on't say anything in the Gad's
direction about my being a little out of sorts. I have broached the
matter of course; but very lightly. Indeed there is no reason for
broaching it otherwise."

Even to the close of that letter he had buoyed himself up with the hope
that he might yet be "coached" and that the readings need not be
discontinued. But Mr. Beard stopped them at once, and brought his
patient to London. On Friday morning the 23rd, the same envelope brought
me a note from himself to say that he was well enough, but tired; in
perfectly good spirits, not at all uneasy, and writing this himself that
I should have it under his own hand; with a note from his eldest son to
say that his father appeared to him to be very ill, and that a
consultation had been appointed with Sir Thomas Watson. The statement of
that distinguished physician, sent to myself in June 1872, completes for
the present the sorrowful narrative.

"It was, I think, on the 23rd of April 1869 that I was asked to see
Charles Dickens, in consultation with Mr. Carr Beard. After I got home I
jotted down, from their joint account, what follows.

"After unusual irritability, C. D. found himself, last Saturday or
Sunday, giddy, with a tendency to go backwards, and to turn round.
Afterwards, desiring to put something on a small table, he pushed it and
the table forwards, undesignedly. He had some odd feeling of insecurity
about his left leg, as if there was something unnatural about his heel;
but he could lift, and he did not drag, his leg. Also he spoke of some
strangeness of his left hand and arm; missed the spot on which he wished
to lay that hand, unless he carefully looked at it; felt an unreadiness
to lift his hands towards his head, especially his left hand--when, for
instance, he was brushing his hair.

"He had written thus to Mr. Carr Beard.

"'Is it possible that anything in my medicine can have made me extremely
giddy, extremely uncertain of my footing, especially on the left side,
and extremely indisposed to raise my hands to my head. These symptoms
made me very uncomfortable on Saturday (qy. Sunday?) night, and all
yesterday, &c.'

"The state thus described showed plainly that C. D. had been on the
brink of an attack of paralysis of his left side, and possibly of
apoplexy. It was, no doubt, the result of extreme hurry, overwork, and
excitement, incidental to his Readings.

"On hearing from him Mr. Carr Beard had gone at once to Preston, or
B