and character he respected as
much as he liked the man. He lost much in losing the judicious and safe
counsel which had guided him on many public questions in which he took
lively interest, and it was with a heavy heart he set out at last upon
his second circuit. "With what difficulty I get myself back to the
readings after all this loss and trouble, or with what unwillingness I
work myself up to the mark of looking them in the face, I can hardly
say. As for poor Arthur Smith at this time, it is as if my right arm
were gone. It is only just now that I am able to open one of the books,
and screw the text out of myself in a flat dull way. Enclosed is the
list of what I have to do. You will see that I have left ten days in
November for the Christmas number, and also a good Christmas margin for
our meeting at Gadshill. I shall be very glad to have the money that I
expect to get; but it will be earned." That November interval was also
the date of the marriage of his eldest son to the daughter of Mr. Evans,
so long, in connection with Mr. Bradbury, his publisher and printer.

The start of the readings at Norwich was not good, so many changes of
vexation having been incident to the opening announcements as to leave
some doubt of their fulfilment. But the second night, when trial was
made of the _Nickleby_ scenes, "we had a splendid hall, and I think
_Nickleby_ will top all the readings. Somehow it seems to have got in
it, by accident, exactly the qualities best suited to the purpose; and
it went last night, not only with roars, but with a general hilarity and
pleasure that I have never seen surpassed."[245] From this night onward,
the success was uninterrupted, and here was his report to me from
Brighton on the 8th of November. "We turned away half Dover and half
Hastings and half Colchester; and, if you can believe such a thing, I
may tell you that in round numbers we find 1000 stalls already taken
here in Brighton! I left Colchester in a heavy snow-storm. To-day it is
so warm here that I can hardly bear the fire, and am writing with the
window open down to the ground. Last night I had a most charming
audience for _Copperfield_, with a delicacy of perception that really
made the work delightful. It is very pretty to see the girls and women
generally, in the matter of Dora; and everywhere I have found that
peculiar personal relation between my audience and myself on which I
counted most when I entered on this enterprise. _Nick