before he had put on immortality.
Browning, for example, was a name deeply honoured by me. 'Browning,
yes,' said Watts-Dunton, in the course of an afternoon, 'Browning,' and
he took a sip of the steaming whisky-toddy that was a point in our day's
ritual. 'I was a great diner-out in the old times. I used to dine out
every night in the week. Browning was a great diner-out, too. We were
always meeting. What a pity he went on writing all those plays! He
hadn't any gift for drama--none. I never could understand why he took to
play-writing.' He wagged his head, gazing regretfully into the fire, and
added, 'Such a clever fellow, too!'

Whistler, though alive and about, was already looked to as a hierarch by
the young. Not so had he been looked to by Rossetti. The thrill of the
past was always strong in me when Watts-Dunton mentioned--seldom without
a guffaw did he mention--'Jimmy Whistler.' I think he put in the surname
because 'that fellow' had not behaved well to Swinburne. But he could
not omit the nickname, because it was impossible for him to feel the
right measure of resentment against 'such a funny fellow.' As heart-full
of old hates as of old loves was Watts-Dunton, and I take it as high
testimony to the charm of Whistler's quaintness that Watts-Dunton did
not hate him. You may be aware that Swinburne, in '88, wrote for one of
the monthly reviews a criticism of the 'Ten O'Clock' lecture. He paid
courtly compliments to Whistler as a painter, but joined issue with his
theories. Straightway there appeared in the World a little letter from
Whistler, deriding 'one Algernon Swinburne--outsider--Putney.' It was
not in itself a very pretty or amusing letter; and still less so did it
seem in the light of the facts which Watts-Dunton told me in some such
words as these: After he'd published that lecture of his, Jimmy Whistler
had me to dine with him at Kettner's or somewhere. He said "Now,
Theodore, I want you to do me a favour." He wanted to get me to get
Swinburne to write an article about his lecture. I said "No, Jimmy
Whistler, I can't ask Algernon to do that. He's got a great deal of work
on hand just now--a great deal of work. And besides, this sort of thing
wouldn't be at all in his line." But Jimmy Whistler went on appealing to
me. He said it would do him no end of good if Swinburne wrote about him.
And--well, I half gave in: I said perhaps I would mention the matter to
Algernon. And next day I did. I could see Algernon