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points; and kindly and clearly showing me where I should fail, in practice. He disputed no principle with me, (being, I fancied, partly of the same mind with me about principles,) but only feasibilities; whereas in every talk permitted me more recently by Mr. Gladstone, he disputes all the principles before their application; and the application of all that get past the dispute. D’Israeli differed from both in making a jest alike of principle and practice; but I never came into full collision with him but once. It is a long story, about little matters; but they had more influence in the end than many greater ones,-so I will write them.

30. I never went to official dinners in Oxford if I could help it; not that I was ever really wanted at them, but sometimes it became my duty to go, as an Art Professor; and when the Princess of Wales came, one winter, to look over the Art Galleries, I had of course to attend, and be of what use I could: and then came commands to the dinner at the Deanery,-where I knew no more how to behave than a marmot pup! However, my place was next but one to D’Israeli’s, whose head, seen close, interested me; the Princess, in the centre of the opposite side of the table, might be glanced at now and then,-to the forgetfulness of the evils of life. Nobody wanted me to talk about anything; and I recovered peace of mind enough, in a little while, to hear D’Israeli talk, which was nice; I think we even said something to each other, once, about the salmon. Well-then, presently I was aware of a little ripple of brighter converse going round the table, and saw it had got at the Princess, and a glance of D’Israeli’s made me think it must have something to do with me. And so it had, thus:-It had chanced either the day before, or the day before that, that the Planet Saturn had treated me with his usual adversity in the carrying out of a plot with Alice in Wonderland.¹ For, that evening, the Dean and

¹ [Miss Alice Liddell, for whom “Lewis Carroll” wrote his book.]

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