II.—Thackeray
In Thackeray’s “Newcomes,” the writer had some reminiscences of a place like Eatanswill, for we are told of the rival newspapers, “The Newcome Independent” and “The Newcome Sentinel,” the former being edited by one Potts. These journals assailed each other like their brethren in “Pickwick.” “Is there any man in Newcome except, perhaps, our twaddling old contemporary, the Sentinel,” &c. Doyle’s picture of the election is surely a reminiscence of Phiz’s. There is the same fight between the bandsmen—the drum which someone is kicking a hole in, the brass instrument used, placards, flags, and general mêlée.
Doyle could sketch Forster admirably. Witness the drawing of the travelling party in a carriage, given by Mr. Kitton in his wonderful collection, “Dickens, by pen and pencil,” where he has caught Forster’s “magisterial” air to the life. The picture, “F. B.,” Fred Bayham in the story, is certainly the figure of Forster (vol. ii., pp. 55 and 116.) F. B. is shown both as a critic and pressman, though he has nothing of J. F.’s domineering ways. Again, the waiter, speaking of Lord Highgate, said he was a most harbitrary gent. This refers to the memorable story of Forster being summoned by the cabman who said he did so because “he were such a harbitrary cove.” The truth was, Forster knew the distance to a yard, and would tender the cabman his exact fare and no more. Once, dining with Forster at a hotel in the country where he had rooms, we lit our cigars after dinner, on which the waiter remonstrated, saying it was not allowed. Then I knew the meaning of a “Harbitrary Cove.” How the irate Forster blew him up, roared at him, and drove him out, terrified! It was, indeed, Dowler threatening the coach proprietor.
Thackeray would of course have known the story; he meant a sort of veiled allusion which had or had not a reference. We have the key to this sort of thing in the strange, uncomplimentary reference to Catherine Hayes, the murderess, but which was at once applied to an interesting and celebrated Irish singer of the same name. The author must have anticipated this, and, perhaps, chuckled over the public ignorance, but the allusion was far-fetched. In the same fashion a dramatist once chose to dub one of his characters by my own rather unusual name, on which he protested that he never dreamt of it, that others bore it; still he, however, was obliged to remove it.
Again, on p. 55 we have this passage: “I was thirsty, having walked from “Jack Straw’s Castle,” at Hampstead, where poor Kiteley and I had been taking a chop.” This was written in 1855, only a few years after Forster’s admirable performance of Kiteley with the other amateurs in “Every man in his humour.” “Jack Straw’s Castle,” too, was a regular haunt of Forster and Dickens. It is as certain as anything can be that this allusion was not an accidental one.