KECOLLECTIONS, 1828. 11 



August, 1828. Before leaving that Neologist I must 

 sketch some of his features : That man was typical, 

 even in his name David. I have never known his 

 initials. He was always called David. As you would 

 say: God ! or his antithesis, the Devil. At that time 

 his facial look suggested to me that he was an Israelite, 

 but not born in Bethlehem. He was a Normand from 

 Kouen, Normandy. Seen in profile, his face somewhat 

 looked, to me, like the upper end of a carving knife 

 with some indentations simulating his mouth, his nose, 

 etc. This last nasal appendix was very remarkable. 

 It was aquiline like the beak of the eagle in appear- 

 ance, but to my fancy I thought he looked in his 

 mind, always for me, like a compound of a goose, or a 

 hawk, or an owl, or like any nocturnal animal of prey. 



It is only since I have seen the portrait of " Fagin, 

 in Oliver Twist," that I have realized he might have 

 been a descendant, direct or indirect of that character, 

 Fagin, but it matters not this moment. After sixty- 

 four years I have the profound conviction that the 

 David of my heart and Fagin, must have been iden- 

 tical morally and physically speaking. Only my 



David had some resemblance to the King. of Israel. In 

 one respect my David had to my knowledge seduced 

 or bought another man's wife, but I do not think he 

 kilted the husband, so there was a little less criminality 



