[Boston—Friday, 29 November 1867]

Friday Nov. 29. J. dined with Mr Dickens & they sat at table together 4 hours alone. At times the tide of laughter ran so high they could only lay their heads down & laugh it out. J. drew his picture of Scarlett the chimney-sweep and Dickens in his turn gave Old Rogers to the life & Lady Blessington’s receptions, “to which he thought it was the thing to go when he was a young man.” He drew Mr & Mrs Lewes also, both exceedingly homely but he thinks the latter very interesting with her shy manner of saying brilliant things. — I grieve at the imperfection of these jottings—but time.

Mr Dickens talked yesterday of the mistake it was to fancy that childhood forgot anything, rather it is age which forgets. He said when he was drawing Mrs Pipkin he had in his memory an old lodging house keeper in Brighton or Bath (I don’t recollect which) where he was living with his father and sister when he was but two years old. After the book was finished he sent it to this sister who wrote back at once—“Good Heavens what does this mean, you have painted Mrs P. our lod[g]ing-house keeper, and you were but two years old at that time”. His memory is marvellous now, nothing escapes that, humanly speaking.


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