No wonder Mr. Harness, who was behind the scenes, remonstrated
against the filial infatuation which sacrificed health, sleep, peace
of mind, to gratify every passing whim of the Doctor's. At a time
when she was sitting up at night and slaving, hour after hour, to
earn the necessary means of living, Dr. Mitford must needs have a
cow, a stable, and dairy implements procured for his amusement, and
when he died he left 1,000 pounds of debts for the scrupulous woman
to pay off. She is determined to pay, if she sells her clothes to
do so. Meanwhile, the Doctor is still alive, and Miss Mitford is
straining every nerve to keep him so. She is engaged (in strict
confidence) on a grand historical subject, Charles and Cromwell, the
finest episode in English history, she says. Here, too, fresh
obstacles arise. This time it is the theatrical censor who
interferes. It would be dangerous for the country to touch upon
such topics; Mr. George Colman dwells upon this theme, although he
gives the lady full credit for no evil intentions; but for the
present all her work is again thrown away. While Miss Mitford is
struggling on as best she can against this confusion of worries and
difficulty (she eventually received 2OO pounds for 'Julian' from a
Surrey theatre), a new firm 'Whittaker' undertakes to republish the
'village sketches' which had been written for the absconding editor.
The book is to be published under the title of 'Our Village.'

IV.

'Are your characters and descriptions true?' somebody once asked our
authoress. 'Yes, yes, yes, as true, as true as is well possible,'
she answers. 'You, as a great landscape painter, know that in
painting a favourite scene you do a little embellish and can't help