[Manchester—Thursday, 15 August 1867]
August 15th Early in the morning—raining still.
Our day was quiet enough but when J. came down he held us spell-bound & magnetised all the evening with his account of Dickens which Mr Dolby had given him. He says Dolby himself is a queer creature when he talks—he has a stutter which leads him to become suddenly stately in the middle of a homely phrase and to give a queer intonation to his voice so that he did not dare look at Osgood (who was a listener also) lest they should both explode with laughter.
Dickens now has five dogs: for those the cook prepares daily 5 plates of dinner. One day the plates were all ready when a small pup stole in and polished off the five plates. He fainted away immediately and in this condition was discovered by the cook who put him under the pump & revived him but he had been going about looking like the figure 8 ever since.
Dickens is a warm friend of Fechter. One day returning from a reading tour, his man met him at the station saying—“the 58 boxes have come Sir.” What said Mr Dickens—“the fifty eight boxes have come Sir”—“I know nothing of 58 boxes said the other. “Well sir” said the man “they are all piled up outside the gate and we shall soon see Sir.” They proved to be a Swiss Chalet complete, handles, blinds, not a bit wanting which Fechter had sent him. It is put up in a grove near the house where it presents a very picturesque effect.
Dickens allows nothing to escape his attention and gives “one small corner of the white of one eye” to his household concerns tho’ he seems not to observe. His daughter Mary has the governance of the servants, Miss Hogarth of the cellar & provisions. There is a system in everything with which he has to do. When he gives a reading he is present in the hall at ½ past 6, although the reading does not begin until 8, for Dickens cannot go about as other people do, he must go when the people do not press upon him. On reaching the private room his servant brings his evening dress, reading desk, screen, lamp, where he arranges the hall, examines the copper gas tubes to see if in order, dresses himself and is ready to begin.
In Liverpool the other night he had advertised to read “Sergeant Buzfuz” instead of wh. by accident he read Bleak House. Mr Dolby spoke to him as soon as he had finished telling him the mistake he had made. He at once returned to the desk and said My friends, it is half past ten o’clock & you see how tired I am but I will still read Sergeant Buzfuz’s speech if you expect it. “No, no,” the crowd shouted “you’re tired.” “No, no this ought to do for tonight.” One tall man raised himself up in the gallery and said “Look here, we came to hear Pickwick and we ought to hef it”— “Very well my friend” replied Dickens immediately “I will read Sergeant Buzfuz for your accommodation solely” and thereat he did read it to a breathless and delighted audience.
