Item Info

Accession Number: 87-1685
Physical Description: [2] pages + envelope
Material: paper
Transcription:

  Office of All the Year Round,
A WEEKLY JOURNAL CONDUCTED BY CHARLES DICKENS,
  No. 26, Wellington Street, Strand, London. W.C.
  Monday Eighth October 1866
My Dear Kent.
  I am afraid I must stick to it here, all tomorrow and Wednesday, until 4 or 5 in the afternoon. But will you come round either day, and dine at ½ past 6 sharp?
  The Secretary of the Athenaenum told me to day that he had been obliged to call my attention to my being out of order, otherwise in a club so much sought, there would be twenty similar circumlocutional breaches effected in a few days; numbers of members having no hesitation in seconding a man, who would be slow to propose him. I explained to him (though it was not necessary) that no such thing arose in this case – that I had merely left the Proposing to Lytton as a mark of deference to a friend whom I greatly admired and esteemed – and that I made the entry under the impression that he would immediately add his name. Herewith the Secretary replied that he had heard from Lytton, who would come in today or tomorrow to put down his name, and there was an end of it. I said “If the informality is of the least importance to our candidate, I will at once erase the entry, and leave it for Lytton to put down afresh.” The Secretary would not hear of this – said it would all be quite right now – and so we parted, exchanging blessings and blessing the Universe at large.
  Ever affecy.
  CD.

MssDate: Monday Eighth October 1866
Media Type: Letters
Source: Rare Book Department
Recipient: Kent, Charles, 1823-1902
Provenance: Hamill & Barker 5/1955, Matlack Fund (album of 30 letters).

Bibliography:

Volume 11, p. 253, The Letters of Charles Dickens, edited by Madeline House & Graham Storey ; associate editors, W.J. Carlton … [et al.].

Country: Creation Place Note:No. 26, Wellington Street, Strand
Country:England
City/Town/Township:London. W.C.

Call Number: DL K419 1866-10-08
Creator Name: Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870 - Author