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Indiana University Studies 



already seen, he introduces a character to us by degrees, as we 

 come to know a person in real life. And his characters grow and 

 develop as living people do. Besides this, he has a way of letting 

 the facts in regard to certain occurrences transpire just as in life — 

 in a natural, instead of the usual bookish way. Murder and other 

 things come out gradually. 113 For instance, we do not learn the 

 details of Blind Jim's first accident for some time; we hear them 

 only when Lady Arkroyd goes to see Jim in the hospital and he 

 tells her. 114 The proneness of De Morgan's characters to nick- 

 name each other, also, adds to the tone of veracity that pervades 

 his books. 115 Especially is this true when a character has several 

 pet names, as in the case of Miss Rosalind Nightingale, who has 

 at least four aliases: Sally, Sarah, the kitten, and the merpussy. 116 

 Verisimilitude frequently arises, also, from the inconsequential 

 talk of the characters: 



"There, now! you're being imperturbable! I knew you would. But 

 you may say what you like — there really was nothing; in it. Nothing what- 

 ever that time! However, of course Mother does like Mr. Fen wick very 

 much — everybody knows that." 



Laetitia says" time will show, and Sally says, "Show what?" For the 

 remark connects with nothing in the conversation. 117 



De Morgan procures the effect of reality by the simplest 

 touches. In talking to the reader, he assumes a genial, intimate 

 tone, just as Thackeray did; he mentions insignificant objects 

 that are a part of the scene or circumstance, as the unhappy 

 kitten in the Major's lap, 118 the fly in Mrs. Challis' ink, 119 the 

 perennial bluebottle fly between the blind and the window-pane 

 while Sally eats her breakfast, 120 and the safety-pin that she could 

 not find; 121 he casually refers to people who really have nothing 

 to do with the story; 122 he recalls some antecedent circumstance 

 that gives naturalness to a later occurrence, as Sally's going into 

 the house to direct a letter for Fenwick to mail; 123 he speaks of a 

 character as if he existed in actual life outside of the book; 124 and 



* '^Sometimes the reader is never informed exactly what the facts were; for 

 example, the exact nature of the crime that darkened Rosalind's life is never told, 

 tin there are references to it ag^in snd ag-un (Somehow Good, pp. 12iO. 132, 133, 177. 

 495). These indefinite references add very much to the verisimilitude of the crime. 



" 4 ji Never Can Happen Again, p. 214. _ This was really Jim's second accident. 



ni Somrhoio Good 



ii«De Morgan is like Dickens when he gives his characters what may be called 

 generic names: as, the Fossil, the Dragon, the Goodv (Somehow Good), and Nosev 

 and Elbows (The Old Madhouse). 



^Somehow rood, p. 85. 



"»Ibid., p. 170. 



n9jt Never Can Happen Again, p. 358. 

 woSomchow n ood, p. 179. 

 ^Ibid., p. 521. 



Never Can Happen Again, pp. 377, 513. 

 ^Somehow <^ood, p. 88. 

 »«rW<f., p. 581. 



