Among the many quiet, shady nooks and corners to be found in the "busy,
toiling, but ever pleasure-loving Metropolis," where, if a student
desire, she can be in the world, and yet out of its distracting roar,
Brompton Square can claim to be one; not that it is really a "square" at
all, but merely two long rows of houses, connected at the further end by
a semi-circle composed of three or four larger houses. The gardens which
separate the two lines of old-fashioned, solidly built dwellings, are
thickly planted with shrubs and grand old trees, that in summer time
quite shut out any view of the opposite neighbours, and ensure a
delightful privacy, whilst the twittering of birds, and the cawing of
the rooks, who have built their nests therein, undisturbed for many
generations, would almost cheat a stranger into the belief that it is a
bit out of a country village. Alas! for the poor little buds which had
struggled feebly into life before the devastating blizzard! They were
all untimely nipped. Spring has lingered so long in the "lap of winter,"
that the summer greenery is somewhat backward, yet, at last, the green
shoots which have slept "through the long night" are beginning to burst
out into strength, and the gummy, swelling buds of the great lilacs
within the railings are coming out, and are already casting a delicious
perfume around the peaceful and old-world enclosure.
Nearly every house in Brompton Square is associated with the names of
men and women who have left their mark in the history of London, chiefly
of those who belonged to the theatrical and musical professions. On
yonder side Mr. John Baldwin Buckstone, the well-known author-actor,
entertained merry parties of wits. A few doors further on stands the
house which Mr. Edward Fitzwilliam--famous in his day as a musical
composer--inhabited. Spagnoletti, the leader of the Italian Opera
orchestra, lived on the opposite side, and was succeeded in his tenancy
by a famous and accomplished actress of those days, Mrs. Chatterly. Mr.
James Vining, a much respected actor, owned the house which was
afterwards occupied by the late Mr. Shirley Brooks. George Colman, the
younger, lived and died there. Mr. William Farren, the elder, occupied
one house, and owned another, which was the residence of Mr. Payne
Collier, who, as Croker says in his interesting "Walk from London to
Fulham," gave to the public several editions of Shakespeare, and who was
long distinguished by his profound knowledge of dramatic literature and
history, and his extensive acquaintance with the early poetry of
England. In contradistinction to these more amusing personages, there
lived in a house on the east side a man of solid and profound learning,
Sir John Stoddard, who, within these walls, wrote at the age of
eighty-five, a Polyglot grammar, which was much in use at schools of
that period.
In addition to these world-known and histrionic names may be added those
of the late Mr. Yates, Mr. John Reeve, Mr. Robson, Mr. Liston, the
comedian, and Mr. Henry Luttrell, termed by Lord Byron "the great London
wit," once well known in the circles of literature, the author of many
epigrams, and of a volume of poetry. These have all been residents in
Brompton Square, whilst, in later years, Mr. and Mrs. Keeley inhabited a
house on the south side, and Mr. and Mrs. Chippendale lived a few doors
further on.
What could be more appropriate than that Miss Jean Middlemass, author of
"Dandy," "Patty's Partner," "A Girl in a Thousand," and many other
bright and interesting stories, should take up her abode in this
time-honoured locality, so full of literary and dramatic associations?
She has settled herself in one of the larger houses in the bend of the
semi-circle at the top, which was erstwhile the dwelling-place of Mr.
Alfred Wigan. A spacious hall opens into two good-sized and lofty rooms,
which are divided by massive doors, folded back, and draped with heavy
Moorish curtains of subdued colouring.
It is all so old-fashioned as to be in thorough keeping with the
exterior; but though old-fashioned, the comfortable rooms are by no
means dull or gloomy. A flood of sunshine steals in through the long,
high windows, lighting up the crimson coverings of the furniture, and
casting a bright ray on the picture of a head of Rembrandt, by himself,
which is set in a handsomely-carved oak frame of great antiquity over
the mantelshelf, on which stand three old and valuable Spode jars. On
one side hangs a painting by Bowden of a lovely child, the son of
Frederick Reynolds, the dramatic writer, and near it is one of Riviere's
elaborately finished and exquisite miniatures of the author's mother
taken in her youth. There are some choice bits of Dresden on a carved
corner bracket, and scattered about here and there are several Japanese
and Chinese curiosities, which have just been sent to Miss Middlemass
from the East, including a magnificently carved junk, correct in every
minute detail. Surely the very smallest writing-table at which author
ever sat belongs to Jean Middlemass; but that, too, was a present, and
was originally made tall enough for her to write at while standing, but
as that position was found to be quite too fatiguing it has been cut
down to suit her present requirements. There is a beautiful old oak
mounted carving on the wall--so old that she "can remember nothing about
it or its subject," she says, "beyond the fact that we always seem to
have possessed it, and it has been greatly admired." Above it some
delightfully quaint old china is arranged in a half circle; on either
side hang four antique engravings of great value, classical subjects
from Boucher, the French artist's paintings. But the picture which she
prizes more than all is a life-size portrait in oils, the last work that
was ever finished by the artist Jackson. It represents the author's
grandfather. He held an appointment in the Treasury, and was the one
member of the family who had any connection with literature, being
intimately acquainted in his youth with Sir Joseph Banks, Mdme. de
Stael, Lady Blessington, and other people of letters.
There is a look in Miss Middlemass which proclaims the relationship.
She is above the middle height, very upright, with a good figure, fair
complexion, grey curly hair, and keen, bright-blue, short-sighted eyes.
She is dressed in black, relieved by a little rose-coloured ribbon round
the wrists and throat, tied in a bow on one side. She is sprightly and
merry in nature, full of pleasant conversation, and genial in manner.
Jean Middlemass is Scottish by descent. She was born in one of the
pleasant terraces surrounding Regent's Park. Naturally a clever,
intelligent girl, she began to write at a very early age, and, to
encourage her in this taste, when yet quite a small child her father
started a magazine for private circulation only, to which she, her
brothers, and several other Harrow boys used to contribute scraps and
stories, aided by pieces from a few older persons to encourage the
juveniles. She describes herself as having been quick at learning by
heart, quick in everything, and fond of study. Plays were her chief
delight, and at eight years old she had read and could repeat pages of
Shakespeare, often astonishing her parents by apt quotations given with
considerable dramatic power. Her youthful enthusiasm in this direction
soon, however, received a check, for on one occasion, being rebuked by
her mother for some trifling fault, and told how much better people
would think of her if she behaved well, she pathetically replied--coolly
substituting a word at the end of the first line which she considered
more suitable:--
Amen; and make me die a good old age!
That is the butt-end of a mother's blessing;
I marvel that her Grace did leave it out.
For this piece of childish and precocious impertinence, as it was
deemed, she was punished by the prompt confiscation of her beloved
Shakespeare, whereat she wept copiously.
"I was kept hard at my lessons," says Miss Middlemass; "no expense or
pains were spared to educate me well, and I enjoyed them. My father was
a great student, and himself instructed me in Latin and the rudiments of
Greek. I used to attend M. Roche's French classes, and constant
residence abroad has enabled me to speak French and German as fluently
as English. Music I disliked from the first, and when a tiny child, if
my mother were singing, I used to cry out, 'Speak it, speak it!' I do
not care for music to this day, and rejoice in the exceeding thickness
of the old walls of this house, which causes even the sound of
neighbouring pianos to be quite undisturbing. History and biographies
were always favourite studies, and I prefer reading French to English.
For some years I wrote in a desultory sort of fashion, and it was not
until after my mother's death, about fourteen years ago, that feeling
lonely--for my four brothers all died young--I adopted writing as a
profession."
At the age of eighteen, being emancipated from the school-room, Miss
Jean Middlemass was brought out, made her _debut_ at an early Drawing
Room, and enjoyed the gaieties of two London seasons, but after the
death of her father the family moved to Brighton, where, later on, her
inherent talent for acting asserted itself; she studied recitation and
elocution, and constantly took part in amateur theatricals, sometimes
playing in as many as four parts in one evening at the Royal Pavilion,
coached by Mrs. Stirling. On one occasion she recited "Lady Macbeth"
before a full audience at the Dome, and she was always in great request
at private parties, where she used to arrange and take part in tableaux,
charades, proverbs, and such like entertainments.
Miss Middlemass never acted in a theatre, though she may have had a
strong desire to do so, and she smilingly confesses to being perhaps a
little of the Bohemian at heart, inasmuch as she dislikes formalities
and conventionalities, and loves freedom of action. She has played
Esther in _Caste_, Pauline in _Delicate Ground_, Lady Aubrey Glenmorris
in _School for Coquettes_, Lady Constance in a scene from _King John_,
besides others too numerous to mention. Her most successful recitations
have been selections from the works of Dante Rossetti, and Tennyson,
Hamilton Aide's "Lost and Found," and Hood's "Dream of Eugene Aram";
also scenes from plays--Beatrice in _Much Ado About Nothing_, and
Pauline in the _Lady of Lyons_. Her memory being excellent, her
_repertoire_ was very large, and, according to those who witnessed her
performances, her histrionic powers entitled her to a prominent position
in the Thespian temple of fame, for in all that she undertook, whether
in acting or reciting, she worked with indomitable energy, exhibiting
the conceptions of a discriminating and educated mind, marked by the
influence of a rich and cultivated taste.
"After a few years," says Miss Middlemass, "I began to publish some of
my stories, and as the love of writing grew upon me more and more, I
found I could not write and act too, so as the histrionic amusements
were gradually abolished, I turned my attention more exclusively to my
pen, and wrote my first novel, 'Lil.' My mother used to like my stories
when they were out, though she never enjoyed them whilst in process of
being written. I generally make out a vague plot of half a page, then
draw it out into chapters, and arrange the characters. I prefer writing
stories of middle or low class life, I don't know why; it came to me,
and I often pick up ideas of the lower London life from standing about
here and there to listen. I compose and write very quickly, going over
it all several times; and I have never had much help, but have just
struggled on through it alone. At night, when I go to bed, I work out
all the thoughts and ideas which have suggested themselves during the
day; often going to sleep in the middle of it, but in the morning it all
comes back to me, and I write it out readily and rapidly."
"Lil," which is well calculated to keep alive the interest of the
reader, and has, moreover, the merit of being animated in dialogue, was
soon followed by "Wild George," in which the beautiful but dangerous
French adventuress and her faithful old soldier servant play so
prominent a part. Next came "Baiting the Trap," "Mr. Dorillon," "Touch
and Go," succeeded by "Sealed by a Kiss" and "Innocence at Play." In all
these works there is much insight into human nature, and the French
scenes are particularly bright and life-like, betokening the author's
intimate knowledge of foreign cities. "Four-in-Hand" was the sporting
title of a volume of short stories. "Sackcloth and Broadcloth" contains
some capital sketches of clerical life and its surroundings, about which
Miss Middlemass has had considerable experience. Perhaps up to that date
she scored her greatest success with "Dandy," written in 1881; of this
book the critics and the public were unanimous in their applause.
Penetrating into the haunts of the poorest section of humanity in order
to depict naturally and truthfully the scenes so touchingly described
therein, she gained an unusual insight into their words and ways, their
occasionally high, their too often low standard of morality.
"Patty's Partner" is a delightful and interesting tale of the porcelain
manufacture works in the West of England, where Miss Middlemass is as
much at home as she is in the scenes in "Dandy." It is full of humour
and clever writing. Among other of the author's works may be mentioned
"Poisoned Arrows," "By Fair Means," "The Loadstone of Love," and "Nelly
Jocelyn, Widow." A three-volume story published lately, entitled "Two
False Moves," contains some powerful pieces of writing, and the
characters of Derek Home, Ruth Churchill, and the Rev. John Eagle are
drawn to the life. Her last work in one volume is entitled "How I Became
Eminent."
In poetry Miss Middlemass does not as much incline to modern writers as
to the ancient classics in which she was so early instructed. In
politics she is a strong Conservative. Until the last year or two she
was, as may be supposed, a frequent visitor at the theatre, but being,
unfortunately, so short-sighted, the necessity for using strong glasses
temporarily strained her eyes, so that pleasure is partially laid aside
for the present.
Miss Middlemass is, as usual, full of literary engagements. A new novel
is being meditated, though it may not actually be begun; several short
stories are in requisition, and one appeared in an early number of John
Strange Winter's weekly paper. Among other enjoyments, Jean Middlemass
delights in travelling; "Not in the sea part of it," she adds, smiling;
"I am an especially bad sailor, and do not like being on the water. I
always take the shortest sea-routes." She has made many journeys on the
Continent, and in former days lived for a year in Paris. She knows her
Paris well, and loves it so dearly that she has often felt that she
would like to make her home in that gay and festive capital. She is
equally familiar with Brussels, and has been a good deal in Germany, but
only on the Rhine, passing some time at Wiesbaden, and paying what she
describes as a "delightful visit to the old city of Nuremberg."
"I keep on my quarters in town," continues your hostess, "principally as
a _pied-a-terre_. The severity of the long winter, then the sudden
change of spring for a few days in February, following those dreadful
fogs and frosts, and then the terrible gales and east winds, were all
most trying, and I am again contemplating a trip abroad to more
seasonable climates; first, a short tour in Holland, then on to Paris
for a few weeks, and later, into North Italy, perhaps on to Venice, if
the weather then be not too hot."
The brightness and vivacity of foreign life suit well Miss Jean
Middlemass's happy disposition and sunny nature. Blessed with good
spirits, full of clever anecdote and harmless repartee, with great
conversational power, her prevailing characteristic is an utter absence
of selfishness and affectation. She has a soft, merry laugh, and a kind,
warm heart. With this good gift, it is almost needless to say that she
goes through life making no enemies, and many friends. In her ready wit
there is no sting. Before all things scandal and backbiting are an
abomination to her; it has been truly quoted of this talented and
amiable woman, as it has been said of many great and famous persons,
"Though knowledge is power, yet those who possess it are indulgent to
weaker intellects, and become as one of them in sociability and
friendship."
[Illustration: A. de Grasse Stevens]