At the age of 17, as he is represented in our first portrait, Mr.
Farjeon was already an author, but unknown to fame, his productions,
including a full-blown tragedy, "Hakem, the Slave," written when he
was 14, being buried in a nest of three drawers by his bedside, which
he kept always securely locked. When he was 30, at which age he is
represented in our second portrait, he made, with remarkable success,
his first essay, a Christmas story, "Shadows on the Snow," which was
published in New Zealand, but afterwards, re-written and enlarged, in
England. He followed this up with "Grif," and the success of this story
and a letter he received from Charles Dickens determined his future
career. His third portrait represents him shortly before his marriage
with the daughter of Joseph Jefferson. It was after this union that
he opened up a new vein by writing his finest novel, "Great Porter
Square." Perhaps no living author has a stronger hold upon the public.
[Illustration: _From a Photo. by_| AGE 30. |_C. Ferranti, Liverpool._]
[Illustration: _From a Photo. by_| PRESENT DAY. |_The Stereoscopic
Co._]