om
Ireland, and in whose care, at least to a limited extent, the boy was
placed. He was living in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1870."

"He was not sure," says Gould in his account of an interview with Mr.
Cullinane, "whether Mrs. Brenane was really Hearn's grand-aunt; the fact
is, he declared that he knew nothing, and no one knew anything true of
Hearn's life. Asked why the lad was shipped to him, he replied, 'I do
not know--I do not even know whether he was related to my
brother-in-law, Molyneux, or not.'"

From these statements Gould infers that the boy couldn't stop in any
school to which he was sent, that he was apparently an unwelcome charge
upon his father's Irish relations. Every one, indeed, who had anything
to do with him made haste to rid themselves of the obligation.

The friendship with Mr. Watkin, the old English printer, was destined to
last for the term of Hearn's life.

Many of Hearn's friends in America have insinuated that Mr. Watkin
exaggerated the strength of the tie that bound him to Lafcadio Hearn;
but Hearn's letters to his sister bear out all the statements made in
the introduction to the volume entitled "Letters from the Raven." Even
when Hearn succeeded in obtaining occupation elsewhere, he would return
to Mr. Watkin's office during leisure hours, either for a talk with his
friend, or, if Mr. Watkin was out, for a desultory reading of the books
in the "library," the appellation by which the two or three shelves
containing Mr. Watkin's heterogeneous collection was dignified. He was
of no use in Mr. Watkin's business owing to defective eyesight, but when
he returned after his day's work elsewhere, literary, political and
religious subjects were discussed and quarrelled over.

As was now and afterwards his custom with his friends, in spite of daily
intercourse, Hearn kept up a frequent correspondence with Mr. Watkin.
This correspondence has been edited and published by Mr. Milton Bronner
under the title of "Letters from the Raven." Edgar Allan Poe had died in
1849, but the influence of his weird and strange genius was still
pre-eminent in America. Early in their acquaintance Hearn established
the habit of addressing Mr. Watkin as "Old Man" or "Dad," while on the
other hand the boy, in consequence of his sallow complexion, black hair,
and admiration for Poe's works, was known as the "Raven." During the
long years of their correspondence, a drawing of a raven was generally
placed in lieu of signature w