m r r e : XXXIII A azing Ma iag II , III , XXII , — E r r to XXXIV , XXXIX . POSTILLION van Ha ing n V , V I . — I I PLUMSTO N, e of TOMMY Tal P O TTIL a n d , I M hl oe : . S R HU PHREY V — O n e of O ur o e r ’ LADY C nqu e m s Ca h p o r s : . PLUNGER B auc a XXII , XXIV r e e r : . XI — m POTTS , CHUMLEY A azing — r e o r r e : X- - POLE , ADELA Sand a B ll ni Ma iag III , XII , XV XVIII , I-v -X - I , VII , XIV XV I , XIX , XXI , XXIII , XXVI , XXVIII , XXXIV , - - VI . XXIII , XXIV , XX I , XXIX XXXI XXXVII , XXXIX XLII , XLIV , XLV - XXXVII , XLII , LII LVII , LIX . , C t to - POTTS COLONEL JA K V , , i X XVII XIX XXVIII m r r e : . - A azing Ma iag II XXX I XL . — r POWYS , MERTHYR Sand a P — r B el , L d e o : OLE ARABEL A San a B ll ni V , X , XV , XVIII , XXVII o : I-V V II-X - l , , , , I ni XIV XVII XIX XX X , XXXI , XXXII , XXXIV, I - , , , , VI XXI XXVII XX X XXXI XXXVI XXXVII , XXX II , XLI , XLIII , . - . , , L . XLII LII LVI LIX XLV , LII , LIV , LVI , LVIII , LIX — ttor : P r B el V , , , OLE , CORNELIA Sand a i ia XIII XIX XXVII o : I-v -X XI V - , , , , l ni , VII , XIX , XXI , XXVIII XXXII XXXV XXXVI - . XXII , XXVI , XXVII , XXIX , XXX XXXVIII XLVI ’ P e m s Ca XXXVI , XXXVIII , XL , XLII , LII RANCER B aucha p LVII , LIX . r e e r : XI . P PR ID DE N — O n e of OLE , SAMUEL BOLTON , MARTHA - - r e o : I v O u r o e r or s : , , Sand a B ll ni , VII IX , C nqu XXXI XXXIII - - XIV XVII , XIX , XXIII XXXV , XXXIV , XXXVII , XXXIX , XLI ,

. XXXVII , XXXIX , XL , XLII , LIV . XLII LVI , LIX . PRINCE PALATINE OF B O — r : . P : r B el I OLE , WILFRID Sand a HE A Fa ina VI o : I- X- P R Y ME l ni VIII , XXI , XXIII , XXIV , , SIR TWICKENHAM - - - . ttor : V r e o : XXVI LIV , LVI LIX Vi ia Sand a B ll ni X , XV XVII , XIX , X - - , XIV , XVII XXII , XXVII XXX , XXVII , XXXI , XXXIII , XXXIV , - VI Lv XXXII XXXIV , XXXVII , XXXIX XXX , XXXVII , XLII , , LVII , XL , XLV , XLVI . LIX . o s t : P — of th e r os s POLLINGTON Eg i XXV , ULLEN Diana C XXIX . ways : XL . — . . PUR LB Y of POLLINGTON , MR and MRS , COLONEL Diana — s e of e e r e Ca G n al Opl and Lady th e Cr os s ways : XIV .

m e r . . Ca p II , VI , VII DE PYRMONT , GEORGES P — s ee H ttor i : OLLY WIS AW , MARY Vi a XIII , XIV , XIX , XX , FENCE . XXII .

UATLE Y — O n e of O u r — a Q , LADY QUEEN OF PORTUGAL Ev n

o e r or s : . r r to : . C nqu XXVII , XLI Ha ing n XXXI UE E NE Y O S H UA— m Q , J A azing r r e : UATLE Y M XXXIV , XXXV I , XL , Q , SIR ABRAHAM a iag I O n e of O u r o e r o r s : C nqu XXI ,

UILLE TT . P XXIII , XXVI , XXVII , XXXVI , Q , MRS COW ER

XXXV H . m r r e : . A azing Ma iag XIII , XVII 21 8 A LIST OF CHARACTERS R

— R AB E S UR AT i of MR . r r Q Shav ng REDNER , Evan Ha ing - S h a a t : ton : Iv . gp III , V , X , XII XIV , XVII , XXI , XXIII , XXIV , VON REDWITZ , CHANCEL — O F of — t r e s of r r RABY , DUCHESS Diana LOR Adve n u Ha y th e r os s s : . m o : C way XIV Rich nd XXXIV . — , . e t r e s RADNOR MRS BURMAN VON REDWITZ , II Adv n u O n e of O u r o e r or s : of r r m o : C nqu III Ha y Rich nd LV , LVI . VI XI - XV I I - II , XIV , , XV II XXII , — a REDWORTH , THOMAS Di na XXIV , XXV , XXVII , XXX , XXXVI , of th e r os s s : - C way II XVIII , XXI , . XXXVII , XXXIX , XLII - - XXIII XXIX , XXXV XLIII . R ADN — O n e of , G OR ENERAL REGNAULT Adve n tu r es of O u r o e r or s : . C nqu XXII , XXIII r r m o : Ha y Rich nd XXXII . RADNOR , NATALIA DREIGH — O n e of — REM , CLEMENTINA TON O n e of O u r Co q e r or s n u O u r o e r o r s : . - - - C nqu XXIII II VI , VIII XIX , XXI XXXI , — — n e of , O XXXIII XLII . REM SIR NICHOLAS r r : O u r Conqu e o s XXIII . RADNOR , NESTA VICTORIA O n e of O u r o e r or s : , C nqu II , III , REM REVEREND STUART - O n e of O u r o e r or s : , . VI . V VI , II XLII C nqu XXIII XI . MO NTGO M XXIV , XXIX , XXX , XX II , XXXIV RADNOR , VICTOR — — RE MAUD H a r ERY O n e of O u r Conque r o r s , FRANK Evan - r to : V . I i , , XXVII , XXIX , XXXI , XXXIII , ng n XX I XXX XL - - I . R E MIL L A XXXV XXXV I , XXXIX XLII DE , MARQUIS r r o : XXI R AD O CK Y t . , PRINCE LOUIS Evan Ha ing n — tto r : . RE WK E S . o r r m o t Vi ia XL , XLV , DR L d O n H is m t : FE V E R S H AM d , , RAIKES , JOHN an A in a XXVI XXIX — - r r to : X . Evan Ha ing n XIV , XVI XXX - - , , , — of XIX XXV XXXIV XXXVI XLI RHODES , ARTHUR Diana - V . the r os s s : XIX XLV XL II C way XVIII , , XXI , — of XXIII XXV RAINER , CHARLES Diana , , XXVII , XXVIII , XXX , - th e r os s s : XXI . I I C way XVII , , XXIII XXXI , XXXV XXXV I , XXX X , XL , R AMB O NI — ttor XLIII . , COUNT Vi ia MR S — o s e on XLV . RIBSTONE , H u

— h . of t e e : , V I RAMPAN , CAPTAIN Diana B ach VI II

th e r os s s : Iv . s e e C way RIBSTONE , P H I L I P R ANDE LLE R MIT , V I M (II) . , S I R J O H N S H AN D E EN o r r m o t H is m t : — d d ttor : I L O n an A in a RICCI , ROCCO Vi ia V II , , , , . XII —Xv - I III VI XII XXIX , XIX XXI , XX II , XXVIII , — r e of VI . RANDOM , MISS O d al Rich XXX I , XXXVIII l a r d F e v e r e : . — M R . e t r es XXXVI RICHARDS , Adv n u A R S AD IO f r r m o : I . DE , CHEVALIER o Ha y Rich nd XL V — r r to : MIG — UEL Evan Ha ing n M R . S e e E RICHARDS , FEV R . XXIV . — EL , RICHARD DORIA ttor : . RASATI , COUNT Vi ia XV RICHMOND , AUGUSTUS FITZ — R . — AS O O N, E L s e e E C L RAS ON GEORGE ROY Adve n tu r e s - R ASTAGL IO N of r r m o : I , Xi v I , COUNTESS Ha y Rich nd IX ’ - e m s r e e r : . VI . B aucha p Ca XIX X I , XXIX , XXXII LVI R AV ALO K E — of Shaving Shag RICHMOND , HARRY LEPEL a t : e t r e s of r r m o p XI , XXIV . Adv n u Ha y Rich nd - I LV I . R AV E JO UR A— Shaving of Shag a : p t , . Ad XVIII XX RICHMOND , MARIAN f a r r m o — ous e on th e e t r es o i h d RAY , LADY H v n u H y R c n - e : I I , , , . B ach v . III IX XXXVIII LII R IFFO R D REDDISH , LADY EVELINA , LADY ISABELLA of th e r os s s : . O n e O f O u r Conque r or s : XXXV . Diana C way XXX

220 A LIST OF CHARACTERS

S AD DLE B ANK — V it . ANDREW SCHONECK , GENERAL e t r es of r r m o to r : Adv n u Ha y Rich nd ia IX , XXX , XXXII , XXXIII , - V . VIII , XI , LV XXXIX , XL . — . M . m e t r es of DE ST OMBRE , A azing SCHWARTZ Adv n u r r e : I I r r m o : - Ma iag X , XXIII , XX V , XXV II , Ha y Rich nd XXIV XXXI , XXXV , XXXIX . XXXIII , XXXIV , XLVIII , L . CH E IZE — DE SALDAR , CONDE SENOR S W R B ARTH Diana of — r r th e r os s s : SILVA DIAZ Evan Ha ing C way XV . ton : III-v - , XIV , XIX XXI , XXVII , S CH YLL WE ILINGE N , PRIN . XXX , XL , XLIV , XLVII s e e CESS OF AMALIA , DE SALDAR , COUNTESS LOU DUCHESS . — r r to : — ISA Evan Ha ing n III IX , — o s e on the - - SCOTT , JOHN H u XIII XXVII , XXIX XLIV , XLVI , e : B ach XII . XLVII. S CR O O M — O ne of O ur S ALL AP — h of S h a gp a t , JERRY S aving o e r or s : C nqu XVI . XXII , XXIII . S E DGE TT — o a e m — , JOHN Rh d Fl r r to : . SALLY Evan Ha ing n I , VII : ing XVII , XVIII . — r r to : SALLY Evan Ha ing n XXVI . S E D GE TT MRS — o em , Rh da Fl — e t r es of : ALTER , JOHN Adv n u ing XVIII , XXXI , XLVI . - r r m o : V V II . Ha y Rich nd S E DGE TT , I M S AL O LO — tor : N CODE US V t . Vi ia XIX , XX o e m : - Rh da Fl ing XVIII XXIV , — e t I - SAMPLEMAN , LADY Adv n XXV I , XXIX XXXI , XXXIII , XXXV , r e s of r r m o : - u Ha y Rich nd XX , XXXVII XXXIX , XLI , XLII , XLIV

V . XXII , XXVII , XXXIX , XLIII , XLIV , XL I

. — LV , MR . ttor : SEDLEY Vi ia VI , X , — e t r es of r r . SAMUEL Adv n u Ha y XIX , XXVIII

m o : . R h d XL MRS — s e e ic n , SEDLEY POLE , SAMUELS Rhoda Fl e m ing ADELA . XXXL — Ad SEDLEY , VISCOUNTESS — s e e e t r es of r r m o SANDOE , DIAPER SOM v n u Ha y Rich nd ERS , DENZIL . XXXIX , XLI . —s e e H IB SANDRA BELLONI , EMIL SEGRAVE , COLONEL — e t r es of r r IA ALESSANDRA . BERT Adv n u Ha y m o : S ANF RE D INI Rich nd XLVII , L . , SIGNORA GIU — O n e of O u r o e r or s — O ne of LIA C nqu DE SEILLES , LOUISE I O u r o e r o r s : III , XXIV , XXXV , XXXIX , XLI . C nqu VIII , XI , XIV , — ttor : I-V XV , XVII , XVIII , XX , XXII , XXIV , , SANO MARCO Vi ia , I - , , , X , . XXVIII XXX XXX II X XV , , , XXX XXXVI XLI XLIV XLVI I - XXX X XLII . — tto r : SARACCO , LUIGI Vi ia v , S E MH IANS VI I - VI , REVEREND MAN , , , VIII X XIII XV , XX I , — CATE O n e of O u r Conque r , , , , XXXII XXXIII XXXV XXXVII o r s : , , I , V . . XIX XXIV XXV II XXX I XXXVIII , XL , XLII , XLV XLI . — ttor : I , , . SARPO Vi ia XXV I XL XLI — MR . o e m SEQUIN , Rh d Fl S ATH ANAS — r : a ing Iv , , Fa ina v VIII XL . , , , . X XIV XV XVII S E R AB IGLIO NE — V it , COUNT — r : C IL , DI T IC , tor i a : S H L E R H Fa ina I XI , XVIII , XX , XXVIII , - . VI XIV XVI XXX , XXXIX , XLV . — , . O n e of O u r SCHLESIEN DR SERENA , MARCHIONESS OF o e r or s : — C nqu III , VIII , IX , XI , EDBURY Adve ntu r es of H a r I - . r m o : I XV II XXI y Rich nd XXVII , XXX X , — Fa . SCHMIDT , BERTHOLD LIV r : ina I , V , VI , XIV , XV . S E WIS — e n t , BENJAMIN Adv CUNIGO NDE — Fa r e s of a r r R i m on : 1 V II SCHMIDT , u H y ch d , r : ina VI , XV . IX , XXXVII , XXXVIII , XLII . IN MEREDITH ’ S NOVELS 221

S H AFRAC— of Sh a a t — r : Shaving gp SIEGFRIED Fa ina II , VI , IX , XIII . S H AGP AT— Shaving of S h a gp a t : S ILL AB IN— Adve ntu r es of H a r I - X VI r m o : . I , III , v , V II , IX , XI XIV, y Rich nd XXXVIII , LIII . — r e o XXIV SIMON Sand a B ll ni : XXV . S H AH PE S H — h of h S aving S ag — S INGLE B Y , of a t : IV XXI . LADY Diana p III , , A th e r os s s : V C way XIV , XVIII , XX II , S H AH P US H AN h i of v g . S a n XXVIII , XXXIX , XLI - S h a gp a t : I . XXII XX V SK E PS E Y — O n e of , I M - DAN EL S H AL DE R S R . or r m o t - , d O u r o e r o r s : L O n C nqu III , IV , IX XI , H is m t : . d , , v - an A in a I II XV XIX , XXI , XXII , XXIV , XXV , -LIE UTE N V I SHALE , LORD ANT XX II , XXV II , XXX , XXXI , — e t r es of r r Adv n u Ha y Rich XXXIII , XXXIV , XXXVI , XXXVII ,

m o : . . nd XLI XXXIX , XLI , XLII

— , . d . SK E P S E Y O n e of SHALE MR an MRS MAT , MARTHA — o r r m o t H is O u r o e r or s : , , , THE' L d O n and C nqu X XV XXIV Am ta : . VI XXV , XXVII . — , S US ANz or r m o t — SHALE L d O n SKERNE Evan Har r ington : IV . s m and H i A inta : XXVI . — , Ad S H AMS H URE E N — S h a v SLATER SIR WEETON SHAH ve ntu r es of Ha r r y Richm ond : of S h a gp a t : , . ing I XXIV I . XXXIX , XLII , XLV I S H AP LO W — O ne of , BENJAMIN — o s e on , u r o : SMITH ANNETTE H u O o e r r s , . - C nqu X XVI th e B e ach : II XII . — T . or r m o t SHELLEN , L d O n and - of SMITH . SULLIVAN Diana H is m t : . A in a XII th e r os s s : C way II , III , XI , XIV , S H E NK Y N— m r r e VI XXI - A azing Ma iag X I , XVIII , , XXVIII XXX , XXXIV . XXXVII XXXIX , XLIII . — r de l of ( SHEPHERD BOY O a SMITH , VAN DIEMEN I) r F e ve r e l : . h d o s e on th e e : . Ric a XIX H u B ach III , VI — e of , ( SHEPSTER RALPH Tal SMITH , VAN DIEMEN II) - l oe : IV . n h e e : Ch Hous e o t B ach II XI . e — I , H a r SHERW N CLARA B au , E E ’ SMITHERS P TER van m s r e e r : p , , . : cha Ca XII XXIX XXX r ington IX . — e — , CK LE Y MRS H a r SHER IN GENERA S O , E W ‘ L B au van m r XII p s C e e r : , . h r to : . c a a XXIX ing n XXVI , XLI — S H IMP O R h of S h a gp a t — r e of S aving SOMERS , DENZIL O d al , , , . v r F ev e r e l : Iv , I XXII XXIV Richa d I , , VI XII , — S H O O LP I of Sh a a t , Shaving gp XXV , XXVIII , XXXIV , XXXVII

. I , v , XXIV . XXXVIII — H a r S O O LK A— of S ha a t SHORNE , JULIA Evan Shaving gp r to : ing n XIV , XVII , XVIII , XXIV , II . - XXV , XXVII XXIX XXXII XXXVII , H WE ARE — O n e S O UT , C . PER Y , , , XL XLII XLIII XLV of O u r o e r or s : C nqu XXXII , — , MR . r r i SHORNE Evan Ha ng XXXIV , XXXV . ton : , . XIII XXIX - O n e SOWERBY , COUNTESS , SHOTTS AND COMPANY of O ur o e r or s : . — C nqu XLII BANKERS O n e of O ur Con , E q ue r o r s : XV II . SOWERBY H O N O R A B L I — O n e of O u r Con — ’ DUDLEY . e m s SHRAPNEL , DR B aucha p ue r or s : q , , , , , r e r : - IV VIII IX XI XII e , , , - - Ca XI XIV XVI XVII XIX . , - - XIV XXII XXIV XLII I , XX I XXVI XXXIX , XLII XLV , — - s e e XLVIII LVI . SPEED THE PLOUGH — , T M . S H ULLUM Shaving of S h a gp a t BAKEWELL O — tto I , v , XXIV . SPELLMAN , JOHANN Vi r i a : . — e t r es of , SIBLEY , LUCY Adv n u XXV XXVI r r m o : S P LE NDE RS Ha y Rich nd XVI , XXIV , , LADY Evan

I VI . r r to : . XXV , XXVII , XXXI , XLVI , XL II Ha ing n IX 222 A LIST OF CHARACTERS

— o r r m o t — O n e of STAINES , LADY L d O n SUDLEY , COLONEL H is m t : O u r o e r or s : and A in a XIII , XV , XXIII . C nqu XXX , XXXII ’ I — XXX II . STANTON B e aucham p s Ca r e e r : — , . S UMFIT MR S o e m XLIX LII , Rh da Fl ing — - I v n H a r , , , , , , STOKES , GEORGE E a II IV VII IX X II XXIV XXXIII - - r to : XLV . ing n X , XI . XXXIX , XLI XLIII , XLVII

— , r B e l STOKES LADY RACHEL SUMNERS , THE Sand a e t r es of r r h o : V Adv n u Ha y Ric l ni II , X II , XIX , XXVII , XXXI , m o d : I . L . n XXX X XXXII , X II TO R H E L — S C . r om e , DR T agic C - hod em : . s : - SUSAN R a Fl ing XIX dian XIII XV , XVII , XVIII .

— — n e o STR AUS CH E R O n e of , O f O ur , HERR SWANAGE LADY O u r o e r or s : I o e r or s : , . C nqu XX V . C nqu XX XXI S WE E TWINTE R Ad STRIKE , CAROLINE Evan , BOB r r to : V II e t r es oi r r m o Ha ing n III , V , , XIV , v n u Ha y Rich nd - I VI Lv . XV II , XIX , XXI XX , XXX , III , XXXVII , - , , , XXXII XXXIII XXXVI XLIV WE E TWINTE R — Ad S , XLV I XLVI I . M , ABEL ve ntu r e s of Har r y Richm ond STRIKE , MAJOR MAXWELL I , , , , r r to : III XX II XXXVII XXXVIII , , , Evan Ha ing n III v VIII . , , I XLII LV LVI XIV , XV II , XIX , XXI , XXX , I WE E TWINTE R — Ad . S XXXVII , XXX X , XL , XLI , MARK e t r e s of r r m o — v n u Ha y Rich nd STRIKE , MAXWELL II Evan r r III , XXIII , XXXVI , XXXVII , LV . to : . Ha ing n V , XLIV — of — Ad ILL , M M T , T SYB E ADA E Diana DE S RODE COUN ESS th e r os s s : ve ntu r es of H ar r y Richm ond C way XXVII , XXIX , . XLI . XXXVI o a S ZE ZE DY — Ad SUCKLING , LORD Rh d , COUNTESS e m : X I e t r es of r r m o Fl ing XVI , XXI , X II , XXV , v n u Ha y Rich nd XXVII , XXIX , XXXI , XXXVIII . XXXIX .

— O n o — e f O ur o e r . TAPLOW C nqu THOMSON , DR LANYAN Di

o r s : XX . of th e r os s s : VI III , ana C way XX , — r e o : . TARANI Sand a B ll ni XLVIII . XXVII — — O r e TARTINI Vittor ia : XXX . THOMPSON , LETITIA d al of r Pe e r e : I — h d l , , TCH E IK Shaving of S h a gp a t Ric a v XI XXV II XXXII . XXI . — e of — , MR . r d l T L I of th e C r os s THOMPSON O a E L O Diana r P e e r e : s : l , , way XXVII . Richa d v VII XI XVI , , VI , . — e t r es of XVIII XXII XX XXXIII T M , G dv E PLE US A n u MR S — r e of r r m o : - THOMPSON , O d al Ha y Rich nd v , VI , IX XX , r F e ve r el : . I R h d X XXIII , XX V , XXVII , XXVIII , XXX , ic a I - - — , r e a XXXII XXXVI XXXIX , XL XLIV , THOMPSON , RIPTON O d l - L - - , , VI . of r F e v e r e l : I X XI I XLVII LI LIII Richa d VII , , — - M , , , , R . e t r e s of TEMPLE , Adv n u XVI XXV XXVI XXVIII XXXI - - r r m o : I , , . Ha y Rich nd XLII , XLIV . XXX II XXXV XXXVIII XLI XLV — — M , e t R . e t r es of TENBY , Adv n u THRESHER JOHN Adv n r r m o : r es of r r m o : , , Ha y Rich nd XLII . u Ha y Rich nd III IV VI I . - , XI , XXIV , XXXVII , XLIII . O n e of O u r T MI , HE SON DR Ad o e r o r s , C nqu XIII , XIV , XVI , THRESHER MARTHA e t r e s of r r hm o XVIII , XIX , XXI , XXII , XXX , v n u Ha y Ric nd - , . XXXVI , XXXIX , XL XLII . III , XXIII XXXVII — r — e t r e s of H a r THIER , SCHWARTZ Fa ina THRIBBLE Adv n u - X XIV r m o : . III , VII , . y Rich nd III

224 A LIST OF CHARACTERS W

WAD ASTE R — of , LORD Diana WELSH , CAPTAIN JASPER th e r os s : e r e o C ways XXX . Adv ntu s f Har r y Richm ond - - — e t r es of XII XV , XVII XIX , XXIX , XLII , WADDY , MARY Adv n u - . r r m o : II-Iv LIV LVI Ha y Rich nd , XVIII , — I E , e t r e s XX , XXIII , XXXV II , XXXIX , XLII , W LSH ROBERT Adv n u - of r r m o : . h . XLIV , XLIX LIV Ha y Ric nd XIII , XIV AI B Y o e m — e W NS h d WELSHPOOL , LORD B au R a Fl ing ’ m s r e e r : XVIII . cha p Ca XXXVIII . r WALBURG , COUNT T agic WELSHPOOL , COUNTESS ’ - om e s : X. e m s r e e r : C dian VIII B aucha p Ca XXXIII . — O n e of r on — , . O u C H O r WARDAN DR WENTWORT , AUSTIN q u e r or s : . e of r F ev e r e l : XXI d al Richa d I , II , - Iv , I WARDEN , MR . and MRS . VI XII , XX , XXV , XXV , XXXIII , of e e r e , , . Cas e G n al Opl and Lady XXXIV XLI XLII , XLV — m pe r . . TWO RTH MRS r e Ca II WEN , O d al f r o F e v e r e l : . WARING , MAJOR PERCY Richa d I o e m : - — , , r : II Rh da Fl ing XX XXII XXIV WERNER , BARON Fa ina - - , , , X X V . XXVI XXVII XXX XXXII IV , VI , VII , VI XXX II , XXXIX , XLIV , XLVI , E M — R . of th e W STLAKE , Diana XLVIII r os s s : I C way XVII , XX II , XXVII , — WARWICK , AUGUSTUS Di XXVIII , XXX , XXXV . of th e r os s s : ana C way I , II , IV E , C E I - W YBURN OLON L S D IX , XIII XV , XVII , XVIII , XXI , E Y — or d r m o t H is - XXX N L O n and , , , , XXIII XXV XXVII XXIX m t : . A in a III , IV , XIV , XXIII XXXVI , XL , XLIII . — or WEYBURN , MATTHEW L d WARWICK , DIANA ANTONIA r m o t H is m t : I -v — of th e r os s s : O n and A in a , Diana C way - - - . I - VII IX , XI XXI , XXIII XXX XLII . — or O r — — r , M d T Y , T E WEYBURN RS L WA ER LAD H Fa ina m o t H is m - t : , XI I . n and A in a XIII XV , XIII , , . — XVIII XX XXVIII WATH IN CR AMB O RNE ~ , Di . MRS of th e r os s s : WHEEDLE , MR and , , ana C way XIV XVII t : r r o . . E H XLV XXI , XXIII van a ing n — H a r WATH IN MRS — of th e WHEEDLE , POLLY Evan , Diana r to : V r os s s : ing n XIII , XIV , XVII , X III , , , , , C way XIV XVII XXI XXIII I XXV , XXVII , XXX I , XXXV XXV , XXVII , XXIX , X X X V , , VI . . XXXVIII XLV XL I XXXVII , XLII — H a r WATK Y N— m z g M r r ge WHEEDLE , SUSAN Evan A a in a ia r : I to , , , , , XXXIV . ing n X XI X II XVIII XXV , , , , — XXX XXXII XXXIII XXXVII Ma r WAYTI MR . m S , A g . azin XL , XLV r ia g e : . XXV — o s t IT , G C E WE ISS P RIE S S JO WH FORD RA E g i , CAPTAIN . HANN NEPOMUK FREI XLIV . o s t HERR VON S CH E PPE N WHITFORD , MRS Eg i — tto r : XXXVIII . HAUSEN Vi ia IX, X , XIV , I — o s t XV , XIX , XX , XX I , XXIII , XXVI WHITFORD , VERNON Eg i - - - L . XXIX , XXXIII , XXXIV , XXXVIII II XXX , XXXII XXXIX , XLI XL , XLV , XLVI . WH ITMO NB Y — Diana of th e r os s s : WEDDERBURN , SERJEANT C way XVII , XVIII , XX , XXI , e t r es of r r m o - Adv n u Ha y Rich nd XXIII , XXV , XXVII XXX , XXXIII , XXXIX , XLI , XLII . XXXV . — m — Rh o WEDGER , TOMMY A azing WICKLOW , MARY ANN

r r e : . e m : . Ma iag II da Fl ing V , X , XXV — r r to — o e m WELBECK Evan Ha ing n WICKLOW , MRS Rh da Fl : VII . ing v , X , XXV . ’ IN MEREDITH S NOVELS 225

M — . RS s e WILDER , MR and Ca WINSTANLEY , MRS . GRAF of Ge ne r al Ople and Lady Ca m TON — Diana of th e Cr os s ways

e r : . p II XXVII . — DJO H N E o — ’ WIL , g e m 3 COLONEL WINTER , VERA B aucha p is t: . r e e r : XXXV Ca XXV I . IV ILH E LM ttor i VI Vi a XX , WIP PE R N o , LORD Rh da . em XXVII Fl ing : XXII . WILKINSO PEROY — Diana I , M of th e r os s s : . W SHAW ARY FENCE C way I r r to : Evan Ha ing n VII , IX . — e t r es of r r WILLIAM Adv n u Ha y WITLINGTO N , O F Rich m ond : VII . EARL Adve n tu r es of Ha r r y Richm ond — of th e r os s I WILLIAM Diana C XXX X , XLII . ways : XXVI . — Ad VON WOLFENSTEIN , COUNT WILLIAMS , MONTEREZ FRE TZE L d e t r es of e t r es O f r r m o A v n u v n u Ha y Rich nd r r m o : Ha y Rich nd XVI , XVIII , . , , XIX XXXIX XLVII XXX . — of WILMERS , DORSET Diana WO L A LE — L S Y , MR S of th e r os s s : . Diana C way I th e r os s : C ways XVIII . — of I MERS , HENRY D W L iana WO O DSE E R — m th e r os s s : , G C way I , XVII , XVIII , OWER A az r r e : - - , , . i M , , ng a iag VI XI XVI XXVIII XXIII , XXV , XXVII XXVIII XXX - XXX XLVI . I M O R E IEUTENANT W L L ’ — O O DS E E R m W . JACK B e aucham p s Car e e r : , MR A azing r r e : . , , , , III , XV , XIX , XLII , XLVIII Ma iag XVIII XIX XXI XXII , , , . — r e o : XXV XXXVII XLI XLIV WILSON Sand a B ll ni II , VI , XI . WORCESTER , ELIZABETH le of loe : . IV ILS O N MRS — r e o Ta Ch VII , Sand a B ll ni — XI . O n e of II , WORRELL , MAJOR O ur o e r or s : — d e t r es of C nqu XXVIII , XXIX , WILTS , LADY A v n u X r r m o : , , , Ha y Rich nd XXI , XXII , XX II XXXIII XXXV XXXVII . XXVII . XXXIX

— — , MRS O n e of O ur WILTS , MOUNTFORD Diana WORRELL o e r or s : . of th e C r os s ways : XXVIII . C nqu XXVIII

— m E CK H AM . WR . WILTSHIRE , JOHN A azing , MR and MRS r Mar r iage : II . Adve ntu es of Har r y Richm ond — m Ma r XXXIX . WINCH , MADGE A azing - ~ - r i a g e : , , , of III XV XIX XXII XXV WROXETER , LORD Diana - . , th e r os s s : . XXXIII XXXV XLVI C way IV , XLI , XLII — Ma r , m — WINCH SARAH A azing WURMS E R V ttor : vi . r i a : i ia xx g e I I , , XV II , XIX , XXI , XX I XXV XXX — m a XXVIII , , XXXI XXXV , WYTHAN , OWAIN A zing VI r r e : - XXX , XXXVIII , XLVI . Ma iag XVI , XXVII , XXIX XXX , I m XXXIII , XXXIV , XXXVI , XXXV I , INCH , TO IAS A - - W B azing XL XLV . r r XLIII , XLVII e . Ma iag XVIII . — ’ m — e h m p s Os WYTHAN , REBECCA A az WINGHAM B auc a r r e : - I r e e r : ing Ma iag XXVII , XXIX XXX , XIX . XXXIII , XXXIV , XXXVI , XL , XLII , WINK R IE D — r : . . Fa ina II XLIII , XLVI , XLVII

A — — Y TT . O ne of O ur YATT MRS O ne of O ur Con , DR PETER ,

o e r o r s : I ue r or s : . C nqu II , IV , VIII , X , XV II , q XXII , XXXIII , XXXVI X XX , X II , XXXIII . 226 A LIST OF CHARACTERS

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