There may be, perhaps, many others who, gathering round a winter fire, will be glad to read words, however few, from that bright source, and whose memories will respond to the fresh touch of that cherished name.
It remains to add but one or two more associations that cling to it and make the remembrance more vivid still. While Lewis Carroll was staying in the house, there came to call a certain genial and by no means shy Dean, who, without realizing what he was doing, proceeded, in the presence of other callers, to make some remark identifying Mr. Dodgson as the author of his books.
There followed an immense explosion immediately on the visitor’s departure, with a pathetic and serious request that, if there were any risk of a repetition of the call, due warning might be given, and the retreat secured.
Probably not many readers of the immortal Alice have ever seen the curious little whimsical paper called
EIGHT OR NINE WISE WORDS
ABOUT
LETTER-WRITING
which their author had printed and used to send to his acquaintance, accompanied by a small case for postage-stamps.
It consists of forty pages, and is published by Emberlin and Son, Oxford; and these are the contents:
| PAGE | |
| On Stamp-Cases, | 5 |
| How to begin a Letter, | 8 |
| How to go on with a Letter, | 11 |
| How to end a Letter, | 20 |
| On Registering Correspondence, | 22 |
In this little script, also, there are the same sparkles of wit which betoken that nimble pen, as, for example, under ‘How to begin a Letter’:
‘“And never, never, dear madam” (N.B.—This remark is addressed to ladies only. No man would ever do such a thing), “put ‘Wednesday’ simply as the date! “That way madness lies!”’