CHARLES DICKENS. 205 



at this time by a gentleman in London, who offered him 

 p^ 1 0,000 for eight months' readings in Australia. 



The Christmas number which Dickens issued for 1859 was 

 called The Haunted House, and consisted of seven ghost 

 stories. In August i860, the two portions of his story, 

 Htmted JDozon, appeared. The Christmas number for 1S60 

 was called A Message frojii the Sea. The Christmas number 

 for 1 86 1 was called Tojh Tiddler's Ground. 



The sudden death of W. M. Thackeray on the Christmas eve 

 of 1863, drew forth a graceful tribute from Dickens, which 

 appeared in the CornJiill Alagazine for February 1864. 



The Christmas number of 1862 was entitled Somebody's 

 Luggage, and was devoted to the interests of waiters. The 

 number for Christmas 1863, which proved exceedingly 

 popular, was entitled Mrs. Lirriper's Lodgings. His mother, 

 who had been in infirm health for years, died in September 

 1863, and his own son Walter died on the last day of the same 

 year, in the officers' hospital at Calcutta. He was a lieutenant 

 in the 26th Native Infantry Regiment, and had been previously 

 doing duty with the 42 d Highlanders. His new story in 

 twenty numbers, Our Mutual Friend, was now commenced. 

 Number I. was published on the ist of May 1864, with illus- 

 trations by Mr. Marcus Stone. A severe attack of illness in 

 February 1865 left behind it a lameness in his left foot, which 

 never afterwards wholly left him. This was attended with 

 great suffering, while all the time he still persisted in his 

 ordinary exercise in all weathers. During the summer he 

 took a brief holiday in France. * Before I went away,' he 

 wrote, ' I had certainly worked myself into a damaged state. 

 But the moment I got away, I began, thank God, to get well. 

 I hope to profit by this experience, and to make future dashes 



