TYPES.
During one of the "sittings" which Dickens gave me when I painted his
portrait, I asked him if, when he drew the character of Pecksniff, any
of his inspiration had arisen from a knowledge of the character, and
even personal appearance, of an individual known to both of us, whose
name I mentioned.
"Why, yes," was the reply; "I had him in my eye."
In like manner, I think, in his most favourite type of beauty, Leech was
thinking of his wife, who was in all respects a charming woman. She
permeates a little to the destruction of variety of character many of
the lovely figures in _Punch_, where now and again may be found an
excellent likeness of Mrs. Leech. That she was a striking person is
evident from the fact that she struck Leech to the heart as he met her
in the street; so hard was the blow, that the artist forgot his errand,
and followed the enslaver to her own door. Inquiries were set on foot;
an introduction followed; he came, he saw, conquered, and was married in
1843 to Miss Eaton, who made the best of wives and mothers.
It goes without saying that Leech was a worshipper of female beauty in
all its bewitching variety. I remember watching with him the riders in
Rotten Row, and after some startlingly lovely creatures had passed us,
he said:
"Ah, my Frith, don't you wish you were a Turk, and able to marry all
that little lot?"
Only two of Leech's children lived to maturity, and both survived him.
His son, John Charles Warrington Leech--a fine boy, whom I well
remember--was the darling of his father's heart, and the boy returned
his love with all the fervour of his loving nature. If Leech had lived
to learn that his son was accidentally drowned by the capsizing of a
boat at South Adelaide--a deplorable event that took place in 1876--the
intelligence would have broken his heart. This affliction was mercifully
averted from him, as also was the death of his daughter, which occurred
a few years ago, soon after she became a happy mother.
Leech's working coat was made of black velvet, something in shape like
a shooting-coat; Leech the younger, at the age of five, was allowed to
dress exactly like his father; and he might have been seen on most
mornings, palette in hand, standing before a little easel, working away
at copies of the engravings in the _Illustrated London News_, which he
coloured literally with all the colours of the rainbow, whilst the
father sat by with block and pencil. The young gentleman not only
inherited his father's love of art, but also some of his humour; for he
informed a new servant, who appeared for the first time in the nursery,
that his papa said that he was "one of those children that can only be
managed by kindness"--"So please go and get me some sponge-cake and an
orange." This served Leech for an excellent cut in _Punch_.
Mr. Hole gives another instance of Master Leech's Leech-like cleverness.
He says:
"My wife's maid had paid a long visit to the nursery for a chat with his
lady-in-waiting, and when he began some display of disobedience, she
said:
"'Really, Master Leech, if you won't be good, I must tell your mamma.'
"'And I shall tell her,' he rejoined, 'if you do, what a time you've
been idling here.'"
I may add in this place an anecdote sent to me by an intimate lady
friend of Leech's, who, after speaking of his devotion to his wife and
children, tells me that she was taking luncheon with him one day at his
house in Brunswick Square.
"His two children dined at the same time. Leech said with a very grave
voice:
"'Now, children, say your grace.'
"Both children began to say it together as fast as they could. Leech
said when they had finished:
"'Well run--Ada first, Bougie a good second.'"
Mrs. Hall, a daughter of Mr. Adams--the Chattie of Leech's
letters--supplies me with an example, "one out of many instances of
great kindness to her as a child," which I present to my readers:
"I was about eight years old," says Mrs. Hall, "and on one rough morning
during my stay with him at Broadstairs I was sent in charge of a maid to
play upon the beach. The wind carried away my bonnet. Regardless of
danger, I rushed into the sea after it, and after many struggles I
recovered it, but was horrified to find that a crowd had collected round
me. I was taken home dripping, and feeling very guilty. You can imagine
the relief it was to find my dear friend ready to comfort and not to
scold; and I have a happy recollection of being snugly tucked up on his
knee for some hours after the event, while he continued his drawing."
The publication of my desire for information respecting John Leech's
youthful days has put into my possession one of his earliest drawings;
for this I am indebted to one of his Charterhouse schoolfellows, a very
young old gentleman indeed. Mr. Charles Maitland Tate's name may be
found in the first division of the fourth form in the list of scholars
of 1828. Mr. Maitland's first acquaintance with "little Johnny Leech"
began at Brighton in 1823, where he found our embryo six-year-old artist
learning equestrian accomplishments, with the help of a small pony and
the instruction of "an old retired jockey," who was one of the stable
servants of George IV. at the Pavilion.
"Leech was a gentle, dear little fellow," says Mr. Maitland. "I
accompanied him on several of his pony excursions, and the more I saw of
him, the better I liked him."
Leech was entered at Charterhouse in 1824, Maitland a year or two
afterwards, having grown into a strapping boy of eleven. Mr. Maitland's
father was a Dean of St. Paul's, able, no doubt, from his position to
procure a presentation--as he did from Lord Grey--for his son, who
entered as a Gown boy, thus taking, and maintaining, a higher position
in the school than Leech ever succeeded in reaching. Young Maitland had
been a few days in the Charterhouse, when he was accosted by a small
boy, who was obliged to tell his name before his early friend could
recognise him. Boy-like, Maitland immediately took young Leech under his
protection, and threatened dire consequences to anyone who bullied or
ill-treated him. The protector's prowess, however, was not wanted, for
Leech never made an enemy then or afterwards.
Amongst the scholars was one named Douglas, whose powers of sketching in
caricature were very remarkable. Of this I convinced myself by a book of
drawings in the possession of Mr. Maitland. Douglas's talent made him
very attractive to Leech, and the boys became great friends.
"Leech copied several of his friend's drawings," says Mr. Maitland; but,
as might have been expected, he soon abandoned copying and took to
original work, a specimen of which I give below, as perhaps the earliest
known drawing by Leech.[A]
If, before I had written the first portion of this book, I had known Mr.
Maitland's story, I should have introduced it earlier; for this and
other shortcomings and irregularities, I hope to be forgiven on the
ground of my inexperience and ignorance of the laws of literary
composition. With this apology I proceed to make more mistakes, but
mistakes only in the _order_ in which the _truth_ should be told.