Chapter XVII: 1847-1852

Pages 368-402.

SPLENDID STROLLING. AET. 35-40.

Birth of fifth son 368
Death of Lieut. Sydney Dickens 368
Proposed benefit for Leigh Hunt 369
The plays and actors 370
The manager 370
Troubles at rehearsals 371
Pains rewarded 371
Leigh Hunt's account 372
Receipts and expenses 373
Lord Lytton's prologue 373
Appearance of Mrs. Gamp 374
Fancy for a jeu d'esprit 374
Mrs. Gamp at the play 375
Failure of artists 375
An unfinished fancy 375
Mrs. Gamp with the strollers 376
Alarm of Mrs. Harris 376
Leigh Hunt and Poole 377
Ticklish society 378
Mrs. Gamp's cabman 378
George Cruikshank 379
Mr. Wilson the barber 379
Wig experiences 380
Fatigues of a powder ball 380
Manager's moustache and whiskers 381
Leech, Lemon, and Jerrold 381-2
Mrs. Gamp's dislike of "Dougladge" 382
Costello, Stone, and Egg 383
"Only the engine" 384
Cruikshank's _Bottle_ 384
Profits of _Dombey_ 385
Time come for savings 385
Proposed edition of old novels 385
Another dropped design 386
The Praslin tragedy 386
Penalty for seeing before others 387
Street-music 387
Margate theatre and manager 387
As to Christmas book 388
Delay found necessary 389
A literary Kitely 389
Meetings at Leeds and Glasgow 390
Book-friends 391
Sheriff Alison 391
Hospitable welcome 391
Scott-monument 392
Purchase of Shakespeare's house 392
Scheme to benefit Knowles 393
Plays rehearsed 394
_Merry Wives_ chosen 394
Performances and result 394
At Knebworth-park 395
Guild of Literature and Art 396
Unfortunate omission 396
The farce that was to be written 396
The farce that was substituted 397
_Not so Bad as we Seem_ 397
Travelling theatre and scenes 398
Success of the comedy 398
An incident at Sunderland 399
Troubles of a manager 399
Acting under difficulties 400
Scenery overturned 401
Effects of fright 401
Mr. Wilkie Collins 402