Part 33 (1/2)

A day or two after the first call ca, and if ould like to see her he would stop on the way again

Of course ere only too delighted to have the opportunity, and, though the visit was postponed ust, when he brought both Isa and Nellie up to town to see a performance of ”Sweet Lavender” It is needless to remark that we took care, this ti at once substantial and carvable

The children were bright, healthy, happy and childlike little ood friend, who it was to see theether

But he did not allow any undue liberties either, as a little incident showed

He had been describing a particular kind of collapsible tumbler, which you put in your pocket and carried with you for use on a railway journey

”There now,” he continued, turning to the children, ”I forgot to bring it with me after all”

”Oh Goosie,” broke in Isa; ”you've been talking about that tuotten it”

He pulled hirave reproof

Much abashed, she hastily substituted a very subdued ”Uncle”

for the objectionable ”Goosie,” and the matter dropped

The principal anecdote on this occasion was about a dog which had been sent into the sea after sticks He brought them back very properly for some time, and then there appeared to be a little difficulty, and he returned swi in a very curious ht hold of his own tail byit to land in triuh we had been requested beforehand not to mention ”Lewis Carroll's”

books, the te to the child next , wasn't it?”

Our visitor, however, took up the re to talk about it

”When I wrote that,” he said, ”I believed that whiting really did have their tails in their ers put the tail through the eye, not in the ood carver, for Miss Bremer also describes a little difficulty he had--this ti incident occurred when he was at lunch with us He was requested to serve so a knife, as it was evidently rather hard, the knife penetrated the d'oyley beneath--and his consternation was extreme when he saw the slice of linen and lace he served as an addition to the tart!”

It was, I think, through her connection with the ”Alice” play that Mr

Dodgson first came to know Miss Isa Bowman Her childish friendshi+p for him was one of the joys of his later years, and one of the last letters he wrote was addressed to her The poe of ”Sylvie and Bruno” is an acrostic on her name--

Is all our Life, then, but a drealeam Athwart Times's dark, resistless strea at some raree-show, We flutter idly to and fro

Man's little Day in haste we spend, And, frolance to meet the silent end

Every one has heard of Lewis Carroll's hatred of interviewers; the following letter to Miss Mannerswas justifiable:--

If your Manchester relatives ever go to the play, tell theht to see Isa as ”Cinderella”--she is evidently a success And she has actually been ”interviewed” by one of those dreadful newspapers reporters, and the ”interview” is published with her picture! And such rubbish heor other was ”tacitly conceded”: and that ”I love to see a great actress give expression to the wonderful ideas of the immortal master!”

(NB--I never let her talk like that when she is with _o to America, with her mother and Isa and Nellie: and they all enjoyed the trip eh to enter Lewis Carroll's _sanctum_ The story has been told in _The Guardian_ (January 19, 1898), but will bear repetition:--