Memories of a hostess : a chronicle of eminent friendships, drawn chiefly from the diaries of Mrs James T Fields . in the Pacific,which he told Fields he had never yet found time towrite down. In Charles Francis Adamss biographyof Dana, the bare bones of the story are preserved in adiary Dana was keeping during the voyage in whichthis calamity occurred. If Adams could but have turnedto the diary of Mrs. Fields for 1868, he would havefound a detailed description of an episode in Danaslife which might well have been included in his biog-raphy. But the ifs of bookmaking are hardly less abundantth
Memories of a hostess : a chronicle of eminent friendships, drawn chiefly from the diaries of Mrs James T Fields . in the Pacific,which he told Fields he had never yet found time towrite down. In Charles Francis Adamss biographyof Dana, the bare bones of the story are preserved in adiary Dana was keeping during the voyage in whichthis calamity occurred. If Adams could but have turnedto the diary of Mrs. Fields for 1868, he would havefound a detailed description of an episode in Danaslife which might well have been included in his biog-raphy. But the ifs of bookmaking are hardly less abundantthan those of history. If, for a single instance, this werein any real sense a biography of Mrs. Fields, it would benecessary for the reader to explore with the compiler thejournals and letters written during two visits theFieldses made to Europe in 1859 and 1869. But this STAGE FOLK AND OTHERS 279 would be foreign to the present purpose, which has notbeen either to produce a biography, or to evoke all theinteresting persons known to Mrs. Fields, at home andabroad, but rather to present them and her against her. Fiom a letter of Edward Lear s to Fields own intimate and distinctive background. She herselfhas written, in her Authors and Friends, of Tennysonand Lady Tennyson, and to the pictures she has drawnof them it would be easily possible to add fresh linesfrom the unprinted records — as it would be, also, tobring forth passages touching upon many another famil-iar figure of Victorian England. The roving lover whojustified himself by singing that They were my visits, but thou art my home, Stated, in essence, the principle to which these pageshave adhered. The frequenters of the house in CharlesStreet well knew that something of its color and flavor 28o MEMORIES OF A HOSTESS was derived from the excursions its hostess made intoother scenes. Yet her own color and flavor were notthose of the visitor, but of the visited. It is a pity thatmany who would have been welcome visitors
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Keywords: ., bookauthorhowemade, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, bookyear1922
