inadequately represent the
man. As to his personal fascination, among all the poets of England
we have no record of anything equal to it. It asserted itself not
only in relation to the pre-Raphaelite group, but in relation to all
other members of society with whom he was brought into contact. To
describe the magnetism of such a man is, of course, impossible. Much
has been written upon what is called the _demonic_ power in certain
individuals--the power of casting one's own influence over all
others. Napoleon's case is generally instanced as a typical one. But
Napoleon's demonic power was of a self-conscious kind. It would seem,
however, that there is another kind of demonic power--the power of
shedding quite unconsciously one's personality upon all brought into
contact with it. The demonic power of Rossetti, like that of _D'Arcy_
in this story, was quite unconscious. In Rossetti's presence, as in
_D'Arcy's_, it was impossible not to yield to this strange,
mysterious power. At the time when he was not so entirely reclusive
as he afterwards became, when he used to meet all sorts of people,
the author had many opportunities of noticing its effect upon others.
He has seen them try to resist it, and in vain. On a certain occasion
a very eminent man, much used to society, and much used to the
brilliant literary clubs of London, was quite cowed and silenced
before Rossetti. It is necessary to dwell upon these subtle
distinctions, because this is the D'Arcy who, as a critic has
remarked, 'is the real protagonist of _Aylwin_--although the reader
does not discover it until the very end of the story, where D'Arcy
is the character who unravels and explains all.' Without D'Arcy,
indeed, and the demonic power possessed by him, the story would have
no existence.

It is, of course, in the illustrated editions of _Aylwin_ that
D'Arcy's identification with Rossetti and his importance in the story
become specially manifest. On page 204 of the illustrated editions an
exact picture has been given by Rossetti's pupil, Dunn, of the famous
studio at 16 Cheyne Walk--the studio which will always be associated
with Rossetti's name. It has been immortalized by his friend, Dr.
Gordon Hake, in the following lines addressed to the author of
_Aylwin_ in the sonnet-sequence, _The New Day_:

Sitting with him, his tones as Petrarch's tender,
With many a speaking vision on the wall,
The fire, a-blaze, flashing the studio fende