he must go on the first-named day,—­that he had made up his mind to go, and MUST. He had been getting himself ready for dinner, and came to a part of the staircase whence two doors opened,—­one, upon another level passage; one, upon a flight of stone steps.  He opened the wrong door, fell down the steps, injured himself very severely, and died in a few hours.

You will know—­I don’t—­what Fechter’s success is in America at the time of this present writing.  In his farewell performances at the Princess’s he acted very finely.  I thought the three first acts of his Hamlet very much better than I had ever thought them before,—­and I always thought very highly of them.  We gave him a foaming stirrup cup at Gad’s Hill.  Forster (who has been ill with his bronchitis again) thinks No. 2 of the new book (Edwin Drood) a clincher,—­I mean that word (as his own expression) for Clincher.  There is a curious interest steadily working up to No. 5, which requires a great deal of art and self-denial.  I think also, apart from character and picturesqueness, that the young people are placed in a very novel situation.  So I hope—­at Nos. 5 and 6 the story will turn upon an interest suspended until the end.

I can’t believe it, and don’t, and won’t, but they say Harry’s twenty-first birthday is next Sunday.  I have entered him at the Temple just now; and if he don’t get a fellowship at Trinity Hall when his time comes, I shall be disappointed, if in the present disappointed state of existence.

I hope you may have met with the little touch of Radicalism I gave them at Birmingham in the words of Buckle?  With pride I observe that it makes the regular political traders, of all sorts, perfectly mad.  Sich was my intentions, as a grateful acknowledgment of having been misrepresented.

I think Mrs. ——­’s prose very admirable, but I don’t believe it!  No, I do not.  My conviction is that those Islanders get frightfully bored by the Islands, and wish they had never set eyes upon them!

Charley Collins has done a charming cover for the monthly part of the new book.  At the very earnest representations of Millais (and after having seen a great number of his drawings) I am going to engage with a new man; retaining, of course, C.C.’s cover aforesaid.  K——­ has made some more capital portraits, and is always improving.

My dear Mrs. Fields, if “He” (made proud by chairs and bloated by pictures) does not give you my dear love, let us conspire against him when you find him out, and exclude him from all future confidences.  Until then

    Ever affectionately yours and his,

    C.D.

    5 Hyde Park Place, London, W., Monday, April 18, 1870.

My dear Fields:  I have been hard at work all day until post time, and have only leisure to acknowledge the receipt, the day before yesterday, of your note containing such good news of Fechter; and to assure you of my undiminished regard and affection.

    We have been doing wonders with No. 1 of Edwin Drood. It has very,
    very far outstripped every one of its predecessors.