Maclise, who also provided illustrations to "The Battle of Life," was anxious that his own type of character for Clemency Newcome should be reproduced in the designs by Leech; hence that artist's protest. Writing again two days later on the subject, Leech said:—
"My Dear Forster,—Perhaps I was wrong in using the word 'conditions' in my note to you—I should have said 'circumstances,' and by being 'embarrassed' by them I meant that I found it very harassing to do work (that I am for several reasons anxious to do well) under the constant feeling that I have too little time to do it in; and also I meant to convey to you that the necessity (which I certainly supposed to exist) of preserving a sort of resemblance to the characters as conceived by Mr. Maclise made it a rather nervous undertaking to me. It seems I expressed myself clumsily, as the tone of my note appeared to you anything but what I intended it to be. Any suggestion from you I should always consider most valuable. I send you one drawing, completed this morning at four o'clock, and I assure you I would spare neither time nor any personal comfort to show my personal regard for both yourself and Dickens.
"I should not like to promise more than two other drawings, if Saturday is positively the last day. I might be able to do more, but I should not like to promise, and fail. Pray overlook any glaring defects in the block I send, and believe me yours faithfully,
John Leech.
"John Forster, Esq., &c. &c.
"P.S. I should like, if there is no objection, that Linton should engrave for me."
Plate XLVI
"CALEB AT WORK"
Facsimile of the Original Drawing for "The Cricket on the Hearth" by
JOHN LEECH
Lent by Mr. W. H. Lever.
It was natural that, remembering the excellent reproductions of his wood-drawings in the "Carol" and "The Chimes," Leech should express a wish that Linton[38] might also engrave those in "The Battle of Life;" but the signatures appended to the cuts show that, doubtless for some sufficient reason, the artist's wish was not respected.
In his third design for "The Battle of Life" Leech committed an extraordinary blunder, the result (it must be confessed) of carelessly studying his author. In this illustration, where the festivities to welcome the bridegroom at the top of the page contrast with the flight of the bride represented below, Leech gravely erred in supposing that Michael Warden had taken part in the elopement, and has introduced his figure with that of Marion. This curious mistake, which might have been avoided had the drawing been submitted to Dickens, was not discovered until too late for remedy, and it is highly characteristic of the novelist, of the true regard he felt for the artist, that he preferred to pass it silently. The most remarkable thing of all is (as Forster has pointed out), nobody seems to have noticed the unfortunate oversight, although it must be obvious to every attentive reader that it makes great havoc of one of the most delicate episodes in the story. The feelings of the author, on realising the seriousness of this terrible misconception on the part of the artist, may be readily imagined. Writing to his biographer, he said: "When I first saw it, it was with a horror and agony not to be expressed. Of course I need not tell you, my dear fellow, Warden has no business in the elopement scene. He was never there! In the first hot sweat of this surprise and novelty, I was going to implore the printing of that sheet to be stopped, and the figure taken out of the block. But when I thought of the pain this might give to our kind-hearted Leech, and that what is such a monstrous enormity to me, as never having entered my brain, may not so present itself to others, I became more composed; though the fact is wonderful to me. No doubt a great number of copies will be printed by the time this reaches you, and therefore I shall take it for granted that it stands as it is. Leech otherwise is very good, and the illustrations altogether are by far the best that have been done for any of my Christmas Books...."
FOOTNOTES:
[36] Concerning this design, of which a facsimile is given in the Victoria edition of "The Pickwick Papers," 1887, a correspondent received the following interesting communication from a representative of Dickens's publishing firm:—