o Character, no Observation of those about him (how could he
be a great Actor then?)--Almost the only exception I have yet reached is
his Account of Mrs. Siddons, whom he worshipped: whom he acted with in
her later years at Country Theatres: and who was as kind to him as she
was even then heart-rending on the Stage. He was her Mr. Beverley: {71}
'a very young husband,' she told him: but 'in the right way if he would
study, study, study--and not marry till thirty.' At another time, when
he was on the stage, she stood at the side scene, called out 'Bravo, Sir,
Bravo!' and clapped her hands--all in sight of the Audience, who joined
in her Applause. Macready also tells of her falling into such a
Convulsion, as it were, in Aspasia {72a} (what a subject for such a
sacrifice!) that the Curtain had to be dropped, and Macready's Father,
and Holman, who were among the Audience, looked at each other to see
which was whitest! This was the Woman whom people somehow came to look
on as only majestic and terrible--I suppose, after Miss O'Neill rose upon
her Setting.

Well, but what I wrote about yesterday--a passage about you yourself. I
fancy that he and you were very unsympathetic: nay, you have told me of
some of his Egotisms toward you, 'who had scarce learned the rudiments of
your Profession' (as also he admits that he scarce had). But, however
that may have been, his Diary records, 'Decr. 20 (1838) Went to Covent
Garden Theatre: on my way continued the perusal of Mrs. Butler's Play,
which is a work of uncommon power. Finished the reading of Mrs. Butler's
Play, which is one of the most powerful of the modern Plays I have
seen--most painful--almost shocking--but full of Power, Poetry and
Pathos. She is one of the most remarkable women of the present Day.'

So you see that if he thought you deficient in the Art which you (like
himself) had unwillingly to resort to, you were efficient in the far
greater Art of supplying that material on which the Histrionic must
depend. (N.B.--Which play of yours? Not surely the 'English Tragedy'
unless shown to him in MS.? {72b} Come: I have sent you my Translations:
you should give me your Original Plays. When I get home, I will send you
an old Scratch by Thackeray of yourself in Louisa of Savoy--shall I?)

On the whole, I find Macready (so far as I have gone) a just, generous,
religious, and affectionate Man; on the whole, humble too! One is well
content to assure oneself of this; but