﻿Hale: William De Morgan 



9 



Short is it the most exhilarating of occupations to watch Charley 

 Heath make up his mind to claim Alice for himself. Fine as he 

 is in many ways, he is too slow for even the most Victorian 

 of modern readers. It takes a long, long time for the two old 

 ghosts, Mrs. Pictur and Mrs. Marrowbone, to meet and recognize 

 each other again.' 25 Fred Cartaret and Charles Snaith both take 

 too much of our time considering their problems. 26 We feel 

 somewhat the same sort of lassitude during Joe Vance's indecision 

 over Janey, 27 and Rosalind Graythorpe's "nettle-grasping". 28 

 This is, undoubtedly, the worst fault that De Morgan has, and 

 it is only when his leisurely procedure is due to it that we want 

 him to move on. 



De Morgan closely follows Dickens in the forewords that 

 precede each chapter. 29 In this respect, Dickens differs from 

 both Thackeray and George Eliot. Thackeray usually has a 

 short tag on his chapters, as, "In which Lady Kew leaves his Lord- 

 ship quite convalescent", 30 or, ''Injured Innocence". 31 George 

 Eliot has either a quotation of some sort 32 or an abbreviated an- 

 nouncement like Thackeray's shorter ones. 33 Dickens' labels, 

 which are usually longer than those of either of these, are very 

 original and very characteristic of the author. For example, this 

 strikes our eye in Martin Chuzzlewit: 



Martin enlarges his circle of acquaintance; increases his stock of wis- 

 dom; and has an excellent opportunity of comparing his own experiences 

 with those of Lummy Xed of the Light Salisbury, as related by his friend 

 Mr. William Simmons. 34 



In Pickwick Papers we find this: 



Mr. Weller the Elder delivers some critical sentiments respecting 

 literary composition; and assisted by his son Samuel, pays a small instalment 

 of retaliation to the account of the reverend gentleman with the red nose. 33 



The first chapter of Joseph Vance has this announcement, 

 which clearly marks a development from the method of Dickens: 



Of Joe Vance's Father and his unfortunate habits. How he quarrelled 

 \vith a sweep who could butt; and suffered thereby. How Joe concealed 

 the circumstance from his mother. 



"When Ghost Meets Ghost. 

 "The Old Madhouse. 

 17 Joseph Vance. 

 **Somehou' Good. 



29 Except in An Affair of Dishonor and The Old Madhouse. None occur in these 

 'books. 



*°The Xewcomes, vol. II, chap. xii. 

 ? Mbid.. vol. II. chap. xvi. 



32 In Daniel Deronda. Middle-march, and Felix Holt. 

 33 In The Mill on the Floss, Romola, and Adam Bede. 

 34 Vol. I, chap. xvii. 

 35 Chap. xxxiii. 



