XXII
When George MacDonald came to America upon his lecture tour and brought with him his wife and son, he consented to give his lecture in Amesbury, although the lecture committee there could by no means pay him his price. But the fact that Whittier had invited him while in Amesbury to be his guest more than compensated for the meagerness of financial rewards. In truth, it was often the case that the hospitality of the poet compensated for the poverty of the lecture bureau, and the Amesbury lyceum had speakers of far higher ability than its own funds could have supplied.
MacDonald’s lecture was most interesting, and simply delivered in his fascinating Scottish accent.
In the evening a deputation from the Scottish Club of Amesbury came to him in the poet’s home, bringing Whittier’s complete works to present to the poet and novelist of their native land. Whittier’s welcome and the Scottish poet’s delight made the event a “red-letter day” to the Club.
But when the two poets were at last alone together, they must have spent a memorable time; they had in common an untraveled worldof sympathy; yet they were different. The spiritual world is MacDonald’s world and his heroes are ideal rather than weighted with the weaknesses and foibles of human nature. But Whittier tells us of reality—the reality in the natural and in the spiritual world, for in both of these he lived. His poems are no dreams, but actualities seen upon the heights of life. His men and women are those whom we daily meet, but with the veil which for most of us is upon their hearts drawn aside, giving us wonderful glimpses into the holy of holies. It was not strange that the two poets had much to say to each other, and that afterward Whittier remarked of his guest; “There is no man in England whom I should have been more glad to meet than George MacDonald.”
In connection with this visit occurred an incident characteristic both of Whittier and of his niece, afterward Mrs. Pickard, who herself told it to the writer.
The poet received many very beautiful gifts, some of which this niece while keeping his house would put about in the rooms, that visitors also might enjoy them. But Whittier’s native abhorrence of ostentation, together with his Quaker simplicity, did not approve of this display, and the gifts would be relegated totheir hiding-places. Over and over would she try the experiment, and always with the same result, although occasionally, her uncle would not immediately notice the ornaments and so they would hold their own for a few days; but only to disappear in the end. Thus the game would go on and neither would mention the subject to the other.
Among these gifts was a very handsome silver cake-basket, for cake-baskets were then in vogue. Several times had Lizzie attempted to grace the table with this when guests were present. But her uncle had always left his guests to make an errand to the dining-room just before the meal, and the tabooed basket had always vanished from the table.
But when George MacDonald, accompanied by his wife and son came to Amesbury to give his lecture, because, as has been said, he could be the guest of Whittier, Lizzie felt that if the opportunity to display the cake-basket was ever to come, it should be then. But how could she do it? For her uncle, with all his pleasure in his guests was not too much absorbed in his brother poet to omit the preliminary survey of the table.
The cake-basket was not there. Well-pleased, he returned to his guests.
It was when the summons to the eveningmeal had been given and the company was about to be seated, that Lizzie appeared, in her hand the well-filled cake-basket which she placed conspicuously upon the table and made haste to seat herself behind the teacups.
If the poet, who never missed the humorous side of anything, did not strike his hand upon his knee and cry his familiar utterance, “Capital! Capital!” it was because at the moment the situation made it impossible to him. He surely appreciated his niece no less because she—one of his own family—had done what his foes, political and personal, had never been able to accomplish—outwitted him!