he was but I
who have been with him and without him. Headland is so anxious and so
good-tempered that I cannot be very stormy with him; but it is the
simple fact that he has no notion of the requirements of such work as
this. Without him, and with a larger salary to Berry (though there are
objections to the latter as _first_ man), I could have done a hundred
times better.

As Forster will have a strong interest in knowing all about the
proceedings, perhaps you will send him this letter to read. There is no
very tremendous harm, indeed, done as yet. At Edinburgh I KNOW what I
can do with "Copperfield." I think it is not too much to say that for
every one who does come to hear it on the first night, I can get back
fifty on the second. And whatever can be worked up there will tell on
Glasgow. Berry I shall continue to send on ahead, and I shall take
nothing on trust and more as being done.

On Sunday morning at six, I have to start for Berwick. From Berwick, in
the course of that day, I will write again; to Mamie next time.

With best love to her and Mrs. B.

[Sidenote: Miss Dickens.]

QUEEN'S HEAD, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE,
_Saturday, Nov. 23rd, 1861._

A most tremendous hall here last night; something almost terrible in the
cram. A fearful thing might have happened. Suddenly, when they were all
very still over Smike, my gas batten came down, and it looked as if the
room was falling. There were three great galleries crammed to the roof,
and a high steep flight of stairs, and a panic must have destroyed
numbers of people. A lady in the front row of stalls screamed, and ran
out wildly towards me, and for one instant there was a terrible wave in
the crowd. I addressed that lady laughing (for I knew she was in sight
of everybody there), and called out as if it happened every night,
"There's nothing the matter, I assure you; don't be alarmed; pray sit
down;" and she sat down directly, and there was a thunder of applause.
It took some few minutes to mend, and I looked on with my hands in my
pockets; for I think if I had turned my back for a moment there might
still have been a move. My people were dreadfully alarmed, Boylett in
particular, who I suppose had some notion that the whole place might
have taken fire.

"But there stood the master," he did me the honour to say afterwards, in
addressing the rest, "as cool as ever I see him a-lounging at a rai