not the humour of Dickens, who, however, may very well have written
the Introduction to Cruikshank's version. That morceau is in quite
a different taste and style. I ought, in fairness, to add the
following note from Mr. J. B. Keene, which may be thought to
overthrow belief in Thackeray's authorship of the notes:--

Dear Sir,--Your paper in the 'Cornhill' for this month on the
Mystery of Lord Bateman interested me greatly, but I must beg to
differ from you as to the authorship of the Notes, and for this
reason.

I have before me a copy of the first edition of the 'Loving Ballad'
which was bought by my father soon after it was issued. At that
time--somewhere about 1840--there was a frequent visitor at our
house, named Burnett, who had married a sister of Charles Dickens,
and who gave us the story of its production.

He said, as you state, that Cruikshank had got the words from a pot-
house singer, but the locality he named was Whitechapel,* where he
was looking out for characters. He added that Cruikshank sung or
hummed the tune to him, and he gave it the musical notation which
follows the preface. He also said that Charles Dickens wrote the
notes. His personal connection with the work and his relation to
Dickens are, I think, fair evidence on the question.

I am, dear Sir,
Yours truly,
J. B. KEENE.

Kingsmead House, 1 Hartham Road,