rrect a false impression which any of
your readers who still care to know my opinions would receive from the
reference to Dickens in your kind notice of my letters to Miss
Beever....I have not the letters here, and forget what I said about
my Pickwick's not amusing me when I was ill, but it always does, to
this hour, when I am well; though I have known it by heart, pretty
nearly all, since it came out; and I love Dickens with every bit of my
heart, and sympathize in everything he thought or tried to do, except
in his effort to make more money by readings which killed him."
_Letter to "Daily Telegraph", Sandgate, January 4, 1888._]

* * * * *

CORPUS CHRISTI COLLEGE, OXFORD,
_26th December, 1877_.

I don't know really whether I _ought_ to be at Brantwood or here on
Christmas. Yesterday I had two lovely services in my own cathedral.
You know the _cathedral_ of Oxford is the chapel of Christ Church
College, and I have my own high seat in the chancel, as an honorary
student, besides being bred there, and so one is ever so proud and
ever so pious all at once, which is ever so nice, you know; and my own
dean, that's the Dean of Christ's Church, who is as big as any bishop,
read the services, and the psalms and anthems were lovely; and then I
dined with Henry Acland and his family, where I am an adopted
son,--all the more wanted yesterday because the favorite son Herbert
died this year in Ceylon,--the first death out of seven sons. So they
were glad to have me. Then I've all my Turners here, and shall really
enjoy myself a little to-day, I think; but I do wish I could be at
Brantwood too.

Oh dear, I've scribbled this dreadfully. Can you really read my
scribble, Susie? Love, you may always read, however scribbled.

* * * * *

OXFORD, _27th December_, 1877.

By the way, what a shame it is that we keep that word "jealous" in the
second commandment, as if it meant that God was jealous of images. It
means burning, zealous or full of life, visiting, etc., _i.e._,
necessarily when leaving the father leaving the child; necessarily,
when giving the father life, giving life to the child, and to
thousands of the race of them that love me.

It is very comic the way people have of being so particular about the
second and fourth commandments, and breaking all the rest with the