ntial communication about politics
he does not speak freely of public men; but about the foibles of private
individuals I do not believe that, much as I have talked with him,
I ever heard him utter one word. I passed three or four hours very
agreeably in his company at the club.

I have also seen Kenny for an hour or two. I do not know that I ever
mentioned Kenny to you. When London is overflowing, I meet such numbers
of people that I cannot remember half their names. This is the time
at which every acquaintance, however slight, attracts some degree of
attention. In the desert island, even poor Poll was something of a
companion to Robinson Crusoe. Kenny is a writer of a class which, in our
time, is at the very bottom of the literary scale. He is a dramatist.
Most of the farces, and three-act plays, which have succeeded during
the last eight or ten years, are, I am told, from his pen. Heaven knows
that, if they are the farces and plays which I have seen, they do him
but little honour. However, this man is one of our great comic writers.
He has the merit, such as it is, of hitting the very bad taste of our
modern audiences better than any other person who has stooped to that
degrading work. We had a good deal of literary chat; and I thought him a
clever shrewd fellow.

My father is poorly; not that anything very serious is the matter with
him; but he has a cold, and is in low spirits.

Ever yours

T. B. M.

London: October 14, 1833

Dear Hannah,--I have just finished my article on Horace Walpole. This is
one of the happy moments of my life; a stupid task performed; a weight
taken off my mind. I should be quite joyous if I had only you to read it
to. But to Napier it must go forthwith; and, as soon as I have finished
this letter, I shall put it into the general post with my own fair
hands. I was up at four this morning to put the last touch to it. I
often differ with the majority about other people's writings, and still
oftener about my own; and therefore I may very likely be mistaken; but
I think that this article will be a hit. We shall see. Nothing ever cost
me more pains than the first half; I never wrote anything so flowingly
as the latter half; and I like the latter half the best. I have laid it
on Walpole so unsparingly that I shall not be surprised if Miss Berry
should cut me. You know she was Walpole's favourite in her youth.
Neither am I sure that Lord and Lady Holland will be well pleased. But
they ought