The Life and Letters of Lewis Carroll (Rev. C. L. Dodgson) · Chapter 23(THE SAME—continued.)
This chapter is not translated yet. You are reading the original.
Books for children—"The Lost Plum-Cake"—"An Unexpected Guest"—Miss Isa Bowman—Interviews—"Matilda Jane"—Miss Edith Rix—Miss Kathleen Eschwege.
Lewis Carroll's own position as an author did not prevent him from taking a great interest in children's books and their writers. He had very strong ideas on what was or was not suitable in such books, but, when once his somewhat exacting taste was satisfied, he was never tired of recommending a story to his friends. His cousin, Mrs. Egerton Allen, who has herself written several charming tales for young readers, has sent me the following letter which she received from him some years ago:—
Dear Georgie,—Many thanks. The book was at Ch. Ch. I've done an unusual thing, in thanking for a book, namely, waited to read it. I've read it right through! In fact, I found it very refreshing, when jaded with my own work at "Sylvie and Bruno" (coming out at Xmas, I hope) to lie down on the sofa and read a chapter of "Evie." I like it very much: and am so glad to have helped to bring it out. It would have been a real loss to the children of England, if you had burned the MS., as you once thought of doing....
The very last words of his that appeared in print took the form of a preface to one of Mrs. Allen's tales, "The Lost Plum-Cake," (Macmillan & Co., 1898). So far as I know, this was the only occasion on which he wrote a preface for another author's book, and his remarks are doubly interesting as being his last service to the children whom he loved. No apology, then, is needed for quoting from them here:—
Let me seize this opportunity of saying one earnest word to the mothers in whose hands this little book may chance to come, who are in the habit of taking their children to church with them. However well and reverently those dear little ones have been taught to behave, there is no doubt that so long a period of enforced quietude is a severe tax on their patience. The hymns, perhaps, tax it least: and what a pathetic beauty there is in the sweet fresh voices of the children, and how earnestly they sing! I took a little girl of six to church with me one day: they had told me she could hardly read at all—but she made me find all the places for her! And afterwards I said to her elder sister "What made you say Barbara couldn't read? Why, I heard her joining in, all through the hymn!" And the little sister gravely replied, "She knows the tunes, but not the words." Well, to return to my subject—children in church. The lessons, and the prayers, are not wholly beyond them: often they can catch little bits that come within the range of their small minds. But the sermons! It goes to one's heart to see, as I so often do, little darlings of five or six years old, forced to sit still through a weary half-hour, with nothing to do, and not one word of the sermon that they can understand. Most heartily can I sympathise with the little charity-girl who is said to have written to some friend, "I think, when I grows up, I'll never go to church no more. I think I'se getting sermons enough to last me all my life!" But need it be so? Would it be so very irreverent to let your child have a story—book to read during the sermon, to while away that tedious half-hour, and to make church—going a bright and happy memory, instead of rousing the thought, "I'll never go to church no more"? I think not. For my part, I should love to see the experiment tried. I am quite sure it would be a success. My advice would be to keep some books for that special purpose. I would call such books "Sunday-treats"—and your little boy or girl would soon learn to look forward with eager hope to that half-hour, once so tedious. If I were the preacher, dealing with some subject too hard for the little ones, I should love to see them all enjoying their picture-books. And if this little book should ever come to be used as a "Sunday-treat" for some sweet baby reader, I don't think it could serve a better purpose. Lewis Carroll.
Miss M.E. Manners was another writer for children whose books pleased him. She gives an amusing account of two visits which he paid to her house in 1889:—
An Unexpected Guest. "Mr. Dobson wants to see you, miss." I was in the kitchen looking after the dinner, and did not feel that I particularly wished to see anybody. "He wants a vote, or he is an agent for a special kind of tea," thought I. "I don't know him; ask him to send a message." Presently the maid returned— "He says he is Mr. Dodgson, of Oxford." "Lewis Carroll!" I exclaimed; and somebody else had to superintend the cooking that day. My apologies were soon made and cheerfully accepted. I believe I was unconventional enough to tell the exact truth concerning my occupation, and matters were soon on a friendly footing. Indeed I may say at once that the stately college don we have heard so much about never made his appearance during our intercourse with him. He did not talk "Alice," of course; authors don't generally talk their books, I imagine; but it was undoubtedly Lewis Carroll who was present with us. A portrait of Ellen Terry on the wall had attracted his attention, and one of the first questions he asked was, "Do you ever go to the theatre?" I explained that such things were done, occasionally, even among Quakers, but they were not considered quite orthodox. "Oh, well, then you will not be shocked, and I may venture to produce my photographs." And out into the hall he went, and soon returned with a little black bag containing character portraits of his child-friends, Isa and Nellie Bowman. "Isa used to be Alice until she grew too big," he said. "Nellie was one of the oyster—fairies, and Emsie, the tiny one of all, was the Dormouse." "When 'Alice' was first dramatised," he said, "the poem of the 'Walrus and the Carpenter' fell rather flat, for people did not know when it was finished, and did not clap in the right place; so I had to write a song for the ghosts of the oysters to sing, which made it all right."
He was then on his way to London, to fetch Isa to stay with him at Eastbourne. She was evidently a great favourite, and had visited him before. Of that earlier time he said:— "When people ask me why I have never married, I tell them I have never met the young lady whom I could endure for a fortnight—but Isa and I got on so well together that I said I should keep her a month, the length of the honeymoon, and we didn't get tired of each other." Nellie afterwards joined her sister "for a few days," but the days spread to some weeks, for the poor little dormouse developed scarlet fever, and the elder children had to be kept out of harm's way until fear of infection was over. Of Emsie he had a funny little story to tell. He had taken her to the Aquarium, and they had been watching the seals coming up dripping out of the water. With a very pitiful look she turned to him and said, "Don't they give them any towels?" [The same little girl commiserated the bear, because it had got no tail.] Asked to stay to dinner, he assured us that he never took anything in the middle of the day but a glass of wine and a biscuit; but he would be happy to sit down with us, which he accordingly did and kindly volunteered to carve for us. His offer was gladly accepted, but the appearance of a rather diminutive piece of neck of mutton was somewhat of a puzzle to him. He had evidently never seen such a joint in his life before, and had frankly to confess that he did not know how to set about carving it. Directions only made things worse, and he bravely cut it to pieces in entirely the wrong fashion, relating meanwhile the story of a shy young man who had been asked to carve a fowl, the joints of which had been carefully wired together beforehand by his too attentive friends. The task and the story being both finished, our visitor gazed on the mangled remains, and remarked quaintly: "I think it is just as well I don't want anything, for I don't know where I should find it." At least one member of the party felt she could have managed matters better; but that was a point of very little consequence. A day or two after the first call came a note saying that he would be taking Isa home before long, and if we would like to see her he would stop on the way again. Of course we were only too delighted to have the opportunity, and, though the visit was postponed more than once, it did take place early in August, when he brought both Isa and Nellie up to town to see a performance of "Sweet Lavender." It is needless to remark that we took care, this time, to be provided with something at once substantial and carvable. The children were bright, healthy, happy and childlike little maidens, quite devoted to their good friend, whom they called "Uncle"; and very interesting it was to see them together. But he did not allow any undue liberties either, as a little incident showed. He had been describing a particular kind of collapsible tumbler, which you put in your pocket and carried with you for use on a railway journey. "There now," he continued, turning to the children, "I forgot to bring it with me after all." "Oh Goosie," broke in Isa; "you've been talking about that tumbler for days, and now you have forgotten it." He pulled himself up, and looked at her steadily with an air of grave reproof. Much abashed, she hastily substituted a very subdued "Uncle" for the objectionable "Goosie," and the matter dropped. The principal anecdote on this occasion was about a dog which had been sent into the sea after sticks. He brought them back very properly for some time, and then there appeared to be a little difficulty, and he returned swimming in a very curious manner. On closer inspection it appeared that he had caught hold of his own tail by mistake, and was bringing it to land in triumph. This was told with the utmost gravity, and though we had been requested beforehand not to mention "Lewis Carroll's" books, the temptation was too strong. I could not help saying to the child next me— "That was like the Whiting, wasn't it?" Our visitor, however, took up the remark, and seemed quite willing to talk about it. "When I wrote that," he said, "I believed that whiting really did have their tails in their mouths, but I have since been told that fishmongers put the tail through the eye, not in the mouth at all."
He was not a very good carver, for Miss Bremer also describes a little difficulty he had—this time with the pastry: "An amusing incident occurred when he was at lunch with us. He was requested to serve some pastry, and, using a knife, as it was evidently rather hard, the knife penetrated the d'oyley beneath—and his consternation was extreme when he saw the slice of linen and lace he served as an addition to the tart!"
It was, I think, through her connection with the "Alice" play that Mr. Dodgson first came to know Miss Isa Bowman. Her childish friendship for him was one of the joys of his later years, and one of the last letters he wrote was addressed to her. The poem at the beginning of "Sylvie and Bruno" is an acrostic on her name—
Is all our Life, then, but a dream,
Seen faintly in the golden gleam
Athwart Times's dark, resistless stream?
Bowed to the earth with bitter woe,
Or laughing at some raree-show,
We flutter idly to and fro.
Man's little Day in haste we spend,
And, from the merry noontide, send
No glance to meet the silent end.
Every one has heard of Lewis Carroll's hatred of interviewers; the following letter to Miss Manners makes one feel that in some cases, at least, his feeling was justifiable:—
If your Manchester relatives ever go to the play, tell them they ought to see Isa as "Cinderella"—she is evidently a success. And she has actually been "interviewed" by one of those dreadful newspapers reporters, and the "interview" is published with her picture! And such rubbish he makes her talk! She tells him that something or other was "tacitly conceded": and that "I love to see a great actress give expression to the wonderful ideas of the immortal master!" (N.B.—I never let her talk like that when she is with me!) Emsie recovered in time to go to America, with her mother and Isa and Nellie: and they all enjoyed the trip much; and Emsie has a London engagement.
Only once was an interviewer bold enough to enter Lewis Carroll's sanctum. The story has been told in The Guardian (January 19, 1898), but will bear repetition:—
Not long ago Mr. Dodgson happened to get into correspondence with a man whom he had never seen, on some question of religious difficulty, and he invited him to come to his rooms and have a talk on the subject. When, therefore, a Mr. X— was announced to him one morning, he advanced to meet him with outstretched hand and smiles of welcome. "Come in Mr. X—, I have been expecting you." The delighted visitor thought this a promising beginning, and immediately pulled out a note-book and pencil, and proceeded to ask "the usual questions." Great was Mr. Dodgson's disgust! Instead of his expected friend, here was another man of the same name, and one of the much-dreaded interviewers, actually sitting in his chair! The mistake was soon explained, and the representative of the Press was bowed out as quickly as he had come in.
It was while Isa and one of her sisters were staying at Eastbourne that the visit to America was mooted. Mr. Dodgson suggested that it would be well for them to grow gradually accustomed to seafaring, and therefore proposed to take them by steamer to Hastings. This plan was carried out, and the weather was unspeakably bad—far worse than anything they experienced in their subsequent trip across the Atlantic. The two children, who were neither of them very good sailors, experienced sensations that were the reverse of pleasant. Mr. Dodgson did his best to console them, while he continually repeated, "Crossing the Atlantic will be much worse than this."
However, even this terrible lesson on the horrors of the sea did not act as a deterrent; it was as unsuccessful as the effort of the old lady in one of his stories: "An old lady I once knew tried to check the military ardour of a little boy by showing him a picture of a battlefield, and describing some of its horrors. But the only answer she got was, 'I'll be a soldier. Tell it again!'"
The Bowman children sometimes came over to visit him at Oxford, and he used to delight in showing them over the colleges, and pointing out the famous people whom they encountered. On one of these occasions he was walking with Maggie, then a mere child, when they met the Bishop of Oxford, to whom Mr. Dodgson introduced his little guest. His lordship asked her what she thought of Oxford. "I think," said the little actress, with quite a professional aplomb, "it's the best place in the Provinces!" At which the Bishop was much amused. After the child had returned to town, the Bishop sent her a copy of a little book called "Golden Dust," inscribed "From W. Oxon," which considerably mystified her, as she knew nobody of that name!
Another little stage-friend of Lewis Carroll's was Miss Vera Beringer, the "Little Lord Fauntleroy," whose acting delighted all theatre-goers eight or nine years ago. Once, when she was spending a holiday in the Isle of Man, he sent her the following lines:—
There was a young lady of station,
"I love man" was her sole exclamation;
But when men cried, "You flatter,"
She replied, "Oh! no matter,
Isle of Man is the true explanation."
Many of his friendships with children began in a railway carriage, for he always took about with him a stock of puzzles when he travelled, to amuse any little companions whom chance might send him. Once he was in a carriage with a lady and her little daughter, both complete strangers to him. The child was reading "Alice in Wonderland," and when she put her book down, he began talking to her about it. The mother soon joined in the conversation, of course without the least idea who the stranger was with whom she was talking. "Isn't it sad," she said, "about poor Mr. Lewis Carroll? He's gone mad, you know." "Indeed," replied Mr. Dodgson, "I had never heard that." "Oh, I assure you it is quite true," the lady answered. "I have it on the best authority." Before Mr. Dodgson parted with her, he obtained her leave to send a present to the little girl, and a few days afterwards she received a copy of "Through the Looking-Glass," inscribed with her name, and "From the Author, in memory of a pleasant journey."
When he gave books to children, he very often wrote acrostics on their names on the fly-leaf. One of the prettiest was inscribed in a copy of Miss Yonge's "Little Lucy's Wonderful Globe," which he gave to Miss Ruth Dymes:—
R ound the wondrous globe I wander wild,
U p and down-hill—Age succeeds to youth—
T oiling all in vain to find a child
H alf so loving, half so dear as Ruth.
In another book, given to her sister Margaret, he wrote:—
M aidens, if a maid you meet
A lways free from pout and pet,
R eady smile and temper sweet,
G reet my little Margaret.
A nd if loved by all she be
R ightly, not a pampered pet,
E asily you then may see
'Tis my little Margaret.
Here are two letters to children, the one interesting as a specimen of pure nonsense of the sort which children always like, the other as showing his dislike of being praised. The first was written to Miss Gertrude Atkinson, daughter of an old College friend, but otherwise unknown to Lewis Carroll except by her photograph:—
My dear Gertrude,—So many things have happened since we met last, really I don't know which to begin talking about! For instance, England has been conquered by William the Conqueror. We haven't met since that happened, you know. How did you like it? Were you frightened? And one more thing has happened: I have got your photograph. Thank you very much for it. I like it "awfully." Do they let you say "awfully"? or do they say, "No, my dear; little girls mustn't say 'awfully'; they should say 'very much indeed'"? I wonder if you will ever get as far as Jersey? If not, how are we to meet? Your affectionate friend, C.L. Dodgson.
From the second letter, to Miss Florence Jackson, I take the following extract:—
I have two reasons for sending you this fable; one is, that in a letter you wrote me you said something about my being "clever"; and the other is that, when you wrote again you said it again! And each time I thought, "Really, I must write and ask her not to say such things; it is not wholesome reading for me." The fable is this. The cold, frosty, bracing air is the treatment one gets from the world generally—such as contempt, or blame, or neglect; all those are very wholesome. And the hot dry air, that you breathe when you rush to the fire, is the praise that one gets from one's young, happy, rosy, I may even say florid friends! And that's very bad for me, and gives pride-fever, and conceit-cough, and such-like diseases. Now I'm sure you don't want me to be laid up with all these diseases; so please don't praise me any more!
The verses to "Matilda Jane" certainly deserve a place in this chapter. To make their meaning clear, I must state that Lewis Carroll wrote them for a little cousin of his, and that Matilda Jane was the somewhat prosaic name of her doll. The poem expresses finely the blind, unreasoning devotion which the infant mind professes for inanimate objects:—
Matilda Jane, you never look
At any toy or picture-book;
I show you pretty things in vain,
You must be blind, Matilda Jane!
I ask you riddles, tell you tales,
But all our conversation fails;
You never answer me again,
I fear you're dumb, Matilda Jane!
Matilda, darling, when I call
You never seem to hear at all;
I shout with all my might and main,
But you're so deaf, Matilda Jane!
Matilda Jane, you needn't mind,
For though you're deaf, and dumb, and blind,
There's some one loves you, it is plain,
And that is me, Matilda Jane!
In an earlier chapter I gave some of Mr. Dodgson's letters to Miss Edith Rix; the two which follow, being largely about children, seem more appropriate here:—
My dear Edith,—Would you tell your mother I was aghast at seeing the address of her letter to me: and I would much prefer "Rev. C.L. Dodgson, Ch. Ch., Oxford." When a letter comes addressed "Lewis Carroll, Ch. Ch.," it either goes to the Dead Letter Office, or it impresses on the minds of all letter-carriers, &c., through whose hands it goes, the very fact I least want them to know. Please offer to your sister all the necessary apologies for the liberty I have taken with her name. My only excuse is, that I know no other; and how am I to guess what the full name is? It may be Carlotta, or Zealot, or Ballot, or Lotus-blossom (a very pretty name), or even Charlotte. Never have I sent anything to a young lady of whom I have a more shadowy idea. Name, an enigma; age, somewhere between 1 and 19 (you've no idea how bewildering it is, alternately picturing her as a little toddling thing of 5, and a tall girl of 15!); disposition—well, I have a fragment of information on that question—your mother says, as to my coming, "It must be when Lottie is at home, or she would never forgive us." Still, I cannot consider the mere fact that she is of an unforgiving disposition as a complete view of her character. I feel sure she has some other qualities besides. Believe me, Yrs affectionately, C.L. Dodgson. My dear child,—It seems quite within the bounds of possibility, if we go on long in this style, that our correspondence may at last assume a really friendly tone. I don't of course say it will actually do so—that would be too bold a prophecy, but only that it may tend to shape itself in that direction. Your remark, that slippers for elephants could be made, only they would not be slippers, but boots, convinces me that there is a branch of your family in Ireland. Who are (oh dear, oh dear, I am going distracted! There's a lady in the opposite house who simply sings all day. All her songs are wails, and their tunes, such as they have, are much the same. She has one strong note in her voice, and she knows it! I think it's "A natural," but I haven't much ear. And when she gets to that note, she howls!) they? The O'Rixes, I suppose? About your uninteresting neighbours, I sympathise with you much; but oh, I wish I had you here, that I might teach you not to say "It is difficult to visit one's district regularly, like every one else does!" And now I come to the most interesting part of your letter—May you treat me as a perfect friend, and write anything you like to me, and ask my advice? Why, of course you may, my child! What else am I good for? But oh, my dear child-friend, you cannot guess how such words sound to me! That any one should look up to me, or think of asking my advice—well, it makes one feel humble, I think, rather than proud—humble to remember, while others think so well of me, what I really am, in myself. "Thou, that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?" Well, I won't talk about myself, it is not a healthy topic. Perhaps it may be true of any two people, that, if one could see the other through and through, love would perish. I don't know. Anyhow, I like to have the love of my child-friends, tho' I know I don't deserve it. Please write as freely as ever you like. I went up to town and fetched Phoebe down here on Friday in last week; and we spent most of Saturday upon the beach—Phoebe wading and digging, and "as happy as a bird upon the wing" (to quote the song she sang when first I saw her). Tuesday evening brought a telegram to say she was wanted at the theatre next morning. So, instead of going to bed, Phoebe packed her things, and we left by the last train, reaching her home by a quarter to 1 a.m. However, even four days of sea-air, and a new kind of happiness, did her good, I think. I am rather lonely now she is gone. She is a very sweet child, and a thoughtful child, too. It was very touching to see (we had a little Bible-reading every day: I tried to remember that my little friend had a soul to be cared for, as well as a body) the far-away look in her eyes, when we talked of God and of heaven—as if her angel, who beholds His face continually, were whispering to her. Of course, there isn't much companionship possible, after all, between an old man's mind and a little child's, but what there is is sweet—and wholesome, I think.
Three letters of his to a child-friend, Miss Kathleen Eschwege, now Mrs. Round, illustrate one of those friendships which endure: the sort of friendship that he always longed for, and so often failed to secure:—
Ch. Ch., Oxford, October 24, 1879. My dear Kathleen,—I was really pleased to get your letter, as I had quite supposed I should never see or hear of you again. You see I knew only your Christian name—not the ghost of a surname, or the shadow of an address—and I was not prepared to spend my little all in advertisements—"If the young lady, who was travelling on the G.W. Railway, &c." —or to devote the remainder of my life to going about repeating "Kathleen," like that young woman who came from some foreign land to look for her lover, but only knew that he was called "Edward" (or "Richard" was it? I dare say you know History better than I do) and that he lived in England; so that naturally it took her some time to find him. All I knew was that you could, if you chose, write to me through Macmillan: but it is three months since we met, so I was not expecting it, and it was a pleasant surprise. Well, so I hope I may now count you as one of my child-friends. I am fond of children (except boys), and have more child-friends than I could possibly count on my fingers, even if I were a centipede (by the way, have they fingers? I'm afraid they're only feet, but, of course, they use them for the same purpose, and that is why no other insects, except centipedes, ever succeed in doing Long Multiplication), and I have several not so very far from you—one at Beckenham, two at Balham, two at Herne Hill, one at Peckham—so there is every chance of my being somewhere near you before the year 1979. If so, may I call? I am very sorry your neck is no better, and I wish they would take you to Margate: Margate air will make any body well of any thing. It seems you have already got my two books about "Alice." Have you also got "The Hunting of the Snark"? If not, I should be very glad to send you one. The pictures (by Mr. Holiday) are pretty: and you needn't read the verses unless you like. How do you pronounce your surname? "esk-weej"? or how? Is it a German name? If you can do "Doublets," with how many links do you turn KATH into LEEN? With kind remembrances to your mother, I am Your affectionate friend, Charles L. Dodgson (alias "Lewis Carroll"). Ch. Ch., Oxford, January 20, 1892. My dear Kathleen,—Some months ago I heard, from my cousin, May Wilcox, that you were engaged to be married. And, ever since, I have cherished the intention of writing to offer my congratulations. Some might say, "Why not write at once?" To such unreasoning creatures, the obvious reply is, "When you have bottled some peculiarly fine Port, do you usually begin to drink it at once?" Is not that a beautiful simile? Of course, I need not remark that my congratulations are like fine old Port—only finer, and older! Accept, my dear old friend, my heartiest wishes for happiness, of all sorts and sizes, for yourself, and for him whom you have chosen as your other self. And may you love one another with a love second only to your love for God—a love that will last through bright days and dark days, in sickness and in health, through life and through death. A few years ago I went, in the course of about three months, to the weddings of three of my old child-friends. But weddings are not very exhilarating scenes for a miserable old bachelor; and I think you'll have to excuse me from attending yours. However, I have so far concerned myself in it that I actually dreamed about it a few nights ago! I dreamed that you had had a photograph done of the wedding—party, and had sent me a copy of it. At one side stood a group of ladies, among whom I made out the faces of Dolly and Ninty; and in the foreground, seated in a boat, were two people, a gentleman and a lady I think (could they have been the bridegroom and the bride?) engaged in the natural and usual occupation for a riverside picnic—pulling a Christmas cracker! I have no idea what put such an idea into my head. I never saw crackers used in such a scene! I hope your mother goes on well. With kindest regards to her and your father, and love to your sisters—and to yourself too, if HE doesn't object!—I am, Yours affectionately, C.L. Dodgson. P.S.—I never give wedding-presents; so please regard the enclosed as an unwedding present. Ch. Ch., Oxford, December 8, 1897. My dear Kathleen,—Many thanks for the photo of yourself and your fiancé, which duly reached me January 23, 1892. Also for a wedding-card, which reached me August 28, 1892. Neither of these favours, I fear, was ever acknowledged. Our only communication since, has been, that on December 13, 1892, I sent you a biscuit—box adorned with "Looking-Glass" pictures. This you never acknowledged; so I was properly served for my negligence. I hope your little daughter, of whose arrival Mrs. Eschwege told me in December, 1893, has been behaving well? How quickly the years slip by! It seems only yesterday that I met, on the railway, a little girl who was taking a sketch of Oxford! Your affectionate old friend, C.L. Dodgson.
The following verses were inscribed in a copy of "Alice's Adventures," presented to the three Miss Drurys in August, 1869:—
To three puzzled little girls, from the Author.
Three little maidens weary of the rail,
Three pairs of little ears listening to a tale,
Three little hands held out in readiness,
For three little puzzles very hard to guess.
Three pairs of little eyes, open wonder-wide,
At three little scissors lying side by side.
Three little mouths that thanked an unknown Friend,
For one little book, he undertook to send.
Though whether they'll remember a friend, or book, or day—
In three little weeks is very hard to say.
He took the same three children to German Reed's entertainment, where the triple bill consisted of "Happy Arcadia," "All Abroad," and "Very Catching." A few days afterwards he sent them "Phantasmagoria," with a little poem on the fly-leaf to remind them of their treat:—
Three little maids, one winter day,
While others went to feed,
To sing, to laugh, to dance, to play,
More wisely went to—Reed.
Others, when lesson-time's begun,
Go, half inclined to cry,
Some in a walk, some in a run;
But these went in a—Fly.
I give to other little maids
A smile, a kiss, a look,
Presents whose memory quickly fades,
I give to these—a Book.
Happy Arcadia may blind,
While all abroad, their eyes;
At home, this book (I trust) they'll find
A very catching prize.
The next three letters were addressed to two of Mr. Arthur Hughes' children. They are good examples of the wild and delightful nonsense with which Lewis Carroll used to amuse his little friends:—
My dear Agnes,—You lazy thing! What? I'm to divide the kisses myself, am I? Indeed I won't take the trouble to do anything of the sort! But I'll tell you how to do it. First, you must take four of the kisses, and—and that reminds me of a very curious thing that happened to me at half-past four yesterday. Three visitors came knocking at my door, begging me to let them in. And when I opened the door, who do you think they were? You'll never guess. Why, they were three cats! Wasn't it curious? However, they all looked so cross and disagreeable that I took up the first thing I could lay my hand on (which happened to be the rolling-pin) and knocked them all down as flat as pan-cakes! "If you come knocking at my door," I said, "I shall come knocking at your heads." "That was fair, wasn't it?" Yours affectionately, Lewis Carroll. My dear Agnes,—About the cats, you know. Of course I didn't leave them lying flat on the ground like dried flowers: no, I picked them up, and I was as kind as I could be to them. I lent them the portfolio for a bed—they wouldn't have been comfortable in a real bed, you know: they were too thin—but they were quite happy between the sheets of blotting-paper—and each of them had a pen-wiper for a pillow. Well, then I went to bed: but first I lent them the three dinner-bells, to ring if they wanted anything in the night. You know I have three dinner-bells—the first (which is the largest) is rung when dinner is nearly ready; the second (which is rather larger) is rung when it is quite ready; and the third (which is as large as the other two put together) is rung all the time I am at dinner. Well, I told them they might ring if they happened to want anything—and, as they rang all the bells all night, I suppose they did want something or other, only I was too sleepy to attend to them. In the morning I gave them some rat-tail jelly and buttered mice for breakfast, and they were as discontented as they could be. They wanted some boiled pelican, but of course I knew it wouldn't be good for them. So all I said was "Go to Number Two, Finborough Road, and ask for Agnes Hughes, and if it's really good for you, she'll give you some." Then I shook hands with them all, and wished them all goodbye, and drove them up the chimney. They seemed very sorry to go, and they took the bells and the portfolio with them. I didn't find this out till after they had gone, and then I was sorry too, and wished for them back again. What do I mean by "them"? Never mind. How are Arthur, and Amy, and Emily? Do they still go up and down Finborough Road, and teach the cats to be kind to mice? I'm very fond of all the cats in Finborough Road. Give them my love. Who do I mean by "them"? Never mind. Your affectionate friend, Lewis Carroll.
My dear Amy,—How are you getting on, I wonder, with guessing those puzzles from "Wonderland"? If you think you've found out any of the answers, you may send them to me; and if they're wrong, I won't tell you they're right! You asked me after those three cats. Ah! The dear creatures! Do you know, ever since that night they first came, they have never left me? Isn't it kind of them? Tell Agnes this. She will be interested to hear it. And they are so kind and thoughtful! Do you know, when I had gone out for a walk the other day, they got all my books out of the bookcase, and opened them on the floor, to be ready for me to read. They opened them all at page 50, because they thought that would be a nice useful page to begin at. It was rather unfortunate, though: because they took my bottle of gum, and tried to gum pictures upon the ceiling (which they thought would please me), and by accident they spilt a quantity of it all over the books. So when they were shut up and put by, the leaves all stuck together, and I can never read page 50 again in any of them! However, they meant it very kindly, so I wasn't angry. I gave them each a spoonful of ink as a treat; but they were ungrateful for that, and made dreadful faces. But, of course, as it was given them as a treat, they had to drink it. One of them has turned black since: it was a white cat to begin with. Give my love to any children you happen to meet. Also I send two kisses and a half, for you to divide with Agnes, Emily, and Godfrey. Mind you divide them fairly. Yours affectionately, C.L. Dodgson.
The intelligent reader will make a discovery about the first of the two following letters, which Miss Maggie Cunningham, the "child-friend" to whom both were addressed, perhaps did not hit upon at once. Mr. Dodgson wrote these two letters in 1868:—
Dear Maggie,—I found that the friend, that the little girl asked me to write to, lived at Ripon, and not at Land's End—a nice sort of place to invite to! It looked rather suspicious to me—and soon after, by dint of incessant inquiries, I found out that she was called Maggie, and lived in a Crescent! Of course I declared, "After that" (the language I used doesn't matter), "I will not address her, that's flat! So do not expect me to flatter." Well, I hope you will soon see your beloved Pa come back—for consider, should you be quite content with only Jack? Just suppose they made a blunder! (Such things happen now and then.) Really, now, I shouldn't wonder if your "John" came home again, and your father stayed at school! A most awkward thing, no doubt. How would you receive him? You'll say, perhaps, "you'd turn him out." That would answer well, so far as concerns the boy, you know—but consider your Papa, learning lessons in a row of great inky schoolboys! This (though unlikely) might occur: "Haly" would be grieved to miss him (don't mention it to her). No carte has yet been done of me, that does real justice to my smile; and so I hardly like, you see, to send you one. However, I'll consider if I will or not—meanwhile, I send a little thing to give you an idea of what I look like when I'm lecturing. The merest sketch, you will allow—yet still I think there's something grand in the expression of the brow and in the action of the hand. Have you read my fairy tale in Aunt Judy's Magazine? If you have you will not fail to discover what I mean when I say "Bruno yesterday came to remind me that he was my god-son!"—on the ground that I "gave him a name"! Your affectionate friend, C.L. Dodgson. P.S.—I would send, if I were not too shy, the same message to "Haly" that she (though I do not deserve it, not I!) has sent through her sister to me. My best love to yourself—to your Mother my kindest regards—to your small, fat, impertinent, ignorant brother my hatred. I think that is all.
My dear Maggie,—I am a very bad correspondent, I fear, but I hope you won't leave off writing to me on that account. I got the little book safe, and will do my best about putting my name in, if I can only manage to remember what day my birthday is—but one forgets these things so easily. Somebody told me (a little bird, I suppose) that you had been having better photographs done of yourselves. If so, I hope you will let me buy copies. Fanny will pay you for them. But, oh Maggie, how can you ask for a better one of me than the one I sent! It is one of the best ever done! Such grace, such dignity, such benevolence, such—as a great secret (please don't repeat it) the Queen sent to ask for a copy of it, but as it is against my rule to give in such a case, I was obliged to answer— "Mr. Dodgson presents his compliments to her Majesty, and regrets to say that his rule is never to give his photograph except to young ladies." I am told she was annoyed about it, and said, "I'm not so old as all that comes to!" and one doesn't like to annoy Queens; but really I couldn't help it, you know.
I will conclude this chapter with some reminiscences of Lewis Carroll, which have been kindly sent me by an old child-friend of his, Mrs. Maitland, daughter of the late Rev. E.A. Litton, Rector of Naunton, and formerly Fellow of Oriel College and Vice—Principal of Saint Edmund's Hall:—
To my mind Oxford will be never quite the same again now that so many of the dear old friends of one's childhood have "gone over to the great majority." Often, in the twilight, when the flickering firelight danced on the old wainscotted wall, have we—father and I—chatted over the old Oxford days and friends, and the merry times we all had together in Long Wall Street. I was a nervous, thin, remarkably ugly child then, and for some years I was left almost entirely to the care of Mary Pearson, my own particular attendant. I first remember Mr. Dodgson when I was about seven years old, and from that time until we went to live in Gloucestershire he was one of my most delightful friends. I shall never forget how Mr. Dodgson and I sat once under a dear old tree in the Botanical Gardens, and how he told me, for the first time, Hans Andersen's story of the "Ugly Duckling." I cannot explain the charm of Mr. Dodgson's way of telling stories; as he spoke, the characters seemed to be real flesh and blood. This particular story made a great impression upon me, and interested me greatly, as I was very sensitive about my ugly little self. I remember his impressing upon me that it was better to be good and truthful and to try not to think of oneself than to be a pretty, selfish child, spoiled and disagreeable; and, after telling me this story, he gave me the name of "Ducky." "Never mind, little Ducky," he used often to say, "perhaps some day you will turn out a swan." I always attribute my love for animals to the teaching of Mr. Dodgson: his stories about them, his knowledge of their lives and histories, his enthusiasm about birds and butterflies enlivened many a dull hour. The monkeys in the Botanical Gardens were our special pets, and when we fed them with nuts and biscuits he seemed to enjoy the fun as much as I did. Every day my nurse and I used to take a walk in Christ Church Meadows, and often we would sit down on the soft grass, with the dear old Broad Walk quite close, and, when we raised our eyes, Merton College, with its walls covered with Virginian creeper. And how delighted we used to be to see the well-known figure in cap and gown coming, so swiftly, with his kind smile ready to welcome the "Ugly Duckling." I knew, as he sat beside me, that a book of fairy tales was hidden in his pocket, or that he would have some new game or puzzle to show me—and he would gravely accept a tiny daisy-bouquet for his coat with as much courtesy as if it had been the finest hot-house boutonnière. Two or three times I went fishing with him from the bank near the Old Mill, opposite Addison's Walk, and he quite entered into my happiness when a small fish came wriggling up at the end of my bent pin, just ready for the dinner of the little white kitten "Lily," which he had given me. My hair was a great trouble to me, as a child, for it would tangle, and Mary was not too patient with me, as I twisted about while she was trying to dress it. One day I received a long blue envelope addressed to myself, which contained a story-letter, full of drawings, from Mr. Dodgson. The first picture was of a little girl—with her hat off and her tumbled hair very much in evidence—asleep on a rustic bench under a big tree by the riverside, and two birds, holding what was evidently a very important conversation, above in the branches, their heads on one side, eyeing the sleeping child. Then there was a picture of the birds flying up to the child with twigs and straw in their beaks, preparing to build their nest in her hair. Next came the awakening, with the nest completed, and the mother-bird sitting on it; while the father-bird flew round the frightened child. And then, lastly, hundreds of birds—the air thick with them—the child fleeing, small boys with tin trumpets raised to their lips to add to the confusion, and Mary, armed with a basket of brushes and combs, bringing up the rear! After this, whenever I was restive while my hair was being arranged, Mary would show me the picture of the child with the nest on her head, and I at once became "as quiet as a lamb." I had a daily governess, a dear old soul, who used to come every morning to teach me. I disliked particularly the large—lettered copies which she used to set me; and as I confided this to Mr. Dodgson, he came and gave me some copies himself. The only ones which I can remember were "Patience and water-gruel cure gout" (I always wondered what "gout" might be) and "Little girls should be seen and not heard" (which I thought unkind). These were written many times over, and I had to present the pages to him, without one blot or smudge, at the end of the week. One of the Fellows of Magdalen College at that time was a Mr. Saul, a friend of my father's and of Mr. Dodgson, and a great lover of music—his rooms were full of musical instruments of every sort. Mr. Dodgson and father and I all went one afternoon to pay him a visit. At that time he was much interested in the big drum, and we found him when we arrived in full practice, with his music-book open before him. He made us all join in the concert. Father undertook the 'cello, and Mr. Dodgson hunted up a comb and some paper, and, amidst much fun and laughter, the walls echoed with the finished roll, or shake, of the big drum—a roll that was Mr. Saul's delight. My father died on August 27, 1897, and Mr. Dodgson on January 14, 1898. And we, who are left behind in this cold, weary world can only hope we may some day meet them again. Till then, oh! Father, and my dear old childhood's friend, requiescalis in pace!
"NOTES ON THE FIRST TWO BOOKS OF EUCLID." 1860 Oxford: Parker. 8vo. 6d "PHOTOGRAPHS." (?)1860 (Printed for private circulation; a list of negatives taken by the Rev. C. L. Dodgson.) Pp. 4, 4to "A SYLLABUS OF PLANE ALGEBRAICAL GEOMETRY," 1860 systematically arranged, with formal definitions, postulates, and axioms. By Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Part I. Containing Points, Right Lines, Rectilinear Figures, Pencils and Circles. Oxford: Parker. Pp. xvi + 164, 8vo. Cloth, paper label. 5s "RULES FOR COURT CIRCULAR." 1860 (A new game, invented by the Rev. C.L. Dodgson.) Pp. 4. (Reprinted in 1862). "THE FORMULÆ OF PLANE TRIGONOMETRY," 1861 printed with symbols (instead of words) to express the "goniometrical ratios." By Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Oxford: Parker. Pp. 19, 4to. Stitched, 1s. "NOTES ON THE FIRST PART OF ALGEBRA." 1861 Oxford: Parker. 8vo. 6d "INDEX TO 'IN MEMORIAM.'" 1862 [Suggested and edited by the Rev. C.L. Dodgson; much of the actual work of compilation was done by his sisters] London: Moxon. "THE ENUNCIATIONS OF EUCLID, Books I. and II." 1863 Oxford: Printed at the University Press. "GENERAL LIST OF (MATHEMATICAL) SUBJECTS, AND 1863 CYCLE FOR WORKING EXAMPLES." Oxford: Printed at the University Press. "CROQUÊT CASTLES." 1863 (A new game invented by the Rev. C.L. Dodgson). London(?) Pp. 4. (Reprinted, with additions and alterations, in 1866 at Oxford.) "THE NEW EXAMINATION STATUTE." 1864 (A letter to the Vice-Chancellor.) Pp. 2, 4 to. Oxford. "A GUIDE TO THE MATHEMATICAL STUDENT IN READING, 1864 REVIEWING, AND WORKING EXAMPLES." By Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Part I. Pure Mathematics. Oxford: Parker. Two leaves and pp. 27, 8vo. Stitched, 1s. "THE DYNAMICS OF A PARTI-CLE, with an Excursus on 1865 the New Method of Evaluation as applied to pi." Oxford: Vincent. Pp. 28, 8vo. (Three editions). "ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND." By Lewis 1865 Carroll, with forty-two illustrations by John Tenniel. London: Macmillan. Pp. 192, cr. 8vo. Cloth, gilt edges. 6s. The 1st edition (recalled) was printed in Oxford, and is very rare; all subsequent editions (1865 onwards) by Richard Clay in London. Now in its 86th thousand. [People's Edition, price 2s. 6d.; first published in 1887. Now in its 70th thousand.] "CONDENSATION OF DETERMINANTS," being a new and 1866 brief method for computing their arithmetical values. By the Rev. C.L. Dodgson. From "The Proceedings of the Royal Society, No. 84, 1866." London: Taylor and Francis. Pp. 8, 8vo. "AN ELEMENTARY TREATISE ON DETERMINANTS." 1867 London: Macmillan. (Printed in Oxford.) Pp. viii + 143, 4to. Cloth. 10s. 6d. "THE FIFTH BOOK OF EUCLID TREATED ALGEBRAICALLY, 1868 SO FAR AS IT RELATES TO COMMENSURABLE MAGNITUDES." With notes. By Charles L. Dodgson. Oxford and London: Parker. Two leaves and pp. 37, 8vo. In wrapper, 1s. 6d. "ALGEBRAICAL FORMULÆ FOR RESPONSIONS." 1868 Oxford: Printed at the University Press. "THE TELEGRAPH CIPHER." (?)1868 (Invented, in 1868, by the Rev. C.L. Dodgson.) "PHANTASMAGORIA AND OTHER POEMS." 1869 By Lewis Carroll. London: Macmillan. (Printed in Oxford.) Pp. viii + 202, small 8vo. Cloth, gilt edges. "AVENTURES D'ALICE AU PAYS DE MERVEILLES." 1869 Par Lewis Carroll, ouvrage illustré de 42 vignettes par John Tenniel. Traduit de l'anglais, par H. Bué. London: Macmillan. Pp. 196, cr. 8vo. Cloth, gilt edges. 6s. (Now in its 2nd thousand.) "ALICE'S ABENTEUER IM WUNDERLAND." Von Lewis 1869 Carroll, mit zweiundvierzig Illustrationen von John Tenniel. Uebersetzt von Antonie Zimmermann. London: Macmillan. Pp. 178, cr. 8vo. Cloth, gilt edges. 6s. "GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY." 1870 Oxford: Printed at the University Press. "ALGEBRAICAL FORMULÆ AND RULES." 1870 Oxford: Printed at the University Press. "ARITHMETICAL FORMULÆ AND RULES." 1870 Oxford: Printed at the University Press. "TO ALL CHILD READERS OF 'ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN 1871 WONDERLAND.'" Pp. 4 "THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS AND WHAT ALICE FOUND 1871 THERE." By Lewis Carroll. With fifty illustrations by John Tenniel. London: Macmillan. Pp. 224., cr. 8vo. Cloth, gilt edges. 6s. Now in its 61st thousand [People's edition. Price 2s. 6d. First published in 1887. Now in its 46th thousand.] "LE AVVENTURE D'ALICE NEL PAESE DELLA MERAVIGLIE." 1872 Per Lewis Carroll. Tradotte dall'inglese da T. Pietrocòla-Rossetti. Con 42 vignette di Giovanni Tenniel. London: Macmillan. Pp. 189, cr. 8vo. Cloth, gilt edges. 6s. CIRCULAR TO HOSPITALS OFFERING COPIES OF THE TWO 1872 "ALICE" BOOKS. London: Macmillan. "SYMBOLS, &c., TO BE USED IN EUCLID, 1872 Books I. and II." Oxford: Printed at the University Press. "NUMBER OF PROPOSITIONS IN EUCLID." Oxford: 1872 Printed at the University Press. "THE NEW BELFRY OF CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD." A 1872 Monograph. By D.C.L. Oxford: Parker. Pp. 2 + 31, cr. 8vo. In wrapper. 6d. (Five editions.) 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"THE BLANK CHEQUE." A Fable. By the Author of "The 1874 New Belfry," and "The Vision of The Three T's" Oxford: Parker. Pp. 14 + 2, cr. 8vo. In wrapper. 4d. "PRELIMINARY ALGEBRA, AND EUCLID Book V." 1874 Oxford: Printed at the University Press. "THE DYNAMICS OF A PARTI-CLE." 1874 Oxford: Parker. Pp. 24, cr. 8vo. In wrapper. 6d. "THE NEW METHOD OF EVALUATION AS APPLIED TO pi." 1874 Oxford: Parker. Pp. 16, cr. 8vo. In wrapper. 4d. "FACTS, FIGURES, AND FANCIES," relating to the 1874 Elections to the Hebdomadal Council, the Offer of the Clarendon Trustees, and the Proposal to convert the Parks into Cricke-Grounds. Oxford: Parker. Pp. 29 + 3, cr. 8vo. In wrapper. 8d. "NOTES BY AN OXFORD CHIEL." 1874 Oxford: Parker. Cr. 8vo. Cloth, gilt edges. [This book consists of the following six pamphlets bound together—"The New Method of Evaluation," "The Dynamics of a Particle," "Facts, Figures, and Fancies," "The New Belfry," "The Vision of the Three T's," and "The Blank Cheque."] "EXAMPLES IN ARITHMETIC." 1874 Oxford: Printed at the University Press. "EUCLID, BOOKS I. and II." Edited by Charles L. 1875 Dodgson. Oxford: Parker. Diagram, Title, Preface, and pp. 102, cr. 8vo. Cloth. [The book was circulated privately among Mathematical friends for hints. "Not yet published" was printed above title.] "THE PROFESSORSHIP OF COMPARATIVE PHILOLOGY." 1876 (Three leaflets.) Oxford: Printed at the University Press. "A METHOD OF TAKING VOTES OF MORE THAN TWO 1876 ISSUES." Oxford: Printed at the University Press. Pp. 20, cr. 8vo. [A note on the title-page runs as follows: "As I hope to investigate this subject further, and to publish a more complete pamphlet on the subject, I shall feel greatly obliged if you will enter in this copy any remarks that occur to you, and return it to me any time before—."] LETTER AND QUESTIONS TO HOSPITALS. Oxford: 1876 Printed at the University Press. "AN EASTER GREETING." [Reprinted in London, by 1876 Macmillan & Co., in 1880.] "FAME'S PENNY TRUMPET." Not published. 1876 Oxford: Baxter. Pp. 4, 4to. [Afterwards published in "Rhyme? and Reason?"] "THE HUNTING OF THE SNARK." An Agony, in Eight 1876 Fits. By Lewis Carroll. With nine illustrations by Henry Holiday. London: Macmillan. Pp. xi + 83, 8vo. Cloth, gilt edges. 4s.. 6d. "THE RESPONSIONS OF HILARY TERM, 1877." 1877 (A letter to the Vice-Chancellor.) Oxford: Printed at the University Press. "A CHARADE." (Written with a cyclostyle.) Pp. 4. 1878 "WORD-LINKS." (A game, afterwards called 1878 "DOUBLETS," invented by the Rev. C.L. Dodgson.) Oxford: Printed at the University Press. Pp. 4, 8vo.[There is also a form written with a cyclostyle.] "DOUBLETS." A Word-Puzzle. By Lewis Carroll. 1879 London: Macmillan. Pp. 73, 8vo. Cloth. 2s. (2nd edition, 1880.) "EUCLID AND HIS MODERN RIVALS." 1879 London: Macmillan. 8vo. Cloth. 6s. (2nd edition, 1885. Pp. xxxi + 275.) "DOUBLETS." A Word-Puzzle. By Lewis Carroll. 1880 Oxford: Printed at the University Press. Pp. 8. 8vo. [This Puzzle appeared in Vanity Fair, April 19, 1879.] "LETTER FROM MABEL TO EMILY." To illustrate common 1880 errors in letter-writing. (Written with a cyclostyle.) "LIZE'S AVONTUREN IN HET WONDERLAND." (?)1881 Naar het Engelsch. [A Dutch version of "Alice in Wonderland."] Nijmegen. 4to. "ON CATCHING COLD." (A pamphlet, consisting of 1881 extracts from two books by Dr. Inman.) Oxford: Printed at the University Press. "JABBERWOCKY." (Lewis Carroll's Poem, with A.A. 1881 Vansittart's Latin rendering.) Oxford: Printed at the University Press. NOTICE RE CONCORDANCE TO "IN MEMORIAM." 1881 Oxford: Printed at the University Press. "LANRICK." A Game for Two Players. 1881 Oxford: Printed at the University Press. A CIRCULAR ABOUT THE "SCHOOL OF DRAMATIC ART." 1882 Oxford: Printed at the University Press. "AN ANALYSIS OF THE RESPONSIONS-LISTS FROM 1882 MICHAELMAS, 1873, to Michaelmas, 1881." Oxford: Printed at the University Press. CIRCULAR ASKING FOR SUGGESTIONS FOR A GIRLS' 1882 EDITION OF SHAKESPEARE. Oxford: Printed at the University Press. [Two different forms, one pp. 2, the other pp. 4.] "EUCLID, BOOKS I. and II." 1882 London: Macmillan. Printed in Oxford. Pp. xi + 108. 8vo. Cloth. 2s. [Seven editions were subsequently published.] "DREAMLAND." A Song. Words by Lewis Carroll; music 1882 by Rev. C. E. Hutchinson. Oxford: Printed at the University Press. "MISCHMASCH." (A game invented by the Rev. C. L. 1882 Dodgson.) Oxford: Printed at the University Press. Two editions. "RHYME? AND REASON?" By Lewis Carroll. With 1883 sixty-five illustrations by Arthur B. Frost, and nine by Henry Holiday. London: Macmillan. Pp. xii + 214, cr. 8vo. Cloth, 7s. (Now in its 6th thousand.) [This book is a reprint, with a few additions, of "The Hunting of the Snark," and of the comic portions of "Phantasmagoria and Other Poems."] "LAWN TENNIS TOURNAMENTS: THE TRUE METHOD OF 1883 ASSIGNING PRIZES, with a Proof of the Fallacy of the Present Method." London: Macmillan. Printed in Oxford. 8vo. "RULES FOR RECKONING POSTAGE." 1883 Oxford: Baxter. "TWELVE MONTHS IN A CURATORSHIP." 1884 By One who has tried it. Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 52, 8vo SUPPLEMENT TO DITTO. 1884 Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 8, 8vo POSTSCRIPT TO DITTO. 1884 Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 2, 8vo. "CHRISTMAS GREETINGS." 1884 London: Macmillan. "THE PROFITS OF AUTHORSHIP." By Lewis Carroll. 1884 London: Macmillan. 8vo. 6d. "THE PRINCIPLES OF PARLIAMENTARY REPRESENTATION." 1884 London: Harrison. Pp. 56, 8vo. (Reprinted in 1885.) SUPPLEMENT TO DITTO. 1885 Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 8, 8vo. Two editions. POSTSCRIPT TO SUPPLEMENT TO DITTO. 1885 Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 4, 8vo. Two editions. SUPPLEMENT TO FIRST EDITION OF "EUCLID AND HIS 1885 MODERN RIVALS." London: Macmillan. 8vo. 1s "A TANGLED TALE." By Lewis Carroll. With six 1885 illustrations by Arthur B. Frost. London: Macmillan. Printed in Oxford. Pp. 152, cr. 8vo. Cloth, gilt edges. 4s. 6d. (Now in its 4th thousand.) [First appeared in Monthly Packet, April, 1882—November, 1884. There are also separate reprints of each "Knot," and of the Answers to "Knots" I. and II.] "PROPOSED PROCURATORIAL CYCLE." 1885 Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 4, 4to. "THE PROCURATORIAL CYCLE. FURTHER REMARKS." 1885 Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 3, 4to. "SUGGESTIONS AS TO THE ELECTION OF PROCTORS." 1885 Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 4, 4to. (Reprinted, with additions, in 1886) "ALICE'S ADVENTURES UNDER GROUND." By Lewis 1886 Carroll. With thirty-seven illustrations by the author. London: Macmillan. Pp. viii + 95, cr. 8vo. Cloth, gilt edges. 4s. (Now in its 4th thousand.) [This book is a facsimile of the original Manuscript story, afterwards developed into "Alice in Wonderland."] "THREE YEARS IN A CURATORSHIP." 1886 By one whom it has tried. Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 32, cr. 8vo. "REMARKS ON THE REPORT OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE." 1886 Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 8, cr. 8vo. "REMARKS ON MR. SAMPSON'S PROPOSAL." 1886 Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 4, cr. 8vo. "OBSERVATIONS ON MR. SAMPSON'S PROPOSAL." 1889 Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 12, 8vo. "FIRST PAPER ON LOGIC." 1886 Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 2, 8vo. "FOURTH PAPER ON LOGIC." 1886 Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 3, 8vo. "FIFTH PAPER ON LOGIC." 1887 Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 4, 8vo. "SIXTH PAPER ON LOGIC." 1887 Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 4, 8vo. "QUESTIONS IN LOGIC." 1887 Oxford: Printed by E. Baxter. Pp. 4, fcap. fol. "ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND; AND THROUGH THE 1887 LOOKING-GLASS." People's editions, 1 vol. London: Macmillan. Cr. 8vo. Cloth. 4s. 6d. "THE GAME OF LOGIC." By Lewis Carroll. 1887 London: Macmillan. Pp. 96, cr. 8vo. Cloth. 3s. "CURIOSA MATHEMATICA, Part I. A New Theory of 1888 Parallels." By C. L. Dodgson. London: Macmillan. Pp. 75. 8vo. Cloth. 2s. (Reprinted in 1889, 1890, and 1895.) "MEMORIA TECHNICA." [Written with a cyclostyle.] 1888 Pp. 4 "CIRCULAR BILLIARDS FOR TWO PLAYERS." Invented, in (?)1889 1889, by Lewis Carroll. Two editions "SYLVIE AND BRUNO." By Lewis Carroll. With 1889 forty-six illustrations by Harry Furniss. London: Macmillan. Pp. xxiii + 400, cr. 8vo. Cloth, gilt edges. (Now in its 13th thousand.) [The picture on p. 77 was drawn by Miss Alice Havers.] "THE NURSERY 'ALICE.'" Containing twenty coloured 1890 enlargements from Tenniel's illustrations to "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." With text adapted to nursery readers by Lewis Carroll. The cover designed and coloured by E. Gertrude Thomson. London: Macmillan. Pp. 56, 4to. Boards. 4s. (Now in its 11th thousand.) "EIGHT OR NINE WISE WORDS ABOUT LETTER-WRITING." 1890 By Lewis Carroll. Oxford: Emberlin and Son. (Now in its 5th edition.) [This pamphlet is sold with the "Wonderland" Postage-Stamp Case, published by Messrs. Emberlin and Son.] "THE STRANGER CIRCULAR." (A leaflet sent by Mr. 1890 Dodgson to people who wrote to him about his "Lewis Carroll" books, addressing the envelope to Rev. C. L. Dodgson.) Oxford: Printed by Sheppard. CIRCULAR, asking friends to send addresses of 1890 stationers likely to sell the "Wonderland" Postage-Stamp Case. Oxford: Printed by Sheppard. CIRCULAR SENT TO VARIOUS HOSPITALS, offering free 1890 copies of Lewis Carroll's books. Oxford: Printed by Sheppard. LIST OF INSTITUTIONS to which above was to be sent. 1890 Oxford: Printed by Sheppard. CIRCULAR, ADDRESSED TO THE GOVERNING BODY OF 1891 CHRIST CHURCH, Oxford, about the proposal to invite M.A.'s to dine at High Table. "A POSTAL PROBLEM." June, 1891. 1891 DITTO, Supplement. 1891 A CIRCULAR ABOUT RESIGNATION OF CURATORSHIP. 1892 Oxford: Printed by Sheppard. A CIRCULAR ABOUT "UNPARLIAMENTARY" WORDS 1892 used by some competitors in the "Syzygies" competition in The Lady. Oxford: Printed by Sheppard. "CURIOSISSIMA CURATORIA." By 'Rude Donatus.' 1892 (A Pamphlet sent to all resident members of Christ Church Common Room.) Oxford: Printed by Sheppard. "EIGHTH PAPER ON LOGIC." 1892 Oxford: Printed by Sheppard. [A revised version of one page was printed in same year.] "NINTH PAPER ON LOGIC." 1892 Oxford: Printed by Sheppard. "NOTES TO LOGIC PAPERS EIGHT AND NINE." 1892 Oxford: Printed by Sheppard. "CURIOSA MATHEMATICA, Part III. PILLOW PROBLEMS," 1893 thought out during wakeful hours, by C. L. Dodgson. London, Macmillan: Printed in Oxford. Pp. xvii + 109, 8vo. Cloth, 1st and 2nd editions. (Reprinted in 1894, 1895.) "SYZYGIES AND LANRICK." By Lewis Carroll. 1893 London: The Lady office. Pp. 26. 6d. "SYLVIE AND BRUNO CONCLUDED." By Lewis Carroll. 1893 With forty-six illustrations by Harry Furniss. London: Macmillan. Pp. xxi + 423, cr. 8vo. Cloth, gilt edges. 7s.6d. (Now in its 3rd thousand.) [The picture on p. 409 was drawn by Miss Alice Havers.] "A DISPUTED POINT IN LOGIC." 1894 "WHAT THE TORTOISE SAID TO ACHILLES." (Reprinted 1894 from Mind, December, 1894.) Pp. 4. "A FASCINATING MENTAL RECREATION FOR THE YOUNG." (?)1895 (A circular about Symbolic Logic, signed "Lewis Carroll.") "RESIDENT WOMEN-STUDENTS." 1896 (A circular, signed "Charles L Dodgson.") Oxford: Printed by Sheppard. "SYMBOLIC LOGIC. Part I. Elementary." By Lewis 1896 Carroll. London: Macmillan. Pp. xxxi + 192, cr. 8vo. Cloth. 2s. (Now in its 4th edition.) "THREE SUNSETS AND OTHER POEMS." By Lewis Carroll. 1898 With twelve Fairy-Fancies by E. Gertrude Thomson. London: Macmillan. Pp. 68, fcap. 4to. Cloth, gilt edges. 4s. [This book is a reprint, with additions, of the serious portions of "Phantasmagoria and Other Poems."] "TO MY CHILD-FRIEND." (A poem, reprinted in "The No date Game of Logic.") Pp. 2 "THE ALPHABET-CIPHER." No date