MISCELLANEOUS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3982, 26 April 1884, Page 2 (Supplement)

MISCELLANEOUS.

THACKERAY. One day as Thackeray was walking along Wyoh-streot he passed a group of dirty littlo street Arabs. One little female tatterdemalian looked up at him as ho passed, and then called out to her younger brother : —" Hi, Archie ! d'you know who him is ? He's Becky sharp." Thackeray was astounded to find that a littlo barefootod guttersnipe should know sufficientof his writings even toconfound bimwithoneof hisheroines. On inquiry he found that the little thing was the child of an actress of some education, but insufficient histrionic ability, who had gradually como down to sewing trousers for caeap tailors. She had read ono or two numbers of Vanity Fair, and on a previous occasion pointed out the author to her daughter. Thackeray found tho poor woman in a garret, boiling potatoes for dinner. She had not been able to get tho whole of Vanity Fair, but only a few odd parts. Thackeray sent hor a complete set, and something to give a relish to her dinner of potatoes. 'By Jove!' said Thackeray to a friend, 'strange as it may seem, that little incident gave me more pleasure than if I had received a complimentary letter from his Grace the Duke of Devonshire. When your name gets down into tho slums, that means fame : you have touched the bottom.'—New York Tribune.