_From the last letter written by Charles Dickens._]

Now comes a facsimile taken from the last letter written by Charles
Dickens. It has been given elsewhere, but, not satisfied with the
facsimile I saw, I obtained permission to take this direct from the
letter in the British Museum. This was written an hour or so before the
fatal seizure. Every word droops below the level from which each starts,
each line of writing descends across the page, the simple _C. D._ is
very shaky, and the whole letter is broken and weak. Charles Dickens was
not "ready" at "3 o'clock"--he died at ten minutes past six p.m. And so
ends this too scanty notice of a great man's written-gesture.

* * * * *

NOTE:--Considerations of space and of the avoidance of technicalities
have prevented a really full account of the written gesture of Charles
Dickens; scanty as the foregoing account is, the illustrations it
contains could not have been supplied by any one collector of Charles
Dickens's letters. I express my sincere gratitude to the many persons
who have enabled me to give these illustrations, and only regret that
one collector refused my request for the loan of some very early and
interesting letters.

J.H.S.

* * * * *



_The Mirror._