Charles Reade

"W"hcn Mr. Kende, says íi foreign correspondent, spenks ofwrí'ting asa laborious and difScult art, he is nol talking at randorn. His books are construeted witli an amount of labor which superficial observers mig-hi not detcet. "To avoid describiiig Hyde Park," Ik! observcd to Mr. Ilowitt, and calling it Australia, I rencl some thirty books about thal coinury." I niay add lio works by fita and starts. i I e fcols tliiit he musí be "in Llie vcin" id do anythinjr. Ocoasioiially lie torces iiiivcli', but tïie resulta are indifferent, llerein Iib difiera íVom Sir Walter Scott, who weut sceadily to work overy Miorniir at ti. Soott, Uy ibe war, Is a favorite oí' Rendc's. who calis liiw "the Britisll lIoni'T." Pi;iiuii)8 the lest iii'tnii' Rp!■ '■■'■■■ -'' ■-■■ ;.. .:..t( ., ,,,.',:. shoukl ovo "Rokcby," and lleude can quote wil h zest frum that underifitei] pooin. Witli respect toSeott tiiu novelist, admirera oí' Mr. líenla wil! scarccly bc disposod to allor thnt "The Cloisler auil the Bcarth" yiekls in excellence to a single onu of' t lic ereatenclifuiter's tjroductionsi. I tliinfc Rende wout to Holland and G-crmaiiy 011 purpose to colloct material tbr that mastarpiece. Apparaitly li is ihouylits took i moro soriom turn fïom the d:ite of that veyage. Au u!d comrado of li is obsei"vod gloonirty : "He usod to bo sucha jolly fellow; then lie went to Germauy and hail lii.s liair eut; and I dou't know Yfhnt it was, but he secmed cbaugcd." Tliescntencc is invsti;;; I leavo it to tho initiated to gliess wluit vrim meaiit. At present liis ppearauco U t!mt of a model old nmu - hale, Jiearty, and withal '-of a sta tel y courtov" - except, indeed, lu Eome minor de'ftils, Charles Reado wrltea ultimatHy for fimie ; innnediatoly for proflt or for a practieal purpose; generally for botb. Hts gains must have been considerable ; for a story in The CornhiU he was paid at tlie rato of threo guineas a [laye, witb absolute riglit oi' reproduction.