In the beginning of this year, Charles Dickens gave public readings at
Reading, Sherborne, and Bradford in Yorkshire, to which reference is
made in the first following letters. Besides this, he was fully occupied
in getting up a play for his children, which was acted on the 6th
January. Mr. Planche's fairy extravaganza of "Fortunio and his Seven
Gifted Servants" was the play selected, the parts being filled by all
his own children and some of their young friends, and Charles Dickens,
Mr. Mark Lemon, and Mr. Wilkie Collins playing with them, the only
grown-up members of the company. In February he made a short trip to
Paris with Mr. Wilkie Collins, with an intention of going on to
Bordeaux, which was abandoned on account of bad weather. Out of the
success of the children's play at Tavistock House rose a scheme for a
serious play at the same place. Mr. Collins undertaking to write a
melodrama for the purpose, and Mr. Stanfield to paint scenery and
drop-scene, Charles Dickens turned one of the rooms of the house into a
very perfect little theatre, and in June "The Lighthouse" was acted for
three nights, with "Mr. Nightingale's Diary" and "Animal Magnetism" as
farces; the actors being himself and several members of the original
amateur company, the actresses, his two daughters and his sister-in-law.
Mr. Stanfield, after entering most heartily into the enterprise, and
giving constant time and attention to the painting of his beautiful
scenes, was unfortunately ill and unable to attend the first
performance. We give a letter to him, reporting its great success.
In this summer Charles Dickens made a speech at a great meeting at Drury
Lane Theatre on the subject of "Administrative Reform," of which he
writes to Mr. Macready. On this subject of "Administrative Reform," too,
we give two letters to the great Nineveh traveller Mr. Layard (now Sir
Austen H. Layard), for whom, as his letters show, he conceived at once
the affectionate friendship which went on increasing from this time for
the rest of his life. Mr. Layard also spoke at the Drury Lane meeting.
Charles Dickens had made a promise to give another reading at Birmingham
for the funds of the institute which still needed help; and in a letter
to Mr. Arthur Ryland, asking him to fix a time for it, he gives the
first idea of a selection from "David Copperfield," which was afterwards
one of the most popular of his readings.
He was at all times fond of making excursions for a day--or two or three
days--to Rochester and its neighbourhood; and after one of these, this
year, he writes to Mr. Wills that he has seen a "small freehold" to be
sold, _opposite_ the house on which he had fixed his childish affections
(and which he calls in _this_ letter the "Hermitage," its real name
being "Gad's Hill Place"). The latter house was not, at that time, to be
had, and he made some approach to negotiations as to the other "little
freehold," which, however, did not come to anything. Later in the year,
however, Mr. Wills, by an accident, discovered that Gad's Hill Place,
the property of Miss Lynn, the well-known authoress, and a constant
contributor to "Household Words," was itself for sale; and a negotiation
for its purchase commenced, which was not, however, completed until the
following spring.
Later in the year, the performance of "The Lighthouse" was repeated, for
a charitable purpose, at the Campden House theatre.
This autumn was passed at Folkestone. Charles Dickens had decided upon
spending the following winter in Paris, and the family proceeded there
from Folkestone in October, making a halt at Boulogne; from whence his
sister-in-law preceded the party to Paris, to secure lodgings, with the
help of Lady Olliffe. He followed, to make his choice of apartments that
had been found, and he writes to his wife and to Mr. Wills, giving a
description of the Paris house. Here he began "Little Dorrit." In a
letter to Mrs. Watson, from Folkestone, he gives her the name which he
had first proposed for this story--"Nobody's Fault."
During his absence from England, Mr. and Mrs. Hogarth occupied Tavistock
House, and his eldest son, being now engaged in business, remained with
them, coming to Paris only for Christmas. Three of his boys were at
school at Boulogne at this time, and one, Walter Landor, at Wimbledon,
studying for an Indian army appointment.
[Sidenote: M. de Cerjat.]