196 FACT AGAINST FICTION. 



from those interesting pages, and give tlic quotation 

 line by line, setting the ^^ facts" on one side and 

 the ^'fiction" on the other, as printed in ^ Peg 

 Woffington.' 



Tri^Dlett, in the novel in question, is a would-be 

 dramatic author, inclined to portray murder and 

 sudden death, keeping all natural feeling well out 

 of sight, and chronicling crime so flagitiously, that 

 the demoniac stage itself might have requested a 

 '^ fire piece " at his hands for the special amusement 

 of Proserpine. 



" triplett's facts. " triplett's fictions. 



" A farthing candle is on the " A solitary candle cast its 

 table. pale gleam around ! 



" It wants snuffing. " Its elongated wick betrayed 



an owner steeped in oblivion. 

 " He jumped up and snuffed it " He rose languidly and trim- 

 with his fingers. Burnt his fingers med it with an instrument he had 

 and swore a little." by his side for that purpose, and 



muttered a silent ejaculation." 



^Vhen I take up the highly-lauded works on 

 natural history, by authors long since dead, I do 

 not feel much annoyed at the fallacies therein 

 submitted to the public, because the old school is, 

 of course, but as the one-mile stone on a long 

 neglected road— stones of misdirection, as far as 



