y--Paul's School-life--Jeffrey's
Forecast of the Tale--A Damper to the Spirit--A
Fancy for New Zealand--Close of Paul's
Life--Jeffrey on Paul's Death--Florence and
Little Nell--Jeffrey on the Edith
Scenes--Edith's First Destiny--Jack
Bunsby--Dombey Household--Blimber
Establishment--Supposed Originals.

THOUGH his proposed new "book in shilling numbers" had been mentioned to
me three months before he quitted England, he knew little himself at
that time or when he left excepting the fact, then also named, that it
was to do with Pride what its predecessor had done with Selfishness. But
this limit he soon overpassed; and the succession of independent groups
of character, surprising for the variety of their forms and handling,
with which he enlarged and enriched his plan, went far beyond the range
of the passion of Mr. Dombey and Mr. Dombey's second wife.

Obvious causes have led to grave under-estimates of this novel. Its
first five numbers forced up interest and expectation so high that the
rest of necessity fell short; but it is not therefore true of the
general conception that thus the wine of it had been drawn, and only the
lees left. In the treatment of acknowledged masterpieces in literature
it not seldom occurs that the genius and the art of the master have not
pulled together to the close; but if a work of imagination is to forfeit
its higher meed of praise because its pace at starting has not been
uniformly kept, hard measure would have to be dealt to books of
undeniable greatness. Among other critical severities it was said here,
that Paul died at the beginning not for any need of the story, but only
to interest its readers somewhat more; and that Mr. Dombey relented at
the end for just the same reason. What is now to be told will show how
little ground existed for either imputation. The so-called "violent
change" in the hero has more lately been revived in the notices of Mr.
Taine, who says of it that "_it spoils a fine novel_;" but it will be
seen that in the apparent change no unnaturalness of change was
involved, and certainly the adoption of it was not a sacrifice to
"public morality." While every other portion of the tale had to submit
to such varieties in development as the characters themselves entailed,
the design affecting Paul and his father had been planned from the
opening, and was carried without alteration to the close. And of the
perfect