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<h1>UNVARNISHED TALES.</h1> <h2>BY WILLIAM MACKAY.</h2> <h2>I. A QUEER QUEST.</h2> In the Times newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.  The notice—for one cannot dignify with the name of review an article which did not exceed a quarter of a column—contained the following sentence:— <blockquote>“Mr. White’s novels appear to us to lack but one element.  Having achieved that one thing needful, Mr. White at once and without cavil takes his place in the first rank of modern novelists.  In one word, Mr. White must learn to study Human Nature from the life.  His characters are too often evolved from his inner consciousness, and as beings thus produced are apt to be wanting in backbone, it is not surprising that many of this popular author’s works are weak and flabby—shadows without substance—pictures without colour.  If Mr. White were to give one-half of the time to the study of the men and women by whom he is surrounded, which he gives to the elaboration of plot and the cultivation of style, we do not know that there is any seat in the republic of letters which we would deny him.” </blockquote> Mr. White was a timid gentleman, with thin reddish hair—a very tall forehead and weak eyes.  He was also a very well tailored man, and lived in a neatly-appointed villa, in the Hilgrove Road, St. John’s Wood, N.W.  He was married, but had no children.  He was by profession a briefless barrister, but he made his name by writing novels.  It so happened that the public applauded Mr. White from the very first moment that he appealed to them—at least in book form: his tentative efforts in periodicals having fallen very short of creating a furor.  His nonsense, which, it must be confessed, was not of a very rollicking description, suited their nonsense.  And that was the whole secret of his success.  Being a very industrious man, he wrote a great many fictions, and being modest withal, p. 3attributed his fame to hard work rather than to any endowment of genius. When Mr. White neglected his grilled bone, his buttered toast, his hot coffee, and his new-laid egg, and seemed spell-bound by what appeared in the Times newspaper, his wife instinctively knew that there was a notice of her husband’s book in that great organ, and she guessed by the twitching of his mouth, and the flushing of his face, that the notice was the reverse of favourable. “It is quite true.  It is quite true,” said Mr. White, aloud, but to himself, as he laid the paper down. “What is quite true?” asked Mrs. White, who, while greatly appreciating the pecuniary results of her husband’s labour, had but little sympathy with the work itself. “I am all wrong,” he replied, grimly. “Good gracious!  What is the matter with you?” “I am wanting in backbone,” he explained, gloomily—“criminally deficient in backbone.” “Why, John, you must be mad,” said the wife of his bosom.  And, indeed, there was a seeming irrelevancy in his remarks, p. 4which favoured his helpmate’s theory.  But John knew quite well what he was about. “Tell Edward to fetch my coat and hat,” he said, having trifled with his breakfast instead of eating it like a Briton; “and lend me your scissors.” The dutiful young woman handed her lord and master the scissors, with which he proceeded to cut out the Times review—the which, when carefully abstracted, he placed in his pocket-book.  But before Edward came with his coat and hat, Mrs. White, with natural and justifiable curiosity asked,— “Where are you going so early, John?” “I am going,” said John, quoting from the article, “I am going among the men and women by whom I am surrounded.  I am going to study human character from the life.” Mrs. White shrugged her little shoulders, elevated her little eyebrows, kissed her husband, and when she heard the hall-door close behind him, she said very quietly, as though she were making an observation which did not affect her even remotely,— “He doesn’t seem to study me very much.” John White’s great crony was Anthony Lomax, of Paper Buildings.  And John White took a ticket to the Temple Station, being determined to consult his old friend on this new revelation which the great Times newspaper had opened up to him.  He was fortunate in finding Mr. Lomax at home, devouring a frugal meal of brandy and soda, preparatory to appearing before Vice-Chancellor Bacon in the celebrated case of Breeks v. Woolfer. “You see,” said John White, with characteristic modesty, “you see I never thought of achieving a first rank.  My books take well and I make money—thank heaven.  But this fellow in the newspaper absolutely says that I am possessed of genius!” “And haven’t I always said it?” asked Tony, with an offended air; “haven’t we all always said it?” “Yes; but you are friends, don’t you know?” “Not a bit.  Do I ever tell Jones that he has genius?  Do I ever tell Sandford that he has genius—although he is a Fellow of Merton?  Did I ever tell Barlow that his works would set the Thames on fire?  Never!  Friendship in my case never interferes with strict impartiality.” This pleased Mr. White.  He absolutely blushed with pleasure.  A kind word from Lomax was more real satisfaction to him than a page of praise from the Sultry Review—which is not, perhaps, rating the eulogy of Mr. Lomax very highly. “And are they right about the—the want of backbone?” he inquired, nervously, “and the necessity to study character from the life?” “As right as nine-pence, my boy.  Doctors analyse dead bodies, and pull live ones about.  Artists draw, I am told, from the nude.  Actors imitate particular individuals.  Yes, I think the Times rascal is absolutely right.” “Then I shall commence and study from the life at once.  But where now,” he asked plaintively, “where would you advise me to commence?  You don’t know of any very likely place for the acquirement of the backbone?” “Well, my boy, there’s Breeks and Woolfer; if you’ll step over to the Vice-Chancellor’s p. 7Court—it’s quite full of character.” But the novelist only shuddered at the mention of the case, and saying gently that he thought he would take his own course, bade his friend “Good-bye,” and departed much disturbed in his mind at the magnitude and amount of the task the censor of Printing-house Square had set for him. <div class="gapspace"> </div> Three months and a couple of weeks had passed away.  It was now the 15th of October, 18–, and Tony Lomax once more sat in his chambers.  He had been away for his holidays, and had just returned, brown and invigorated, and ready to grapple with and subdue that insatiable monster, “Breeks and Woolfer.”  He was sitting with his legs stretched well under his table, his coat was off notwithstanding the chilliness of the weather, and his white shirt-sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.  He looked the picture of rude health and high animal spirits. A feeble knock on the panel of his door.  A loud and cheery “Come in” from Tony.  The door opened, and Mr. White entered, glanced nervously round, and gliding up to Lomax, said in a whisper,— “Are we alone?” Lomax could hardly believe his eyes.  The dapper little friend of his youth had grown prematurely old.  His thin red hair was no longer neatly arranged.  His weak eyes had a wild and nervous shifting.  His hands moved convulsively.  His lips were dry, and his throat—to judge from his voice—parched. “What in heaven’s name—!” exclaimed Lomax, starting from his seat. “Hush,” said the other, in extreme agitation, “don’t speak so loudly.  They might hear you.” “Who might hear me?” “The human characters—from the life—don’t you know.  I have plenty of backbone now—too much, Tony.  It’s very awful!” Lomax saw how it was, attempted to calm him, and induced him to take a seat, and to release his hat from his trembling fingers.  Then he said, with something of a tremor in his voice,— “Now, old man, tell us all about it.” John White looked nervously about the room, again asked whether they were quite alone, and commenced, in a husky whisper, to tell his narrative, with awful rapidity. “It was all right at first, Tony, and I made some capital notes, but in a few days I tired.  All the human characters seemed so much alike when studied in the life.  So brutally alike.  It pained me.  The monotony of it made me giddy.  But then the worst came, Tony.  Whenever I went out to study a character—from the life—the character began to study me.  I tried to brave it and bear up against it, because you know, Tony, the Times said I had genius and only wanted backbone.  But just fancy to yourself setting out to study murderers and thieves, and all sorts and conditions of unmentionable men, and the murderers and thieves and unmentionables—from the life—turning round and studying you!  What do you think of that?  Study you—d’ye hear?—from the life!  Ay, and follow you, too—to your club, to your home:—to your very bed!” The trembling hands searched for the hat.  Mr. White had jumped from his chair, and uttered a wild shriek, that sounded like “Here they are—from the life,” and had fled out on to the pavement of Paper Buildings. Poor White died at Hanwell just two years ago—and Lomax married his widow.  She, poor creature, finds in her new husband a practical person, whom she can understand, and seems all the happier for the change. <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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